Terry Weldon’s recent resignation as mayor of Ocean Township and guilty plea in federal court to "illegal actions related to" his office in Ocean Township, is a sad end to a long and often positive and productive political career.

Before, and after I ran unsuccessfully for the Ocean Township council in 1995, I’ve asked a number of prescient questions regarding the township’s business, including why we have two distinct fire departments with redundant overhead and why volunteer sewerage authority appointees receive $4,500 per year in compensation for meeting once per month for one hour.

Most recently, I have questioned the township’s poor handling of the power outage and its denial of benefits to a detective on military leave protecting the Secretary of Defense.

Many of our township’s ills are due to the council members belonging to the same political ticket. Perhaps the unfortunate Weldon affair will provide our township the opportunity to seriously review its policies and practices. Perhaps next year’s election will afford the township’s voters the opportunity to re-constitute the council in a fashion that is better balanced. Only then may our tarnished image be polished with the clean cloth of substantive change and good government.

David H. Weiner

Ocean Township