Workshop on OPRA and Sunshine Law offered

Plainfielders interested in more transparency in government will find a lively, free workshop next Tuesday particularly useful.

The workshop is presented by NJFOG (New Jersey Foundation for Open Government), the statewide advocacy organization dedicated to open government, and will include free handouts.

Longtime open government advocates Walt Leuers, an attorney, and John Paff, chair of the open government task force of the NJ Libertarian Party, will lead the workshop which will focus on training attendees on how to avoid common mistakes in requesting public documents, as well providing overviews of both the OPRA (public documents) and OPMA (public meetings) laws -- including recent changes and case law strengthening citizen activist rights.

This Union County opportunity is being sponsored by the Union County Watchdog Association.

"This provides an opportunity to educate the public on their rights and give them the necessary tools to watch over their government," says Tina Renna, president of UCWA.

The workshop is free, but space is limited, so reservations are strongly suggested. Light refreshments will be served. Make your reservation by email now here.

This is the same workshop Maria Pellum and I attended a few months ago in North Plainfield and I highly recommend it. It is well worth your time. The speakers are extremely knowledgeable, the presentation is lively and packed with useful information, plus you will get to network with other folks who believe 'sunshine' is the best disinfectant for government there is.

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FREE WORKSHOP ON OPRA & SUNSHINE LAW

Tuesday · December 7 | 7:30 PM

Cranford Community Center
220 Walnut Avenue, Cranford

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• CountyWatchers:  "Free seminar on OPRA and the Sunshine Law"

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Which is worse, Jerry embarrassing Union County Dems, or Union County Dems embarrassing themselves?

Most of the time I think you need a secret decoder ring to understand what Plainfield Assemblyman Jerry Green is trying to say.

 

Take his blog bomb (see here) dropped the Tuesday before Thanksgiving Day -- when most folks had their minds fixed on a real turkey and a long holiday weekend. At the time, blogger Nat Singleton was the only one to pick up on Jerry's attack (see 'Assemblyman Jerry Green, a closeted anti-Semite in sheep's clothing' here)

Why is a decoder ring needed?

Well, the post begins with a quintessentially Jerry attack on Councilor Cory Storch which does not fit the style or content of the rest of the piece. What's up?

It only became clear on Wednesday, when PolitickerNJ's Max Pizarro wrote on the 'open letter' (see here) that the letter was not by Jerry Green at all, but by Roselle council president Jamel Holley, who was circulating it among Union County Dems for signatories. Even with a decoder ring, you can't be sure from Jerry's post that he is signing it, but let's give him the benefit of the doubt.

So, Jerry embarrasses the Union County Democrats by deviating from their line and attempting to smear Storch. Since the import of the 'open letter' is that the GOP candidates are racists, Jerry is here really PLAYING THE RACE CARD, and not the 'closeted Republican' allegation against Storch. Jerry's attempt to call Storch a racist doesn't stand up to the light of day -- but don't expect Jerry to stop; Jerry's got an agenda of his own.

I find it interesting that Jerry is lining up behind Jamel Holley's leadership, given that Holley escaped criminal prosecution for voter fraud in the 2006 election cycle by the skin of his teeth (see here, and here), getting off with pre-trial intervention being imposed by a completely independent and non-political Union County judge incapable of being suborned.

But, hey, Holley is a comer in Union County politics, having been championed by the disgraced ex-Assemblyman Neil Cohen (now facing jail over a child pornography conviction) as well as Sen. Ray Lesniak and sometime State Dem chairperson Joe Cryan. This is what makes politics -- especially New Jersey politics -- so interesting.

But Holley exposes the Union County Democrats to embarrassment and ridicule, too.

While attempting to paint the defeated Republican candidates as racists (unproven in my mind), Holley has exposed the Democrats to the scrutiny they deserve with regard to Union County's diversity and their record in promoting it.

And, guess what? The Union County Dems come up short, as CountyWatcher's Tina Renna pointed out in a blog post of November 29 (see here).

The record of Union County Democrats in opening up leading county jobs to women and minorities is abysmal. Make that ABYSMAL. Renna ticks off all the top county positions and the woeful record of filling them with minority and/or women candidates. 95% white men, by her count.

And to make things worse, when Union County Dem chairperson Charlotte DeFilippo decided to dump Freeholder Rayland Van Blake (a story which I broke on March 5, see here), Jerry Green was prepared to let the seat be filled by a white male candidate from Linden (since the nice white lady from Linden had moved to Westfield and had no intention of stepping down).

