Bruce Paterson’s 2008 Union County Budget-Public Comment

Good evening chairman Estrada, ladies and gentlemen of the board…..Bruce Paterson 325 willow ave, Garwood, NJ.

First let me thank you that out of the $435 mill dollar Union county budget I see you have it later on your agenda a vote to give $25,000 to Garwood for brook work. As a Garwood resident I thank our mayor and the freeholders for this grant. Now on to the Union County budget.

With this 2008 budget we are nearing the threshold of spending half a billion a year for Union county government.

We appreciate that the public is allowed to comment. But that is by law of course. And the question is: if public comment is negative, will this change anything. One could only hope.

It is easy to guess that the vote will be unanimous for this nearly half billion dollar budget. And therein lies the problem.

For you see, you don’t control the budget anymore, the budget now controls you. This budget has become a living breathing beast that is now sucking up our tax dollars with no stopping. It is now controlling your collective conscience and intelligence. It is beyond anyone’s control. The only deadman’s switch that this county had was in Freeholder Mapp who had a heavy accounting background and was actually starting to see the huge boondoggle we now have before us. That year he started to vote “no” on various financial resolutions. The county budget beast in control of this freeholder board, then made you get rid of him last year. Such a travesty.

You have now created the monster, with mad scientist names like sulllivanstien, froelichstien, defillippostien. Your experiment is alive.

Over the many years the public had tried to warn you that you were creating this monster, items like putting many friends and relatives on the payroll, political hiring and promoting without any experience, patronage, abundant lawsuits and subpoenas, abuse and waste. There are 3000 people on the county payroll and what do they all do? The best I can figure out is you hire a relative then have to hire someone to do the relative’s work. Every year you have $12 to 15million increases, that’s more than many towns’ total budgets. And every year you appear in public saying the increases are out of your control. But I sat here in past meetings and I hear you vote on abominations such as 5% raises, retroactive raises, health benefits for life; so you are the ones to blame….or is it the budget monster now in control of this board. The best you could do to stop the beast was to formulate some scheme of giving an extra weeks vacation but only pay the person for 2 days. All such mad scientists.

This sucking beast is now stealing huge amounts of tax dollars from the communities of Union County, communities that are struggling with their budgets because you are taking their money and not giving anything in return but a pittance. Garwood pays $2.2 million dollars to the county, and we will get back $25,000 soon. Ask yourselves, why will the beast give no more?

Recently, Summit finally got fed up with being forced to feed this monster. They passed a proclamation stating here in the county there is taxation without representation, something that coincidentally I noted 1 month ago.

One must wonder just what kind of thinking goes on behind the freeholder doors. The state is in dire financial crisis according to governor Corzine, towns are sending out notices to all their personnel that there may be layoffs, cities are passing resolutions on the inadequacies of this county governance, and with all this you come up with the idea of “Hey why don’t we have a 2 day lollapalooza of a Music fest.” This is the modern day equivalent of “Let them eat cake”. And look what happened to that person. You are out of touch.

The beast is surely happy with your intelligence gone. We are all caught in this boondoggle together; if you have any conscience left you must bust this out of control budget. Finally show some leadership and vote no on the budget to kill this monster. Thank you.

For the second time in as many years I turned to the county website for directions to the administration building where freeholder meetings are held. Despite telling the freeholders at a meeting that they had the wrong directions on their website, I found the same wrong directions today. We spend about a half million dollars on public information department salaries, and you can’t get directions to the administration building on the county website.

That pretty much sums up Union County government’s rampant incompetence and utter contempt for the public.

The Union County Watchdog Association endeavors to provide citizens with tools to do their own research into county government and about 2,500 visitors hit our website monthly. We also field several requests for documents monthly. The County Watchers blog endeavors to pick-up where the media left off, the Star-Ledger hasn’t had a reporter on county government since last August, and inform the public as issues come up and unfortunately, we never run out of things to report on.

It is evident that the all Democrat controlled freeholder board is a visible tumor of the powerbroker cancer infecting county government. Senator Raymond Lesniak’s nephew being appointed the county manager has proven to be a disaster and the final stages of this government disease that is afflicting the entire state of New Jersey has been set in place. Many believe it is now hopeless. Spending has already straddled future generations with impossible debt and societal problems have been set in place by government which is not for the people, its by and for the powerbrokers.

