To the Editor: What makes someone want to hold office in the Township of West Milford? Is it the need to do community service, a step to higher office, gain some influence with other politicians, make business contacts or just ego? From reading the local papers one gets the impression that about half of the council works for the community and the other half just works against each other. Maybe it is just the absurdity of party politics that drive three council members, in particular, to constantly be at odds. They certainly keep their names in the papers. It almost seems like there is a deliberate attempt to keep things disrupted so that they can force a return to the old system of government or perhaps have an unchallenged majority. If we recall under the old system there was similar activity on the council only it wasn’t as public unless you went to council meetings or watched it on television. We tired of their activity, rejected the incumbents during the elections and rejected them again when they tried to be reelected. Many of the details weren’t as public and therefore not available to the neighboring communities. Now it becomes front page news. Actually there was always Mr. O’Shea’s lawsuits that made the papers. Wasn’t that entertaining? It makes the job of the tourism committee challenging. There’s not enough money for lakes and playgrounds, but plenty of money to keep the attorney busy. Is there something in the water or is their a real windfall in sitting on that council that the average citizen can’t see? I’m certainly not sure how we get to good government but we certainly need to find reasonable people to represent the community so we can avoid the back-room fights which lead to criminal charges, arbitrary charges of conflict of interest, clandestine web sites and character assassination which are among the latest distractions in town. Charge and counter charge. Where is there time for the business of government? How do these people help the community and the issues that we face? How are they not an embarrassment to the people who they represent and who live and vote here? How can the political parties that they purport to represent tolerate their behavior? Perhaps this is truly representative of New Jersey politics at its finest? I hope we all remember this when it comes to election time. Herbert Druckman West Milford