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Plainfield Assemblyman Jerry Green. |
The Assemblyman posts correspondence from Moses Myers, an employee of Bridgeway, the social services agency of which Councilor Storch is the executive director, complaining of treatment he believes he received from senior staff of the agency.
Myers detailed his complaint in a memo to Storch dated March 8, 2010 concerning a meeting that took place on March 4.
On March 9, the very next day -- before Storch could possibly have addressed the matter -- Myers writes to Assemblyman Green, enclosing the memo and asking Green's help in getting a lawyer. (One may suspect the whole thing is a setup when reading that Myers was a 17-year tenant of Green's uncle, a point that is not really germane to the complaint.)
What we are made privy to is a personnel matter internal to Bridgeway. There is no evidence Mr. Myers pursued an established channel of resolving the issues discussed other than the memo to the executive director.
Myers' letter of July 23 to Assemblyman Green shifts gears from the original letter. There is no mention of legal assistance (can we assume Assemblyman Green never got back to him, or never helped with his request?), and now his thrust is against the agency itself and not a particular complaint.
Myers gives Assemblyman Green permission to use the letter as he sees fits.
However, there is a fly in the ointment: Myers now identifies the parties at Bridgeway by their full names; he also does not indicate whether he ever pursued a resolution of the matter or, if so, what that resolution was.
Personnel matters are confidential and reputable agencies such as Bridgeway would not violate that confidentiality.
Myers, however, in spelling out the names of the parties to his complaint has violated the rule of confidentiality.
If it turns out that the matter has been resolved and any of the allegations by Myers against the other Bridgeway employees was judged unfounded, Mr. Myers has exposed himself to legal action by those same employees.
And Assemblyman Green, by publishing the correspondence on his blog and thus publicly identifying the parties, may also have exposed himself to legal action.
The possibilities are libel and defamation of character --
- Libel: the act of presenting to the public false information that damages a person's reputation; and/or
- Defamation of character: false statements that harm a person in relation to their occupation.
This cannot bode well for him as he prepares for his own re-election effort in 2011.
- Jerry Green's Page: "A letter regarding Cory Storch and Bridgeway Inc."
-- Dan Damon [follow]
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15 comments:
LOL.. Dan thank you..the words "good judgement" and "Jerry Green" in the same story...that alone has caused me to smile this morning...Thank you for adding a bit of comedy to my day!
Dan, your Republican blatherings are as usual an embarrassment to true Plainfielders. Your own libels have been many and it is only through the full wisdom and wise restraint of some that you have not been prosecuted but your time will come as will that of your fellow bloggers.
Interesting that you say Cory Storch is "preparing a response" to Assemblyman Green's posting of that correspondence. But there's nothing on Councilor Storch's blog to indicate that. Inside information, no doubt? Or are you doing the preparations?
I would think that Mr. Myers, like most people
who email concerns to Corey, didn't get a response.
Rob I agree with your comment 1000 percent! However -COMEDY to us but what a SHAME for this guy!
I read the letters and memos of this gentleman and I did a quick GOOGLE to the company. I don't know him but I can feel his pain and frustration. He is basically hurting and screaming for help so he BELIEVES his last resort is to go to Mean Slimey Jerry Green for counsel and advice and allows the "The Speaker" permission to use the letter any way he sees fit. Instead -MEAN Jerry Green -takes this guy's trust and throws him under the bus and runs over him a few times while pretending to hold his hand out to save him.
Jerry -because of your anger for the New Dems, you just cost this guy his job in a time when jobs are scarce. And -you blame or will blame Councilman Cory Storch?! A great deal of information is missing in those letters.
Jerry -is this the kind of advice you give to "friends", "associates" and the residents of Union County?! Did you research this gentleman's claim? Why couldn't you tell him to put in a claim to EEOC?! Why couldn't you refer him to an attorney?!
Tsk tsk tsk!!!
I hope Mr. Green is sued so people can see how dirty he is. He won't even disclose his income and how the many dirty deals he makes. Look at our mayor, she's following in his footsteps.
The citizens of Plainfield deserve better from Mr. Green and we will get it when he is voted out of office next election. Too bad we have to wait so long to vote Sharon out.
To 8:48,
All good and logical points. The problem is that Jerry Green is neither good nor logical. In my opinion, he is nothing more than a pimp, and this is the way a pimp operates. Intimidation, empty promises and on the backs of others.
