Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Our Government Friendly Press

One of my rules of thumb for public office is “If it’s not in the newspapers, it never happened.” This has been borne out time and again by major stories and scandals that were never covered and remain mostly unknown or disbelieved. However, the moment a story hits the papers, it’s considered gospel.

Another rule of thumb is “The papers will only report what we say.” In the two years I”ve been blogging, I can only recall four investigative stories involving Aberdeen-Matawan. Two never got published and one only involved a reporter’s personal observations. The three reporters following those stories have since left town. The local papers simply lack the resources to investigate local news unless they have Pulitzer Prize-winning potential. Instead, most articles just stick to official pronouncements, public statements, and feel-good stories. It’s far easier to quote people then research the facts.

Recently, two news stories have brought this reality into sharp contrast.

Last week, school board member Patricia Demarest voted against renewing Business Administrator Sue Irons’ contract.

The APP reported the vote as follows:

Board member Patricia Demarest cast the lone dissent without comment. Demarest later said she voted against the contract because Irons now will have tenure.

"That will commit the district to both the person and salary nearly permanently," Demarest wrote in an e-mail after the meeting. "We recently eliminated several teaching positions, administrators and all of our custodians. In these economic times, I feel it would be irresponsible to give tenure to a nonteaching position at that salary at this time."
The statement almost sounds reasonable until you put it in context; Demarest voted to fire one of the best business administrators our district has ever had.

Here’s a brief snapshot of Ms. Iron’s nearly three-year tenure in MARSD.
  • Cut the school budget by $1.5 million
  • 3-year average annual tax increase of 1.33%
  • Implemented corrective action in the financial office to comply with auditor’s recommendations and industry best practices
That last item deserves more discussion. Prior to Ms. Iron’s arrival, some of the auditor’s eighteen findings included:
  • In a random sample of purchase orders, twenty-five percent were either blank or for non-earmarked items
  • A $134,000 shortfall in budgeted expenditures
  • A $1.7 million shortfall in the listing of capital assets
Following Ms. Iron’s corrective actions, the number of findings fell from eighteen to six, only one of which Ms. Irons bore primary responsibility - $22,600 of grant money wasn’t spent. (Meaning it should have been listed as spent and other money either put into surplus or, since that was maximized, accelerate spending on other items.)

Dr. Delaney, who works for the New Jersey Department of Education in Monmouth County, reported that Ms. Irons is ranked among the top three business administrators in the county.

Ms. Irons is also compensated about 10% below her peers managing similar sized school districts. Additionally, her latest contract will result in slightly reduced compensation since her salary remains the same but her benefits have dimished.

Ms. Demarest knows all this. During her term as board president, Demarest worked with Dr. O’Malley and Ms. Irons to propose a school budget that cut expenses by $600K and had no tax increase, the first budget to pass in eight years.

Yet, Pat Demarest voted to fire Sue Irons. Why? “In these economic times, I feel it would be irresponsible to give tenure to a nonteaching position at that salary at this time.” So, in Ms. Demarest’s six years on the school board, her only recorded vote to terminate an employee was against the one business administrator who cut year-over-year spending.

Interestingly, Ms. Demarest’s only vote opposing someone’s appointment was against Superintendent O’Malley.

Of course, you’d never know any of this from reading the APP article.

The other story was about the revised housing plan on County Road, reported in the Independent.
The total number of units to be developed on the [County Road] property has been reduced from 132 affordable units to 115 units, with some at market rate and some affordable.

Of the 115 units, the plan includes 78 market rate units for sale and 37 affordable units for rent, responding to the community’s concerns to spread the township’s affordable housing requirement throughout the town.

“There were a number of residents in the immediate neighborhood who expressed concern that there was too much [affordable housing] on that property and there should be consideration to distributing the number of affordable units more evenly,” Coppola said. “We did a number of changes to the plan that has been worked on by the developer under the direction of the COAH work of the governing body.”

All of the units to be developed on the property will be townhouse units instead of apartment units, providing either a one- or two-car garage, which Coppola said will limit the need for on-street parking.

“This will aid with the appearance of the development,” he said. “All the townhouse buildings will have pitched roofs, where apartment buildings have flat roofs.”
The townhouses, required by COAH, will have different bedroom distributions. The market-rate units will contain two and three bedrooms, and no affordable or market-rate unit will contain more than three bedrooms.
All great news but the article gives the impression these changes were made upon the township’s initiative. Not so. Following loud and angry opposition to the original affordable housing plans for County Rd., the developer (RCM) contacted the Cliffwood Housing Association (CHA) and offered to make the above changes in exchange for community support. The revisions, a severely reduced number of affordable housing units, a high proportion of market-rate units, and townhouses in lieu of apartments, is a dramatic improvement over the original plan and both the CHA and RCM deserve our thanks.

