Dear Editor:
Time is on my side…it is always right to do what is right…life is not so short that there is no time for courtesy, were some of the quotes that came to mind when Secaucus Mayor Elwell imposed his five minute rule “policy.” The “policy” being that a resident wishing to address the Mayor and Council could only do so for five minutes. I had no problem with this new “policy.” Although at the time of its introduction my comment to Mayor Elwell was quote, “didn’t you campaign and get elected under the campaign slogan People before politics?”
Be that as it may I interpreted this “policy” to mean that anyone who had a question would have the opportunity to be heard. If that five minutes of time was not enough time they would leave the floor and have the opportunity to return to the podium and continue their line of questioning after all in attendance who wished to speak had spoken. One, maybe two meetings after this “policy” took effect, Mayor Elwell revised this policy. Now a resident who wished to address the Mayor and Council had five minutes and only five minutes, they could not return. Again,, one or two meetings after that five minutes only “policy” Elwell is not consistent in enforcing his own five minute “policy.” He would pick and choose, who would get five or more minutes and those who would get the “hook.” To make matters even worse, his timing was off. I observed that some residents five minute time allotment ran as long as 10 to 15 minutes. Most times George Heflich or I would have our five minutes time allotment running two to two and half minutes. To draw attention to this inconsistency, I attended the October 14th meeting armed with a cooking timer. I set it for five minutes, and as faith would have it, George Heflich was addressing the Council. When the timer went off the bell stunned the Mayor, yet he was happy. Not only that George Heflich’s time was over but that I, Tom Troyer, was instrumental in getting him, Elwell, off the hot seat. For the remainder of that meeting I set the timer every time someone addressed the Council. No problem from those in attendance. After I had addressed the Council that night, I donated my timer to the Council. The “policy” of five minutes could now be open and fair. The playing field had been leveled.
At the October 28th meeting George Heflich, the first speaker that night, was addressing the Council when the mayor declared Mr. Heflich’s time of five minutes had expired. I did not hear the “timer” that I had given the Council go off. When I questioned why, the Mayor’s reply was “it broke.” You would think the Mayor would have come up with a better reply than that, wouldn’t you?
You would think the Mayor would have more respect for time. Time was what he was looking for when he wheeled and dealed with county and state politicos to get the term for Mayor in Secaucus changed from a two to a four year term so he could develop Secaucus into oblivion. All I am asking for is five minutes, a full five minutes, for all who come to meetings wishing to be heard regardless of who or what they are for or against. Let’s be open, let’s be fair.
Recently Robert Campanella publicly confessed that the older he gets, the smarter I become in his eyes. The older I get the more ambiguous Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell becomes in my eyes.
Time has always been on my side, I truly believe that. This is not the Dennis Elwell I thought I knew. Time has taught me that, and Dennis, many today share my opinion. Dennis, you stretched your time in office from two to four. If you were running this year, you’d be out the door.
In the meantime, you may call me Tom the time keeper.
Tom Troyer