Dear Congressman Lance,     In 1791, the Second Amendment to the Constitution was adopted to enable American settlers to bear arms for the defense of the country, their property and personal security. Rifles and pistols were muzzle loaders with single shots. Seventy years later, Gatling sold the first rapid-fire gun to the Union Army with claims to cut force size, reduce combat deaths and show the futility of war. Gatling’s assertions proved to be wrong. The gun industry has since expanded to the personal marketing of advanced sophisticated weapons that were created for military use in …

By Senator Michael J. Doherty (R-23)A new report from the state Department of Transportation confirms what many opponents of red light camera ticketing systems have long suspected: cameras lead to more accidents, more injuries and greater cost.The report contains data showing that both the total number and total cost of crashes have increased at intersections after cameras were installed.The commonly stated goal of red light cameras is to reduce injuries from right-angle crashes, generally the most dangerous type of collision that results from running a red light.At the 24 intersections in …

Last year guns killed 48 people in Japan, 8 in Great Britain, 34 in Switzerland, 21 in Sweden and over 11,000 in the United States. We spend billions on security threats abroad, but do little to improve the security from assault weapons and handguns that have killed over 30,000  people in 2012. When is enough, enough? The NRA will not be providing a pamphlet to assist our schools how to talk to children after this bloodbath. The right to bear arms is not more important than a child's right to grow up. I urge you sir, as you claim to be a moderate, to represent us and be a true leader and work…

To the Editor:  At the November town council meeting we were informed that Chief Eric Mason is resigning from being the acting township administrator and will return being a full time police chief in 2013. This comes after our township committee went through the process of selecting a new police chief for a position that is not vacant. The explanation we were offered was that nobody is happy with the situation and that they cannot discuss because it involves privacy laws governing "personnel issues". There is only one part the decision that is nobody's business, that is Chief Mason's reason …

  Editor's note: The following is a response to a letter submitted by Michael Celock, which was sent following Township Commissioner Ed O'Malley's letters regarding the township's response to Hurricane Sandy. To The Editor: Apparently, an individual could always come up with reasons why a mayor could take a family vacation to Florida while his town is in a state of emergency, but many citizens of Cranford still believe that the chief executive of a municipality should remain and do whatever must be done and not leave it to a second-in-command or anyone else. If some one is to be called a …

To the Editor, I read a recent letter to the editor by Township Commissioner Edward O’Malley regarding the township’s response to Hurricane Sandy with much interest. This letter contains statements which I found to be hypocritical, out of touch and at times leaving me downright baffled as to why we even need to elect five commissioners, when Commissioner O’Malley says that only two are actually needed in the event of a crisis. The first glaring area is Commissioner O’Malley’s continued attacks on Mayor Robinson for deciding to go to Florida with his family. Commissioner O’Malley writes of a “…

Editor's note: The following letter was originally addressed to Mayor David Robinson and the Cranford Township Committee. Dear Mayor Robinson and Elected Officials: In light of today's elections and the changes forthcoming in our township, it is finally time for my voice to be heard. I planned to address you personally at the last town meeting which, obviously, did not occur. Following today's election, we all look forward to a full-time police chief and full-time administrator as well as a CFO. We look forward to a better and safer tomorrow. We are counting on each of you to always be there …

I am not a member of the town’s Emergency Management Commiittee and as such I am not privy to its actions or communication during crises. The Mayor and Public Safety Commissioner hold that responsibility along with our Administrator and Department Heads. In the early days after the storm I realized that the town was not doing all that it could. I sent a list of suggestions to all of the Committee members. I received no response so I wrote a letter to the Patch urging action. During this time I also did what I could personally to help individuals, utility crews, displaced people at the shelter…

To the Editor: Cranford’s emergency responders came up big in the early days after the storm as they usually do.  Since Thursday however, town actions and communication have not been appropriate to the scale of the ongoing emergency needs of large numbers of citizens still without power and heat.  As we approach next week, temperatures have begun to drop and there’s a Nor’easter in the forecast. The Police Department has communicated effectively, the town has not.  I understand that a large part of the issue stems from a lack of information from and coordination with PSE&G and higher …

To the Editor: For anyone that doesn't already know, we have coyotes in Cranford. Coyotes will kill small animals for food, as well as cats and dogs. Please spread the word to others, to not leave their pets outside unattended. Peggy Pazdro Cranford

To the Editor: It has been brought to my attention that someone has been posting on the message board Cranford Talk using my name Tina Renna. This person stole my identity and made disparaging remarks about the Cranford Police Department. They have come to my family’s aid in the past, and I have the utmost respect for the Cranford Police Department. I do not post on anonymous message boards, nor do I read them. I am all for freedom of speech, especially when someone has the courage to speak out in person or to sign their name to what they write. I am also not against negative parity, but …

To the Editor: I cannot believe the poor condition of Memorial Park. The grass not cut no trimming, edging or weeding and the park benches not stained. The park looked terrible. This is an insult to the community and the veterans. I have been involved in the Memorial Day Parade for many years and Memorial Park was always in excellent condition. We should remember that on Memorial Day in Memorial Park we honor the memory of those men and women who gave their lives for America in the cause of freedom, democracy and peace. I hope in the future the Township Committee will see to it that Memorial …

To the Editor:Well, it’s that time of year again. Next month, the NJ Legislature will be voting on the Fiscal Year 2013 budget. The current plan is to continue to fund Tobacco Control at $1.2 million. This is simply not enough.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that the state provides $119.8 million on tobacco cessation and prevention. New Jersey comes in at 43rd in the nation for funding anti-tobacco programs and initiatives. Treatment and prevention programs work, from a health and financial perspective. Data from Massachusetts and Washington State confirm that for …

My name is Nicholas Frediani and I am a member of the Cranford High School Marching and Jazz Bands. I am also a Life Scout with Boy Scout Troop 75, which is sponsored by The Cranford United Methodist Church. I am currently working toward earning my Eagle Scout Award.A large part of becoming an Eagle Scout is to perform a service project. For my service project, I have chosen to renovate the Cranford high school band room. The band room is in great need of renovation and many people, including the band director, would be very happy to see this accomplished. As a member of both bands, I spend a…

Despite the county budget climbing to just a shade under a half a billion dollars, the county is laying off approximately 10 percent of their work force. This does not include even one overpaid, unneeded patronage job. In fact politicaly connected employees were given generous raises in January. Freeholder Angel Estrada stated at the last freeholder meeting, “I am amazed that people who sit here week after week who consistently complain about A, B and C are not the first ones out here saying how great it is….we’re reducing the workforce by 10 percent. That’s what they’ve been asking for …

We are finally settling back into our home six months after Hurrican Irene. Fortunately, our family was blessed to have some wonderful people of Cranford to support us throughout this ordeal. There are no words that can express our gratitude to the following people: Jim and Julie Murphy, who shared their beautiful home with us (and our dog) for six months while our home was being rebuilt, Mark and Sue Buontempo, who fed us for two weeks after the flood, our contractor, Charlie Pijanowski of Charles Contracting, Mark Buontempo of Buontempo Electric, and finally, our friends, family and …

To the Editor:   I’d like to extend my thanks once again to the many Cranford residents and  other people with Cranford connections who came out for the April 30th Rahway River cleanup.  On a day when there were many activities competing for people’s time, we still had over 100 participants and collected 109 bags of trash and recyclables. I’d particularly like to thank Eric from the DPW who was key in getting equipment disbursed; Jim Matten, who collected 20 bags of debris in a pre Cleanup day trip down the river;  the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Daisies who participated; the Union County …