Republican Committee Members Reject Transparency and Accountability
In every election cycle, the League of Women Voters organizes a candidate forum as a service to the voters of Middletown. This is to ensure that voters can see what the candidates stand for, how they plan to legislate, and what they will do for the well-being of their constituency.
Jeremy Seideman and Shawn Wallach, as the Democrat candidates for Township Committee, accepted the invitation to participate in this forum. They said “we felt it was our obligation to the people of Middletown to showcase and discuss the positive changes we will bring to the Township Committee.”
Seideman and Wallach want to:
Ensure your tax dollars are accounted for, are not wasted, and returned to our neighborhoods through investment in infrastructure
Commit to Shared Services to ease the burden on the school district while investing in the Town’s children by working to improve education
Bring new voices to the table so that the township is not run by a single-party Committee who believes they have no duty to listen to the voters
Protect the character of Middletown by supporting community-first development
One of the cornerstones of the democratic process is that candidates are given the opportunity to present the merits of their candidacies in a public and non-partisan forum. Candidates are going to be making policy that will impact their constituency and, naturally, the constituency deserves the opportunity to ask their questions before the election. By refusing to participate, the incumbents have shown that they do not want to be questioned, do not want to share their plans, and just want you to accept the status quo. After so many years of “rubber-stamp rule,” they take the voters for granted. Their campaign strategy – or lack thereof – is evidence of this, as they have put up plenty of signs but are rarely, if ever, connecting with their constituents outside of their official duties. In a clear effort to blur the line between public service and political campaigning, one of the candidates was even seen knocking on doors to support his preferred slate of, supposedly apolitical, Board of Education candidates—while wearing his official Township Committee shirt. It’s another example of how the ruling party treats public office like it’s theirs to use, and not ours, working at our service. Middletown doesn’t need more of the same—it needs leaders who listen, show up, and put residents first.
You deserve better.
Jeremy Seideman and Shawn Wallach are candidates for Middletown Township Committee