Time To Say Goodbye
Another election cycle in Roselle Park comes to an end . . . and hopefully an era will as well.
During the election, campaign promises were made by all the candidates: curb spending, lower taxes, revitalize downtown. But one in particular was made by the Chair of the Roselle Park Democratic Committee, Greg Kinloch. He said if ‘he’ lost the election, meaning his candidates Michael Peterson and David Jacobs lost their respective elections, he would put his house up for sale and move out of Roselle Park.
He lost.
After seeing four (4) years that had Democratic campaigns resort to tinges of racism, homophobia,and finger-pointing with no solutions nor suggestions, the best Greg Kinloch could do is make council an even split with with (3) Democratic councilmembers and three (3) Republican councilmemebrs. A major reason that occurred was that two (2) Democratic candidates were running the same year as our President Barack Obama.
Now that there was an opportunity for Greg to show Roselle Park what Democrats had to offer, he squandered any momentum by alienating his own people (what a shock!) and caring more about playing politics instead of participating in the issues that really mattered to all residents.
In discussing issues with him once I flat out asked him how he planned to help all residents of Roselle Park — By volunteering? By encouraging interest of young people or new residents? By attending budget meetings? By attending any meetings?
His response to me was his plan was to help 13,000 by getting four (4) votes. In other words his entire plan for the betterment of Roselle Park was getting Democratic candidates elected so they would have a majority when voting.
That might work on the national level or even the state level but for Roselle Park, that is the most out-of-touch approach one could take.
November 3, 2009 was the result of that failed attitude. His two contenders, one of which was endorsed by a local paper, the Local Source, lost by a two-to-one margin over the Republican candidates.
Now the time has come to Greg Kinloch to say goodbye, step down, move if he wish, and leave Roselle Park and particularly Roselle Park Democrats to try and give direction to the meanderings of a Party head that had nothing more to show other than “We are not Them”.
He is not me, nor a lot of other people who want to show that Democrats have something to offer other than finger-pointing.
It is time for Greg Kinloch to say goodbye and time for the RP Democrats to step up and re-establish a relationship with Roselle Park.