Ad Populos, Non Aditus, Pervenimus Published Every Thursday Since September 3, 1890 (908) 232-4407 USPS 680020 Thursday, January 5, 2012 OUR 122nd YEAR – ISSUE NO. 01-2012 Periodical – Postage Paid at Rahway, N.J. www.goleader.com
[email protected] SEVENTY FIVE CENTS In State-of-Town Address, Mayor Decries The ‘Politics of Fear’ By MICHAEL J. POLLACK tested the town’s mettle, and the because of ‘cuts to the fire depart- Specially Written for The Westfield Leader public’s patience, as everyone en- ment.’” WESTFIELD – In addition to the countered inconveniences. Some resi- The mayor said he was “extremely usual sentiments expressed in his dents’ grievances were aired directly disturbed by the emergence...of the State-of-the-Town address given on to the mayor’s office, and Mayor politics of fear and alarm.” Without Tuesday, Mayor Andy Skibitsky used Skibitsky told the public about one identifying the offending party by his speech to decry a “politics of particular caller. name, he said that anyone attempting fear” that he felt plagued the last After logging a complaint about to win by “creating a crisis,” where election cycle. debris pickup, the caller asked, “why none exists, “is doing a grave disser- The mayor recounted the many the town let Ferraro’s burn to the vice to our community...there is ab- challenges faced by the town over the ground.” solutely no justification for any cam- last year, from a blizzard, multiple The caller said that a candidate told paign to practice fear-mongering.” multi-alarm fires, a hurricane and an her, during the fall campaign, that the The mayor went on to detail the earthquake.