Democratic candidates go out to meet the public in Andover

Andover - Fifth District Democratic Congressional Candidate Paul Aronsohn, David Lipari, a Democratic Candidate for Sussex County Freeholder, and Howard Burrell, Chairman of the Sussex County Democratic Party, participated in a “Meet the Candidates” event in Andover on Wednesday, Sept. 13. The event was sponsored by Chapter 44 of the Sussex County AARP. Also present were Freeholder incumbents Glen Vetrano and Sue Zellman. Both Aronsohn and Lipari took time to shake hands and greet seniors at each table prior to the start of the event. Soon after, AARP Chapter 44 Vice President, June Fellner, began the formal part of the event by offering each candidate the opportunity to provide a brief introduction. Lipari used this time to talk about what brought him to a decision to run for Sussex County Freeholder. “Every time I would go to the polls, I would see that there was no choice of candidates and it was one small group that controlled all of county government. It is time for a choice and time for a change,” said Lipari. In addition to sharing his professional background, Lipari also introduced his wife, Delores and spoke fondly about their three children, Kimberly, Stephanie and Peter. “Around Byram,” he said jokingly “I am known as Kimberly, Stephanie or Peter’s Dad.” The discussion was a spirited one as Zellman and Vetrano attempted to refute Lipari’s statements related to increased spending. “Most people don’t realize that approximately 20 percent of their tax bill results solely from County taxes...that’s 20 percent. These two individuals are a part of the one-party freeholder board which has increased spending from 66 million to 92 million over the last five years,” said Lipari. “What additional services are you getting for the money? I can almost guarantee that your personal income has not risen at such a rate. I know mine has not,” said Howard Burrell. Lipari provided a real example of the Freeholder Board’s lack of due diligence and accountability when making financial decisions at the County level. “At a recent Freeholder Board meeting, Joe Maikisch and I observed that when the vote to purchase a piece of heavy equipment for over $100,000 was approved 5-0 without debate, discussion, or even a single question, we saw Mr. Vetrano turn to the other members of this group of five and ask, “do you think that we can see what we just approved when it comes in?” Burrell urged those present to consider replacing at least two of the five republican freeholders with democrats so that these kinds of uninformed and careless decisions will not be possible.