A concerned citizen emailed info@unioncountywatchdog.com and requested that we report this: What is this I’m reading? December 24 2009 local source.com Union County freezes salaries for workers. “Freeholders usually receive small pay increases that are in line with those received by other employees, (freeholder chairman) Mirabella said. These have been withheld for the last four or five years.” Are you kidding me!

Union County freeholders are the third highest paid in the state. They last voted themselves a raise in December 2005. At the last freeholder meeting of the year the freeholders voted themselves a 5.3 percent pay hike which went into effect in January 2006. Freeholder salaries increased from 28,000 to 29,500. In addition the Freeholder Chairman’s salary increased from 30,000 to 31,500, and in 2006 a new pay tier was added to the Freeholder Vice Chairman increasing this salary from 28,000 to 30,500.

There were 35 freeholder meetings held in 2009. That would mean that freeholders paid 29,500 annually were paid 842.85 per meeting; the freeholder chairman was paid $900 per meeting and the freeholder vice-chairman was paid $871.42. Meetings generally last between 1 and 2 hours.

I’m sure freeholders spend some time outside of meetings. As an observer, I doubt that it’s much time. I know the ones up for re-election have to make themselves available for photo ops leading up to Election Day.

The freeholders were set to give themselves another raise in December 2007 which would have gone into effect in January 2008 but they were foiled when there was a jail break where inmates literally dropped out of the county jail making Union County the laughing stock of the world media.

In addition to their salaries, freeholders cater their meetings. In 2006 the tabs were added up and bills were obtained for 27 freeholder meetings and totaled $10,510. That averages out to $389.29 per meeting, $43.25 per freeholder. These numbers don’t include desert, which on average comes to $30.00 per meeting. The 2006 check registry also showed $9,978 was paid to local supermarkets for meeting refreshments; $13,640 for bottles water. The freeholders also purchased a $1,692 coffee machine which dispenses 16 flavors of coffee.

The freeholders didn’t vote on pay raises at the last meeting of the year held on December 21, 2009. They did however present Freeholder Chester Holmes with a $140.00 silver watch upon his retirement from the board.

If they had chipped in to present their colleague with this watch, instead of being classless and making the taxpayers foot the bill, it would have come to $17.50 per freeholder. On their part-time salaries, and the money they save on meals, I think they could have afforded to send Holes off with a much better present.

Their press release regarding Holmes’ retirement prepared by the taxpayer funded million dollar “Public Information” Department doesn’t mention the taxpayer funded gift of the $140.00 silver watch.

It’s hard to think of Union County freeholders as public servants when they spend so much of their time, energy, and verbiage maligning the public.

We are in a depression. The economy is collapsing around us and government, on all levels, should be focused on containing taxes, providing only essential services, and leading us. Instead, at the last UC freeholder meeting no less than three freeholders used most of their comment time to defend themselves against what they viewed as personal attacks.

Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski made an allusion to “people who love to talk to people involved with stalking a politician” at which point a brief exchange with the audience member Ms. Kowalski was alluding to broke out where the words ‘coward’ and ‘fool’ were hurled. Freeholder Chester Holmes took exception to the manner in which a blog lampooned his dress. Finally, freeholder Daniel Sullivan took exception to all the OPRA requests that Tina Renna has filed over the years and vowed to file an OPRA request of his own in regard to a trial at which Ms. Renna testified. In keeping with the theme of the evening, assistant county manager, Elizabeth Genevich took to the microphone to defend county manager George Devanney against a critical blog.

My house is not in danger of being foreclosed upon. My kids will have their college paid for. I have a job that I can’t be fired from. My retirement fund is as safe as a savings account can be. So to me, much of these contretemps I found amusing.

But what about the 12% of New Jerseyans who can’t pay their mortgages, or the 8.4% unemployed, or those who have seen their savings decimated in the markets? Would they find anything funny in government officials wasting time that’s precious to them as they dread those phone calls from collection agencies, or those past-due bills in the mail, or that knock on the door from the sheriff.

