Middletown Democrats

CALIENDO CRITICIZES GOP COMMITTEE MAJORITY

MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP (MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ):

According to Middletown Democratic Chairman Joe Caliendo, Middletown Committeeman Patrick Short is being criticized by the Republican majority on the Township Committee because "he's living up to his campaign promises."
PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Publication

January 9, 2007

POC: Joe Caliendo
Chairman, Middletown Democrats
Tel: 732-299-6470
Email: joe_caliendo@yahoo.com

CALIENDO CRITICIZES GOP COMMITTEE MAJORITY

MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP (MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ):

According to Middletown Democratic Chairman Joe Caliendo, Middletown Committeeman Patrick Short is being criticized by the Republican majority on the Township Committee because "he's living up to his campaign promises."

Caliendo said that Republicans lost the November election because residents wanted "an end to pension padding, nepotism, double dipping, unnecessary full-time benefits to part-time elected and appointed politicians and, for a change, an honest person in government."

Caliendo said, "Middletown got someone on the committee who is advocating cutting taxes by trying to end frivolous benefits that are costly to taxpayers."

Caliendo said that Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger is upset publicly that Short is not agreeing with the Committee Majority. "Mr. Short is not agreeing with the Committee Majority because they are wrong. Mr. Short is taking his orders from the residents of Middletown and not Middletown Republican Chairman Peter Carton or anyone from his law firm and so the mayor is upset. Let me make this clear enough to Mr. Scharfenberger: You lost the election. People heard what the GOP was saying and responded with, 'No thanks.'"

Caliendo said he applauds Short's efforts to end taxpayer-paid health benefits for politicians. "It's high time," Caliendo said.

According to the veteran Democratic leader, Middletown Republicans will be out in force at the next meeting of the Township Committee to criticize Short. "Most of them got taken care of by the party big shots, so they're going to do what Mr. Carton wants. If that is the way the Republican Party wants to be then Democrats will respond in kind. It is time for the free ride to end on taxpayer money and no amount of barking by their paid off supporters is going to keep this thing floating when Democrats win the election for control in November. What is going to happen is that taxes are going to go down because taxpayers aren't going to carry political freeloaders anymore," Caliendo concluded.