As printed in the Westfield/Scotch Plains Times
By SAL CARUANA
Former Westfield Councilman

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Where liberty is, there is my country.” We celebrate liberty in America each July 4th, but the fight for freedom that began in 1776 and defined a nation has never ended.

While Americans defended democracy abroad in World War 1, women at home did not have the right to vote. While the Tuskegee Airman fought bravely in World War II, the American military was segregated and African-Americans in many states were subjected to Jim Crow laws.

While today gay men and women are serving their country with distinction all over the world, “don’t ask, don’t tell” is still months away from official repeal. In the struggle for freedom and true democracy, there is always unfinished business at home.

The American Revolution had many causes, but none stronger than “taxation without representation.” The nation the Founding Fathers sought to build would be based on a constitutional government and political freedoms later guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. The fears were abuse of power, and the common enemy of freedom and democracy: oppression.

The history of America since 1776 is a history defined by fights against oppression, both foreign and domestic. Three epic national movements – women’s suffrage, labor and civil rights — are our finest examples. If you could fix the pockets of oppression that still exist in our country today, where would you begin?

For the last four months, Planet Westfield has been discussing three. With one of the highest combined property and income tax rates in the nation, New Jersey residents feel tax-oppressed. Our state is functionally bankrupt, and taxpayers will suffer even further without bold fiscal reforms such as those Governor Chris Christie is suggesting.

New Jersey children in chronically failing schools are oppressed, and denied the opportunity of viable learning environments. Unless the teacher’s union (New Jersey Education Association) dials down its own self-interest and puts the children first, meaningful education reform will come very slowly. These are children from our most impoverished areas — how many more years must they wait for decent educations and better tools to break the cycle of poverty?

Finally, Union County residents are oppressed, by a county government that lacks transparency, accountability and discipline. Westfield residents pay 20 percent of their property taxes to county government, a political body that is elected “at large,” which means no geographic or district voter representation. Consequently much larger towns such as Elizabeth and Plainfield control the election outcomes for the nine Freeholder positions — and have done so for decades.

There is no better modern description of “taxation without representation” than the at-large system in Union County.

And, if the Founding Fathers were alive today, they would be aghast that rule by a single governing body would be based atlarge and not on district representation — especially since hundreds of millions of tax dollars are involved.

Unfortunately, Union County has other issues of oppressive government. It is a textbook case of cronyism and nepotism in hiring and the abuses of one-party rule. As for arrogance in government, attend a public Freeholder meeting and see for yourself; visit the Union County

Watchdog Association website and read all about it (unioncountywatcdog.com); or follow the public ranting of Union County Director of Public Information Sebastian D’Elia and his vicious personal attacks on citizens who dare criticize county government.

At an over-generous salary of $111,000 per year, D’Elia apparently cannot seem to separate his roles as a hack for the county Democratic political bosses and “volunteer” on multiple Freeholder campaigns from the professional non-partisan demeanor of his day job – behavior usually required in other governments that care about integrity.

Should D’Elia claim that in some of his outrageous attacks he did not demean his office because he was exercising his rights after-hours as a private citizen, he may also want to explain that for bogus sixfigure salaries, the Freeholders expect shows of loyalty around the clock from their tax-supported cronies. However, I do owe an apology for recently calling D’Elia a “political stooge” in this space; upon further review it was not my intention to impugn the fine reputations of Moe, Larry or Curley.

This column ends my run at Planet Westfield. I would like to thank the editor, Horace Corbin, for including me in this space and all of the readers who have shared their views. As our nation continues its ongoing march towards improving democracy, I hope this July 4th you will stop and take notice of the abuses of power and government that exist in our midst in Union County and agree that changes are long overdue.

Have a happy, healthy and safe summer, a joyous Independence Day, and may God Bless America.

The Planet Westfield Series can be found HERE

Six of these photo cases were recently installed in county buildings cost to taxpayers $15,188. That’s $2,531 each not including the headshots.

Considering they were outspent, besides the homeland security campaign mailer and the Directions Newsletter, by God only knows how much (Worrall Newspapers reported this week that the Democratic challengers didn’t file ELEC reports – I didn’t check) and that the county and towns have armies of public employees to get their families out to vote and to help out with the Union County Regular Democratic Committee campaigns, the very close Election results are shocking.

Have people awoken out of their apathetic coma to be rightfully outraged and sickened by things like this $15,188 expenditure on showcasing the freeholders and Sen. Ray Lesniak’s nephew during this severe recession? What could your family, or business, do with $15,188?

Residents received a 4 page color mailer today featuring Freeholder Dan Sullivan who is facing a tough primary election bid on June 8th. Small print says it’s paid for with a Federal homeland security grant. What an outrage.