Are these freeholders serving them or their own egos?

At tonight’s freeholder meeting confusion ensued over the freeholders second reading of a Bond Ordinance which provided their consent to the issuance by the Union County Improvement Authority of up to $7-mill in bonds to fund an organization that the freeholder’s knew nothing about, the Black United Fund-Plainfield Project. They also didn’t know who would be responsible for the bonds should the 501(c)3 orginzation default on their payments.

The Director of the Union County Improvement Authority is Charlotte DeFilippo, who is also head of the Union County Democrat Committee who appoints the freeholders.

Freeholder Adrian Mapp asked that the ordinance be tabled because as a Plainfield resident not even he could speak as to what this project was about or who was behind it.

I have never seen a freeholder debate the board on anything, and obviously neither did they because the confusion that followed was reminiscent of the Key Stone Cops.

They didn’t know how to proceed with the meeting. They were mumbling, they were fumbling and they were far reaching. Freeholder Holmes made a recommendation on how to include Mapp’s objections in the second reading. He was then reminded that this was the second reading.

The only defense for their ignorance came from Freeholder Daniel Sullivan who has a state job working for the MVC. He said the Improvement Authority has always done their due diligence in the past, and if they O.K.’d this project then it is just dandy fine with him.

During public comment I commended freeholder Mapp and told him he had my vote. I then laughed in their faces telling them how refreshing this scene was and how absurd they are to be blessing a 7-mill project with no knowledge what-so-ever about it. I believe I used the phrase “eye popping” to describe Freeholder Sullivan’s blessing of 7-mill to the Improvement authorities due diligence. As if we didn’t already know the agenda is written at Charlotte DeFilippo’s dining room table and her puppets blindly vote yes on everything put before them.

Freeholders get paid approximately $30,000 a year to watch over the approximate ¼ in property taxes we are forced to send them. Tonight shined a light on how they follow their leader when doling it out.

I was tossed out of the meeting because I reminded Sullivan that DeFilippo gave him his state job and that she could take it away. I got one other shot in before I left the mike. I asked if the meeting was being video taped because besides their having spent $110,000 on new video equiptment they have stopped tapping meetings.

Anyone still believe this is a democracy?

Plainfield Today: Friday, September 28, 2007
$7M bond for nonprofit may leave Plainfield on the hook.. Letter to Asm Green.. Abbott Schools boost state.. Mortgage help..

The New Year is here and along with it come our resolutions which we hope, and I do mean hope, we will keep for at least the next 3-4 weeks.

There is one thing that my current employer, an Army Major Retired, did for me when I first started in his employ, and that was to provide me with a Franklin Planner, much to my objection as I thought I was one of the most organized people going. . I must say that 13 years later my Franklin contains my entire day to day life.

Three different binders and styles have come and gone, but my trusty handwritten planner is never very far from my side, though I am not quite as anal as some who carry a “satellite” where ever they go, my planner has come to be a dependable friend and traveling companion and admittedly at times my memory.

Franklin Covey has many programs that one can buy into intended to make people more productive and goal oriented thus, the marketing program goes, more successful. I am not so sure about the successful part, but, many major companies subscribe to the theory and have installed the Franklin Planner on their firm’s PC’s and purchase Franklin PDAs complete with seminars for their executives.

One of the Franklin tenets is that if humans write tasks and goals down then they are more committed to completing those tasks necessary to reach the goal. Also they espouse the belief that we will remember over 80% of what we write.

Personally I enjoy seeing the little checks rather than X’s or an arrow next to my daily planner entries, so there appears to be some validity in what they say. I should point out that 4 out of 5 of my fellow employees also use company supplied Franklin Planners and one, the retired major, is called by some, in our highly competitive industry, an Executive Search Superstar.