P.I.M.P, there I said it!
I have to ask why is there no mention in your article of the plight of this gentleman and his perception of racism within the organization, nor his belief that he is in a hostile work environment. Dan, you writings are becoming soo partisan of late you're sounding more and more like and angry hateful soul and that's too bad.
Jerry has done this time and time again. Dan, you are also hypocrital when one looks at your musings over similar matters (i.e., Briggs, Gallon, Hellwig).
We know what Jerry is and IS NOT. Smart, oops, you choose.
Dan we do expect more from you and not the pick and choose double standard.
Confidentiality was the position the BOE and superintendent took on personnel matters. Two valuable incumbents lost and the super is out.
You or the Queen City cannot have it both ways. But at least you got Jerry the only way he knows how to be.
7:20, 8:03, 8:05 or should I just say -Jerry Green.
Councilman Corey Storch is the intelligent one and you Mr. Speaker are the true "knucklehead". Mr. Storch does not have to explain anything to you or to the readers of this blog regarding this situation. I would believe this is between Mr. Myers, Mr. Storch and the company. And I gotta say WOW!!! it doesn't look too good for Mr. Myers.
Keep up the good work Dan!
I Like Eggs
@12:42 PM -- All I know is what Jerry chose to share with us, Mr. Myers' memo, the letter to Jerry the day after and the letter to Jerry in July (evidently because Jerry never followed up on the first letter).
Did Mr Myers make use of the channels for addressing his issues that Bridgeway presumably has? We cannot know from what we are given, but my suspicions are roused by his writing to Jerry just one day after his memo to Storch. You tell me if he pursued the channels for addressing his concerns.
My point of view in the story is very straightforward: it is about Jerry, not Mr. Myers, and whether Jerry has put himself in the legal crosshairs because he did not get the permission of the other (named) parties before publishing the materiial.
@1:35 PM -- I'm not sure I understand how I am hypocritical -- you mention Robinson-Briggs, Hwllwig and Gallon.
This current story is a confidential personnel matter that should have been addressed within the agency (and by the EEOC if Mr. Myers was not satisfied). We don't have any info about that and this is not my interest, which is whether Jerry has put himself in danger by publishing this material.
As for the others you mention --
Gallon's suspension is a personnel matter about which we are all awaiting clarification. What I wrote about was the contortions he went thru alleging his hires met the state's requirements (you tell me if they did and why they're gone) PLUS the matter of the kids in the South Plainfield schools, which is a criminal matter, not a personnel matter.
With Hellwig, my concerns have been why the AG or the Prosecutor have not followed up on the matter, and secondly that the cops who allegedly brought this to the public's attention are being punished more severely than Hellwig himself.
As for Robinson-Briggs, she is an elected official, not a hired hand, and I spend a lot of time looking at her actions and her policies (if there are any), but that's a citizen's prerogative in the good ol' USofA!
I'm willing to consider the 'hypocritical' criticism if you can give me chapter and verse more concretely..
Hey Dan,
I have something to ask...if Green's actions are something he can be sued for, can any political person be sued for a defamatory statement or statement(s) they make in their "personal" blog? I'm not speaking of you, but I'm asking a general question. If a person who is elected to office makes defamatory statements which have the potential to harm a person, should that person sue?
What are your thoughts?
I have NEVER been a fan of Jerry Green. Everytime I read his name, I am easily annoyed. Below is a comment I put on Jerry's page regarding this matter. Of course he's not going to post it. I'm copying it on here, so readers can see how citizens are responding to Jerry's blog.
You clearly have too much time on your hands as an assemblyman to indulge in employment issues. The correct action on your part would have been to instruct the author of the letter to reach out to the EEOC. This is the agency that is charged with looking into workplace issues. If you are truly concerned as you stated, you could have also reached out to Mr. Storch to let him know about the information that has "landed on your doorstep."
Even if the author of the letter instructed you to do as you see fit with the information he provided, you had a personal duty to help him get the matters he raised into the right hands. Posting his letters to you and the memo he sent to his employer is in no way helping to get the issues he mentioned addressed or rectified.
Part of the reason why you keep winning elections, is not because so many people voted for you. It's because not enough registered voters actually voted. If every registered voter would in fact vote at each and every election, a lot of you good for nothing politicians would not serve more than one term.
Enjoy your weekend and find something more productive to do with your time that will benefit all of New Jersey.
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