According to the Jewish Virtual Library of Union County’s 532,000 residents (2004 census), about 35,000 were Jews. Major Jewish communities are in Elizabeth-Hillside, Westfield, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Union, Cranford, and Linden.

L’Shanah Tovah Tikatevu, meaning “may you be inscribed [in the Book of Life] for a good year,” is a typical Jewish New Year’s message. The county kicked off its 5-day County Fair at Georgapalooza fest today, despite it being one of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar.

Rosh Hashanah will begin at sundown today it is the Jewish New Year. This isn’t a time of confetti and champagne, rather the holiday is a period of prayer and reflection. It is a solemn day of soul-searching, forgiveness, repentance and remembering God’s judgment looking forward to God’s goodness and mercy in the New Year. Observant Jews will not be going to any county fairs today or tomorrow. In fact the next 10 days will be spent repenting culminating on Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement.

On this final day of the High Holy Days, Jewish tradition tells how God opens the Book of Life and studies the words, actions, and thoughts of every person whose name he has written there. If a person’s good deeds outweigh or outnumber their sinful acts, his or her name will remain inscribed in the book for another year.

There are no Jewish freeholders.

2010 is a tough budget year for Berkeley Heights, Clark, Cranford, Fanwood, Garwood, Hillside, Kenilworth, Linden, Mountainside, New Providence, Plainfield, Rahway,  Roselle, Roselle Park, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Summit, Union Township, Westfield, and probably Winfield Park and Elizabeth too though nobody seems to cover them.

But on the county level?

Life is good.  The County Manager returns from his Mt. Fuji trek to do MC duties for this week’s musicfest. No talk of spending cuts or furloughs but rather of upgrading golf courses and blanketing the county with solar panels.  How do they manage?

Very simple.  Lie about operating expenses, drown in debt, and hope nobody catches on.  It’s worked for them so far.

Q: Where is County Manager George Devanney vacationing this year?

Thanks to a cozy relationship with a cancer charity, Love, Hope, Strength Foundation, involving a two-day rock festival, George Devanney and other county employees get to take exotic trips:  Mt. Everest in 2007; Machu Picchu in 2008; Mt. Kiliminjaro in 2009 (George Devanney did not go on that one but his wife did).

These are the days of police layoffs, pay freezes, furloughs, and budget gimmicks for most governments but, for Union County, it’s another hike.

I spent about 3 hours culling through gathered Open Public Records Act requests at the county last Tuesday. Here are some little tidbits I’d like you to know about.

The county paid $2,037.77 to the vendor “Christmas Spectacular” for a 3 ft sign for the courthouse that read “Seasons Greetings”.

An employee lawsuit was filed on January 29, 2010 Union County Corrections Officer Alvin White vs Union County Department of Corrections and John Doe(s)

Union County Alliance 2010 proposal for a $332,125 contract

Aruspex proposal for 9.1.09 through 6.30.10

Employee position control changes 2.1.10 through 3.1.10

Handouts pertaining to the 2010 budget hearings were not available in electronic format as requested, instead I was presented with binders containing the electronic documents which were printed. OPRA complaint? Stay tuned.

Too much to scan, you’ll have to take my word for it, or OPRA it yourself:

50 staff and volunteers were fed $900.00 worth of sandwiches from Dara’s Caters @ $300.00 per nights of October 22, 23 & 24th Hayrides.

George Devanney was reimbursed for the following items of interest:

$109.24 for what was labeled Lunch meeting re: Freeholder meeting held in Chili’s in Clark on May 14, 2009 (date not a typo) hmmm It cost taxpayers $1,767 for catering of the freeholder meetings held in March 2010 – I never thought to OPRA catering/food bills for staff meetings regarding freeholder meetings.. … also $137.20 for a staff meeting regarding freeholder meeting $137.20 at Delicious Heights in Berkeley Heights, NJ where Devanney lives. Why is staff traveling to George’s hometown – approximately 30 minutes out of Elizabeth for meetings? Does George have one of those stay at home and work from the dining room table jobs too?

$30.16 for Lunch Meeting regarding events and sponsors – Dolce Broad Street Elizabeth - that’s refreshing.

$926.91 for work related travel labeled Winning Strategies – Lobbying meeting.. $724.00 was for rail fare for 2 business class seats.

$65.71 for Lunch meeting regarding Open Space Association at the Garden Restaurant in Union – no date available.

$292.77 reimbursement for NACO county forum on energy independence, including $135.00 for 3 meals @ $45 each.

$365.27 for reimbursements for the League of Municipalities including $54.75 for in room dining.

More hidden MusicFest expenses, $3,000 Reimbursement for Food for September 12 & 13 Music Fest Volunteers – Tony’s Italian Sausage.

James Neville of Springfield said it well in his recent letter thanking Union County taxpayers for last week’s musicfest.  Though there are others to thank: 

Golfers for the use of their course.  What might generate revenue over 6 months under different management will serve as an archery range, bike path, and concert venue for about 10 days while still requiring maintenance.

County employees for allowing their pension money to be used.  Union County deferred $9.4 million in pension contribuitons to 2012 and beyond thus continuing a pattern of non-funding that will leave the state pension plan bankrupt within 5 years.  

Politicians from outside the county for sensibly keeping their limousines and entourages away this year.  No stage time for Corzines or Stenders and, though there was a quorum, not all the freeholders seem to have made it.