As I updated my planner for 2007 I pondered weather or not the Union County Freeholders were spending the day updating theirs for the New Year as well, that thought lasted all of about ½ a second, what was I thinking?

Though I no longer use all of the tools provided by my planner as my “personal goal” is to get through the day in one piece with my sanity in tact, I do assign my planned activities, both business and personal are intertwined, an A, B or C and an order of importance 1-2-3 and so on.

Planning for the day is akin to making resolutions daily and I am not suggesting that the Freeholders run out and buy Franklins, I am suggesting that perhaps they take a few minutes and make some resolutions for the upcoming year that they can stick to.

May I suggest the following?

Chairwoman Kowalski – please resolve to refrain from calling citizen speakers at the podium by their first names, as your predecessor Mr. Mirabella was in the habit of doing.

Freeholder Holmes – please resolve not to attempt to intimidate the citizens into silence by reminding them that county counsel is sitting on the dais and that their personal attorney’s are not present.

Freeholder Mapp – please resolve to lean on maintenance to get you a microphone that works, as you appear to have a lot to say and those in the back of the room would like to hear you.

Freeholder Sullivan – please resolve to curb your sarcasm as it is most unbecoming for a professional such as your self.

Freeholder Scanlon – please resolve to recuse yourself or to abstain from votes in witch you may have a personal interest, such as the upcoming approval of financial institutions which will be used by the county in 2007.

Freeholder Ward – please resolve to come to a meeting at least giving the appearance of being fully prepared.

Freeholder Estrada – please resolve to do what you know to be the right thing ethically this year, (enough said).

Freeholder Proctor – please resolve to review suggested resolution for Freeholder Estrada bearing in mind.that if the shoe fits etc.

Freeholder Mirabella – please resolve to remember that the citizens are indeed your equal and treat them accordingly; after all they put you where you are.

Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders As the Whole– please resolve to take whatever steps are necessary and not raise taxes this year.

As for me you may be asking just what is she resolving for 2007?

The answer is quite simple really, I publicly resolve to continue to do what I do which is to watch and comment on the activities of county government in Union County. I have already made it an A1 task in my Franklin Planner and intend to see a lot of little check marks this year.

Happy New Year to all of You and Yours!!!

As previously posted, this years freeholder campaign saw the incumbent one-party ruled county government spending upwards of $250,000 tax-dollars promoting incumbent freeholders in the weeks leading up to the election.

I attended the freeholder meeting the Thursday following the election. I knew the freeholders and their in-house campaign staff would be puffed up like Tom Turkey’s gobbling on about their victory; this is exactly why I wanted to be there. I wanted to pluck some of their feathers and laugh in their faces as they grandiosely congratulated themselves.

I wanted to remind them of why they win elections and ask them to ponder what an organization like the Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless could do with $250,000, and would they please consider using this money to help people in the future?

I wasn’t surprised at their win. Statistically it is almost impossible to change the course of a freeholder election in Union County. Whoever Charlotte DeFalippo puts on the Democrat line will be elected.

“The people have spoken” freeholder Sullivan pontificated. He claimed that there was a 60% voter turnout in the county and that “this was a landslide victory”. Subsequently, it’s been reported that there was a 49.5% turnout. Democrats outnumber Republicans in Union County 2-1; most registered voters in the county are unaffiliated. What really keeps the Democrats in power is that most registered voters don’t bother to vote. All 9 freeholder seats are at large therefore the Democrats don’t have to do much to turn out the votes in the cities in order to win. They have 3,000 county employees to squeeze into volunteering and unlimited pay to play money to add to the tax-dollars that they spend on their campaigns.

Sullivan also bragged about how they “get out the vote”. If you’re around places like Elizabeth on Election Day you will see county employees getting out the vote.

Whenever I venture into the County Administration building, the county’s public information officer always makes an attempt to harass me before I leave. Waiting for the elevator at the end of the meeting Seb D’Elia, who doubles as an in-house campaign manager, passed by and hissed “It’s good to win”.