Some costs and affects when machine politics run government

Payroll

In 2000 there were 24 employee’s earning over 100,000

In 2008 there are 127 employee’s earning over 100,000

Senator Raymond Lesniak’s nephew, is the appointed county manager - George Devanney

In 2000 the County Manager’s salary was $132,498 today it is $163,831. George Devanney’s arrogance is raging on. It’s always been outrageous from when he jointed the county payroll when two part-time positions were created for him, to this current year in which he had his office remodeled and will be issued, after this budget is signed, a brand new Chevy Tahoe for which no purchase orders have been provided to date – to his yearly retroactive pay raises, to his wife’s mother-in-law being put on the county payroll – to his wife being the Open Space Trust Fund Administrator and giving a children’s museum $500,000 with nothing to show for it - to selling government land without an auction to a group that was listed on his wife’s website as a client - to the taxpayer funded Union County Directions Newsletter where recently his Uncle Ray Lesniak promoted his book and Devanney promoted his juvenile fantasy to climb a mountain because he thought he had cancer - to the Music Fest which is Devanney’s birthday party. Any sane government that is accountable to their constituents would cut back on a music fest in these hard financial times but our county government has doubled it to two days to fulfill Senator Lesniak’s nephew’s fantasy of being a music promoter. The county also created a department and staff to oversee the musicfest and promoted Freeholder Sullivan’s niece to be the department head.

George, take a good look at this picture. You’re middle aged, fat, dopey looking and untalented – get over the music promotion thing and off our tax backs.

Union County Democrat Chairman and Executive Director of the Improvement Authority Charlotte DeFilippo

In 1999 the democrats took control of the freeholder board and replaced a part-time Union County Improvement Authority director position with a salary of $40,000. Since then this salary has gone up $103,409. Charlotte DeFilippo’s salary in 2000 was set at $104,000. Charlotte’s current 2008 salary is $143, 409. This year the county added 6 new captain positions to the sheriff’s department, most likely because DeFilippo’s daughter-in-law scored 7th on the Lieutenant’s exam and she needed a spot to move up to. The promotions waiting list was replaced with a new one. In 2000 Melissa’s salary was $37,213 today her salary is $94,503, Charlottes son is also on the Sheriffs payroll he currently makes $86,089. It would have been so much more cheaper for taxpayers had we simply hired a tutor for Melissa to improve her test score. Her scoring 7th caused an approximate added annual cost to payroll: $300,000. Cost to future pension payments – priceless.

Lawsuits and investigations
This past week DeFilippo was scheduled to give a deposition in a lawsuit in which a county employee is charging her with political interference in eliminating his job. She’s accused of running county government operations from her dining room table in Hillside. I can’t wait to read all the depositions stemming from the Robert Travisano lawsuit. It’s expensive entertainment. It cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees to date with no end in site. Charlotte is also under investigation by the State’s AG’s office, there is no official word on what she is being investigated for but chances are that one issue is that she also runs the Union County Improvement Authority from her dining room table. Taxpayers are also paying the legal bills in connection with this investigation.

Freeholders and campaigning
Summit recently passed a resolution calling for a more equitable way to have representation on the freeholder board. Freeholder Adrian Mapp who fell out of favor with the Democrat machine last year and lost the line went on to serve several more months on the board. In that short time he proved how even one outsider on the freeholder board could make a huge difference in not only saving tax dollars, but keeping things under control. It was Adrian Mapp who introduced an ordinance that lowered the cost of copies for public records to 10 cents a page (down from .75). When Mapp was in office the county canned it’s taxpayer funded election season kick-off by not producing and airing a TV commercial and following up with a 4 page glossy color mailer. This campaign initiative historically cost taxpayers $200,000, I fully expect this cancer symptom to reoccur this August. The county manager’s furniture was built by the county carpenters, but not installed until after Mapp left the building. I imagine if Mapp was elected to another 3 years Ray Lesniak’s nephew would not have had his office remodeled, nor would he be getting a brand new Chevy Tahoe, ahh the possibilities for more competent government are endless…and gone as I do not see any relief from powerbroker controlled county government in the near future.

The 2008 Budget

I didn’t get a copy of the 2008 proposed budget until the Star-Ledger ran the county’s press release on it. The UCWA has filed a complaint with the States Government Records Council, because budgets are supposed to be made available upon request. This goes to further prove that the county has so much to hide and they fear public scrutiny.

Golf courses

They lost 500,000 last year.