I recently received some flack for referring to Dan Sullivan as a bastard during the taping of our dinner show after a freeholder meeting.

He is most certainly a BASTARD and an anti-American one at that.

I’ve OPRA’d the cost of these mailers in the past and this one, printing & postage costs about $55,000. I’m not sure, and I’ll be looking into it, but they may have also launched a commercial with the same theme, this is what they’ve done historically, although they didn’t do the mailing or commercial last year, they didn’t face much of a challenge at the polls.

NYC, my home town, which is under constant attack from terrorist plots, has lost millions in homeland security funding and this is how NJ is blowing through it. Yes it is an outrage that Union County machine democrat politicans hell bent on retaining their power are allowed to help the terrorists by wasting precious homeland security funds promoting themselves at election time.

Previously posted on tax funded campaigning.

Cast of the Jersey Shore: Standing: Ronnie, Vinny, Ammi “Sweetheart”, Nicole “Snooki”, DJ Pauly D. Kneeling: Jennie “J-WOWW”, Mike “The situation” Leaning: Union County Spokesman Sebastian D’Elia “The Hack”

$400,751 is the total salaries for the Union County Office of Public Information. A letter published last week and signed by Sebastian D’Elia, the head of this department (salary $111,420) nastily whines about my being misinformed about a cell tower. Besides its lie regarding my association with the county it states in part “Ms. Renna could have easily requested the bid documentation and the old lease and learned this, but chose not to”.

Easily? Placing an Open Public Records Act Request and then having to travel to Elizabeth during work hours to view it isn’t easy. Knowing what documents to ask for isn’t easy either; and if you don’t ask for the exact document that would answer your questions you are told no documents exist. I know from experience. I spend countless hours hunting down information on county expenditures.

What would be easy is if a citizen could simply have their questions answered at public meetings by freeholders who are paid approximately $30,000 per year for their part-time positions instead of being instructed to “place an OPRA” for more information. What would be easier is to be able to phone or email D’Elia, or his extensive staff and simply ask for information. They should work for the taxpayers instead of turning out fluff press releases for the Union County Democratic Committee freeholder slate.

The public information department as listed on the Union County website doesn’t include the public information departments of the Sheriff and Prosecutor’s office. The county sold a golf course and laid off an engineering department but leaves this in tact:

Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director - $111,420
Wayne Avery, Assistant Information Director - $65,168
Thomas Plante, Parks, Public Information Officer - $74,350
Jim Lowney, Staff Photographer, Public Information Officer - $60,568
Maritza Maseda, Bilingual Communications, Public Information Officer - $49,045
Tina Casey, General Assignment, Public Information Officer $41,200

Despite expending $400,751 in salaries for a public information department the county chooses not to have a transparent government and to make obtaining information difficult and even harasses citizens for trying to participate in the governmental process. The Union County Watchdog Association has uncovered much waste and abuse of the public trust over the years. I demand to know why this extensive department of public information and its freeholder board felt it necessary to have their spokesperson, who is more suited to represent the cast of the Jersey Shore, attack a citizen yet again, while making it difficult to obtain information and leaving many questions regarding public spending and health and public safety unanswered.

Let’s break this down: D’Elia was paid by our tax dollars to write this letter:
According to WikiAnswers there are 261 workdays in 2010. County employees get 13 paid holidays per year; 15 Sick days; 3 Personal days; department heads get a minimum of 20 vacation days.

51 days comp time deducted from 261 workdays = a 210 day work year for D’Elia.

Sebastian D’Elia’s salary: 210 days divided by $111,420 = $530.57 per day/$66.32 per hour (based on an 8 hour day; it might be only 7)

Previosly reported:
Chronicle of Harassment

County Employees and Campaigns

Emails to county go unanswered

The County Watchers Successfully Defend Libel Case

When will they release the cost

What a Coinky - Dinky…..

$447,541 is what the Union County Democratic Committee received in campaign contributions since 2008 from four primary sources:

E- Employees of the county, most with six-figure salaries, chipped in $27,350.

V - County Vendors, mostly law firms, donated $108,450.

U - Unions through PACs paid $113,825.

P - Other Political campaigns or committees transferred $172,024.

I can’t account for another $25,167 though it might be from those looking to break into one of the groups above.

What did they get for their money?  Less than they think.

County employees get good-paying jobs with great benefits on paper but those benefits are not being paid for.  The type of officials corrupted by the system into accepting these kickbacks show no compunction about letting the state pension go bust or having no trust fund at all for OPEBs.