However, the story also points to what the town council and planning board could have achieved long ago had they invited community participation in the beginning and considered our concerns. Instead, the town council engaged in backroom deals that risked our COAH certification and foisted upon us a development that nobody wanted.

Now, thanks to the developer and our community activists, we have a new and better plan but the town council and planning board get all the credit. Notice the article never mentions the Cliffwood Housing Association.

However, the article does mention that William Bocra of Silver Oak Properties, who spent time in prison for attempting to bribe his IRS auditor, was re-appointed developer for the proposed transit village. This is the same developer who cost Matawan hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees for refusing to grant him the same designation.

Of course, the article doesn’t mention any of the back-story.

I don’t blame the newspapers or the reporters. On the contrary, I think they’re doing the best they can in a challenging environment with limited resources. (Note Newsweek was just sold for $1.) Still, I can’t help but wonder if people would be willing to pay a bit more for real news. It’s sure something I hope someone would try. >>> Read more!

69 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree with this subject matter. And for our area of town the fluff news stories that seemed so easily placed in local and select news papers for us a to read as if our town leaders were working on our behalf. That is never the real reason they all work for Mr. K. twenty four hours a day.

If it was not for Sister Mcleod and others being very vocal and questioning against the Mr. K. projects on County Rd. all of the Mr. k. projects, and that is what they were going to be in short order, projects would have been approved by Mr. K. and his bought and paid for and obviously fearful of him lackeys.

Yes i said lackeys as that is what the town council, planning board and zoning boards are. All facsts of town leadership or approval mechanisms are 100% controlled by Mr. K. and his handpicked legal reps that do his bidding void of anything close to ethical behavior. Doubt it? Just review the past several highly questionable and constantly changing studies and opinions. Bought and paid for as well by the other paid for fools that are the planners and engineers under Mr. K. control. These reports and findings, while ever changing to fit the need of Mr. K. are always set in motion to ensure the payoffs for the democrats and greedy Mr. K. among others that he pays off had positive findings to benefit the developers against the vocal and overtaxed residents and business owners. Yes I said payoffs as that is what it has to be to have so much work against the taxpayers, residents and businesses all under the highly questionable control of Mr. K. and others in his closet who pull his puppet strings at the state and county level.

Mr. K. is just an old feeble pawn in a much bigger game of screw the taxpayers that gets played out in local municipal, state and federal governmental buildings everywhere.

Mr. K. if you don't like what I have to say here lets all meet for coffee and i'll bring Sister McLeod and my mother who would like to talk to you about the senior building she has wanted to move into on Church Street for over six years now. I have to figure every engineer study they can gouge the taxpayers for has been done and probably done several times now these past few years. I would like to see you explain to my mother how this property and its ignorant and blasphemous signage taunting and inquiring senior group could take so long. i would like to hear you lie to an 80 year old woman to her face. You are dispicable and hope you are found out soon and pay for your yeras of corruption. The coffee offer is out there for you and any of you lackeys i'll pick up the bill even. I'm sure you have no paid for a meal or even coffee in a long time. All you do is on the taxpayers dime. You disgust me Mr. K.!

Just call Sister McLeod she will get in touch with me. I am sure your people know her number.

Sister McLeod for Mayor next year! We may have a whole slate of typical ususal corrupt puppet machine. How do you like that Mr. K.?

Anonymous said...

Can a Nun even run for mayor?
I don't think the Diocese will let her.

Anonymous said...

LOL now that's funny.

Anonymous said...

"One of the best business administrators our district ever had."
How do you know? How many before this one did you know? The two before her excluding that idiot Quinn used as an interim were excellent for a lot less money. The department of education ranks business administrators? Based on what criteria? Where can these rankings be found? Do they also rank Superintendents, Asst Superintendents, Principals, etc? Where are those rankings? Dr. Delaney is full of shit.
Some things you may have left out are that Ms. Irons nearly doubled the salaries for the business office by adding an asst business administrator and an accountant, while getting a big salary increase for herself last year. She has let the student accident insurance increase to an astonishing $100,000 when it should be around $25,000 because of no oversight. She has continued to allow the outside fund raising groups to operate without proper administration and is admonished by auditors year after year for this. Besides these are her hand picked auditors. Change them every year like you should and see if the results are the same. Following the idiot that was before her, she does not deserve any of the accolades that you point out. All was in order before his tenure and anyone could have looked better after his incompetence for a lot less. One wonders if this was your business if you would be giving out raises and giving tenure based on so little. Tenure has no benefit to this district and these big salaries are with us forever. HMMM.

