Downe Township’s Transparency Crisis: Where Are the Meeting Minutes?

As of April 1, 2025, no meeting minutes from this year have been posted to Downe Township’s official website — a troubling lapse that reflects an ongoing pattern of poor transparency and disregard for public accountability.

This isn’t a new problem. In 2022, following lawsuits over the township’s failure to release public records, officials assured residents that changes would be made. They pledged that meeting minutes would be posted regularly and that transparency would become a priority moving forward.

That promise remains unfulfilled.

Three years later, residents are once again left in the dark. With no access to records of local government discussions or decisions, many are questioning whether the township is living up to even its most basic responsibilities — and some are considering legal options just to obtain public information.

This situation raises a serious and fair question:
Why are these records being withheld?

Are officials attempting to avoid public scrutiny? Are they concealing administrative missteps or controversial decisions? Or is this simply part of a broader culture of inaction and unresponsiveness?

Whether caused by neglect or intentional obfuscation, the result is the same: Downe Township residents are being denied the transparency they deserve.

This is not a minor oversight — it's a breach of both public trust and administrative duty. Transparency in local government is not optional; it is a legal and moral obligation. Posting meeting minutes promptly is the bare minimum standard for open governance.

When leadership repeatedly fails to deliver even this basic level of accountability — especially after promising reforms — it erodes public confidence and invites suspicion.

Downe Township residents deserve better.

They deserve a government that honors its word, respects its constituents, and upholds the fundamental principles of democracy. Until meeting minutes and other essential records are made accessible, residents have every reason to remain concerned — and every right to demand answers.

Update: No Meeting Minutes Posted Online as of June 1, 2025

Location: Downe, NJ, USA

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