Union County, according to the Tax Foundation, has the second-highest property taxes in the nation, a position we can thank Passaic County among others for putting us in.

To comment

People have been calling, emailing and even stopping me on the street to ask about the cost of MusicFest 2009. I’ve told them I was never able to find out the costs of MusicFest 2008. And as of the 8/20/09 freeholder meeting, the freeholders didn’t know the cost of MusicFest 2009. You can view Freeholder Mirabella telling a citizen who asked about costs at the 8/20/09 freeholder meeting “We can get you that figure”, the Deputy County Manager chimed in that she can get the costs “closer to the event” which was only three weeks away.

Well Al & Liz, that was almost a month ago and I don’t believe you got around to it. When you do, be sure to forward that info to me and I’ll share it on this blog. Now don’t forget the miscellaneous costs of Sheriff’s Department personal being used as car service for dignitaries; stages being built for private parties; no receipts of any kind for hundreds if not thousands of dollars of alcohol in the VIP tent; and an honest accounting of how many employees work on MusicFest all year long – and that’s just off the top of my head. You can refer to my OPRA requests of last year to get an idea of where you might go fishing for the total costs.

Although I sincerely set out to find the costs of the ’08 MusicFest what I proved was that costs are being funneled through third parties and there is no way for a citizen, no matter the time or effort, to get to an accounting of it. The same sort of thing is going on this year. I don’t see the point of going through all that effort just to prove this fact again.

My watchdog contribution will be to ask the State Comptroller’s Office to have a turn looking at the 2008 & 2009 MusicFest costs and the shady funneling of public funds through third parties.

I hope lots of people went to MusicFest and got their monies worth and had a good time. I didn’t go; but it did manage to entertain me. I went to another party in a county park in Cranford on Sunday the same time MusicFest was going on. A county cop drove up in his patrol car and insisted on seeing the alcohol permit for the beer and he made the lone guitar player, who was playing really great music by the way, unplug his amp because “It was too loud”.

I had a good laugh over that and I didn’t even have to pay ten bucks for parking.

Alexander Mirabella is the Chairman of the UC Freeholder Board, if you’d like to ask him how much MusicFest 2008 & 2009 cost he can be reached at amirabella@ucnj.org

The Office of the State Comptroller can be reached at comptrollertips@osc.state.nj.us

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

Previously posted:
Let’s be guided accordingly by lack of transparency for Musicfest 2008

Submitted by: Brian Keane

Each MusicFest VIP tent Celebrity Porta John should feature a toilet roll issued with the UC Directions Newsletter..

Photo’s taken day after MusicFest 2007:

VIP Tent Celebrity Porta John

Tax Payers Porta John

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

The inconvenience to Union County residents of having a musicfest in their backyards is not the main problem with it. We’ll get through that. The county has become good at putting on these events and they’ll make this the biggest and best musicfest ever. Placards are everywhere. It makes one think that, when inverted and the time comes, they morph into freeholder campaign signs. Two major rock stations in the tri-state area, WXRP 101.9 and WDHA 105.5, are running contests giving away VIP passes. When I listened people from Middletown and Howell won. A lot of time, effort, and money is being pumped into this and I’m certain no expense will be spared.

The problem is the mindset that allows this bacchanalia to flourish at a time when people are losing their jobs, their homes, and even their lives.
What good does it do the 480,000 Union County residents who won’t be attending though they’ll be paying for it? Or the thousands who will lose jobs in the next few months because of this depression. Or the hundreds who will lose homes in part due to outrageously high property taxes? Or the family of Frank Congiusta. Will getting VIP passes make it all good?

The freeholders, the county manager, and whoever supports this blatant waste of resources should be ashamed. Even when Nero fiddled he had the good sense not to do it on a stage. County government should not be entertaining. They should be running prisons, maintaining parks, and tracking land sales. If they can’t do that economically then they have no business even existing.

To comment

There are things that the Union County Watchdog Association checks regularly by placing Open Public Records Act requests. I then pick up and/or review the records at the County Administration Building about once a month. The following are items of interest that probably wouldn’t make it into a separate blog piece, but are worth mentioning:

It’s a slice of pizza/It’s a sandwich
On April 16, 2009 the freeholders passed the budget. They will be spending $23,000 more per day than last year. They catered their meeting from Costa’s total bill was $315.00. On the menu was 1 tray Chicken Parm; 1 Tray Sausage & peppers; 1/2 Train Linguini Carbanata; 1/2 tray eggplant Rolantini; 1/2 Tray Penne Vodka; 1/2 Tray undecipherable; 1 Tray Salad; 1 Tray Bread.

For desert they ordered from Berntein Bakery $24.45 - 1 large cherry pie; 1 Chocolate cake.

For their mobile meeting held in New Providence, where presumably the New Providence town council attended the dinner meeting, the freeholders ordered sandwiches from Coppola’s $250.75. No bakery bill.
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A Tort Claim against Union County was filed on March 24. 2009 stemming from an accident that occurred on 2/12/09. A death occurred when a vehicle was struck by a tree.
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Another bill was unearthed for 2008 Music Fest. The county paid $2,500 for the production and video recording for the 2 day extravaganza. Another OPRA request is pending for the actual video recording. Gee I hope there is footage of what goes on in the freeholder VIP tent, which has been stuffed way back in the woods out of public view the past two years after we were able to shoot this video footage. There was no charge to the taxpayers for our video produciton.