Ready, that is, until the PLAINFIELD TODAY post lit a bonfire under the Assemblyman, who finally got the gumption to say that Plainfield would like to see an AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN have a chance at the seat, thank you very much.

DeFilippo swallowed hard. Linda Carter got the nod and will be duly sworn in on January 1st.

The County Dems should get to work on really correcting THEIR embarrassing lapses.

Racism, anti-Semitism and intolerance go hand in hand. Assemblyman Jerry Green should apologize to Cory Storch for his insinuation.

'Do the right thing', as the man said.

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• Jerry Green's Page: "An open letter to the 2010 Republican candidates..."
• Dumbed Down America:  "Assemblyman Jerry Green, closeted anti-Semite in sheep's clothing"
  
• PolitickerNJ --
• 11/24/2010:  "Union County flare-up: Dems go after GOP candidates over post-election remarks"
• 8/27/2009:  "AG's office indicts Holley 'by accusation' with 2006 vote fraud"
• 10/8/2009:  "Judge orders Holly into PTI for 'overzealous' pursuit of signatures"
• CountyWatchers:  "Let's talk race"
• Plainfield Today:  "County Dems dumping Van Blake from Freeholder slot?" -- and followup here.

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Duh! About that link to Charlotte's attack website

Charlotte's annoying popup message.

So busy putting together for Plainfield Today readers yesterday all the background to Charlotte's website attacking OPRA activist Tina Renna that I forgot to put a link up to her handiwork.

You can check out Charlotte's spite site, Watchdogs Gone Wild, here. And my post from yesterday here., as well as the CountyWatchers website here. (By the way, you can find more information about County expenses, budgets, etc. on the CountyWatchers site than on the official Union County site)

Besides the annoying dollar-counter gizmo which ends with the even-more-annoying error message (see image above) which pushes itself to the front of whatever else you may be doing with your computer, you get a list of 'attack' points.

Modestly, Charlotte does not mention that whatever it has cost Union County has to do with stonewalling legitimate OPRA requests.

As commenter Blackdog said on yesterday's Plainfield Today post --

If there were an on-line database with all the government documents and transcripts that occur during normal business of running the government for whoever might click on . . . then there would be no need for Opra . . . nobody would have to find the files or make copies or even God forbid do a little honest work.

How successful has CountyWatchers been?

How about getting all its OPRA requests fulfilled, even if it means going to court?

Or how about the honor of having Charlotte spend vendor cash on mounting a spite site?

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• Union County Dems: "Watchdogs Gone Wild"
• Plainfield Today:  "Charlotte blinks, spends UC Dem money to attack OPRA activist"
• Websie:  "CountyWatchers"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Charlotte blinks, spends Union County Dem money in web attack on OPRA activist

DeFilippo website alleges OPRA activist has cost County money.

Plainfield Today readers will find it of interest that Union County Dem chairperson Charlotte DeFilippo has blinked, using money from the county Democratic coffers to mount a website attacking Tina Renna, head of the Union County Watchdog Association.

In a county where the Democratic machine controls the Freeholder board and all countywide elected offices, Renna and her organization have been on the guard against waste, fraud, abuse and secrecy in the conduct of the county's business.

No friend of openness in government, as Plainfielders can well attest, DeFilippo used party money to pony up a shrill website badmouthing Renna.

One would think Democratic Party money would be used to fund contested elections where there were Republican opponents, wouldn't one.

But this is Union County.

I became aware of the situation when a second story appeared in the Ledger concerning the new Union County website. It had originally been announced in an October 1 piece (see here), seemingly based on a County press release puffing the new website as more user-friendly and informative.

Yesterday, the Ledger ran a second story (see here), in which Renna is quoted as pointing out that the website cost $135,000, and this in a time of financial difficulties and layoffs.

Renna posted on the CountyWatchers blog (see here) a nod to DeFilippo for validating the group's importance in the Union County political mix.

Today, John Bury, an OpEd columnist for the Ledger and a contributor to CountyWatchers, posted background information (see here), including that 'county operatives' set up a YouTube site on May 5 after creating the anti-Renna website on May 4.

De Filippo alleges Renna and CountyWatchers have cost the County $500,000 'in staff hours and paperwork', but fails to mention the numbers of times the courts have upheld CountyWatchers OPRA lawsuits.

Not to mention attorney's fees awarded to CountyWatchers and against the County.

The costs to the County can be traced directly to DeFilippo and the Dem operatives desire to operate in secrecy.