Anonymous said...

Anon 4:15
Which board of ed member are you?
Can you find out why some board members said they cared about the janitors and promised to help, but then voted to FIRE us anyway?
I think I know who you are.
You Suck! You are a liar!

LOL you two idiots said...

The comments about Sister Mcleod were ignorant and all too telling. Laugh amongst yoursleves you two idiots.

Ms. Mcleod stood up for our area in front of a corrupt bunch of people bought and paid for by Norman Kauff who work against all of us. The projects they want to put up will be in our backyards and they will cost all of us plenty in school taxes, police costs and far more.

So go ahead and laugh at how we show our respect and sisterhood while you all pay the price for the allowed corruption under Mr. Norman Kauff. He needs to be stopped and shown the door of a jail cell.

LOL about that you two idiots!

please don't hate me said...

Don't be mad...I wish the Sister well in her attempts to get approval from the Vatican to run for mayor of Aberdeen.

Anonymous said...

Stop whining. Getting someone to do your job for less money should have been done a long time ago. Be thankful you lasted as long as you did. You should be directing your anger at your union for throwing you under the bus. Face the new reality like the rest of us.

Anonymous said...

It's Demarest. I can tell by the words and what the person wrote about!

Message From the Vatican said...

I hereby grant the Sister permission to run for mayor of Aberdeen.

I will be sending Father Mulcahey from M.A.S.H. to Aberdeen to serve as her campaign manager.

Signed,

The Pope

Anonymous said...

Any word on where the funding came from for Dr. Delaneys campaign... we never did see his bank account records or paperwork for his campaign funding. Interesting that if it was anyone else, the garbage postings of this blogg would have been on fire.

Anonymous said...

This mistaken assumption of Catholicism that previous commenters are giving to the title 'Sister' is proof of something I've noticed a lot lately ...ignorance is often proud of itself!

Development and Norman Kauff said...

Speaking of ignorance and the coddling of political leaders in the area. I have to say that the best example I have seen lately was when the lengthy article about the Anchor Glass site came to be in the Independent not too long ago.

I can imagine how it went with our local corrupt and Kauff controlled leadership. A reporter just listrened to everything Mayor Tag said and wrote it down verbatum from the script that Kauff gave Mayor Tag.

Did he or she as a reporter ask if their were any environmental concerns or significant contamination on the sight? NO!

Did he or she ask if the DEP or any other such state agencies or departments had any past experiences, input or concerns with the site, developer or past uses of the property? No!

Did he or she look to see what type of chemicals go into the glass manufacturing processes much less the similly albeit historic chemicals and processes used when the site was American Can many years ago? No!

Did they ask why would anyone want to keep smokestacks much less think them to be historic? No!

Did he or she ask about the fact that this developer has been overly involved withe Norman kauff and his developmental czar Marc Coren and has contributed big time to the ruling party for years? No!

Would he or she possibly have driven to some of the local area residents and asked what they thought of such a huge scale development right in their front, side, rear or directly adjacent yard? No!

Would he or she have looked up other projects like the Bell Labs project in Holmdel that is similarly stalled after many promises, scaled models and line of bullshit like Kauff orchestrates here in Aberdeen with the same developer? No!

Would Bob M. be waiting in the wings to be approached again by Kauff in a dilmly lit parking lot ready to have a huge financial number be requested to take over where the present developer is stalled and doing absolutely nothing under the Kauff approval processes and with little more than false promises and more false promises after false promises to a puplic and taxpayer base too laden with false promises of development and tax relief from such grandiose projects having been promised? No!

Would he or she have asked what other projects have been stalled for years with nothing more then expensive study after expensive study after expensive study with noting more to show then big bills from C.M.E.? No!

Whatever happened to journalism, investigative reporting and digging for a story. All we get and all our corrupt political leaders count on is half assed reporting and spoon fed stories that help them with their corruption and political game of hide and seek with the taxpayers?

Right Norm?

F U Norm! said...

Hide and seek is an understatement when it comes to Kauff. Norm is the master of that game. Come on people he learned everything about ripping off developers and taxpayers from Big Vic Scudeiri after all. If you are going to learn about political corruption and treachery who else do you go to? That is right ladies and gents Vic Monmouth County is Mine all Mine Scudeiri.

Norm of course graduated Magna Cum Scumbag and the top of the class.

F U Norm!

Your day is coming.

Knock Knock it's the FEDS!

Have a Normie and Kauffkin day? said...

