Old Bridge Democrats should give police chief a break

Not even two weeks after the election you would think the newly elected Democrats would learn from their mistakes of the past. Evidently, they are still playing a partisan game and are now going after individual citizens as well.

Case in point. The newly appointed police chief, Tom Collow, has had a record of exemplary performance in his almost 25 years of service to the Old Bridge community. Unfortunately, Collow now finds himself targeted by Democratic Township Council members who simply want to play partisan politics.

It seems that Mayor Barbara Cannon asked the council to approve an ordinance that would allow Chief Collow to retain the sick pay that he has accrued and earned over the last two decades of service.

This ordinance was very similar to another one that had passed for another police chief (quite easily, I might add) just a few years back. It was good legislation and one that several councilman (as well as one Democrat) found to be fair and appropriate that night.

It was a pretty simple ordinance, and to be honest, a no-brainer. Give the man (Collow) what he has worked for and deserves. Unfortunately for our police chief, council President Reggie Butler and council members Ed Testino (newly re-elected, I might add), William Baker and Lawrence Redmond would rather play politics here and deny a good man what is due to him.

If you ask any resident in the chambers that day (and judging from the applause we received), just about everyone, Republican or Democrat, opposed the decision to shelve the ordinance. I think almost everyone present would have told you that this was purely a partisan ploy from the Democratic majority to simply try and put Mayor Cannon into a lame duck situation. After all, she just happens to be a Republican and is the one who hired the new chief in the first place.

I would like to ask that Butler, Testino, Baker and Redmond put politics aside and do the right thing for a man who has put his life on the line for decades to protect and serve this community.

Pete Trabucco

Old Bridge