"Why vote in Millstone?" the hand-painted wooden sign along Stillhouse Road read. And even before seeing the weekly newspaper this evening, I had the whole story.

"Millstone officials counter vote with yes, no, yes, yes" - Examiner, 5/10/07:

The Township Committee voted to restore the budget and two of the three other requests for funding.

Mayor Nancy Grbelja said the close vote in the election indicated to her that people wanted the township government to review the budget, which she did.

Committeeman Elias Abilheira said he had gone through the "inches of documents" the school district provided about the budget "with a fine-tooth comb."

Committeeman Ramin Dilfanian said he saw "no fat" in the budget.

Abilheira said it troubled him to see that the school district has already created facilities for the kindergarten program at a "significant hit to taxpayers."

Abilheira said taxpayers already spent money for the classroom and in his decision about the current question he had to consider the voters who passed the initial referendum for the creation of the facility.

"To leave the classroom empty would be a bigger waste of money," he said.

Board of Education president Mary Ann Friedman called the governing body's decision to restore the budget an affirmation of the fiscal responsibility the board and school administration exercised.