Why else would DeFilippo be so vexed unless CountyWatchers was hitting a nerve?

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• Ledger --
• 10/1/2010:  "Union County launches new website: more interactive, user-friendly and informative"
• 10/7/2010:  "Union County launches new website for $135,000"
• CountyWatchers --
• 10/7/2010:  "UCWA figures into campaign season"
• 10/7/2010:  "Tina Renna is a bitch - Part 2"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Sandford Avenue bridge reconstruction

This sign was my first clue the bridge was being reconstructed.

Plainfield's location as a transportation crossroads helped make it a regional market town in the days before the insult of highway strip malls and regional shopping centers.

And that was facilitated by the large number of crossings (20) of the Green Brook, which separates Plainfield and North Plainfield, Union and Somerset Counties.

Coming home the 'back way' from Watchung Square Mall recently, I came upon the roadblock pictured above, the first I was aware that the Sandford Avenue bridge was being reconstructed. (Later I noticed a sign on East Front Street -- at the foot of Westerveld Avenue -- announcing a detour via Richmond Street.)

Though signs do not indicate a completion date, if previous experience is a guide it will probably be late spring of 2011.

Since the bridges benefit both counties, I have been told the arrangement for maintenance and reconstruction is that all bridges from Somerset Street east are Union County's responsibility and those from Madison Avenue west are Somerset County's. That would mean Union County is doing the work.

Unresolved is the fate of the Geraud Avenue bridge, which has been closed for many years after structural damage from flooding. The two councils and county officials have had several meetings but no final decision has been reached about what to do, leaving the street essentially a dead end (if crude and unsightly) in each community.

Equipment used to strip away old  road surface.

If you're curious, the TWENTY bridge crossings of the Green Brook are, from west to east: Jefferson Avenue, Rock Avenue, Clinton Avenue, West End Avenue, Geraud Avenue (closed), Sycamore Avenue, Washington Avenue, Grove Street, Madison Avenue, Somerset Street, Watchung Avenue, Roosevelt Avenue, Westerveld Avenue, Sandford Avenue, Norwood Avenue, Farragut Road, Netherwood Avenue, Leland Avenue, Raymond Avenue and Terrill Road.

There are also FIFTEEN railroad bridges on the Raritan Valley Line of NJT, which passes through Plainfield: Rock Avenue, Clinton Avenue, Grant Avenue, Plainfield Avenue, Liberty Street, New Street, Central Avenue, Madison Avenue, Park Avenue, Watchung Avenue, Roosevelt Avenue, Richmond Street, Berckman Street, Leland Avenue and Terrill Road.

These have all been reconstructed and repainted, as a result of public pressure on New Jersey Transit by longtime Plainfield activist (and current Board of Ed member) Rasheed Abdul-Haqq.

(It would be nice if NJT got around to taking down the many detour signs still left at various points around town.)

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Census 2010 may bring big changes to Plainfield

Dr. Ernest Reock's guide to redistricting in New Jersey.

Plainfield's 2010 Census is being handled much differently from that of 2000, as far as I can see, and that portends possible big changes coming.

Depending, of course, on what is happening elsewhere in New Jersey and whether or not Gov. Chris Christie will speedily 'promulgate' the Census findings when they are expected to be delivered to him in early February 2011.

Breaking the 50,000+1 barrier for Plainfield has consequences that have previously been noted (see here) --

...[g]etting a census figure of 50,001 residents would mean that Plainfield would get its CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) monies DIRECTLY from HUD. For decades, Plainfield has had to suffer the indignity of monies generated for the programs by virtue of its economic profile going to other Union County communities whose profiles would not generate the same level of revenues. All under the watchful eye of a committee said to be attentive to the desires of 65 King Street [the home of Union County Dem chairperson Charlotte DeFilippo]...

But there are other impacts -- the city's wards will have to be redrawn, the Legislative district may shift as well as the Congressional district.

PLAINFIELD WARDS

Plainfield's four wards were redrawn after the 2000 Census.

Based on the Supreme Court's 'one man, one vote' ruling (Reynolds v. Sims, 1964 -- see here), Plainfield four wards are supposed to represent approximately one fourth of its total residents in each. (Voting districts are an entirely separate matter; a district is determined by the numbers of voters who turn out on average, accounting for the disparity between high- and low-turnout areas in the city.)