It is illegal to have public employees working on campaigns while they are on the clock.

Freeholder Scanlon thanked these employees “I want to thank all the Department Heads and employees; I know that you were pulling for us”.

Strangely enough, on Election Day the County Manager, who is Senator Ray Lesniak’s nephew, was seen pulling for Republican Mayoral Candidate David Cohen in Berkeley Heights. Voter fraud is being alleged there, but I’ll save that for another post.

Freeholder Mirabella bellowed “I will continue to be proud of our record, personally and collectively, I am only humbled by the trust and support the people have put in us.” Mirabella, who was the chairman of the board this year, has consistently refused to answer the public’s questions regarding a host of topics.

The county is planning on building an animal shelter, during the freeholder debates Mirabella spoke about how the “municipalities have been doing a terrible job of taking care of the animals” and that many “are needlessly euthanized”.

Mirabella, nor any other freeholder, has ever publicly acknowledged their responsibility in regards to the two prisoners who were needlessly euthanized in their jail cells. In two separate recent incidents prisoners died very preventable and agonizing deaths. Another 22 year old prisoner had to have his voice box removed because his cancer went untreated. A 17 year old hanged himself on an exposed sprinkler head which the county left unrepaired for 17 months.

The voters that cast a ballot for Mirabella obviously have no idea that he shouldn’t be trusted, even with their dogs.

Mirabella delivered the biggest laugh of the evening with this closing act “I’d like to congratulate all the winners of this years election” he then blabbered on about only Democrats that won and finished his segment with Linda Stender “She is a terrific lady who worked very hard…, she was up against a machine…., she was outspend by a million dollars…”. Mirabella did not offer similar condolences to his opponents on the Republican line.

Freeholder Sullivan stated “The voters are very smart in this county and very discerning”.

I questioned the intelligence of the people who blindly vote down the democrat line. I will back this up with the freeholders own campaign literature of which I am an avid collector of. No one could insult their voter’s intelligence any more than the county democrats. If they truly believed that the voters who keep them in power are smart and discerning then they wouldn’t send their voter base literature that suggests that they are running for the office of President of the United States of America: Click HERE

Sheriff Ralph Froehlich signed two letters endorsing the Democrat freeholders. What makes his letters noteworthy is that they were on phony official Sheriff’s Department letterhead. The longest serving law enforcement official in the nation sent his constituents a flim flam campaign piece worthy of Boss Hog: Click HERE

Freeholder Holmes, who doesn’t quite get the concept of the First Amendment, stated “I don’t believe anyone has the right to criticize the voters”.

Can a voter be smart and discerning yet not care about domestic violence? During my comments I did poke fun at the voters who keep this regime in office, scandal after scandal, although most of their scandals are only reported on this blog and don’t make the local main stream media, therefore voter ignorance is justified to some extent. I brought up the fact that in 2004 70,000 people cast a vote for Freeholder John Wholrab despite the fact that he was arrested and charged with allegedly beating his live-in-girlfriend just 6 weeks prior to the election.

Despite it all….Let us give thanks

I sat down at my computer today with the intention of writing about being thankful as well as hopeful for a better future.

A few days ago I sent out an email to our watchdog list asking for donations. The immediate response I received has been overwhelming and inspiring. I am thankful that there are intelligent Union County residents that care where ¼ of their property tax bill is going and how it is being misspent and misused. Even though we are in the minority, together we can make a difference by shining a light on government. Despite the statistical fact that the Union County Democrat machine will not be out of power any time soon, I am still confident that change is in the air and it is attainable.

I’m also grateful to know that there are good people at a higher level who are committed to changing the culture of corruption in this State. The abuses the freeholders so freely get away with stems from the lack of law and the lack of commitment to enforce the ineffectual laws that are in place. I’ve had the honor and pleasure of meeting Paula Franzese who heads the State Ethics Commission. She is pushing for a complete overhaul of the state’s ethics system. Among the priorities of the Commission are to enact a uniformed and meaningful ethics code for not only the State, but the county and local governments as well.

