Why can't Sweeney work with Sunoco?

To the Editor:

State Senate President Stephen Sweeney’s Jan. 30 letter (“Why ask what Sunoco wants in bill?”) is a good example of why industry and jobs are moving out of New Jersey.

The business environment in New Jersey has already killed the goose that laid the golden egg, and now Sweeney wants to give it one more shot before they haul the carcass away. He should be talking to Sunoco to see what it would take for the company to keep its West Deptford facility running and getting jobs back, but now he wants to hit them with another charge (from a property tax refund).

State law already dictates that all environmental issues be cleaned up before the property can be sold. Sunoco owns the property and they could sit on it forever if they want to. Everything was good as long as they were shoveling out the money. What happened to private property rights?

The executives at Sunoco are people just like us and they can hold a grudge just like anyone else. You stick it to them once, they will remember and that could be all it takes to stick it to West Deptford, Gloucester County and New Jersey. We have been in litigation over Sunoco’s property taxes for over a decade. This has cost the taxpayers millions of dollars, and we got nothing for it.

West Deptford Mayor Ray Chintall is right — a little face-to-face discussion between all parties could go a long way in coming to a better relationship between industry and the local community.

Jearl R. Waddell

West Deptford Township