As population distribution patterns in the city fluctuate, Ward lines are redrawn to maintain the relative equality. After the 2000 Census, Ward 2 was extended northward to George Street (from South Avenue) and Ward 3 was extended northward to include portions of West 4th Street (from West 7th Street). Both these adjustments reflected a growth in the total populations of Ward 1 and Ward 4.

My gut feeling is that that trend will show itself to have continued in the 2010 Census, and that may mean further changes to the boundaries of the four wards.

Those changes will be made by a Board of Ward Commissioners that will include the four members of the Union County Board of Elections (2 Dems and 2 Republicans) plus the municipal clerk (who has the tie-breaking vote).

I have the current Ward maps online --

• Ward 1 

• Ward 2 

• Ward 3 

• Ward 4

It is most likely the new ward alignments will be in effect for the 2012 election cycle.

LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS

The 22nd District includes towns in 3 counties.

Demographic changes may also affect the outlines of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts. Although Union County is not expected to have grown that much, growth spurts in other areas of the state can cause the average number of voters to be included in a legislative district to cause the boundaries of the 22nd District to shift (for more on our district, see here); for more on municipal population estimates statewide, see here).

This will be an interesting one to watch, also expected to first affect the 2012 election cycle.

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Our Congressional district is a textbook case of gerrymandering.

After the 2000 Census, Plainfield was added to the 6th Congressional District, whose representative is Frank Pallone.

The district is the very model of modern gerrymandering, Plainfield looking like the head on a very attenuated dragon.

New Jersey is widely expected to lose one of its 13 seats in Congress in this next go-round, meaning all of the Congressional district boundaries will have to be redrawn by the NJ Redistricting Commission (the responsible body -- see more here). This is sure to get interesting as incumbents try to jostle each other to keep their seats. As growth has shifted to central and southern sections of the state, boundaries of the districts in the urban north and east are likely to be shifted outwards.

For a detailed overview of the complete redistricting process, you can do no better than to download, read, mark and digest Dr. Ernest Reock's Redistricting New Jersey After The Census of 2010 (available here, PDF).

Whatever Plainfield's final count in Census 2010, there is certainly going to be plenty else to keep an eye on, which is likely to affect us in ways both large and small.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Should Charlotte worry? Charlotte should worry.

Union County Dem chair Charlotte DeFilippo.

Should Union County Dem chair Charlotte DeFilippo be worried as the primary election draws near?

Plainfield was well-represented at a gathering of progressive-minded Union County Democrats in Elizabeth last night, and the consensus there was that Charlotte should be worried.

Agreeing that the Union County machine has over the years consistently pushed talented younger good-government Democrats to the fringes (or beyond) in favor of lackluster hacks, the sixty or so in attendance reviewed plans for a 'Democrats for Change' slate for this year's June primary.

Representing the heavily-Democratic towns of Elizabeth, Plainfield, Roselle, Linden, Hillside and Union, the group discussed a slate that would be topped by challengers to County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi and Union County Sheriff Ralph Froehlich, extending down through Freeholders all the way to Council races in the various towns (Hillside is the only town without a local race this year).

Noting the good showing against the DeFilippo-Lesniak machine last year, reports from the grassroots indicate voters are even more disenchanted with Union County's go-along, get-along Democratic politics.

A couple of surprises came out during the meeting:

1. Rahway mayor James Kennedy was reported not to be seeking a sixth term, meaning Rahway voters would be looking at electing their first new mayor since 1990, and
   
   
2. 'Bo' Vastine, the Republican Assembly candidate who ran against Jerry Green in last year's race is said to be keen on moving back to Plainfield, which would put him once again in Jerry's face. Vastine and his running mate, Marty Marks, came within 1,800 votes of unseating long-term Dem Assembly fixtures Green and Linda Stender.

There are unconfirmed reports that cases of Pepto-Bismol were seen being delivered to 65 King Street.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Plainfield Councilor Carter gets nod for Freeholder line

Linda Carter, Ward 1/4 representative on Plainfield's City Council, got the unanimous support of Union County's 21 municipal committee chairs for a Freeholder slot in the June Democratic primary, according to an email sent by Councilor Adrian Mapp Wednesday evening.

Van Blake dumped. Will Green put up with loss of Black Freeholder seat?

Freeholder Van Blake is being dumped.

Plainfield's Freeholder Rayland Van Blake is being dumped by the Union County Dems in favor of a white candidate from Linden; at least that's the likely scenario in an early story on PolitickerNJ (see here).

