2019-640: Resolution in support of the resignation of the Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo A. Rosselló and the improvement of Puerto Rican lifestyle conditions.
Most people outside of government, where they get to define the term, would consider both Union County and New Jersey as rife with corruption (ie. pay-to-play, budget chicanery, who-you-know hires) so when the freeholders call out an area outside of the continental US for for their practices it is with some regret:
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It is billed as a debate tomorrow among Democrat freeholder candidates in the primary next week but the rules make it a ‘must-miss’ for anyone but the plants and political operatives who will be stuffing the question box. Among their rules:
The forum will be video recorded and the media are invited to attend. Only credentialed media are allowed to record the event.
Each candidate will have 2 minutes for opening remarks to introduce themselves. The moderator will then ask a question from the audience. So that we can address as many questions as possible in the time available, each candidate will have 1 minute to answer each question. If time permits, candidates will also have 2 minutes for a closing statement.
All questions are screened by a neutral committee to ensure that questions are applicable to all candidates, are not personal in nature, and are addressed to subjects relevant to this forum.
There will be a Plainfield debate immediately after and if all 9 freeholder candidates show up a best case scenario is that there will be six questions. Almost certainly nothing on the theft of Open Space tax money or the Solar Panel fiasco but, if Armstead can sneak it in, maybe something on this.
[Republican Councilman and former mayor Joseph] DeIorio noted that the biggest difference between contributions under the old limit and what the state allows is for county political organizations, which can now receive up to $37,000 from donors doing business with Roselle Park for each election cycle, up from just $200.
“The most money you can donate is to the county,” DeIorio said, adding that the amounts now at stake make will make it all too tempting for county party officials — who can make or break the careers of local politicians — to influence municipal contract decisions.
That notion was dismissed by both Signorello and Union County’s Democratic chairman, state Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-22nd Dist. Both said the issue had never been discussed, and while Scutari acknowledged that lifting Roselle Park’s contribution limit could indeed boost the county party’s fundraising, he said it would not lead him or his organization to pressure municipal officials to award contracts to certain donors.
“Do I influence municipal decisions? No,” Scutari said in a phone interview Thursday night, adding that he wasn’t even aware of the council’s move. “This is the first I’m hearing about it.”
2018-745: Amending Resolution Number 2017-220, adopted March 9, 2017, a Professional Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) Service contract with T&M Associates of Middletown, New Jersey, to provide ongoing LSRP Environmental Services associated with the Meisel Park Project for an amount not to exceed $9,450.00 for a new contract amount not to exceed $59,050.00. (NJDEP Case # 99-04-28-1512 and 01-08-29-146-05; SRP Pl#130838; Union County Engineering Project #2011-030)
There were questions brought up at the Agenda meeting:
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Perhaps you recall these incidents from the freeholder meeting of July 28, 2011:
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This hit a nerve with Willard C. Shih, Esq of Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, PA who, two months later, on behalf of Netta Architects, LLC and Nicholas J. Netta, AIA, NCARB (“Netta”) dispatched a letter to the offices of the Union County Watchdog Association (UCWA) addressed to Ms. Tina Renna and Mr. Bruce Paterson (though the latter was never affiliated with the UCWA) that, considering what we now know about how Netta got his start with the county and how Netta projects (Family Courthouse; Warinanco Ice Rink; Galloping Hill Clubhouse) work out, reads like an object lesson in hypocritical bullying.