As a member of the Board of the New Jersey Foundation for Open Government I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside passionate open government activists from across the state. We are working towards increasing government transparency by putting some teeth into the Open Public Records Act and will push for legislation to overhaul the antiquated Open Public Meetings Act.

One day last week I helped out at my favorite charity. It is quite humbling to see people lined up for a free bag of food; seeing these seniors, young people with children and the disabled all needing assistance for their daily basic needs left me inspired to rage on against the machine. Property taxes are a regressive form of taxation; therefore we all suffer from government waste and corruption.

As I watched these people standing in line I wished the freeholders were there to experience the desperate need for help that is all around us. Maybe then they wouldn’t misuse over $250,000 tax-dollars on their campaigns as well as the other misspent and misguided millions. If they wanted to, they could use their absolute power and unlimited resources to literally put a turkey in the pot of every Union County family and so much more.

The juice down there was free: Click HERE to view video footage of the illegal drinking that went on in the V.I.P. tent during the Music Fest on a recent Saturday as well as the mess that was left unattended in the county park until Monday morning.

There is no drinking in the parks folks: Click HERE to view video footage of Freeholder Holmes telling a summer concert crowd “the only bad thing is that there is no drinking allowed in county parks folks”.

Wine and beer bottles, some of which weren’t empty, were left behind in Nomehegan Park until Monday after the county run Music Fest concert was held on a recent Saturday. Any underage person was free to walk over and have a party of their own with the freeholders VIP tent discarded left overs.

The Union County Watchdog Association has filed complaints with several state agencies asking for a full investigation into the illegal serving of alcohol at a county taxpayer and pay to play funded county event. They have also asked for an investigation into freeholders using these events to have catered parties for friends and family members as well as promoting incumbent politicians who are up for reelection.

Although it may be unwritten and assumed, it is not officially written within the Laws of Union County that “freeholders are above the law”. Although the laws strictly prohibit alcohol use in county parks without a permit, and during a recent summer concert Freeholder Chester Holmes reminded people that “there is no alcohol allowed in the parks folks” the VIP tent at the Music Fest held in September was well stocked with kegs and cases of beer and wine without the issuance of a county permit.

An Open Public Records Act request asking for permits to serve alcohol as well as any receipts for the purchase or donations of alcohol turned up no records. Freeholders are required to report gifts.

Live video footage was taken of the VIP tent from across the Lake in Echo Lake Park. Cranford’s Deputy Mayor George McDonough was filmed at one of two kegs. There is no record of McDonough being given a VIP pass.

Photo of Cranford Deputy Mayor McDounough at the illegal trough.

Another Open Public Records Request seeking the VIP list was returned with a generic letter to all Music Fest contributors offering them passes. Although there appeared to be well over 300 people in the VIP tent in the heat of the night, the county claims not to have an accounting of who was there.

Although there is no record of any freeholders being given VIP passes to the Music Fest, before the headliner Cheap Trick was announced the MC of the event announced “Chairman Mirabella and the entire Union County Freeholder Board and Assemblywoman Linda Stender”. Mirabella and Stender are both on the ballot in the November election and were on hand throughout the day to “help out” the paid MC.

In a letter to sponsors of the event a value is put on these announcements. PA Exposure: Union Center National Bank will receive a :15 second announcement six (6) or more times during the course of the day. The Union County Watchdog Association believes this campaign exposure, as well as the unreported donations of several prominent county vendors, is a violation of the ELEC laws and will be reported as such.

An OPRA request asking for all bills for the Music Fest did not turn up the catering bill. However, a catering bill for a smaller gathering at the Rhythm and Blues Fest held in Plainfield in June turned up a $4,690.50 catering tab for 275 people ($15.00 per person). There was a record of VIP passes and preferred parking given to only three freeholders:

Freeholder Mapp was given 40 passes @ $15 per head = $600.00; Mirabella 20 passes @ $15 per head = $300.00 and Kowalski 8 passes @ $15 per head = $120.00

At a recent freeholder meeting after being questioned about the costs of the “free” concerts Kowalski was the only freeholder to respond. All she said was “People should attend these events and not just criticize them”.