Assemblyman Jerry Green and Union County Dem chair Charlotte DeFillippo gave Van Blake the news Monday morning, according to the story. SEE POLITICKERNJ UPDATES AT END OF STORY.

The story originally broke on Plainfield Today last Friday (see here), where I pegged the issue being the question of a Freeholder slot for Linden, with Van Blake being vulnerable on account of his low public profile as a Freeholder, where public appearances and activities are a major part of the duties.

The issue comes up not just because Van Blake's seat is up this year, but also owing to the fact that Freeholder Nancy Ward has moved from Linden to Westfield. Evidently no consideration is being given to forcing Ward to resign so that her seat can be kept for Linden.

With no likelihood that DeFilippo will find an African American candidate from Linden (or that the Linden party organization would accept one), Assemblyman Jerry Green is put squarely on the hot seat.

The notion of 'switching years', with Plainfield being given a seat next year is pure fantasy.

Plainfield has experience of DeFilippo and the keeping of her word (just think about the Park-Madison ripoff -- after five years, terms of the deal still not met, PILOT payments still not set).

There is no question of trusting Charlotte; you just can't afford to gamble on it.

The only real question here is: Will Assemblyman Green put up with the loss of a seat at the table for an African American from Plainfield?

PolitickerNJ UPDATES --

• 4:39 PM, Monday: "DeFilippo: Van Blake disappointed as freeholder"
• 9:19 AM, Tuesday: "Scutari: New candidate will be from Plainfield or Linden - probably Plainfield"
  
  

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• PolitickerNJ: "Dems dump Van Blake in Union County"
• Plainfield Today: "County Dems dumping Van Blake from Freeholder slot?"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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County Dems dumping Van Blake from Freeholder slot?

Freeholder Rayland Van Blake's term is up this year.

Rumors have surfaced in recent days that Plainfield's Freeholder, Rayland Van Blake, may be dumped when the Union County Democrats draw up their slate for the June primary election.

With the primary filing date of April 12 fast approaching, suggestions are the issue is being brought to a head by Linden's insistence on having a seat on the nine-member Freeholder board.

Van Blake began his political career in a stunning upset victory over 16-year incumbent First Ward councilor Liz Urquhart in 2002, running on the New Democrats slate.

The handsome, affable Plainfield native has an abiding interest in acting and the theater, but his spottiness in regard to the heavy public appearance schedules all Freeholders must attend to is said to have caused resentment among his fellow board members, who feel they are left to pick up the slack.

Quipped one observer, 'Van Blake is a nice guy, but Ralph Ellison could have written a novel about him'.

Van Blake and the late Mayor Al McWilliams
discussing Plainfield issues in 2002.
(old Emerson School in the background)

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Political meddling in Roselle Civil Service case?

If you think Plainfield politics is a jungle, consider outside political intervention in the affairs of Roselle, and the statewide effects of same.

When Roselle's mayor, Garrett Smith, appealed a borough Council layoff plan which eliminated the borough's CFO, Adrian Mapp (who is also a Plainfield council member) to the state's Civil Service Commission, he received a preliminary ruling in his favor.

The Civil Service Commission held that the borough council had improperly made the borough clerk the 'appointing authority'.

Yesterday, the Ledger reported that that ruling was reversed by the Commission, which declared borough councils to be the appointing authority for civil service jobs (see here). The fallout from that ruling will be widespread, predicted Bill Dressel of NJ's League of Municipalities.

Today's Ledger runs a story (see here) of several boroughs' reactions -- indicating a wide range of methods of handling civil service appointments -- but basically aligning the newspaper on the side of Roselle's borough council in the matter.

Word on the street is that a certain state senator allegedly intervened upon learning that the Civil Service Commission was preparing to issue a final ruling upholding Roselle's mayor Smith as the 'appointing authority', insisting that Attorney General Milgram make a determination on the point of law. And that Milgram found against the pro-Smith ruling; hence the Civil Service Commission's reversal of course.

Milgram had come under attack in October by Sen. Ray Lesniak and state Dem chair (and Assemblyman) Joe Cryan (see here) for her 'indictment by accusation' of Roselle council president Jamal Holley over alleged voter fraud.

Holley, who was chief of staff to disgraced former Assemblyman Neil Cohen, now works for Union County and is considered the darling of Union County Dem power brokers.

One has to wonder whether the attack on Milgram by Lesniak and Cryan had anything to do with how the Attorney General arrived at the opinion said to be behind the Civil Service Commission's reversal.

And why, after more than two years, Milgram has yet to resolve the investigation into the financial dealings of Union County Dem chair Charlotte DeFilippo.

