Thursday, March 27, 2008

It Pays to Play for CME Associates

On October 10th, 2007, the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission released its Pay-to-Play online database. The state defines Pay-to-Play as “[c]ontributions by for-profit business entities that have or are seeking New Jersey government contracts.” Of the 1775 political contributors who filed, Aberdeen Township’s engineer, CME Associates, is #3 on the list.

Government contracts are normally awarded to the lowest qualified bid. The major exception is in the area of professional services, which are deemed too complex to simply award to the lowest bidder (you don’t pick doctors and lawyers based upon who’s cheapest). Aberdeen adheres to the “Fair and Open” process which allows anyone, no matter how much money they’ve given to the officeholders, to bid for business, as long as the process is open to public review.

In 2006, the only year available in the online database, the three largest participants in Pay-to-Play were engineering firms. CME Associates was the third largest – they contributed $404,899 and won $19.9 million in government contracts. Law firms were the second largest group to engage in Pay-to-Play. Kudos to Norman Kauff whose firm, DeCotiis, FitzPatrick, Cole & Wisler, was number one in government contracts ($12 million) but only third in political contributions ($190,486). It’s no surprise that municipalities that hire Kauff also prefer to do business with CME Associates.

Despite the large figures, these numbers grossly underestimate the true level of contributions and government contracts. For example, they don’t count the $50,000 CME Associates donated to the Democratic Legislative Leadership Committee in 2006. Nor do they include the hundreds of thousands of dollars CME Associates collects in “fees” directly from the local residents and businesses in Aberdeen Township each year.

Over the past decade, CME Associates has donated more than $60,000 to the Aberdeen Democratic Executive Committee, not including any monies that may have been “wheeled” through the Monmouth County Democratic Party or given “off the books”. During that same period, CME Associates has been paid back two hundred-fold.

I recently received a copy of all vendor payments to CME Associates from January 7th, 2005, to March 18th, 2008. During that time, the township made 2,597 payments to CME Associates, totaling $3,692,445.72. Much of that money comes directly from the township, such as the $229,595 paid on January 12th, 2008, for road improvements, but most payments come from the locals.

The game works as follows – the township continually expands the range of permits that require review by an engineer. The homeowner/business owner is then required to place funds in escrow to cover any future expenses. CME Associates will drain the escrow account of all funds before they certify the property. The system becomes a scam as residents and local businesses are forced to pay for unwarranted services to a company that is the governing body’s single largest contributor.

If unnecessary and inflated payments to CME Associates were added to the tax levy, Aberdeen Township would have the highest tax rate in Monmouth County, compared to the number three position it now holds.

For less than $8,000 a year in political contributions, CME Associates gets to take over a million dollars a year from the township. Looks like Mayor Sobel has pimped out the township for “professional services” in a no-bid contract.
>>> Read more!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mayor Sobel cannot get all of that money funneled to CME all by himself. Let us see who could help Mayor Sobel in that regard? But of course Sobels close personal friend Norman Kauff would help Sobel fleece the taxpayers. After all taxpayers don't know anything, year after year, election after election, manager after manager.

How much money could Aberdeen save if they hired their own engineer and a complete staff on a full time basis. I think it would probably cost less than 10% of what CME gets every year from, I mean for, Norman Kauff and his band of municpal crooks. The same crooks that will hopefully soon be listed as Kauffs co-defendants.

But then again that would not benefit Norman Kauff and the democratic party and its campaign treasury.

Thick as thieves they are!

CORRUPTION WATCH IS ON

INDICTMENT WATCH AS WELL

Anonymous said...

PERHAPS ALL OF THE TIME SPENT ON THIS SITE WOULD BE BETTER OFF IF WE ALL WENT TO TOWN COUNCIL MEETINGS.

THINK ABOUT IT AND PUT YOUR NECK ON THE LINE. SITTING AT THE COMPUTER AND TYPING WILL NOT GET ABERDEEN TRUE FINANCIAL PRUDENCE AND LEADERSHIP ALONG WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS BEING ACCOUNTABLE OR GETTING THE JUSTICE THEY DESERVE.

THE TIME HAS COME/

Anonymous said...

I agree and I would like nothing more than to see Vincei and his crew get their just desserts.

Politics and crime there really is no difference.

WAKE UP ABERDEEN

CORRUPTION WATCH IS ON
INDICTMENT WATCH IS ON

ANDY FROM THE DRAPKIN SECTION

RedGuy1959 said...

I attended the Aberdeen Town Council meeting on Tuesday april 1st and read, on the record, the web author's article titled "It Pays to Play for CME Associates". I asked the Council for comment on its contents.

Please note it was pointed out by Mayor Sobel and other that "DeCotiis, FitzPatrick, Cole & Wisler" is not "his [Norman Kauff's] firm".

The other comments were less factual but more subjective. Mayor Sobel stated something to the effect that "free speech can be taken too far" and that the "author should have a good lawyer".

My interest is tweaked and now I feel any possible "pay-to-play" in Aberdeen must be exposed to the light of day, no matter what and by any means necessary. after all, this type of nefarious behavior costs all of the taxpayers dearly.

--Paul Rinear

Aberdeener said...

Kauff is (or was) retained by Dotiis, etc.

Here's the article from the Independent.

I quote:
"The Democrats, when they gained a majority [in Hazlet], voted in Ronald Gordon, of DeCotiis, FitzPatrick, Cole and Wisler"

"Kauff, who is the township’s special counsel and an attorney in Gordon’s firm, will be given the state public employees’ mandatory pension contribution, doled out by Hazlet Township."

Anonymous said...

The irony of Kauff living on Justice Lane is so funny. He justly lines his pockets with our tax money and is generous in getting his towns to spend heavily with his friends at CME.It is because of these pay-to-play and pension antics that we are saddled with insane tax rates. Any attempts to reform this mess are crushed by Kauff and his arrogant buddies.Sobel,Drapkin,Gumbs,Raymond -- you have sold our town and clearly never had or have forgotten whatpublic service is meant to be. The light will shine one day, and the truth will be exposed like a wig being pulled off your head.