The freeholder’s abuse of the public trust in the guise of offering the public “free concerts” has been going on for years. The Union County Watchdog Association acknowledges they can not stop the abuse, but they can expose it and report it to the proverbial “proper authorities”. Along with all the other scams in which the freeholders use tax dollars to bolster their campaigns, like taxpayer funded mailings, commercials, and press releases, these events will be closely monitored and reported to state authorities going forward.

The behind the scenes partying at taxpayer’s expense is over.

Taxpayer funded celebrity port a potty located in the VIP tent

Freeholder Nancy Ward, ran as an incumbent last year after just recently being appointed by the Union County Democratic Committee to replace Freeholder John Wohlrab who kind of/sort of resigned after being charged with alleged domestic violence.

During the freeholder debates the question was asked as to what the county was doing to curtail gang violence. Freeholder Ward, who had been on the board for approximately one-month at the time, responded that she had been participating in a gang task force and that Union County had nothing to worry about because “gangs are really not a big problem in Union County”.

A collective gasp could be heard in the audience which caused Ward to pout and repeat “they’re not”.

I was glad to read in the Westfield Leader this week that Freeholder Ward has now learned some truth about the gang problem in Union County. I have friends with children in just about every town in Union County. The truth is gangs are everywhere and they are a huge problem. My hometown of Cranford has at least one parent meeting a year which focuses on the influence of gangs and what to watch out for. I know a security guard who works in the Linden School District where Freeholder Ward lives. He told me they are constantly having emergency meetings to address gang related problems.

At the last meeting of the Board of Chosen Freeholders, Freeholder Ward, who was reelected despite her name not being printed on the ballot, discussed that
she recently participated in a three-day program called “the truth about gangs”. Ward called the program a great success.

The Westfield Leader quoted Freeholder Chester Holmes, who also attended the conference and agreed it was a success. Holmes said “To keep me from 12:30 to 6 on a Saturday pro-bono; it had to be good.”
The truth about Union County Freeholders is they get paid $29,500 for their part-time positions (the freeholder chair is paid $31,500 and the assistant chair $30,500). Besides being expected to say-awake during the 3-dozen freeholder meetings a year, being available for a few hours on a Saturday to address the violent gang problem that is plaguing most towns in Union County shouldn’t be considered volunteer work. Holmes gets paid well, in fact Union County freeholders are the third highest paid in the state.

If Freeholder Holmes is concerned about having to do county work pro-bono, I’d suggest he get himself another job, preferably someplace where he can comfortably nap, without having to wear his shades, during convenient work hours.

Dictionary.com’s thesaurus lists words for graft: Kickback, fraud, fix, dishonesty, corruption, con, collusion, and bribe

The publication “Union County Directions” is published by the County of Union through the Union County Alliance (UCA) using tax dollars and county employees. There is a mound of evidence that the publication is being used as campaign literature to promote candidates supported by the Union County Democratic Committee.

The Union County Alliance’s (UCA) Newsletter “Directions” was originally a County of Union Newsletter. The county freeholders made the UCA the publisher and gave the money needed to pay for the production and printing to the Alliance. By doing this, the county could side-step the procurement bidding process.

The printing of the first two newsletters were handled by printing broker Richard Stender, d/b/a SVO Printing. Richard was the husband of then sitting Freeholder Linda Stender, who was also on the Board of the Union County Alliance. Stender is currently an assemblywoman and is running for Congress.

Richard was able to charge $20,000 more for each issue he printed than the next highest bidder.