Vendors get picked for contracts not so much for how well they do the work but for how much they kick back.  Eventually all private sector work dries up as nobody else is going to hire a law firm that charge $85,000 to represent one defendant in a disgruntled-employee lawsuit.

Unions get to force governments to bond to continue building projects with prevailing wage rates so some of their members remain employed.  But what about all the projects foregone as the private sector abandons the state in droves because it doesn’t make economic sense to stay?  How many businesses or people are attracted to the state with the highest property taxes and worst business climate in the nation?

Electing corrupted officials comfortable with taking kickbacks leads to a situation where you govern for the special interests.   Initiatives are undertaken not because they are best for the community but because they bring in the most campaign cash to woo a dumbed-down electorate into propagating the disease of bad government.

Next: Who donates to those out of power (i.e. the Union County Republican Committee).  Hint: Almost no county employees or vendors or unions.

The Union County MusicFest is this weekend. To the county, entertainment has become the most important service they provide.

More resources, staff time, money and energy has been put into these two days of MusicFest, and for the first time this year four days of a county carnival, than any event in the county’s history and during one of the most challenging economic crisis our country has ever faced.

Insiders know it is a personal party for the appointed county manager, George Devanney - nephew of Sen. Lesniak, who happens to leverage his involvement with one of the acts into an annual exotic trip, this year his wife will be joining him. In a county publication he stated “MusicFest is Union County’s Window on the World” and “Making connections has always been at the foundation of MusicFest.” Freudian slips perhaps.

There is one glaring aspect to the promotion of what we are told is a “FREE CONCERT” for “Union County residents to join together and enjoy the excitement of a crowd”, residents from the urban areas of the county aren’t being encouraged to attend.

The promotion of the concert has been over the top, going so far as to putting thousands of lawn signs along side county roads and private property. Including my very own front lawn.

There are also banners strung across roads, billboards in county parks, and electronic signage on roads but only in the suburban towns. There is not one mention of the MusicFest in the county owned Montano Park in Elizabeth or Cedar Brook Park or Green Brook Park in Plainfield. I didn’t spot any banners as I drove through Hillside. In fact you would be hard pressed to find any promotion of this event in the urban towns of Union County. There is more signage on the out skirts of the north side of the county inviting non-residents than there are in our inner cities.

The message from the county is loud and clear. They are looking to attract 50,000 people but only the people who they find attractive for this event. It is interesting that the six towns that are responsible for tilting the election overwhelmingly for the Democrat freeholders are not courted when it comes to their campaign kick-off whistle stop, their votes are already assured. This premier county event isn’t for the whole county, Roselle, Union, Linden, Rahway, Elizabeth are treated as “different ”. The more affluent towns, where the Freeholders must campaign harder are given all the attention.

If the county is going to spend over a million dollars (I’m guessing, I’ve never been able to ascertain just how much they spend of public dollars on MusicFest.) on a FREE event such as this, complete with carnival rides and Freeholder VIP tents, an extra effort should be made to invite every resident of the county. Property taxes are regressive, we all pay the same rate irregardless of our incomes. The costs of the catering and “Celebrity port-a-johns” for the VIP tent are shared by all residents.

The county has patted themselves on the back for presenting this entertainment while residents are experiencing tough economic times. But they aren’t handing out the coveted freeholder VIP tent passes at county soup kitchens and the unemployment lines.

MusicFest is also the launch of the Democrat power-broker controlled Freeholder Board election campaign. They will be brought up on stage for bows at strategic times during the event. “It’s all about getting elected baby!” Devanney was alleged to have said to several freeholders as they prepared to step on stage one year. Their names will be announced throughout the day giving thanks for their benevolence and generosity. Freeholders will even go as far as to perform on stage right along with the acts.

Freeholders Kowalski & Scanlon offered themselves as back-up dancers to Rock Legend Chuck Berry. (Freeholder MusicFest Performance photo gallery.)

Tina Renna is President of the Union County Watchdog Association. She can be reached at tinarenna@unioncountywatchdog.org

When you push for someone’s silence via a lawsuit, you had better have nothing to hide. When you sue someone that gives that person the opportunity to conduct discovery. Depositions give the person you’re suing a chance to have their attorneys question you under oath.

A libel lawsuit was thrown out recently; it was filed by the county spokesperson Sebastian D’Elia, he is the public information officer for the Union County Freeholders. The suit was against me, Patricia Quattrocchi and the Elizabeth Reporter. Although being involved in a lawsuit is unpleasant, the upside was I could ask all about D’Elia’s involvement with freeholder campaigns and D’Elia didn’t disappoint. He confirmed my suspicions and admitted to working on campaigns during work hours.