Union County political hanky-panky has been curiously exempt from the high-profile investigations that have snared so many pols over the past few years.

Will that change once corruption-buster Chris Christie takes the Governor's chair?

If so, the possibility of political meddling in the Roselle situation would be as good a place as any to start.

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• Ledger --
• Thursday: "Roselle ruling has statewide impact"
  
• Friday: "Borough governments weigh new hiring rules"
• PolitickerNJ: "Lesniak and Cryan pummel Milgram over Holley case"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Plainfield, District 22 and Union County: 2005 and 2009 compared

Chris Christie campaigned in Plainfield this summer.
Here he is shown with Assembly candidates 'Bo' Vastine and Martin Marks.

Plainfield's turnout in Tuesday's general election fell by 5% compared to 2005, despite the surge in Democratic registrations brought about by last year's presidential candidacy of Barack Obama.

Though Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs won two-thirds of the votes cast, the total cast was down 5% from 2005, bearing out the general conclusion that Dems simply were not on fire to vote in this election as compared to FOUR YEARS AGO.

MAYOR - 2005	Vote Count	Percent
(D) SHARON ROBINSON-BRIGGS	4,357	55.75%
(I) ROBERT FERRARO	1,119	14.32%
(Personal Choice) AL McWILLIAMS	2,339	29.93%
Total	7,815	100.00%

MAYOR - 2009	Vote Count	Percent
(D) SHARON ROBINSON-BRIGGS	4,906	66.27%
(R) JIM PIVNICHNY	2,103	28.41%
(I) DEBORAH JOYCE DOWE	391	5.28%
(Personal Choice)	3	0.04%
Total	7,403	100.00%

Edison's new mayor, Antonia Ricigliano, echoed comments heard here in Plainfield --

"A number of people told me, 'I will vote for you, but I will not vote for Jon Corzine,'" recalled Ricigliano, a Democrat who was elected Edison's mayor Tuesday.

-- as you can read in today's Ledger story (see here).

More striking is the 4th Ward council vote, where outgoing Councilor Elliott Simmons garnered 968 of the 1008 votes cast in 2005. Incoming Councilor Bridget Rivers was elected with 338 votes cast, with no opponent and no write-in ballots. That is exactly one-third of the ballots cast in 2005, and does note bode well for the 4th Ward in the redistricting that will take place after the 2010 Census next April.

The situation for Jerry Green and Linda Stender was considerably worse.

Green suffered a falloff of 12% as compared to 2005, while Stender dropped a startling 16% (I suspect partly fueled by the perception she has been disengaged during and after her unsuccessful run for Congress). But voter discontent is clearly highlighted by the growth in GOP votes by 27% over 2005, bringing candidates 'Bo' Vastine and Marty Marks within striking distance of District 22's deadly duo.

ASSEMBLY - 2005	Vote Count	Percent
(D) LINDA STENDER	30,076	32.30%
(D) JERRY GREEN	28,194	30.28%
(R) MALOOL & BOCHICCHIO-MEDVED	34,830	37.41%
Total	93,100	100.00%

ASSEMBLY - 2009	Vote Count	Percent
(D) LINDA STENDER	25,357	26.83%
(D) JERRY GREEN	24,790	26.24%
(R) MARTIN MARKS	22,744	24.07%
(R) 'BO' VASTINE	21,585	22.85%
Total	94,476	100.00%

With 44,329 (47%) votes cast for GOP candidates Marks and Vastine, Republican votes in the 22nd District surged by 9,499 or a remarkable 27%.

Even Assemblyman Green acknowledges that voters are angry with Democrats (see here) --

...some suburban towns were not only angry with me but Corzine and the entire Democratic Party. However, I did not take this personally; I am a team player and have to accept the message that was sent through their actions. These communities were not happy with the Democrats over the last four years and this victory is an opportunity to change that.

-- and he acknowledges that his re-election (scant though the margin was) gives him a chance to makes amends to the District for its perception he only attends to Plainfield.

(ASIDE: I remarked to a reader during the race that I thought the racial 'division of labor' which the Union County Dems had traditionally made to regard Jerry as delivering the (Black) Plainfield vote and Linda that of all the other (white) towns worked just fine as long as the party was riding the crest of the wave. However, as soon as things get problematic, that Faustian bargain shows its Achilles heel (forgive the clashing allusions!): each candidate is seen as uncaring and unresponsive by the towns that, in the bargain, they did not consider 'theirs'.)

