Tuesday, March 4, 2008

A Norman Kauff Bedtime Story

My dear readers, I know how much you like to read about Matawan and Aberdeen but I hope you’ll forgive me if I digress a bit, today. You see, this story takes place in a far away land called Manalapan.

A long time ago, in the year 2000, Mayor Stuart Moskovitz of Manalapan complained that the township attorney, a man named Norman Kauff, was charging too much money. Yes, he accused our precious Norman Kauff who served so many years as Aberdeen Township’s attorney.

Anyways, the mayor complained and kvetched and carped until Kauff stopped coming to town meetings at all. But this just made Mayor Moskovitz even angrier. After all, Norman Kauff was still getting paid, both salary and pension contributions, even though he was no longer coming to town meetings.

But Mr. Kauff didn’t see any problem at all. In fact, only two years later, Hazlet had agreed to hire Mr. Kauff as their township attorney even though he wouldn’t be attending their town meetings either. No, he would send a subordinate to attend those long and boring public forums.

Well, Mayor Moskovitz kept complaining until Norman Kauff quit. That same year, Moskovitz lost reelection but a few years later, in 2005, he was appointed the township’s attorney. That appointment only lasted one year. But I jump ahead of myself.

After Kauff quit, he got a job for his good friend, Daniel McCarthy, as an attorney on the township planning board and as special counsel. Yes, this is the same Daniel McCarthy who replaced Kauff as Aberdeen Township’s attorney.

Daniel McCarthy, with some encouragement from Kauff, began agitating for Moskovitz’s dismissal. As township attorney, Moscowitz had overseen Manalapan’s purchase of two homes in front of the Manalapan Recreation Center. At the time of the transaction, there was no problem and New Jersey’s Green Acre’s program contributed $250,000 to the purchase. However, the township engineer, Greg Valesi, now claimed the site required an environmental cleanup that his company would be happy to perform; the homes had an underground storage tank and some pesticides were found on the grass.

Mr. Valesi works for a small company called CME Associates. Yes, the same CME Associates that serves as Aberdeen’s engineers. Original cost estimates for the cleanup were $18,000 but they’ve now risen to $110,000.

McCarthy then convinced the township to sue Moskovitz for damages.

I don’t know about the next part of the story but Moskovitz claims that the new township attorney, Caroline Casagrande, and the new mayor, Andrew Lucas, were reluctant to pursue the case but Kauff promised them party support for higher office. I don’t know how Kauff, a strongman in the Monmouth Democratic Party, could help two republicans but Casagrande and Lucas did gain their party’s nominations.

Casagrande won election for State Assemblywoman of the 12th district. Lucas, at age 29, became one of the youngest people to ever receive the republican nomination for Freeholder in Monmouth County. He was also the first republican in over 20 years to lose the election.

Shortly after her victory, Casagrande founded a new law firm, Menna, Supko & Casagrande. Yes, that’s the same Pasquale Menna who’s the borough attorney for Matawan. Pasquale Menna was formerly of the law firm Kauff & Menna, as in Norman Kauff.

Well, to get back to the story, Manalapan decided to sue their former mayor and township attorney and hired Casagrande (Menna’s new partner) and McCarthy at about $130 per hour.

Here’s where the story gets good.

Around this time, an anonymous blogger calling himself “daTruthSquad” suddenly appeared. daTruthSquad was both highly knowledgeable and highly critical of the town’s lawsuit. Casagrande and McCarthy insisted Moskovitz must be the anonymous blogger but he denied it. So, they did what any fine attorney billing the taxpayer an hourly rate would do – they subpoenaed Google, demanding the Internet behemoth unmask the blogger.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation leapt to daTruthSquad’s defense and the presiding judge quashed the subpoena.

And the case continues for around $130 per hour per attorney plus expenses, all for the good of Manalapan. Or is it for the benefit of you-know-who?

Now, my dear reader, it’s time for bed. But you best remember to be on good behavior or I’ll be calling Norman Kauff.

>>> Read more!

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

As a Matawan resident I am glad to see that two recent blogs have shown some light on the political structure and shenanigans that surround Norman kauff and others.

However do you think that pay to play
and such questionable and taxpayer gouging will be investigated by local authorities or by Prosecutor valentin.