County employees can be seen all over on Election Day, on the campaign trail when freeholders give interviews to the press and at campaign debates. They can also be found on ELEC reports getting paid for campaign work.

I’ve compared the Union County Public Information department to other county’s and found that Union is spending the most, some counties do without this department. I’ve counted up Union County press releases churned out by this department, which they consider public information, and found that the lions share in any particular year features the three freeholders that are up for re-election.

During a deposition the county spokesperson admitted to working on campaigns during work hours.

The county spokesperson verbally communicates his intentions to take time off, including vacation days, personal days and comp time to the county manager. He doesn’t submit a form, nor did he mention email. The process is all verbal. The county manager is George Devanney, former State Democratic Chairman and Senator Raymond Lesniak’s nephew.

An OPRA request in 2005 seeking the county spokesperson’s days off came with a disclaimer from the clerk “this record may contain errors or omissions”. When I questioned this, I received a letter from county council which stated in part “there appear to be duplicative and/or incorrect entries in the attendance records of Sebastian D’Elia (missing data)”. Therefore there is no accountability of when D’Elia is on campaign time or taxpayer time.

The county spokesperson admitted to a wide variety of campaign activities including prepping freeholders for their debates. “I’ve distributed flyers. I’ve stuffed envelops I’ve made phone calls. I’ve got out the vote, knocked on doors.”

The county spokesperson stated that he does not use his county issued computer to work on partisan political campaign materials, he uses his personal laptop, which he brings into the office in the Union County Administration Building. He stated he doesn’t use his laptop inside the building. When asked “What would be the reason you would bring your laptop to the office?” He replied “I – well, I always carry my laptop around with me, in case I have to leave the office and do – do work, you know, someplace else. I don’t have a county laptop, so I can use that laptop in case I need to have something around during emergency.”

The county spokesperson also admitted to writing for campaigns, although he didn’t have a copy of what he described as a letter where he “Just talked about some of the accomplishments the Board did. That was it.”

In 2005 a letter tailored to each town was mailed to all residents, it talked about some of the accomplishments the Board did. The letter was printed in the County print shop and was mailed using county postage.

When asked who instructed him on where to go on one Election Day he replied in part “I asked Charlotte DeFilippo where she needed me.” Charlotte DeFilippo is the Chairman of the Union County Democratic Committee

D’Elia’s present annual salary is $107,135. The county manager outlined a justification for a promotion in 2005.

Excerpts from the deposition of Sebastian D’Elia, begins with question regarding compensation for working on campaigns

Previously posted:
Chronicle of Harassment

In a letter to the Union County College President, the Union County Republican Committee (UCRC) is charging that the upcoming campaign rally for former freeholder Assemblywoman Linda Stender is clearly not permitted.

Union County College will be hosting a rally promoting one Democratic candidate to the exclusion of her Republican opponent, Leonard Lance. There was never any offer of this event being an “open public debate of political issues” as this rally was apparently orchestrated without contacting the Lance campaign. …….

Their facilities rental agreement states:
In no case shall external use of College facilities be granted for an event or other activity which promotes partisan political activities or candidates to the exclusion of their opponents. This prohibition shall not preclude the use of College facilities for open public debate of political issues.

The county uses their cars against county regs, they serve alcohol in the park against their regs, etc. There attitude is “so sue us”. Of course that literally means “US” as the taxpayers would have to foot the legal bills.

As usual, there is a double standard. The UCRC requested use of the same county college facilities in 2006 for their annual party convention, but were denied because it was considered partisan political activity. And when the county received a Homeland Security Boat in 2007 to protect the county coastline, the boat’s first critical mission was to have freeholder candidates pose for photo’s that were used in their campaign literature. The Republicans of course were denied access to the boat.

George and Angie Devanney, nephew and niece-in-law of Senator Raymond Lesniak, show their support for local Republican candidates for council Elaine Perna and Joseph Bruno with a campaign lawn sign in Berkeley Heights.

The UCWA’s new YouTube depicts a typical freeholder debate, just in time for the 2008 debate scheduled for October 15th. In this YouTube you will see incumbent democrat freeholders lie (excuse me, I know that’s redundant) about their tax-payer funded dinners.

You can also judge from the laughter in the room, how many county employees are involved with prepping the freeholders for debates. The format of the debate is for people present to submit questions on q-cards and the debate moderator then chooses the questions. The freeholders have been seen with matching q-cards to answer the questions. There are about one to two-dozen county employees in the room stuffing the question box.

It’s a total set-up, and in my strong opinion, a waste of time as it isn’t a fair and accurate vetting of the candidates. The incumbents lie and cheat their way through it, excuse me, there I go being redundant again.