Finally, consider the disastrous plunge in the Democratic vote for GOVERNOR in Union County.

GOVERNOR - 2005	Vote Count	Percent
Total Registration: 268,810 Turnout: 49.95%
(D) JON CORZINE	77,982	58.00%
(R) DOUG FORRESTER	50,036	37.25%
Total (includes 3rd parties)	134,294	100.00%

GOVERNOR - 2009*	Vote Count	Percent
Total Registration: 292,490 Turnout: 46%
(D) JON CORZINE	68,507	51%
(R) CHRIS CHRISTIE	56,592	42%
Total (includes 3rd parties)	134,550	100.00%
*Note these are UNOFFICIAL results.

Though voter registration in Union County has increased by 23,680 -- 9% -- over the 2005 figure (mostly on account of the Obama surge in 2008), the numbers of votes cast was practically FLAT, as shown by a nearly 4% drop in the turnout percentage figure.

However, when you factor in a 4.75% increase in votes cast for the GOP candidate, there are indications of two things: the Democrats, despite what Union County chairperson Charlotte DeFillipo says (see Ledger article here) about having 'done our job', FAILED TO GET OUT THE VOTE across the board, as you can see from both the Plainfield and Union County figures.

The second thing to infer from the turnout and vote is, as Assemblyman Green and mayor-elect Ricigliano both agree, ANGER AT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY among grassroots voters.

Green, Stender and Robinson-Briggs will certainly have to work very hard over the next few years to recoup these losses, which cannot be entirely blamed on Corzine's unpopularity.

On that note, I will have a further post next week.

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-- Dan Damon

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Will Roselle's Holley walk in vote tampering case?

Roselle Council President Jamel Holley -- instrumental in the 'shotgun' firing of Plainfield Councilor Adrian Mapp as that borough's chief financial officer -- may yet walk in the vote tampering case lodged against him by the Attorney General's office.

Word in the street is that Holley is being lined up for the state's pre-trial intervention program (PTI) in which, in exchange for a guilty plea -- and giving up his seat on the Roselle Council and forgoing future public service -- he would avoid jail time.

Holley, the former chief of staff to disgraced ex-Assemblyman Neil Cohen was quickly moved from that office (which is shared with State Sen. Ray Lesniak and Asm Joe Cryan, who is also chair of the state Democratic party) to a job with Union County's Office of Economic Development after allegations of ballot fraud arose in the 2006 election.

Scores of absentee ballots were examined and though Union County Superior Court Judge John Malone dismissed the complaint, he was reversed on appeal. The case went to trial before a different judge and 31 of 54 absentee ballots were invalidated as a result.

(I am told by someone who was involved in recounting the 2006 ballots that those in question were identifiable at a distance as Holley's signature and other information was filled out with a light blue felt-tipped pen.)

A puzzle to many has been why Holley was able to avoid the taint of indictment (unlike with high-profile vote fraud cases in Atlantic City and Essex County), though both the Ledger's Auditor (see here) and New Jersey Today (see here) point out that Holley has a powerful friend in state Democratic party chair Joe Cryan.

Whether there are mysterious machinations may only be known by a Higher Power, but one thing that seems certain is that Holley's actions in getting Mapp fired may expose the taxpayers of Roselle to a costly lawsuit and the prospect of a financial award to the former CFO for breach of contract.

---

• NJToday -
• "Corzine wants Holley out"
  
• "Roselle councilman charged with ballot tampering"
  
  
• The Auditor: "Kicking accused politicians out of office"

-- Dan Damon

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Roselle Council & Corzine: With friends like this, who needs enemies?

Gov. Jon Corzine cannot be happy reading the news from Roselle this morning.

Besides illegally firing Plainfield councilor and Roselle CFO Adrian Mapp on Wednesday evening in a uproarious special council meeting, Roselle's council president Jamel Holley waived indictment to be charged by the Attorney General's office with vote-tampering yesterday.

The acres of ink spilled in the media this morning (see links at end of post) cannot but give the governor the heebie-jeebies, considering every vote he can muster in Union County will be precious this fall.

A four-member majority of the Roselle Borough Council has been carrying out the apparent will of Union County Dem chair Charlotte DeFilippo in trying to undercut Mayor Garrett Smith, who has been uppity enough to challenge the county Democratic machine.

Wednesday's special meeting at which the four fired Mapp (after Smith and councilwomen Sylvia Turnage and Samantha Dowe refused to participate, calling the proceeding 'illegal') is only the most recent maneuver in the protracted war-by-proxy DeFilippo is waging.