Prison

The county feigned outrage over prisoner fugitives and praised the prosecutor’s office for a quick capture, even though, it took them 26 days to recapture the prisoners. It was George Devanney who squashed a plan to install camera’s. Where is the freeholders outrage over Devanney’s incompetence? Instead he was rewarded with a renovated office, a Chevy Tahoe and a two-day MusicFest birthday party.

Some of the measures the county has taken after this international embarrassment and destroying a young family because of the county’s handling of the escape: Hired 51 new corrections officers to help improve the operations at the facility and cut down on overtime; A phase I installation of additional cameras (Budget doesn’t mention how many more phases are in store) cost $800,000; Razor wire around the jail’s perimeter and sub-roofs $56,000; Hired a new jail director who used to be in charge of transportation at Rikers Island, he lives approximately 2 hours away in Atlantic County and drives a county vehicle with free gas too and from work, and wherever else he damn well pleases just as the county manager does.

Created a new Department of Corrections. Given the complex issues that include overtime, physical structure, and manpower that have historically plagued this facility, the freeholders now believe that should have the same access and accountability to the county manager’s office and freeholder board as a Department Director. This will serve to simplify communication, provide better oversight, and response to all situations. What this doesn’t say is what the freeholders used to believe, that although the jail is a basic service of county government, and pretty much all we need county government to do, the freeholders never believed the jail was something they needed to fret about in order to get reelected.

Vo Tech Schools

They are bonding $20 million dollars to add a performing arts high school. They are also spening $150,00 for fitness center upgrades and $170,000 for new furniture – the county manager’s sister-in-law is a furniture saleswoman.

Runnells Specialized Hospital

Lost 500,000 last year and is projected to lose 2-million this year. The Runnell’s Director retired and is now receiving his pension and was hired back as a consultant. The county manager’s mother-in-law was added to the Runnells payroll where she joined an illustrious long line of cronies as the hospital is a patronage pit. She originally worked for Assemblywoman Linda Stender who became a Runnells employee when she left the freeholder board to be an Assemblywoman, Stender left the Runnells payroll when she announced her run for Congress and hasn’t returned yet, she’s still running for Congress.

The Overall County Budget Spin

The county maintains their commitment to funding popular county services, what they don’t mention is that these services are mostly funded by the state, such as meals on wheels (State grant funded), road repaving (state grant funded) and infrastructure improvements (state grant funded), VoTech Schools, Homeland Security (Federal grant funded), the Sheriff’s Office (6 new captains $300,000; Union County is one of only 2 counties that have both a Sheriff’s and Police Department. Neither patrol the jail, the public safety department does that), the Prosecutor’s office (will be getting 50 new personal computers), our county parks system (Lenape Park Bike Trail is State grant funded), and child safety seat inspections (State grant funded and cost only $37,250.00. This “service” is used annualy in campaign literature).

Keep in mind the salary increases mentioned above and read what the county wrote in their budget introduction: “We cannot ignore the steady rise of mandated salary, pension and health insurance costs continuing to eat at revenue”. So they are implementing fiscal measures to provide budget relief in these areas where they have had “traditional” shortfalls. First they have delayed salary increases for all exclusionary county employees until July 1st of this year, but this didn’t include the county manager. George Devanney got his retroactive pay raise check on time. Why bother to read the rest of the spin?

At a September 27, 2007 freeholder meeting, that can now be viewed on the UCWA Veotag video meeting minutes account, confusion ensued when freeholder Adrian Mapp moved to table a 7-million dollar bond ordinance put forward by the Union County Improvement Authority for a non-profit organization located in Plainfield. “We still don’t know who is behind the project, or who is responsible from the Union County Improvement Authority” said Mapp who resides in Plainfield. The board couldn’t answer to what the project was or who the people involved were, but this didn’t stop them from voting 8-0 to push the borrowing forward.

Depending on how you look at the new information the Union County Watchdog Association has gathered regarding this bond issue, the plot either thickens or the fog is lifted on the workings of and between the Union County Improvement Authority and the freeholder board who usually unanimously votes 9-0 on every ordinance and resolution without public discussion. One thing is crystal clear – the freeholders follow their boss lady blindly and vote on ordinances they have no knowledge of.

The Improvement Authority is headed by Charlotte DeFilippo who is also the Union County Democrat Chairman. The Freeholder board is made up of 9 democrats who, because of a myriad of reasons for which people vote down the Democrat line, are quite literally appointed and fired by DeFilippo and her machine.

