The Alternative Press
NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR THE RESIDENTS OF SUMMIT, BERKELEY HEIGHTS AND NEW PROVIDENCE

 

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OPINIONS

July 2008

 

Councilman Bonacci Says - RUNAWAY MAYOR

By:  Councilman John Bonacci

 

The Mayor in Berkeley Heights is in “runaway mode”.  A review of his 19 months in office as the first directly elected Mayor of Berkeley Heights ought to make every resident turn their heads in disgust, wipe away the tears and have an extra glass of wine for dinner tonight.  He constantly reports what he is going to do to the Star Ledger’s Gabe Gluck before he tells the public or Council even when he has the time allotted the night before in a Mayor’s report portion of the open public meeting.  He doesn’t use the Town Newsletter to tell residents his vision or lack of vision.  He blows smoke on his GLTV-34 Mayor’s Forum.  Residents could step up now and sign a petition to recall this Mayor.  He has had the mandatory year before recall and “enough is enough”

 

Let’s recap:

  1. He vetoes the public safety vehicle bond ordinance.
  2. He was personally involved in delaying the purchase of the fire trucks in the first place (we need the “jaws of life” vehicle for sure).
  3. His administration did not progress in buying necessary police vehicles for several years.
  4. His administration did not take the actions necessary to get a mini-bus for the seniors.
  5. He worked to prevent a petition of 1300 voters from having a voice to vote on the petition ($10 million dollars will cost up to $30 million over 30 years and is the equivalent of 3 years of property taxes).
  6. He voted to break a tie that released attorney – client privileged information.    The opinion of the Attorney was wrong on the petition name count. A court now ruled it to have been done correctly by the petitioners and counted correctly by a reliable Town Clerk. 
  7. He put people in management who took improper action suspending a valued and licensed and knowledgeable Sewer Plant Superintendent without pay for 90 days and he backed their actions with a direct order.  The EEOC apparently determined the Township violated two statutes as the story broke in the Alternative Press (www.thealternativepress.com) a few days ago.  The Mayor failed to address resident concerns at the July 22, 2008 Council Meeting. 
  8. He changed the vote result in the Governing body on May 6, 2008. His actions are against the Council’s provision in the rules accepting “Roberts Rules of Order” recognized all over the Western World just so he can control the Police Department.
  9. He refuses to sign purchase orders for Council-approved financial contracts. The law says he must authorize purchases made upon warrant (i.e. authorization) of the Council.
  10. Now he refuses to sign bonds legally authorized by Council ordinance. Does this place our revenue generation in jeopardy on other bonds that may be required like the $10 million for the recreation-senior center and other infrastructure facilities the residents may need?  What law is he going by?  Opinions are not laws.
  11. He appointed an Administrator on Dec. 18, 2007 against the known and public statements by Council members (who took office 13 days later) not to do it and the result cost the Town $27,500 for 6 days work.

We know that there are several legitimate court actions against the Township but:

*    Do we need a Mayor that threatens to go to Court every time someone blinks? 

  • Do we need a Mayor who supports the Council members who delay a budget for three and a half months?
  • Do we need a Mayor supporting these same Members saying they want more cost reductions but they don’t want to lower taxes? The “no local tax increase” budget puts $400,000 in the taxpayer’s pockets and preserves another $350,000 for our contingency surplus fund balance. 
  • Do we need a Mayor who delayed the fire truck purchase in the first place risking a discount and now would cost us $60,000 more if we miss an October quotation deadline that comes before the Nov. 4 referendum vote?
  • Does anyone else in the Township besides the Mayor, Bruno, Perna, Ronner and Woodruff believe that $1 million dollars would be the deciding factor in a $10 million vote or bond sale?
  • Does anyone else in the Township appreciate the fact that we still don’t have an Administrative Code because the Mayor voted to break a tie on March 12, 2007 (yes that’s a seven) preventing passage of an ordinance?
  • Do people know that the Mayor has refused in public (when questioned by a resident) to follow a Council resolution passed 7 months ago to appoint a Township Attorney and that a resolution is a law?
  • Do the taxpayers need a Mayor who brags about how smart it was to get a down payment waiver of a half a million dollars, which can cost the taxpayers $1.5 to 2 million dollars more over a 30-year period because we are borrowing the down payment?  Hasn’t he heard about economic trouble in the rest of the USA re banks and loans and mortgages by people who have adhered to these same financially imprudent actions?

 

I really can’t go on any further.  If I were in a Council meeting now I am afraid I would be pounding the desk and raising my voice and be justified in speaking loudly.  The Star Ledger tried to qualify the statements made in their article by noting the Mayor is a labor lawyer.  Well, we don’t need a labor lawyer who acts like this. I’ll take a practical, no nonsense person with some street smarts anytime or a lawyer with some common sense who listens to the people. 

 

John Bonacci serves as Vice-Chairman of the Berkeley Heights Township Council.   

 

 

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CREATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR UNION COUNTY:

New shared services to help improve recreation and cultural programs

By Angel G. Estrada

Chairman, Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders

Lively, healthy communities depend on a strong slate of outdoor activities and cultural events.  Now more than ever, it’s important to preserve and improve our local parks and recreation programs.  To accomplish this, we will have to do more with less.  One avenue worth exploring is to share more services between county and local governments.

This process is already well under way.  Over the past two years, the Freeholder Board has conducted five working sessions to develop new shared service agreements.  The response has been enthusiastic.  Several school districts and all twenty-one municipalities have attended at least one workshop.

As a direct result, we reached new agreements in several key areas, especially in computer-related services provided through county offices.  The savings to municipalities has already reached hundreds of thousands of dollars.  We expect this figure to keep growing substantially.

The amount of money saved is only part of the story.  By sharing resources, we also cut duplication among different levels of government.  This provides local governments with more leeway to allocate staff and facilities.

County-local sharing is not a new thing.   For example, our shared purchasing contracts have helped municipalities cut administrative costs while getting access to higher quality vendors.  Our K-9 unit and other public safety programs offer valuable services to municipal police departments.  And, our award-winning county high schools provide vocational and academic opportunities of the first rank.

Now we’re taking this traditional approach into new territory.  The topic of our most recent shared services workshop was parks and recreation, including cultural events.  The approximately 30 attendees brainstormed on ways to combine and share facilities, to improve local access to county resources, and to develop more shared county-local arts programs.

It’s an effort that will pay off in many ways.  Encouraging outdoor activities is a public health goal that affects every resident.   And for our youth, early exposure to cultural events has been linked to lifelong engagement in the arts, which in turn leads to better chances for academic and career success.

By pulling our resources together in new and innovative ways, we can ensure that public recreation and cultural events remain a strong and vital part of our civic landscape, in each of our 21 municipalities and throughout Union County.

Angel Estrada serves as the Chairman of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. 

 

 

Agree or disagree with an item posted on The Alternative Press?  Spot an inaccuracy?  Want to write your own take on an issue?  The Alternative Press welcomes all residents to submit letters to the editor or Opinion pieces at oped@thealternativepress.com

 

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