See quotes and invoices mentioned below

PART 1
SVO, owned by Richard Stender, husband of Linda Stender, charged Union County Alliance $31,892.40 for printing and mailing the summer 1999 issue of Directions (see attached invoice E). This was $13,970 more than quoted by Rentec Design Studio, who quoted printing and mailing for $17,920.

The UCA was also charged an additional $634 for film that was not included in SVO’s quote but was in Rentec’s (see attached quote C). Stender also printed the Fall 1999 issue of Directions, this time charging over $18,000 not including the film charge.

For printing the first two issues of Directions, Richard Stender charged UCA over $33,238. The Union County Alliance has claimed that they are exempt from the Open Public Records Act so getting quotes, invoices and records is impossible without their cooperation. Their un-cooperation proves their guilt.

PART 2
In 2001, when Joe Renna was working for the County of Union he obtained a quote to print a 24 page full color version of Directions. AFL quoted the printing and mailing at $26,989. (see attached quote G). Richard Stender quoted the same job for $71,315, over $44,326 more than AFL. (see attached quote H). Concerns raised by Joe Renna about the difference in the cost of printing caused the county to use AFL. Renna was served with termination papers stemming from SVO not getting the contract. In the proceedings, evidence showed that e-mails used as evidence by the county were back-dated. The Judge found the county lacked credibility and ruled in Renna’s favor. The docket numbers for the case are: (OAL DKT NO. CSV 3196-03, Agency DKT. NO. 2003-2371)

Did Assemblywoman Stender try to obtain a contract for her husband?

The content of this newsletter is controlled by the County’s Public Information Department. The Union County Watchdog Association (UCWA) argues that the UC Democratic Committee should reimburse the taxpayers for the cost of the newsletters, which are mailed to every postal patron twice a year just days before the primary and general elections, which we believe is a violation of Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) laws.

Mike Murray, who is now the president of the Union County Alliance was originally the director of public information for the county. Just as the current head of public information does, Murray made sure that the candidates up for re-election would be prominently displayed throughout the newsletter. The newsletter would be designed and redesigned to make sure that the Democratic party’s selected candidates would be featured. Not only the freeholder candidates but those who could use help in their campaign in local elections as well.

For instance the two covers below show how the Summer 2002 issue of Directions was originally designed and then as it was actually printed. Note that the three freeholders that appear on the cover were the ones who were up for re-election that year. Freeholder Proctor needed a little extra boost since he was running as an incumbent by being appointed to fill a vacancy as most current sitting freeholders were.

Also note how the County of Union removed their name as co-publishers.

Original cover design featuring Senior Citizens:

Cover changed to feature campaigning freeholders:

This is the second in a series of findings. Previously reported:

Rubbing out a Freeholder

When sitting Freeholder Don Goncalves was up for re-election in 1999, he had fallen out of favor with the Union County Democratic Committee and did not get their support for the party line. His image was digitally removed from a photograph that appeared in the Directions Newsletter. This was done so it would not give Goncalves any publicity that may have helped his campaign. The before-and-after photos appear below.

Original photo of incumbent Democrat candidates for Freeholder Chester Holmes, Assembly Candidate Linda Stender, Freeholder Don Goncalves and Union County Alliance Director and Kean University president Henry Ross.

The photo as it appeared in the Directions Newsletter which was mailed to every postal patron before the election with Freeholder Don Goncalves rubbed out. Goncalves’ arm was made to look like it belonged to Ross.

Upcoming features in this series will be:

Political mail designation manipulations

Newsletter produced but not sent to press because it wouldn’t make into mailboxes in time for Election Day

The Union County Alliance – let the sunshine in

The publication “Union County Directions” is published by the County of Union through the Union County Alliance (UCA) using tax dollars and county employees. There is a mound of evidence that the publication is being used as campaign literature for the all-Democrat freeholder board to promote candidates supported by the Union County Democratic Committee.

The Union County Watchdog Association (UCWA) argues that the Committee should reimburse the taxpayers for the cost of the newsletters, which are mailed to every postal patron twice a year just days before the primary and general elections, which we believe is a violation of Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) laws.

