Hamilton Township Residents Revolt - Elections apparently don't matter

From today's Trentonian:

HAMILTON — A taxfighters’ showdown is in the wind. You can’t see it in the bounce of tumble weed, hear it in the jangle of spurs or smell it in the nervous sweat.

But you can sure feel the heat of its anger as you read of its coming in The Trentonian’s BackTalk.

BackTalk has been flooded this week with dozens of reactions to the state’s invalidation of taxpayers’ stunning rejection Tuesday of the Hamilton Township school district’s $170 million budget.

Every single BackTalker expressed outrage that the state Department of Education would disrespect such a fundamental form of hometown, American democracy.

It was as if nearly 6,000 votes, pro and con, vanished in a digital nanosecond at the behest of bureaucratic fiat.

The story line is simple. The township has experienced some of the highest tax increases in the state due to poor fiscal management. There was a school budget election. The residents overwhelmingly turned it down and wanted deeper cuts. The state has now nullified the election.

Welcome to the state of New Jersey. If you can't beat 'em, cheat 'em.

Read the entire article here.

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