Long-festering sore in Ringwood

It’s tragic that the residents of Upper Ringwood need legal representation in their dealings with their local government ("High-profile attorney joins fight against toxic waste," Nov. 12 ). But as Bradley Campbell — former Department of Environmental Protection commissioner and now attorney representing Roger DeGroat — states, DeGroat’s three-year struggle with the borough to fix the hazardous sinkhole in his yard is yet more evidence of the "pattern of neglect the entire community has suffered" for years.

Mayor Walter Davison, who previously sat on the Borough Council some 22 years, including several terms as mayor, blames "the prior administration" for redirecting the Small Cities Grant that was awarded to Ringwood in August 2006 to fix DeGroat’s sinkhole.

Davison’s statement is false. From the time the grant was awarded to Ringwood until November 2007, DeGroat’s sinkhole went unremediated. This failure was an ever-present issue at council meetings. DeGroat attended numerous meeting to plead his case. Promises were made but never kept. As a council member at the time, I was frustrated by this foot-dragging.

What we did not know was that there was a lack of will by the borough administration to fix the sinkhole and that it stonewalled the process by not complying with Department of Community Affairs regulations.

Wenke Taule

Ringwood, Nov. 13

The writer, a Democrat, is a former Ringwood mayor.