In defense of his vote, Freeholder Sullivan, who works for the State Motor Vehicle Commission stated “Based on the county rules of governance, we have to approve any and all projects that the Improvement Authority puts forward,” said Sullivan. “Based on their track record and my faith in the Improvement Authority, they have done their due diligence and understand what the risks are with all projects. That’s why they have my support.”

But who is doing the Authority’s due diligence? A copy of the following letter was obtained through the Open Public Records Act. It was addressed to the Clerk of the Board of Freeholders and shows how a vendor of the Improvement Authority wrote the ordinance the freeholders approved without having any knowledge about it:

Dear Ms. Tedeschi:

Enclosed herein for consideration by the Freeholders for their next regular meeting is an ordinance requesting the County’s consent to issuance by the Union County Improvement Authority of its bonds in the amount of not to exceed $7,000,0000 to finance African American Fund of New Jersey Plainfield Project, a pre-school facility.

Should the freeholders approve this financing, I ask that you kindly forward a certified copy of the Ordinance as introduced, and as adopted to my office.

If you have any questions or comments, please do no hesitate to contact me.

Very truly yours,

John G. Hudak, Esq. (Not Charlotte DeFilippo, the Director of the Union County Improvement Authority)

The above letter, which can be viewed in its entirety HERE, included an attachment with the language for the ordinance that the clerk placed on the freeholders September 27, 2007 agenda and was approved 8-1. The one abstention being from Freeholder Adrian Mapp, who has fallen out of favor with the machine and was not given the party line during his bid for reelection.

An OPRA request to the Improvement Authority seeking to find out how the Black United Fund went about requesting funding from the Improvement Authority was responded to via email:

Dear Mrs. Renna:
During your OPRA review of the Black United Fund materials from the law office of John Hudak you asked if we had any preliminary documentation to how the Black United Fund was bonded. I have found that the Black United Fund went directly to our bond council, Mr. John Hudak, Esq. office.

If further information is requested, please let me know.

Thank you,
Jennifer Erdos
Union County Improvement Authority
10 Cherry Street
Elizabeth, NJ 07207
908-820-9710

So, you see, Sullivan and the other Freeholders admittedly blindly voted to approve the ordinance without any knowledge of what it contained. And even though he said he did so because the ordinance was presented by the Improvement Authority, records show that it wasn’t. This has been the motus operendi of the Freeholder Board for the past ten years and has put the County government in financial crisis.

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. Before I left the mike, I asked if the meeting was being video taped because besides having spent $110,000 on new video equipment the Freeholders had stopped tapping meetings.

They taped the meeting.

Is this all just for an opportunity to reward ‘friends”? Plainfield Today: Friday, September 28, 2007 $7M bond for nonprofit may leave Plainfield on the hook..

Miscellaneous Documents obtained through OPRA:

Draft Summary & Terms of Purchase

Black United Fund Plan of Finance

Union County Improvement Authority Resolution

Hudak Letter & Ordinance

Miscellaneous Correspondence

The Westfield Leader taped interviews with all freeholder candidates. I highly recommend you view the interview with Freeholder Mapp. Mapp was thrown off the Democrat party line and is running as an independent.

Many freeholders have been ‘fired’ by the Democrat machine in recent years. For the past decade anyone on the Democrat line is automatically elected. Mapp replaced Freeholder Louis Mingo who fell out of favor with the machine.

Mapp’s interview gives some behind the scenes insight into many issues the Countywatchers blog has written about as well as the workings of county government and the control the Democrat machine has on the freeholders, although you have to squint to see it at times.

This is not a candidate endorsement. The Mapp interview along with all Union County Freeholder candidate videos can be viewed on the Westfield Leader/Scotch Plains Fanwood Times website HERE

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 following are Garwood resident, Bruce Paterson’s comments during the Union County Budget commentary session held on May 24, 2007.

Last year Union County finally got a dubious distinction of being in the top 10 of American counties with the highest taxes on its residents. And what did the freeholders do? They increased the budget 3.4% and raised county taxes 5.9%.

I went to a budget meeting back in February. Certain freeholders asked questions. The public could not. Any financial concerns that were brought up and odd it was minimal, was answered by department heads with a “next year we will do this” or next year we will do that”.

