No on Garbage? Sparta, county officials set for first of six elections in 2008

February 14, 2008

BY SETH AUGENSTEIN

SPARTA — Sparta will get a yes-or-no vote on a garbage utility in the March 11 special election.

Township Clerk Miriam Tower said Wednesday that the referendum question is finalized, and registered Sparta voters will be asked whether they support a council ordinance from December aiming to create mandatory garbage collection in the township.

The ballot question, created by a citizen’s petition drive, asks for a simple yes or no response to the council's creation of the solid waste utility.

"A 'No' vote will repeal the Ordinance and cancel the authorization to the Sparta Township Council to create a municipal solid waste utility under the Ordinance," is the vote that the petitioners are looking to get out on March 11.

Resident Phil Lid signed the petition. He said he has opposed the ordinance after hearing neighbors speak out against the financial drawbacks of the utility before the garbage vote — and what Lid calls the council's inadequate response to those complaints.

"We're still upset about the uncaring attitude they displayed at the meeting," he said.

Jesse Wolosky, the organizer of the petition drive opposing the split 3-2 December council vote, said he was confident about the referendum's outcome. He said the original petitions had 1,400 signatures, and that opposition has been outspoken against the creation of the utility. He and Lid said Sparta voters favor a "pay-as-you-throw" way of paying for garbage removal, and that the referendum results will show it.

"My prediction? There will be more people against the ordinance than for it," Wolosky said.

Councilman Manny Goldberg said he voted for the ordinance and still supports the garbage utility. He maintained that it makes sense financially and would benefit the "vast majority" of Spartans, a group which might constitute a "sleeping giant" on the day of the election.

"There are cases where government can save money," Goldberg said.

Although the election is the second of six elections planned for 2008 in Sparta — a list including the national presidential primary this month, the garbage referendum in March, the April Board of Education election, the Sparta council election in May, the state primary in June, and the presidential November general election — Tower said they all brought with them the same preparations of getting voting machines, finalizing and sending out ballots, and other assorted preparations for the 14 districts in the township.

"It's a very busy time," Tower said.

Margaret McCabe, director of the Sussex County Board of Elections, said the garbage referendum will be run with the same procedure as the rest of the 2008 elections, even though the election will be limited to Sparta Township.

"It's going to be a regular election," McCabe said. "It's going to be run like every other election."

Sample ballots will be sent out by the county clerk's office on March 5 to all those who register, and then the polls will be open on March 11 from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m.

The deadline for voter registration will be Feb. 19 at 9 p.m. to register in person at her office or to mail in the registration form, McCabe said.