The Union County Watchdog Association has documentation to support their claims. This is the first in a series of findings.

When sitting Freeholder Don Goncalves was up for re-election in 1999, he had fallen out of favor with the Union County Democratic Committee and did not get their support for the party line. His image was digitally removed from a photograph that appeared in the Directions Newsletter. This was done so it would not give Goncalves any publicity that may have helped his campaign. The before-and-after photos appear below.

Original photo of incumbent Democrat candidates for Freeholder Chester Holmes, Assembly Candidate Linda Stender, Freeholder Don Goncalves and Union County Alliance Director and Kean University president Henry Ross.

The photo as it appeared in the Directions Newsletter which was mailed to every postal patron before the election with Freeholder Don Goncalves rubbed out. Goncalves’ arm was made to look like it belonged to Ross.

Union County Directions - A Taxpayer Funded Campaign Piece

Two scant days before last week’s Primary Election, the “Union County Directions” arrived in my mailbox. Though they will deny it, this publication is an homage to the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders as well as other UC public officials who just so happen to be of the same political persuasion and are seeking reelection.

Lets not tiptoe around and get real here. Featured on the cover is Mayor John T. Gregorio of Linden, with a story about all of the wonderful things he is doing for the city.

The bottom half of page one is comprised of an article about the Union County Arts Center, located in Rahway and recently purchased by the Board of Chosen Freeholders. The article is accompanied by a picture of Rahway Mayor James Kennedy, Freeholders Deborah Scanlon, Chester Holmes and Al Mirabella.

The oddest thing about the picture is not that the president of the UCAC Board of Trustees, Richard Stender (ex-hubby of candidate Linda) is in the center of the pic, but that the Stender name is first rather than a “L to R” listing.

So, on the front page the sea of six smiling faces are those of five elected officials all with the same party affiliation and all on the ballot in November as well as the former spouse of another currently campaigning for a seat in Congress.

Freeholder Mirabella appears in six of the group shots accompanied frequently by Freeholders Scanlon and Holmes. It would appear that to cover their posteriors and not risk violating campaign laws that they threw in one picture each of Freeholders Sullivan, Ward, Estrada and Kowalski but for the second year in a row Freeholder Adrian Mapp of Plainfield was MIA. Mapp I understand is Chairman of the rival “New Democrats” party in his community and I imagine on the “outs” with “official County Democrats”. If I recall correctly the only time Mapp was in the publication was in the fall edition as a Council member in Plainfield when he landed on the Freeholder ticket in 2004. His term up next year it will be interesting to see if he is given prominence in the publication at that time. In view of present circumstances, however, that is doubtful.

The late Ann Baran, who held the position of county manager with both Republican and Democratic-controlled boards, was a co-founder of the Union County Alliance and an Executive Board member until her death this year. She worked tirelessly to foster the intent of the Alliance. This latest edition cannot be what she had in mind as a vehicle to promote an organization billed as a “bi-partisan coalition focused on economic revitalization and improving the quality of life for people who live and work in the region.” Rather it has turned into a thinly veiled campaign piece funded with tax payer’s money featuring incumbent freeholders patting themselves on the back just days prior to an election. In 2006 alone checks totaling $130,850 have been paid out to the Alliance which includes advertising.

It is puzzling that the corporations in the county affiliated with the Alliance aren’t miffed about being dissed. Perhaps they realize the futility of objecting and have settled on taking a backseat to the Gang of Nine. Only three companies purchased ad space of less than a quarter page each. What happened to PSE&G, Elizabethtown Water and Maher Terminals and what about the Bank of America, Wakefern or Wachovia surely they all have something to crow about? And wouldn’t the residents in towns such as Westfield, Scotch Plains, New Providence or Clark just love to see their Republican Mayors on the cover just once.

Chances of that happening are slim to none.