Next year is NOW! Over 5 years the taxes skyrocketed putting us in the 10 worst counties for taxes.

Freeholder Adrian Mapp, when he ran 3 years ago said in a publicized debate that he wanted to be part of the budget process. Mapp has a degree and is strong in accounting. He is the only one with accounting and financial experience. But you wouldn’t let him on the budget committee for the 3 cycles he has been on the Board. And now you are dumping him from this next election.

The taxpayers are now on life support! For 5 years we have faced financial disaster and fiscal mismanagement. Now we are in the top 10 worst taxed counties in the nation!

I’m not going into depth in the budget since I only have 5 minutes to comment, but some items that would start us on the road to fiscal integrity:

1) Dump the taxpayer funded booze at the freeholder VIP tent during county events. You’re already drunk with power.

2) Cut down the county car fleet. We had a freeholder who put 30 thousand miles on his vehicle in one year and he lives 4 miles from this Administration Building. A county director uses his to go to exercise class. (This is where Chairwoman BJK leaned to Attorney Barry and BJK said that I am getting “close to the line”.) (After this comment it was reported in the Star-Ledger that photos were taken of a Linden Councilman, who is also a county employee, using his county vehicle on the campaign trail.)

3) Make sure part-time jobs are part-time jobs. Your Union County improvement director sits at home making $140,000 a year for nothing. Stop mailing her the check. She’ll get the message.

4) Make sure the full-time jobs are full-time jobs. You finance director works also as finance officer of Linden. This is disgraceful. And many financial errors have been made since he’s had these 2 jobs.

5) Pay to play- Pass a resolution to stop the millions of dollars that go to professionals who donate money to your political pockets. Since the contracts are non-competitive, it’s easy to fatten up with extra dollars in order for the professionals to donate to your political campaigns. No more dealing with these types of people.

6) Get rid of the retroactive raises and 4-5% raises. For a 400-million dollar budget, I have a hard time seeing any county employee results that are stellar and deserve raises like that.

7) Stop giving out “health benefits for life”. You offered early retirement and about 150 people took it, with “health benefits for life.” You have lost control of benefit costs with this type of mismanagement.

The taxpayers of Union county got big problems and you created them. There is no more future; the future is here and now.

You just can’t make hard financial decisions. Everything’s a mess. The only accountant on the Freeholder Board you are throwing off the Board.

The only choice now is to vote down the budget and vote down the tax increase. Then start again with a zero increase.

Thank you.

Notes: The budget that evening was voted on unanimously with the exception of Freeholder Adrian Mapp who abstained from voting.

The 2007 Budget Hearing’s can be viewed on-line at the Union County Watchdog Association’s Veotag account HERE.

Reported in The Courier News- a Gannett Newspaper

Adrian Mapp’s SUV was hit as he was leaving church in Plainfield.

By BRANDON LAUSCH Staff Writer

PLAINFIELD — Police are continuing forensics testing on a bullet that lodged into a window of Union County Freeholder Adrian Mapp’s SUV earlier this week as he was driving home from church, authorities said.

Police said Mapp was pulling out of the parking lot of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on Park Avenue at 8:55 p.m. Wednesday when a bullet lodged in the rear passenger window of his SUV.
Mapp, who was alone at the time, immediately drove to police headquarters to report the incident and provide a statement to authorities, Plainfield Public Safety Director Martin Hellwig said Friday. Mapp did not suffer any injuries, Hellwig said.

“We have no idea whether this was a targeted attack, whether someone shot a gun from an area and it landed there or struck there. We have no idea,” said Hellwig, adding that police do not have any suspects in the shooting. “There’s no other indications, and all options are open.”
Through a spokesman, Mapp declined comment.

Hellwig said Plainfield police are continuing an active investigation into the incident, including trying to find out the trajectory of the bullet, its caliber and how far away from Mapp’s vehicle the shot was fired. Hellwig said there were apparently no witnesses.

“It would be fruitless for me to speculate on anything like that now because it’s under investigation and we don’t know those things,” Hellwig said.

Mapp, a Plainfield resident who served on City Council for seven years, was elected to a three-year term on the Union County freeholder board in 2004. Mapp, a Democrat, has two adult daughters with his wife, Amelia.

Brandon Lausch can be reached at (908) 707-3175 or blausch@c-n.com.

