Each of us, Mayor Ellentuck, Councilwoman Bonna, and myself, joined the Council because we each believe that citizens have an obligation to volunteer public service. Our individual visions, concerns, and priorities for Roosevelt may differ slightly. Each of us, however, believed, and still believe, that we have experience, expertise, and, mostly, a willingness to roll up our sleeves and do work that can help Roosevelt to survive in a way that will allow our residents to afford living here. While none of us has accomplished all of our goals, we are proud to be able to say that each of us has helped Roosevelt in many ways.
We have devoted countless volunteer hours to the needs of Roosevelt. We have done this because we know that small towns such as ours can only survive if elected officials and residents perform many tasks that would otherwise have to be performed by additional paid employees.
We are certainly not alone in our willingness to volunteer for the town. There are devoted and hard-working residents on the First Aid Squad, Planning Board, the Environmental Commission, the School Board, Fund For Roosevelt, Roosevelt Arts Project, the Solar Village Board, and others. We appreciate the countless hours they have devoted to the needs of Roosevelt.
We have been honored to work with many employees of the Borough. We are constantly amazed at the staff’s devotion to the Borough and their willingness to go above and beyond for the Borough and residents, sometimes without bothering to charge the town for their time. The business hours of Borough Hall are 9 to 4. We have no night crews. Except for our utilities, we have no weekend crews. Unlike in many other towns with limited budgets, if you need help at 6:00 a.m., 10:00 p.m., or 2:00 a.m., seven days a week, you have been able to get the help you need. That is part of what makes Roosevelt special. Neither the members of our staff, nor we, are willing to tolerate the continuing dismissal, denigration, and harassment, which has resulted in the staff resignations this evening.
Over the last two years, it has become increasingly difficult and costly to the town to accomplish the work for which we were elected and for which we have devoted our time and energy. The Council, which previously acted with reasonable efficiency and effectiveness despite their differences, now reflects the national spirit of political divisiveness, truthiness, incivility, and personal attacks. Proposals are rejected out of hand simply because they were proposed by one of us. This is not helpful for the town.
As we are no longer effective as Council members, we, Jill Lipoti, Stacey Bonna, and Jeff Ellentuck, are resigning effective tonight. We wish to thank our supporters for their faith in us. We know that many of you understand why we can no longer serve.
We have devoted countless volunteer hours to the needs of Roosevelt. We have done this because we know that small towns such as ours can only survive if elected officials and residents perform many tasks that would otherwise have to be performed by additional paid employees.
We are certainly not alone in our willingness to volunteer for the town. There are devoted and hard-working residents on the First Aid Squad, Planning Board, the Environmental Commission, the School Board, Fund For Roosevelt, Roosevelt Arts Project, the Solar Village Board, and others. We appreciate the countless hours they have devoted to the needs of Roosevelt.
We have been honored to work with many employees of the Borough. We are constantly amazed at the staff’s devotion to the Borough and their willingness to go above and beyond for the Borough and residents, sometimes without bothering to charge the town for their time. The business hours of Borough Hall are 9 to 4. We have no night crews. Except for our utilities, we have no weekend crews. Unlike in many other towns with limited budgets, if you need help at 6:00 a.m., 10:00 p.m., or 2:00 a.m., seven days a week, you have been able to get the help you need. That is part of what makes Roosevelt special. Neither the members of our staff, nor we, are willing to tolerate the continuing dismissal, denigration, and harassment, which has resulted in the staff resignations this evening.
Over the last two years, it has become increasingly difficult and costly to the town to accomplish the work for which we were elected and for which we have devoted our time and energy. The Council, which previously acted with reasonable efficiency and effectiveness despite their differences, now reflects the national spirit of political divisiveness, truthiness, incivility, and personal attacks. Proposals are rejected out of hand simply because they were proposed by one of us. This is not helpful for the town.
As we are no longer effective as Council members, we, Jill Lipoti, Stacey Bonna, and Jeff Ellentuck, are resigning effective tonight. We wish to thank our supporters for their faith in us. We know that many of you understand why we can no longer serve.