What is it be like to be so hated? To know that everyday you are thought and proclaimed a scumbag and worse, much less to have people put your name and reputation out for the world to see on the WORLDWIDE WEB. I love the fact that Normie knows this and better yet that many know of him and his misdeeds and corruption WORLDWIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe it is time to make the same references and marks badges of honor on all of the rest of the Kauffkins? Just a thought?

By the way F you Normie!

Sure it's childish, inmature and much more. I don't care! Do you?

If you find us childish and worse good for you? If you are troubled by the allowed corruption that permeates Aberdeen? Then join us.

If we can do nothing else to rid ourselves of Normie and his gang of thieves, then at least we can embarass them WORLDWIDE!!!!!!!!

W
O
R
L
D
W
I
D
E

Normie think of that every single day that you have left on earth.

Some little boy in a hut in Africa can put the word scumbag into his computer and there will be a strong possibility that Norman Kauff of Norman Kauff Esquire will pop up onto his computer.

I love it! Do you Normie???????

Yes I am obsessed with Normie!

It is my lifes work to embarass and piss him off Normie daily. Right Normie? Come on Normie you love all of the attention?

Good morning Normie?

Good morning Kauffkins?

You all will burn in hell!

Second that said...

I agree and here is how i'll prove it.

Mr. K. also known as Norman Kauff of Justice Lane in Aberdeen New Jersey is a corrupt political operative who seeks to profit handsomely on the backs of the local taxpayers. He is no good, immoral and breaks the law by holding meetings disguised as Democratic club meetings, in violation of the N.J. Sunshine Laws. Norman Kauff Esquire has profited personally from his dictatorial control and svengali like manipulation of official boards and town officials for years. He is the supreme being and head muckity muck in Aberdeen and is a low life class of person that needs to be arrested. Forget the investigation he is guilty as charged just because he is connected politically to any political party in New Jersey and since they are all corrupt and self serving he is guilty.

Got to go take the kids to the park. I'll return.

Norm said...

I'm flattered.

Norm, Bubba and fake Norm said...

Flattered is what Bubba is going to do to you when he puts his...
inside you in the prison shower.

Ouch!

Norm you may want to take a trip down to FLa. and see your a-hole buddy Coren. He may be able to give you some hints on being Bubba's a-hole buddy.

You deserve more and Bubba will be getting big thank you care packages from the taxpayers of Aberdeen. Bubba deserves it for doing to you what you have been doing to all of us taxpayers.

Right Norm?

You too fake Norm.
Damn right!

Norm said...

I'm so in your head, lol

Anonymous said...

Joey, what is going on with this board that represents us in negotiations? You change the people that are on the negotiating team in the middle of the negotiations! Why aren't you representing us anymore as you seemed so anxious to do? Who made this decision and for what reason? This doesn't seem to be in our best interest and the best strategy when they have a professional negotiating team. Who will be representing us now and what is the reasoning behind selecting those people? Will they be better at representing us then the previous team? Are they more qualified to get the best deal for the taxpayers or has the boards position changed and the previous team, and yours, position did not agree? Your response would be greatly appreciated in such an important matter.

Anonymous said...

It appears he got bitch slapped!

Anonymous said...

We changed the negotiating team? Who is on it now? Is it in the board minutes, I did not see anything discussed on the channel 15 broadcast? Is this something that the public should know?

Anonymous said...

The Janitors did a good job too but they got fired

Anonymous said...

News on MATAWAN'S POLICE CHIEF JAMES ALSTON....hearing set on charges for this week or next. That is the latest going around town. Will the APP cover it? Probably not!

We advise....you decide!

Anonymous said...

Dr. Dick wanted a change so the team was changed. This was done so Dr. Dick gets what he wants. See the pattern.

Tom&Mary said...

I saw nsecjoe at the railroad station selling stuff and he had some cool old yankee collectable stuff from the 70's. I talked to him and he was quite the gentlemen to me and my wife as we peppered him with questions about Aberdeen since we only moved in two years ago. I do not see where all the hostility towards him comes from. Then again the answer is that most of the people on here have all the answers anyway.

Anonymous said...

Come on Joe....spill it why the suddent change? Why are you so quiet about it? Does it hurt?

Anonymous said...

What is this about a blackout period? Who agreed to not keep the public informed on how the labor negotiations are going? The union keeps the teachers informed, yet the public is left in the dark. When is this blackout period over, when the union leader decides it is. This is why this needs to be taken out of the board of educations hands. Once again the unions powerful team is no match for amateurs. This seems contrary to all your ranting and raving before you were on this board. Not even a word on who represents us on the negotiating team or why you were removed. One must wonder if you have become the political lackey that you so much despised at one time. All the criticism of others when you did not understand the limitations that are put on you by the board president. You have this forum, that others did not have, to express and justify your actions, yet you choose to remain silent.