Statement from the New Jersey Green Party Chairman George DeCarlo:

** Freeholder Mapp while running for the office of Freeholder, I have been told, stated that he would look into the problems of the county not going along with the machine. Well, not much was heard from Mapp during his time in office as to being a maverick. Perhaps he did ruffle some in the machine and his thanks are no line and now what of this bullet. I would not be surprised given the attacks by the county government in what a detective called what seems like a case of kidnapping among the other many assaults launched against Toy-Ling Washington in Hillside. The county and the Democratic machine continue their assault on her which also included having her house attacked early in the process which now the departments of UC government are fully involved including the court. Judge Malone (former UC Democratic Machine Chair) had to recuse himself from her case. Early in the process to smash Toy-Ling due to growing popularity amongst voters, Judge Malone aka judicial tool of the machine oversaw the writing of the complaint Toy-Ling had made against the election in Hillside two years ago. He not only had her write the complaint in his own manner but judged it in court. Did those in court know this along with the media? No. Of course, I am only giving a very small snippet of the horror she has had to face at the hands of a political machine that controls Union County. — George

Summit City Common Council president Diane Klaif is to be commended this week for not yielding to pressure to shut down residents who make inquiries at council meetings, even where decisions have already been made. She stated that, as long as she is council president, she “will not discourage discussion of issues that are concerns to citizens of Summit”. It is apparent that Ms Klaif not only is patient but is aware how rumors get started and that she is a proponent of transparency in government.

Freeholder Adrian Mapp is also to be given an A++. During freeholder reports/comments portion of this weeks meeting he recommended that the Freeholder Board adhere to a policy to answer any and all questions of all residents regardless of race, creed, color, political side of the fence or weather they prefer their ice cream with or without hot fudge sauce. In short, he made it clear that anyone who has a question should be answered. Board Chairwoman BJ Kowalski jumped in with “Freeholder Policy is to respond to all serious questions.”

Upon hearing that I instantly decided to check out just what is the policy and who decides which questions are serious enough to deserve answers. Generally the board announces that this portion of the meeting is for comments only and has been known to address questions with a response of “We don’t have to answer the public’s questions” but more often than not no response at all.

The Bylaws of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders- Speaks of questions????

The Board of Chosen Freeholders has bylaws containing the rules of procedure for conducting meetings and functions as well as rules of conduct and the path to follow when the public is allowed to speak during certain portions of the meetings.

“Item 12 PUBLIC SESSION, At this time the public may address the board on any resolution on the agenda. A member of the public shall be limited to (1) appearance and shall speak for no more than five (5) minutes. All questions from the public shall be directed through the Chairman. …..Members (freeholders) will direct their questions or comments through the Chairman and shall limit their responses to the individual member of the public who is speaking to the board at that time.”

“Item 15 SECOND PUBLIC SESSION. At this time the public may address the board on any subject over which the Board has the power to exercise its authority. The same rules for the first public session shall apply with regard to public participation.” The bylaws also indicate that if a situation arises not covered in the Freeholder document that Roberts Rules of Order, Revised, shall prevail.

Our all democrat freeholder board has interrupted these bylaws to suit themselves while not protecting the residents ability to have their concerns addressed. Clearly illustrated at the last meeting when the inquiries of only one out of three residents were addressed. Freeholder Mapp’s request speaks volumes when he referred to individuals on the opposite side of the political fence, are they not contributing to the “county pot of gold”?

What constitutes a serious question?

And as for serious questions are not those regarding the county jail and detention center or the use of county vehicles or the budget not serious? Perhaps Chairwoman Kowalski can expand on what she believes to be a “serious question” or comment. Does she not believe that the taxpayers’ finances are serious? Has there been a concerted effort to avoid the really hard questions as not only the opposition party but residents are now starting to hold their feet to the fire as well.

Who’s questions get answered?

Did Mapp let the cat out of the proverbial bag and is willing to be a proponent of transparency in county government since up for reelection he has been denied the support of the UC Democratic Committee and replaced on the line by a “good soldier”? Has he been stifled since taking office and now has nothing to loose? Only time will tell but for now he deserves encouragement to continue on the path on which he seems to have embarked.

Note: I would have liked to have put a photo of Freeholder Adrian Mapp in this spot, but the county no longer alows you to download photos of freeholders from their taxpayer funded website.

Although it hasn’t been officially announced or reported outside of blogs, rumors have been circulating for weeks that Freeholder Adrian Mapp of Plainfield will not be getting the Democrat line this Primary Election Day.

