Why does the Hopewell Township Committee majority and their supporters insist on deceiving the public regarding affordable housing choices they made?
In her letter to the editor last month (“Enough insults already”), long-time political supporter Lois Swanson parrots the party line that her party’s township committee majority “had no choice” when it came to affordable housing.
The fact is the township committee majority had lots of choices as to how to comply with required affordable housing, but repeatedly made bad choices.
The court only required the township to provide 653 affordable homes. How the township committee met that requirement was completely up to the township committee majority.
The court did not require the township to allow 2,881 additional market-rate homes. The township committee majority made that choice.
The court did not require the township to include commercial development with a 16 pump gas station. The township committee majority made that choice.
The court did not require the township to give tax breaks to multi-billion-dollar developers. The township committee majority made that choice.
The court did not require the township committee to exclude the public from providing input. The township committee majority made that choice.
Only after four years of bad decisions, exclusion of the public and lame excuses, with an election on the horizon, does Ms. Swanson, and presumably the township committee majority, now seek “helpful and constructive ideas.”
Here’s one: the township committee majority should admit that they do not know what they are doing, issue an apology and resign immediately.
Harvey Lester
Titusville
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