Don' t hold your breath. As far as helping local republicans norman Kauff propbably is also listed on their w-2 forms as a dependent. The man knows no shame.

Norman Kauff should hold a garage sale, pack up his ill gotten gains and move far away. Go fleece residents in some other towns as he has picked us to the bone, the old vulture.

F Norman kauff !

Anonymous said...

Old vulture speaks volumes about the legal mind that is Norman Kauff. It also gave me a good laugh for my commute on the GSP.

Normn Kauff helps republicans I am certain. The story goes that former Aberdeen Twp. Attorney Mcnamara who was under republican control as well as beholding to the geniuses that gouge and rape towns with republican strongholds, T&M Engineering. The story goes that in Mcnamaras first 9 months of Mcnamara being appointed ans Twp. Attorney he had already gone through the total legal budget for Aberdeen, to the tune of $185,000.00.

Who should Mcnamara call for advice, but of course the great and powerful OZ himself, Norman Kauff. Norman Kauff gladly gave counsel to his co-hort in crime Pat MCnamara. The advice was obviously potent as Mcnamara was able to bill another $65,000.00 from somehwere in the last three months and never looked back.
Norman I could use some insight on the next big lottery winning numbers, what would I have to pay you for that guidance you low life thief? You seem to know how to get money from every
corner and even from under dust. It also seems you have no problem helping republicans along the way.

Norman did you change parties? Perhaps you joined the green party. Green for money of course.

Anonymous said...

We of the Green Party would not accept a Norman Kauff.

Let the Democrats have to explain away his misdeeds and thievery.

God will judge him and his kind.

Hopefully sooner rather than later.

O'h do not be shocked by that sooner rather than later comment. Just look at the heartache and pain a Norman Kauff has caused the citizenry all of these years. Look at all of the people who have left Aberdeen due to the high taxes that were brought forth by Norman Kauff and his kind.

He should... well use your own imagination.

Anonymous said...

I just put Norman kauff's name into google and found that Hazlet may have had the same problem with NO SHOW NORMAN Kauff and surprise McArthy is Hazlets Attorney.

How is it that in the face of all of the investigations and people spilling their guts, that Kauff and Scudeiri escape the hangman.

Justice is blind especially when it comes to the IEI/Airport Plaza building where all of the real decisions and armed robbery of Monmouth Counties hard working families starts.

I still laugh everytime I see the DMV offices, and chuckle when I think how not one person complained about that Vic Scudeiri was not even embarrassed to take that payoff. Come on, after all Vic doesn't need the money, after all Vic from the goodness of his heart finances the entire Monmouth County democratic county process. He just wants to serve his party and mankind. RIGHT ! Next thing he will get a special dispensation from the Pope in Rome like Michael Corlione got in the Godfather 3 movie. Maybe Vic and Norman Kauff could go to the opera and end up like Al Pacino's character did on the stairs.

Makes me glad I live in Keyport. All we had was Johnny Merla and you knew he was a scumbag the minute you saw him. Norman Kauff and his cronies hide like vampires until it gets dark.

The really important thing we need to find out is who are they grooming to take over the democratic party when they take their wrinkled greedy asses to Florida. They can't retire soon enough for many of us in Keyport.

Only in New Jersey !



Merla and his brother are away serving time. But Burlew and the boys are still under the microscope in Keyport. I guess we'll have to wait until the next indictments are unsealed. Maybe this time they will get Fat Charlie Merla and make it a family affair. Their mother would be so proud!

Anonymous said...

How is it even possible that these samll communities can be run by these obviously and unashamed people.

As a high school student looking forward to a career in public service, knowing I may have to work for or with these types of people, people who put themselves before those they supposedly were to serve.

I hope to get a placement next year as a congressional paige and in the future was strongly seeking an opportunity to serve the people of New Jersey in public service. The only problem to get in my way will obviously be my honesty and my ethical behavior. It is obvious that public service has become public dis-service

And they say that kids like me are the real problems in todays society. From reading these comments and examples of improper adult conduct, I think I should eventually go into a specialized law practice by only defending politicians and power brokers.

In New Jersey it is obvious I would have a very busy and profitable practice. While I am obviously years away from graduating from college and I may not have my law degree in time to defend the types of people written about in this blog. Maybe if they come up for an appeal after they serve their time in prison or if they go back to what they know best, being completely dishonest I stand a chance.