The Plainfield Plaintalker reported this week that Mapp will be replaced by Plainfield Councilman Rayland Van Blake. The only questions to be answered are will Mapp put up a fight and how soon will Van Blake replace Mapp on the Board?

Mapp is up for election this year and the Union County Democrat machine runs their freeholder candidates as incumbents taking full advantage of the tax-payer funded county Public Information Department press releases; upwards of $250,000 of county publicity from a commercial that runs right before election season kicks off, and mailers that arrive in the weeks before Election Day; and the supposed ‘free’ concerts in the park which showcase the incumbent freeholders.

During the 2004 campaign I remember Mapp stating during a freeholder debate, “with my financial skills I can’t wait to get my hands on the budget and go over it with a fine tooth comb.” There is no doubt in my watchdog mind that the clock started ticking at that moment and Mapp’s freeholder days were numbered before he was even officially elected. Mapp never appeared to be accepted by the freeholder board. He rarely appeared in photo ops.

When Mapp packs up his belongings from his county office he will have to wipe off the dust that has collected on his ‘fine tooth comb’. If Mapp ever got to examine a financial record he didn’t reveal his findings to the public. I doubt the county let him near a financial document during his tenure as freeholder. Although Mapp has accounting skills he has never served on the Budget Committee.

Mapp joins a long line of freeholders who were recently replaced after falling out of favor with the Union County Democrat machine. Freeholder Mapp replaced Freeholder Louis Mingo in 2004. Mingo fell out of favor when he backed Plainfield Mayor Al McWilliams for Mayor that year. McWilliams had begun a new political party in which Mapp became a member of called ‘The New Democrats’. Mingo didn’t put up a fight. He left office quietly, so quietly that it wasn’t found out until months later that the county created a job for him and he was allowed to keep his county car and cell phone.

2004 was a big year for replacement freeholders. Freeholder Nicholas Scutari was nominated for the Senate after Senator Joseph Suliga announced that he would not seek re-election after a drunken casino incident in Atlantic City.

When Freeholder Scaturi was promoted to Senator he was then replaced briefly by Freeholder John Wohlrab of Linden who served until he was arrested and charged in an alleged domestic violence incident two months before the 2004 election. Wohlrab was then replaced by Freeholder Nancy Ward of Linden. It was so close to the election that Wohlrab’s name remained on the ballot even though Ward was the candidate. Despite his recent arrest over 70,000 people voted for Wohlrab but it was Ward who was sworn into office. This election proved that anyone on the County Democrat line will be elected.

It was widely rumored that the real reason Wohlrab was forced out was because he wasn’t getting along with Union County Democrat Chairwoman Charlotte DeFilippo. But, like Mingo, Wohlrab chose to go away quietly. He is still involved with the Democrat machine in Linden and was Mayor John T. Greggorio’s campaign treasure in 2006.

Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski of Cranford came to the board in September 2004, she replaced Freeholder Mary Ruotolo on the ballot. Ruotolo was aligned with the former county manager, Michael LaPolla, who had been recently unwillingly replaced by Senator Raymond Lesniak’s nephew. Rutolo had been appointed to the freeholder board shortly after her husband; the late Union County Prosecutor Andrew Rutolo’s passing. Rutolo also chose not to go public with her political career demise. She stated the old “I want to spend more time with my family” and accepted a position at the Turnpike Authority.

Mapp recently accepted a position with the town of Roselle where two fractions of Democrats are currently fighting a hand to hand combat of sorts. It would be a breath of fresh air in county politics if Mapp would honestly tell the public what his experiences were as a freeholder and why he never got to review the budget and report what he had found as was promised during his campaign.

I truly would like to believe that there are organized ‘New Democrats’ in Union County that are willing to do something about the machine politics running their party and destroying residents quality of life. They can’t reform their party by quietly accepting banishment. This allows them to keep their public employment and protects the machine and affords them a chance to remain somewhat a part of it with hopes of being an insider again one day. If the new democrats don’t expose the system, they won’t be able to fix it.

Freeholder Mapp is the fourth freeholder in three years to be tossed to the political graveyard heap by the Union County Democrat machine. What more proof is needed that Union County Freeholders have to answer to the powerbrokers who appoint them to office and not the people who elected them?

A clueless public, dominated by registered Democrats, elects freeholders to serve “They the powerbrokers” and not “We the people”.

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!!!