A Letter To The Editor From Former Berkeley Councilwoman Fran Siddons

This is a letter to the editor from Fran Siddons, a former township councilwoman who now lives in Manchester Township.

One of my former constituents asked me about Mayor Carmen Amato's recent letter on taxes. I replied that Mayor Amato was not telling the whole truth.

Amato claimed that he had no control over school taxes. At its best, that is a half truth In real practice, Amato has had the final say over the Berkeley Township school taxes through his hand-picked candidates who were were elected members of the Berkeley Township school board.

Not only are they dependent on his approval to get re-elected, but Amato has influence over the size of their family income. This year, for example, one candidate's wife is a school employee; another candidate, Steve Pellecchia got a county job by the by the grace of Amato. Ed Cammarato got a township job from Amato.

Amato's control over the Berkeley Township Board of Education is so great that perhaps the state legislature should change the name of the school district to the "Carmen Amato School District."

Berkeley Township taxpayers pay much more in taxes for the Amato-controlled district than they do for the Central Regional school district. Of the four governing bodies elected by the people that generate property taxes, the municipal tax is the highest and the Amato-controlled district school board is the second highest. These facts are documented by the new tax bill in the upper right hand corner entitled "Explanation of Taxes."

This November Amato is reaching out to expand his domain to gain total control of the Central Regional school district. In that way, Mayor Amato will have the final say on all Central Regional school jobs and all school taxes.

Instead of having only one superintendent on his knees before him, Amato will have two superintendents on their knees before him. Amato will then lord over all school and municipal employees in in Berkeley Township, making him the most powerful political boss in the history of Berkeley Township.

Concerning the $1.2 million dollar annual payment for the $6 million(FEMA) loan, if Amato had not ordered the council to take the loan, taxes would have been $1.2 million less. I voted no on the loan and warned it would have to be paid back, even though Amato deceptively suggested that it would "forgiven" without any documentation. I have been proven right on this issue as I have on other issues.

Yours truly,

Fran Siddons