Like my dad says once corrupt they are always corrupt.

J. Patel 17

Anonymous said...

WOW this is great.

I found this site by accident and cannot belive my eyes. If these people who blog anonymously know all of this is going on how can the leadership of these towns sleep at night.

Maybe they are just so in debt or controlled that they forgot where the first lie began and just keep looking lieing.

It is a shame.

Anonymous said...

Tell everyone you know in these towns to log on to the Aberdeener.

Better yet they need to start going to council meetings and asking real substantive questions. Watch how quickly our supposed leadership crawls under the nearest rock to hide.

Tell everyone you know.

The green Party lives!

Anonymous said...

We have to agree with anonymous #7 that people do not attend council meetings in their communities. We are guilty ourselves as of late. We used to go with our neighbors years ago when the republicans were in control, about ten years ago.

We attended some meetings when control changed and found them boring. Perhaps We were lulled to sleep and should have gone to more meetings from the look of the materials listed here.

Unfortunately it really does not matter which party is in control as no matter what they promise you they are all liars and self serving bastards. Look what they did to Mr. brown as a prime example.

My wife and I were very fond of him and were very pleased by the events and positive changes brought to Aberdeen during his time. In contrast to the past under the former Manager Marc Koren, which was abismal.

It will take a bolt of lightning to convince us that Mr. Brown could have done something wrong. He did not seem as divisive and obnoxious as Koren obviously was and look how Koren just skulked away with his share of Kauffs treasure chest of greed and pain.

We will never know as we too have to leave Aberdeen. That is life after all.

When we went before town councils under koren to get sewers in our area, the arrogance and ego of that man was disgusting and it was because he talked down to you.
He was the most distrusting type of man we have ever met.

From info on the Aberdeener and a recent family function the running of Aberdeen came up and no one present had one good thing to say about the way they treated us, as residents in Freneau. All we wanted was sewers.

What we got was arrogance and now we would have to wonder how much the town engineers were paid along the way to not bring sewers to Freneau.Obviously we all paid our share to Kauff and Koren along the way from what we read here.

Something else Mr Kauff will take to his grave we are sure. We understand Koren has left the state recently. It was probably too expensive to live in Aberdeen even for Koren, after all of the taxes he raised.

They will get what is coming to them one way or another, we hope and pray.

Jean and Connie Freneau

Anonymous said...

The comment before me is so true.

The level of arrogance and divisivness shown to the citizenry while Koren was the Township of Aberdeen manager, was a joke. This while all of the councilmen just sat there. Wait do they not sit there now with the same SEE NO EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL and SPEAK NO EVIL type of ignorance and disgust towards the residents. They all Speak no evil especially against the man who really runs Aberdeen,their mentor, NORMAN KAUFF.

What does he have on the council that they continue to fail the people they took an oath to serve, TO THE BEST OF THIER ABILITY.

Best ability they have is non existent. They should be embarassed to cash the checks they get from us. Sadly they are not embarassed as that is not a Norman Kauff trait , obviously.

Norman kauff would not be embarassed or acknowledge his misdeeds if he was caught red handed by the POPE himself.

I have to agree Norman kauff will be judged.

Jim Cliffwood Beach

Anonymous said...

What ever happened to running people like these out of town on a rail? How about tar and feathering the whole bunch.

I cannot believe what I read here.

Where are the authorities ?

Anonymous said...

Election day in Nov 2007 was the perfect chance to change the 12 year strangle hold Kauff has on Aberdeen, but the voters chose to relect Vinci, Gumbs, Drapkin, and elect Kauff's new recruit Gallo. Sorry folks, you'll have to wait until 2009 for your next chance to vote out the establishment. Try to remember this story in Nov 2009 and not be fooled by lots of glossy Kauff / Scudeiri sponsored mailers.

Anonymous said...

driver8 Good points. But if every Aberdeen taxpayer knew what the misdeeds of CME and Mr. Kauff really cost each of us, they might as they used to say in western times, HANG E'M HIGH.

The word needs to spread and people need to know about the Aberdeener.
Tell everyone you know. I would also suggest if anyone gets to the microphone at a Board of Education meeting that they mention the website during their questioning of the members.

Just a thought.

Anonymous said...

