It’s been heard often from Neptune City residents, “My friend wanted to get a job at borough hall, but they only hire their family or friends,” or “I never knew there was a way to volunteer for ___, I would have liked to have been a volunteer for that!” It is disheartening to know that some residents are not considered as valued voices in our town.
The truth is, Neptune City has had an unwritten, long-standing exclusionary practice regarding getting involved in local volunteer causes or town committees and even employment. It’s been a closed circle limited to a certain group of people.
We’ll call it “family and friends,” leaning Republican and also suspiciously non-diverse.
If I am being controversial here, anyone is welcome to email me the names of people nominated to Land Use Board, Board of Recreation or any other town-Mayor/-GOP appointed volunteer capacity who do not fit the above criteria before January 2019. Percentage-wise, it’s hard to challenge. You’re also welcome to send over any record of public postings going to all the residents asking for volunteers as well as public job postings. Even the Neptune City Women’s Club, which you’d think would be open to, you know, all women, has in the past few years at least been a seemingly closed group leaning towards the above criteria.
Until 2019, job postings were non-existent and volunteers and professionals simply chosen by the Republican majority according to their tradition of appointing their own inside people, no matter how well – or badly – they did their jobs which we pay for. For the first time, in January 2019, open positions were publicly posted by the new Democratic majority, who insisted that employment be equal opportunity, open to all, and is not subjected to employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or familial status. (To note, the Republicans on Council – Mayor Brown, Andrew Wardell and Joe Zajack – voted a resounding “No!” when asked to approve this motion asking for equal opportunity.)
This practice of the past is one reason that so many residents of Neptune City have felt not only excluded, but unwanted and even shunned. Inclusion has been a closed circle.
The situation and tradition begs the question of whether this was by habit or by design, with things having had been this way for so many decades (or both?). You can make your own judgement call. (We will have more on this later.)
There has been a lot of sabre-rattling which questions a resident-citizen’s right to speak up, their right to voice their opinions, even their right to run for office, based on their record of volunteerism in Neptune City, a town known for being open only to a specific group of people. Theres also been demonizing of those who rent as opposed to owning their home, as if renters are somehow not entitled to have a say or a vote. It’s not what Democracy is all about and is frankly, un-American.
So I pose the question: Just how have residents who don’t fit the unwritten criteria supposed to have racked up years of volunteerism and inclusion? Where was it advertised? Would they have stood a chance? In a culture where it has been publicly known that certain people are unwelcome, how does that encourage and foster volunteerism and participation? Even the current citizen-engagement Participatory Budgeting program has been met with great resistance by those not wanting to include the public in our Democracy.
Volunteering is the pinnacle of selfless sacrifice for others. Volunteers don’t do it for the glory or for the recognition, but only to help people. However, it does not necessarily qualify one for public office, nor does it exclude someone who may not have been afforded the opportunity to volunteer.
It’s a very elitist attitude. No one has the right to claim they love our wonderful jewel of a town more than anyone else.
Aside from the above exclusionary state of things, life IS life – some people work long hours, have busy family lives or maybe some simply aren’t the volunteering “type” – but none of these should subject them to being demeaned as if their opinions and input somehow don’t matter because they aren’t part of a club they don’t “belong” to. These people – tax-paying residents and renters alike – care as deeply for the town they live in and send their children to school in as much as anyone else does.
By setting the bar for running for public office based on an unattainable record and seemingly closed system of being part of town volunteer leadership and activities that among the above reason, perhaps some residents haven’t lived here since birth, the Republican old guard is also excluding and demonizing a huge part of residents of our town. They have made it clear that they do not welcome a huge part of our town, and are not planning to, as they never have, for ALL of Neptune City. Our residents have voices and have every right to use them, regardless of the barriers that have been systematically put in place.
The Neptune City Democrats are a “big tent” and we accept everyone and we hope we can change this culture of exclusion to benefit ALL residents who want to contribute and be heard.
Cristina Kocsis
Neptune City Democratic Municipal Chair and Resident Citizen