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RANDOLPH DEMOCRATS WANT TO PROTECT OPEN SPACE, LOWER TRAFFIC, KEEP RANDOLPH GREEN
Nancie Ludwig, Dan Lynn 10/26/06
Nancie Ludwig and Dan Lynn, Democrats running for Town Council, announced today that if elected, they intend to continue to fight to protect Randolph’s Open Spaces.
“As Randolph Democrats, we will continue the great tradition started by Jon Huston of protecting Randolph’s open spaces for the recreation and enjoyment of all the Town’s Residents” said Ludwig.
“The Republican “development crowd” would have you believe that building more and more developments produce ratables that lower or stabilize taxes.” However, residents have seen, under the Algeier and Napoliello administrations (our last 2 mayors), development has gone up, taxes have only gone up, and traffic has gone up. The high density building that our Republican Leaders and their developer friends seem to favor have strained our police resources, created tremendous traffic problems, and contributed to school overcrowding. Their apparent willingness to allow variances, re-zoning and other accommodations to builders will only start a dangerous trend.
Some people may be under the impression that there’s not that much more green space to protect in Randolph. We must still be vigilant. Although much of the open space we have left is property that is not easy to develop, there are people who will pay to get their hands on it. Much of the land that we have left is sloped or has other difficulties associated with it, but it still must be protected. If we allow for those acres to be developed and offer builders variances, what is to prevent a single large property owner adjacent to those properties to expect that same kind of concession from the council when they are ready to sell? This is the domino effect we have when we yield to the developer wishes and this is the way the “ratables chase” works.
Under the direction of Jon Huston, Randolph has been a leader in the protection and maintenance of open space. He was instrumental in developing the first in the county open space trust, that many towns have adopted throughout the state and use our system as a model. Jon Huston and Randolph Democrats also spear headed the Randolph Trail System, No one can disagree that Randolph’s Trail system is not top in the state. Jon Huston has made it his life mission to better Randolph and to keep and preserve precious green spaces with in Randolph. “Our Democratic Team wants to continue John Huston’s legacy by serving Randolph while sincerely addressing the environmental needs of our community,” said Lynn.
In that spirit, The Lynn, Ludwig, Van Allen team will vote to save and preserve Mt. Freedom Golf and not have that turn into High Density Housing. We feel working together as a team with County and State to keep that area as a park for all our Morris County residents to enjoy would be beneficial to Randolph in so many ways. Teen employment, considerably less traffic than a high density housing project would yield, an oasis in Randolph as the town evolves along Sussex Turnpike If elected, we will continue to actively pursue and defend our open space programs, while fighting the endless “ratables chase” which has resulted.
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