Let's face it - our Norm Kauff is just a bagman for Scudieri. Kauff is the ultimate wanna be that found a way to profit off of pay-to-play and found political wanna be's in Aberdeen to jump for him.Vinci used to run numbers when he was a cop - now he runs for Norm. Raymond has no spine - kauff got him paper pushing job at dmv in scudueri plaza, Gumbs uses her position to push thru deals for her unethical real estate business, Drapkin passes on his lies and Sobel in his words "is a good friend." Question is weather sobel will serve the time for his good buddy.

Anonymous said...

I've heard that Drapkin doesn't wipe without asking Kauff.

Anonymous said...

Corruptionwatch: it sounds like you went to the council meeting this past week and heard the Aberdeen Councils non-answer-answers.

While I was unable to attend the meeting since I was traveling for business, I did run into a long time employee of Aberdeen at Stop and Shop today.

I asked him what is going on with Stuart Brown quickly resigning. He told me that Owen Drapkin hated him and Sobel and the rest just follow Kauffs orders. Kauff wanted him gone, that is all. The Sobel, McArthy and Brown meeting which forced Brown to resign was all Norman Kauff and Kauff told everyone what to do, how to vote and to keep silent. The silence will be fatal to all of them I think.

He also hears that the silence is soon to be broken and the councils refusal to answer questions will soon unfold and they will soon be fighting with each other over who is going to pay the legal bills to defend them, when they all get indicted. It will not be the taxpayers I can assure you, he said.

Their silence and the Kauff engineered arrogance will very soon be their downfall.Watch carefully, it is soon to unfold. The smartest one of them will make the first deal and rollover on Norman kauff, Scudeiri and all the rest of them.
Keyport and the Merlas have nothing on Kauff and company in Aberdeen.

The one thing he told me as we ended our talk was that Stuart Brown was well liked, especially by the cops. Brown was more for the employees than all of those before him. That along with the fact that Norman Kauff was not cashing in at the Aberdeen ATM, was the driving force to Stuart Browns removal.

Their arrogance will be their downfall.

Indictment watch is on in Aberdeen!

Anonymous said...

Indictment Watch I love it.

Many cannot wait.

Everyone else around us but not Aberdeen. Are they that sneeky or is it because Scudeiri and Kauff have that much arrogance and power.

We'll see, sooner rather than later.

All one has to do is ask the right question and watch them squirm. From news papers this week they were asked a few questions and started to squirm. Wait till the next council meeting.

Indictment watch is on.

Anonymous said...

I never really got involved before but from reading these responses and far more from people in my church, I am listening more carefully.

Thank you ABERDEENER. I will be spreading the word.

Thanks to all.

Anonymous said...

I have an interesting question. How much money does Drapkin Printing (owned by Councilor Drapkin) make printing flyers, signs, mailers from kauff/scuderi/McCarthy/Lesniak connectins for the Democratic party in this town and others? Who paid for his landscaping? Ultimate oxymoron - Kauff lives on Justice Lane.

Anonymous said...

Justice(lane) and Kauff. Imagine that Norman lives on a street named Justice lane.
The ultimate oxi-moron. Emphasis on moron Kauff and moron.

Happy Easter Norman !

Anonymous said...

Kauff and his group as posted here lately are all protected and will sadly be untouchable. Why ? It is simple, evry simple. They run the show.

Just look at my town where Mendes gets elected to protect Vics interest, he is merely an employee of Big Vic and the I.E.I. group. They are all going to make money on the backs of my friends and neighbors.

It is very upsetting that the authorities just sit idle as the citizens are fleeced and made to pay for their actions and crimes for years and years to come.

Anybody know a good mover ?

Aberdeener said...

Latest update in Manalapan -
Cost of cleanup - $15,000
Cost of CME Associates - $60,000 and counting
Legal Fees - $100,000 and counting

Anonymous said...

this stuff is really amazing...you write this stuff without any hard facts to support the claims

SHAME ON YOU

Anonymous said...

Shame on you??? There are enough facts to create smoke and where there is smoke -- there surely is fire. What we see from Mr. Kauff is a pattern of behavior and the record in Manalapan and other locals speaks for itself.

The RICO laws were created to allow law enforcement to pursue patterns of behavior.

Shame on you if you are one of those that drink the Norm Kauff Kool-Aid.