Previously, it came to light that Holley and the cabal of three had colluded in secret meetings with representatives from the neighboring, smaller and whiter borough of Roselle Park to dismantle Roselle's finance department and turn the running of both towns' finances over to the smaller of the two.

Turned down by the state, and decried by Roselle residents, the shared services plan came in for more public criticism when it was discussed at a recent Roselle Park council meeting (see here).

Roselle Park mayor Joseph DeIorio, who knew of the planning all along, never questioned why his opposite number in Roselle was not involved, thus giving away the game. He lamely tried to blame Roselle pols, saying 'if they didn't tell you, shame on them'.

Another plan has been submitted to the state by the Roselle council's attorney, another DeFilippo operative.

L'AFFAIRE HOLLEY

Complaints about council president Jamel Holley's conduct during the 2006 primary have been circulating ever since the election. No reason was given for why it took the Attorney General's office over three years to bring the charges. If convicted of the third-degree offense, Holley would have to give up his council seat.

Holley is a protegé of former Assemblyman and Roselle political heavyweight Neil Cohen, whose child pornography case is wending its way through the courts (a fifth count was recently added).

Cohen's office has yielded other embarrassments to the Democratic establishment, on which Corzine must count for getting out the Union County vote --

• Cohen's longtime campaign treasurer Rosemary McClave was indicted for stealing campaign funds and tampering with public records. McClave, close to DeFillippo, has served as treasurer of many Union County campaign committees, from county officials to legislators;
  
  
• Charlotte DeFilippo, herself a Cohen employee and chair of the Union County Dem organization for three decades has had her records subpoenaed by the Attorney General's office, which is said to be particularly interested in the affairs of the Union County Improvement Authority, of which she is the executive director, and the financial dealings of the Camelot Title Agency, in which she had an ownership interest.

Betting folks are wondering if charges will be levied against DeFilippo before the November election, or whether political considerations will win out and justice, such as it is in New Jersey, will be delayed until after the November general election.

With plenty of Democrats who are unhappy with the shenanigans of the County Democratic machine (Plainfield, Roselle, Elizabeth and Linden come to mind), Corzine has to worry not only that the conduct of political 'friends' such as Holley and his Roselle council cronies, will be an embarrassement, but that disgusted Democrats may either vote for his opponent or sit out the November election altogether.

Either way could be disastrous for Corzine.

What is he going to do to pull the fat out of the fire?

What CAN he do?

---

• Council President Jamel Holley --
  
• NJ Newsroom: "Council president charged with illegally filling out ballots"
  
• PolitickerNJ: "AG charges Holley with violating absentee voting law"
• Ledger: "Roselle council president accused of ballot tampering"
• Philly Inquirer: "Roselle official facing ballot charges"
  
  
• Mapp Firing --
• "Council fires financial officer during contentious meeting"
  
  
• Shared Services Scheme --
• "Discord over shared services proposal arrives at Roselle Park"
  

-- Dan Damon

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Freeholders apologize tonight for 1st Amendment abuse

Plainfielders can witness something unheard of at Thursday's Freeholders meeting: a public apology for violating Union County residents' First Amendment rights.

The spectacle, which is to be filmed by the New Jersey chapter of ACLU, is the result of a negotiated agreement between the Freeholders and ACLU after the New Jersey chapter threatened to sue.

The behavior which prompted the furor is documented on the CountyWatchers blog (see here), which also includes links to the letter from the Freeholders agreeing to the public apology (see here [PDF]).

Video of the meeting which sparked the issue is online (see here), with the Freeholder Director saying he 'won't tolerate' questions and comments on nepotism. The CountyWatchers story includes a link to the video and time markers for the relevant events, which include a uniformed officer removing CountyWatchers blogger Pat Quattrocchi from the meeting room.

I don't know if other counties are as rife with nepotism as Union County is (it still amazes this hayseed that officials have the chutzpah to game the system so openly), but the way it goes down here boggles the imagination. A detailed probe into Union County nepotism is online (see here).

Nice to see the Elizabeth Roughriders being overridden.

---

• CountyWatchers: "ACLU vs. Union County"
• Union County Freeholders: "Letter to ACLU agreeing to public apology"

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Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders Meeting

7 PM | Thursday, August 20

Union County Administration Building
10 Elizabethtown Plaza, Elizabeth
Directions available here.

-- Dan Damon

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