COUNCIL MEMBER ASTOR SPEAKS OUT

A LOW KEY BATTLE ABOUT VOTING IS BEING WAGED IN MOUNT HOLLY

Tonight’s council meeting had some heated moments regarding the “Mayor’s Letter” on the "run-off question” that was approved by voters on November 4th. Members of the public objected to the veracity of the article, which appeared in the “Bridgetown News” just prior to the election. The debate centered on who actually writes these articles, how much we pay them, whether the “Mayor’s” article provided adequate citation credits for its cost statistics, and whether the costs were misrepresentations of actual costs.

Newly elected school board member Amber Kopervos said

“I’m appalled that our mayor would use taxpayer funds to spread misinformation designed to dissuade residents from voting in favor of runoff elections. When he was questioned on this issue tonight, he repeatedly interrupted residents during their allotted time to comment. This shows exactly why he didn’t want the runoff question to pass: he can’t engage with the community respectfully, accept criticism with grace, or tolerate expectations of transparency, so he will find it difficult if not impossible to win over 50% of votes in future elections.”

But with the run-off question now settled, a new voting debate has emerged. Should Mount Holly pass a resolution that informs the State Legislature of its support for the less expensive and less disruptive voting system called Ranked Choice Voting [RCV]? RCV is also known as “instant run-offs. It allow voters to settle an election on a single day rather than having to show up for another vote.

See the article WILL COUNCIL IGNORE VOTING REFORM?

I reminded Mayor Banks and Deputy Mayor DiFolco that a draft “resolution of support” for RCV was provided to them at the October council meeting by the non-profit organization “Voter Choice NJ”. I have been in touch with Voter Choice NJ over the last month and they informed me that the Mayor and Deputy Mayor did not respond to their requests for a meeting. So, I asked the Mayor and Deputy Mayor if they intended to respond to Voter Choice NJ. They both said no.

Council member Tara Astor provided a statement to The Reporter about RCV after the council meeting as follows:

“Residents came out on election day and voted overwhelmingly for run off elections, 66% in favor. The turnout was very impressive. Despite the extra cost, and having to come out again in December to vote in a run off, people still voted Yes.

Ranked choice voting is the next logical step. It costs $0, and there’s no risk of lower turnout as there could be in a run off election.

I encourage my fellow council members to support ranked choice voting. Mount Holly voters were clearly looking for change in the process of how they choose their elected officials, and we should continue to listen.”