Opinion: Duck Duck Goose

For those of you , you will have to be patient a little longer. The research takes time and, well, we at the occasionally put down our cocktails and do something called “work.” Apparently we haven’t been doing enough of the right kind of work, like sweeping, changing light bulbs and general building maintenance, as all the other township employees apparently do in their workplaces. Rumor has it township manager Scott Carew is quite adept with the vacuum cleaner.

At the last town council meeting (which I missed) it was announced . Someone please cue Dionne Warwick singing “Déjà Vu” and forgive me in advance for my cynicism, but has anything changed since this issue picked up heat last year? That was a rhetorical question, since the answer is an obvious "NO." 

, despite every single town council meeting peppered with citizens saying they don’t want their tax dollars used for artificial turf, the Tiresome Threesome have never once indicated they have listened to anyone other than the sports clubs. How is that possible? Boys and girls, can you say the word "agenda"? Here’s another rhetorical question for the BGT bloc: If you were never going to take a step back and consider how vehemently opposed to using Open Space funds many, many townspeople are, why on earth did you drag this out for close to a year? Again, there’s an easy answer. They were waiting to wear everyone down.

. While he is quoted as saying "I want to close the loop and just put this issue to bed," the only bed are getting ready for is a nice green patch 'o' plastic. And I'm curious about the loop the mayor spoke of. Would that be a noose? Or perhaps a lasso to rope in all the Open Space money so you and the boys can have the immediate gratification you so desperately seem to need?

Considering how long the library has been languishing in purgatory, why the urgency? Stacey Jordan asked why this project was being rushed through and I would ask the same question. Why can’t this wait until YOUR constituents can weigh in our how they want to see the OS money spent? Could it be you don't really care how the voters feel, since you won't be in office next year?

The expression "lame duck" candidate is one of those strange idioms we use without knowing much about its origins. The term was coined in the 18th Century at the London Stock Exchange. It referred to a broker who defaulted on his debts.

In the literal sense, it refers to a duck which is unable to keep up with its flock. As we use it today, it refers to a politician who has chosen (or been told by his/her party) not to run again and is waiting out his/her term. So really, we've got a flock of lame ducks on town council; can we expect anything other than the same old same old?

I am exhausted. You are exhausted. We're all exhausted, and as long as this pitched battle has been going on, not one person has changed their mind on this topic. There have been loud arguments in the parking lot after most town council meetings, names have been mangled, and tempers have flared. In many ways, it has divided Moorestown and highlighted the fact that our town is not functioning very well. The fields are a mess, the public buildings are in need of way more than a face-lift and we're all mad at each other.

So tonight, another meeting at . Another chance for high blood pressure and agita. Many people have thrown up their hands and said "Why bother?" I have to confess that has been my sentiment after attending many town council meetings. But here's why you need to rise from your complacency to be there tonight at 7:30.

It is important to be passionate about the direction our town is going. It is not enough to lament on Main Street or while you're waiting on the corner for the school bus. It is not enough to tell me you agree with me when we bump into each other at Wegmans.

I think . They've taken the matter into their own hands and have set out to raise funds for what they feel is important. Bravo, guys. Two of the fields projects are being undertaken right now, so your efforts are beginning to pay off. But you know what, guys? You have the means and the enthusiasm to get what you want without using Open Space funds, so why not take the high road and stop jonesing for that money? 

I don't expect the earth to move at this meeting, but I am willing to give up my evening hours to be with people who feel as I do: that it is important to take a stand and care about something, which is exactly what the sports faction has been doing. They care just as vehemently as the Open Spacers do, which is why this issue has been so divisive.

As far as I know, the fat lady hasn't sung yet and until she does, I'm going to crusade passionately for Open Space funds being used for just that: open spaces, passive recreation and the preservation of farmland. The lame ducks can do whatever they want, but the Mo'towners who have struggled to be heard will not give up. The big old goose can run independently come fall, but the people will not forget. Even the other pachyderms will remember, because as the late, great Dr. Seuss said, "An elephant never forgets."