Reader says get back to the basics with councilwoman
Election time is nearing, and the lies people aligned with Mayor Jun Choi are telling are sickening. Councilwoman Antonia Ricigliano is known to be a proponent of the people; she has stood up when others turned their backs on the residents of Edison, particularly the south end. She voted down budgets that came across her desk during the Spadoro administration. In fact, the only budget that she voted for was Choi's, after she whittled it down on behalf of the taxpayers.

She has tried to work with Choi to lead him in the right direction. As they say, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

Ricigliano has voted on capital budgets in the past, but they were not designed to supplement the annual budget as this was. Choi is a shrewd politician. He grabbed headlines touting a budget (5.4 percent) under the rate of inflation. He didn't get the $1.5 million from Hartz Mountain; now he's over the rate of inflation.

Two weeks ago, he tried to steal $8 million from Edison taxpayers by bonding for television sets, folding tables and chairs, paper and pencils, among other things. After careful review, three council members correctly voted it down. These items are not worth borrowing for 15 years, regardless of low-interest rates. Mayor Choi should understand that the average pencil lasts about 10 days. We shouldn't pay 15 years for a pencil.

On Feb. 25, Choi's council surreptitiously added an additional 2 percent to the budget, with millions hidden in surpluses, bringing his budget to 8 percent. Councilwoman Ricigliano again tried to point out the need for tax relief, but Choi's handpicked council rubberstamped it anyway. I voted for Ricigliano because she is willing and able to lead with common sense and is an independent thinker, not a tax-andspend politician. Let's get back to basics by electing this sensible, outspoken leader as mayor. Go, Toni, go … we're rooting for you.
Eric Garbella
Edison