“First you say you do, and then you don’t. Then you say you will, and then you won’t. You’re undecided now, so what are you gonna do?” Those words, taken from the lyrics of a popular '40's era song, encapsulate the shenanigans of at least two of the Somerset County Park Commissioners .
I was at the meeting a few weeks ago where four of the seven commissioners tendered their resignations to the county freeholders. The only stipulation that I remember any of them making was that they would step down as soon as their successors are appointed by the county freeholders. Yet, according to last Saturday’s article in the Courier News, several of the commissioners now seem to be backtracking.
The new twist is that at least two of the commissioners, Doyle Hunsinger and Rocque Dameo, are predicating their resignations on maintaining “the integrity of the park commission.” What does that mean? Institutions don’t have integrity -- only people do. It is the people who run an institution who put a public face on it, thus establishing the group’s credibility -- or lack thereof. In this case, that’s the Somerset County Park Commission. So, what, exactly, are these two gentlemen saying?
Dissolving or retaining the Park Commission is a decision that belongs to the public which created it. That is self-evident, and the Somerset County Freeholders should acknowledge that by putting the question on the ballot for the November election. That is the best way to maintain the integrity of Somerset County’s park system.
NOTE: I will be on vacation, returning sometime during the week of August 20th.
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