Oh, for the good old days...

My family has lived in Cinnaminson for more than 130 years, 123 of those years in the very house where my family and I have lived for the past 29 years.  Though I have traveled to other countries and lived in a number of places, the house in East Riverton was always considered "down home." Holiday gatherings were held here, it was where you stored furniture that didn't fit in your apartment, and it was where the aunts were, always ready with a hug and a brown paper bag of Jersey tomatoes. So it would not be an exaggeration to say that I have a connection to the township.

Being here as long as I have, I have had the opportunity to see the changes that have taken place—some subtle, some drastic. While most of those changes have been for the best, the biggest change is one over which I have no control. It is called progress, and in most situations that would be good. However, when we look at how far we have come in terms of what we have lost, I'm not so sure.

People younger than me (and there are many more than there used to be!) probably won't understand the nostalgia through which I see the world. Cinnaminson always had a small-town feel. Even if someone didn't know you, they knew your family name. We knew our neighbors, we knew the shopkeepers, we knew the mailman, we knew the policemen and the firemen, all by name! If you had an issue, you could talk it over with the mayor or a committee member at the hardware store or the 5 & 10, and know that it would be brought up at the next meeting.

But then something happened. People "with vision" moved into town. They wanted Cinnaminson to grow and expand—more people, more taxes, more services, more buildings and so on. Does anyone remember why we needed to get bigger? Scrape away all the "progress," and what's underneath? This is just my opinion, and I may be wrong, but it looks to me like it all comes down to money. And as it has been said "the love of money is the root of all evil." That would certainly seem to be the case here in Cinnaminson these past few days, but as I have said many times, people only do what you allow them to do. That statement applies to just about any situation, from bullies in the schoolyard, to smart-mouthed and rude teenagers, to being taken advantage of by people you trust. 

Everyone is certainly paying attention this week to how the township is run. There is lots of fingerpointing and one person blames this one and that person praises others. What it all comes down to is: who is watching what goes on? And who is watching the watchers? Even as the township has grown from a small town of caring neighbors to a sprawling suburbia filled with strangers, the township government has remained relatively unchanged.

We have 5 committee members to represent the entire township. Anyone have the current population figures? Something like 14 or 15 thousand isn't it? Didn't we have 5 committee members to represent the entire township when there were less than 10,000 of us? Will we still have just 5 committee members when we hit 20,000? Some people have said that the committee members should have been watching the CSA. Seems to me that they are already spread a bit thin.

They all have to divide themselves up between this committee and that board, that it's a wonder they can devote as much time as they do to any one aspect of their job (and I'm pretty sure that they all have regular jobs so they can care for their families).

Mayor Brauckmann grasped that, and felt the residents needed a bit more than he could give, and appointed a designee to take his place on the planning board. I applaud that decision, and thank him for it.  He is still the mayor and a committee member, and head of parks & recreation, but is able to give at least a bit more time to those endeavors.  How many others in our government are spread too thin and should perhaps think about cutting back on some of their township duties.

I've done a little research and have come up with some interesting thoughts. And as some of you know, I attend lots of township meetings, (twp committee, planning board, zoning board, historical commission, sewer authority) and have been known to take extensive notes. However, I am not a reporter, and therefore cannot write anything here that is not my personal opinion, interpretation, impression or point of view. So once again - any of you who would like to discuss this further, or hear about that I've learned over the past few months, email me at turtlelady527@comcast.net and I'll add you to the growing email list (everything I send goes out as bcc - blind copies, so no one else will ever know that you are communicating with a subsersive lunatic like me!)