Two vie for an open seat

Wantage — With Parker Space completing his term on the Township Committee, one seat is available on the three member board. Bill Gaechter is the Republican candidate. Bob Maikis is running as an Independent. Also on the ballot for voters in Wantage, and in Sussex Borough, is the question of whether the two municipalities should merge to become one. Bill Gaechter I have lived in Wantage Township for most of my life, as has my wife Wendy. Growing up in Wantage has been such a positive experience for both of us that we chose to remain here, realizing there isn’t anywhere else we would want to raise our two children. Many people may know me from Tri County Audio, which my brother and I started 23 years ago. Having a local business provides me with a unique opportunity to service and meet many Wantage residents on a daily basis. I listen to their concerns, and recommendations to make Wantage even better. We have a strong sense of community, here in Wantage. We put our political differences aside when we all understood the importance of standing together against the power line proposal. Similarly, we rallied against the state-proposed closure of the pristine High Point State Park. I am proud to see us come together to squelch any threat to our residents or to our quality of life. Together, we have built this fine community. I’m confident that, together, we can tackle the many issues facing our town and unite as a single force for the common good of all Wantage and all its residents. I have a strong passion for Wantage. This passion, when paired with the same fiscal responsibility and decision-making used daily to run my business successfully, makes me the better choice for a seat on Township Council. I will provide the strong leadership that will be needed in these challenging economic times. Please keep in mind that the job that your municipal government does is important, as I do believe decisions affecting Wantage are best left up to its people, and not the state. I am the conservative candidate who has the family values, fiscal constraint, and decision-making experience to effect change for a better Wantage Township. Visit www.votegaechter.com for further information. Bob Maikis I have chosen to run for Wantage Township Committee because I do not believe the Committee and the party that controls it have been making sensible decisions regarding the township’s future. I was a member of the Republican Party for many years before declaring myself as an Independent last year. I did that because our party, both locally and nationally, has lost the fiscal conservatism that it claims to be champions of. Bigger government is not the answer, yet that is what we continue to get from our local officials. Our political parties just plug in one candidate after another and we get the same result. We need to end plug-in politicians. Currently, the Township is being sued over the Lake Neepaulin dam issue, we are looking at the feasibility of buying the Sussex Airport and our property tax rates continue to increase every year. In fact, the tax rates for just the township services, not including the schools or the county taxes, have increased by more than 33 percent over the past three years! At some point this trend needs to be reversed. Instead our town is looking at buying an airport with declining volume that caters to a hobby that has its lowest participation rates in decades. If elected to the Committee I can promise you one thing. I will ask questions. Many questions. One thing I have noticed during the committee meetings I have attended over the years is that very few questions are asked by the members of the committee. I want to know why recommendations are made; what alternatives we have and what are the long-term consequences of these decisions? I believe the more questions we ask, the better decisions we make. I don’t know every answer nor am I saying what the Committee does is always wrong, but I can promise that I will raise every alternative I can think of in the hopes of finding one that costs less money, allows the township to operate more efficiently and simplifies the people’s interaction with the Township. For more on my positions: visit http://web.me.com/rcmaikis.