Because a “Yes” vote to sell the water utility is irrevocable and a “No” vote is not, the residents of Haddonfield owe it to each other and to posterity to vote “No” in November. The decision deserves more public discussion since the three public water meetings and the active campaign being conducted by our own administration have served only to awaken people to the enormity of the dilemma we’re facing.
Although in favor of the sale, Commissioner John Moscatelli said only recently he doesn’t dispute the reasons against the sale.
“Don’t get me wrong, there are good reasons to vote “No” and I do not dispute many of them,” Moscatelli said.
Shouldn’t voters consider the Commissioner’s thinking, along with other concerns aired by many residents, before making an eternal decision?
“No one ever said this was an ‘emergency.’ The condition of the system is quite bad, and needs significant attention,” Moscatelli has said, as recently as Oct. 21.
It appears the rush isn’t what we’ve been told.
These comments and others flying around suggest there is good reason to consider the question more carefully than we have. Wisdom of the ages teaches us that “fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” First Alexander Pope, then Edmund Burke, and then Abraham Lincoln. That is advice not to be taken lightly, from thinkers of the first water, if you’ll pardon the pun.
We do not want to make a hasty mistake on Nov. 4. If our mistake is a “No” vote, you can bet we’ll get another chance. If our mistake is a “Yes” vote, we’ll be stuck forever with consequences we simply haven’t considered sufficiently.
Our good commissioners are reminding us constantly that rates will go up no matter which way the vote goes. But nobody is saying by how much because nobody knows. What we do know for sure is that we’ll get what we deserve, as always. I like to think we deserve a little more time to become an informed electorate. A “No” vote on Nov. 4 will accomplish that.
Walter Weidenbacher
