Friends of Open Space Meeting Not Partisan

I was dismayed by Hillsborough Township Administrator Ferrara’s statement in Friday’s Courier News article that the speakers for the Friends of Hillsborough Open Space informational meeting were Democrats.  The meeting is this coming Thursday Sept. 19th at 7 p.m. at 146 Wertsville Road and we welcome everyone to our bipartisan meeting. www.facebook.com/FOHOSNJ for details.

Our speakers’ party affiliation is irrelevant.  Their presentation was not meant to address the ballot question at all. Clem Fiori, Chair of Montgomery Township Open Space and Pathways Committee, and Mary Penney, President of Montgomery Friends of Open Space, will talk about the maximized benefit when local government and non-profit grassroots groups partner to protect open space assets.  

As our neighbors, they will share their successful experience about how non-profits can secure funding that local government cannot.  This is what we aspire to do in Hillsborough so that we take every opportunity possible to purchase land when it becomes available.  Friends of Hillsborough Open Space would also like to partner with our township to help build and maintain trails no matter which party is in charge. It was not my business to know which party the speakers belonged to when I invited them. 

I did not ask and I took a leap of faith that our common goal was to highlight productive, lasting partnerships for the benefit of town residents.  Open space preservation has historically been everyone’s business.  New Jersey voters have overwhelmingly voted to set aside money for land acquisition to help reduce overcrowding and flooding, reduce local expenses for additional schools, transportation, and expenses related to servicing more developments, and to protect our local aquifers and watersheds.  

Please come to our meeting to learn about the history of land preservation and useful partnerships to increase open space, facts needed to understand the Nov. 5th ballot question, and how best to communicate this information to neighbors and fellow residents.  Everyone is welcome. 

I am a member of the Hillsborough Board of Education and this letter is solely my own, is not authorized by the Hillsborough BOE, and the letter is not written on behalf of the board.

Thuy Anh Le