BURLINGTON COUNTY DEMOCRATS PLATFORM WILL INCREASE TAXES AND SPENDING

      “The County Democrat platform is a document of unrealistic promises, stale clichés, and meaningless rhetoric with a $2 million-and-still-counting price tag.  Simply stated, this plan is nothing more than a plan to raise taxes.” 

      That was the conclusion that Burlington County Freeholder Aubrey Fenton reached today, following a thorough review of the tax and spend plan put forth by Democrat opponents Tim Tyler, Chris Brown and Mary Ann Reinhart. 

      Fenton and his running mate Freeholder Stacey Jordan and County Clerk Candidate Gary Woodend said the platform on which their Democrat opponents are seeking office “is the classic Democrat Party roadmap to greater spending and higher taxes.” 

      The Republicans said an examination of the Democrat proposals reveals an expenditure of more than $1.6 million in the first year alone to finance and support operations of four County Clerk satellite offices. 

      “They want to spend another $250,000 to create an office of inspector general, even though it would be a duplication of functions already being carried out, and $18,000 to tape Board of Freeholder meetings for cable television broadcast,” Fenton and Jordan said.  “They also want new oversight responsibilities which will run the total spending even higher, even though, like most of the platform, it provides no details.”   

      “In typical Democrat Party fashion, our opponents view Burlington County taxpayers as a bottomless source of new tax revenue to finance needless schemes, untested programs, and duplication of existing services” they said.   

      “Tim Tyler doubled local property taxes during his five-year tenure on Fieldsboro Council,” they continued. “Evesham Councilman Chris Brown, along with his fellow Democrats on the Council raised local property taxes there by an astonishing 27 per cent, more than six times the amount set by state law as a cap on such increases. 

      ”Then, of course, it was on Shamong Councilwoman Reinhart’s watch that residents in that small pinelands community are seeing their first municipal property tax rate in years.” 

      Fenton said that Tyler, Brown and Reinhart “are bold enough to call for $30 million in tax savings, but not bold enough to say how they will reach that goal without cutting essential services.  The only substance in their plan, such as eliminating personnel and vehicles, is actually a Republican initiative, and ongoing.  To this end, we’ve already saved millions of dollars.”   

      “Aside from overused, overheated, and overdone political language, none of it is supported by facts.  The Democrat platform is thoroughly devoid of any meaningful suggestions for fiscal responsibility and restraint,” he added.  “No matter how the platform is read, it’s just one more Democrat attempt to stick their hands in the pockets of taxpayers to grasp every last dollar they can.  And, when they’ve done that, they’ll visit each home and turn over sofa cushions looking for loose change.” 

      “The Republican Board of Freeholders, by contrast, crafted a 2008 county budget which cuts the tax rate for the 18th consecutive year, and cut the actual amount of dollars needed to run county government,” Fenton and Jordan said.  “We also reduced county library taxes, our per capita spending rate remains the lowest in South Jersey and among the lowest in the state, and our county college tuition is the lowest in the state. 

      “As if that weren’t enough, Democrats have decided to make life more miserable for our residents who commute into Philadelphia by raising tolls on the bridges they control by $4.  But under Fenton’s direction, Burlington County’s bridges have frozen tolls at $2. Not surprisingly, many more commuters are using Burlington County bridges.

      “We are proud of the fiscal record we have compiled and we are proud of providing essential services at the best possible cost,” they said.  “By their platform proposals, our opponents want to cut those services and spend millions on frivolous schemes.  They couldn’t be more out of touch.”

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