Appreciation for TRT Reporter John Burton

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Dear Editor Calendar:
I am writing now to compliment your major reporter, John Burton, who almost single-handedly covers the area in front page articles. John has provided many of the investigative articles that you said have been requested by readers.
In the past, John did thorough pieces on the refusal of Middletown officials to videotape Middletown township committee meetings. When one committee member stated that it would cost $100,000 to copy and post the meetings, and that  even if it cost nothing he would refuse, John investigated what other towns were doing and paying and the facts were a far cry from what had been alleged by that township committee member.
Currently, a few local citizens are providing this transparency at no cost.
John has written about access problems in Red Bank for people with disabilities, including the infringement on sidewalk accessible paths by sidewalk tables at a local restaurant. Recently, he highlighted dangers for pedestrians in Red Bank, including violations of the stop for pedestrians in crosswalks law. Again, he was very thorough and informative, including details about the law as well as the responsibilities of pedestrians. John even walked back and forth across Shrewsbury Avenue to check for himself after residents complained of almost being run down by speeding violators of the law.
He recently reported upcoming discussions of race relations by local groups, including the NAACP. He reports regularly on important events in local towns, with local color.
In this time of falsifications by journalists, you should be proud to have the highly trustworthy John Burton on your team!
Cordially,
Carolyn Schwebel, Ed.D.
Leonardo