Aberdeener said...

Uhm,

Hate to pop your bubble but I've not said anything because I'm giving the board president the opportunity to make a public announcement.

Also, no great conspiracy here. Some members just felt it was time for a change.

Funny how people complain that I'm both overlord and flunky. Well, at least I'm involved.

Anonymous said...

I have no inside knowledge. But I'd bet good money that the Aberdeener's presence on the team is causing the Union to dig in their heals even more than usual. This blog makes him a lightening rod for controversey of all sorts.

Vinny's hair stylist said...

That's because he is an asshole.

BARZA, Sch. Bd. and Unions said...

The teachers union dug in their heels and the school boards of the BARZA past around here had no spines.

That is why the taxpayers in this district are F'd.

Unions are categorically greedy and their membership is uninformed as to what their unions really do or do not, in fact most often do not do for in their union memebers best interests.

Either way BARZA is G O N E!

Good F'n riddance!

Kathy and John can kiss my ass!

Anonymous said...

Governement friendly?

More like government controlled, screened, manipulated and worse.

They want to have an Obama head removed at a stand on the boards down in seaside. If that was a George Bush head the political left would have been screaming along with the ACLU.

Thats the ABSOLUTE T R U T H.

That is why they are THE LEFT.

What is OK with them is Ok.

What is bad for them is wrong.

Anonymous said...

Joey,

Whatever happened regarding the unfair labor practice filed against you by the union?

Anonymous said...

He won't answer that question?

Aberdeener said...

Sorry but won't be commenting on the teachers union except to say I have never been the subject of a grievance so, whatever you're hearing, you've been misinformed.

Anonymous said...

That is a lie!

Aberdeener said...

Really. You think someone has filed a grievance against me? Oh, details, please. I'd love to hear this one.

Just more janitor uniuon BS said...

More bullshit from the janitors or their union idiots who are enjoying their unemployment and working under the table. Fact.

Get real.

Get jobs.

Shut up.

You like many others lost your jobs. How long will you blame everyone but yourself.

We are waiting for your answer.

Take your time to anwswer as you wait for your next Obama check for staying home. You did not lose your jobs by the way you priced yourself out of your jobs.

Next?

Anonymous said...

Let's see. You bashed the hell out of the teacher's union when the janitors' jobs were on the line. Now, suddenly, you have the mouth of a statue. One can only draw two conclusions: either you were told to shut your mouth by the Board or, as I believe, you were told by somebody in the State that using your blog to drive a wedge into the union was an unfair labor practice. In the end, without you on the negotiating team, I am sure there will be more room for negotiating.

Aberdeener said...

Wrong on all counts. Nor do I think you believe what you wrote. But, glad to see you're enjoying my blog.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous @ 11:04: We're going to price ourselves out of a vibrant society if we don't stop bean counting our people's jobs out of existence. If there's no foundational working and middle class with the wherewithal to buy goods and sevices and maintain our economic system, the whole kit and kaboodle is going to collapse. Count those beans cause that's all we'll be getting for dinner!

Anonymous said...

whoops! the previous comment was meant for anonymous @ 10:34 and I will not ask him to stfu like he did because I live in America! "I may not agree with what you say but I will fight to the death for your right to say it" Or something along those hallowed lines!

Anonymous said...

Joey,
We know that you had charges filed against you. Now, what the outcome was is still a mystery. My guess is the outcome has something to do with the SUDDEN change in the negotiation team.

Aberdeener said...

And how do you "know" I had charges filed against me? Being it's not true at all, I'm curious as to the source.

So, what's your source? Don't be shy. :)

Anonymous said...

Mr. Warren,
Maybe "charges" is the wrong word. Let's try it this way. Have you or this blog been mentioned in an unfair labor practice? Is there a relationship between this blog and your removal from the negotiating team?

Anonymous said...

Careful Aberdeener, Unfair Labor Practice charges are public record. I checked.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Warren,
I am waiting for an answer.

Aberdeener said...

Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to discuss personnel grievances but you know how much I would have enjoyed being the subject of a grievance filing. Had that been the case, I most certainly would have posted all the gory details. I wonder if that's why I haven't been targeted.

As for the second part, the answer is no. The board decided to appoint a new committee to negotiations and I was on the old committee.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Warren,
You reply is confusing. You say you are not allowed to discuss personnel grievances. Yet, in the next sentence you say that had you been the subject of a grievance filing you would have posted all the gory details. How could you post the gory details if you were the subject of a personnel grievance when you are not allowed to discuss personnel grievances?

Anonymous said...

You say the board decided to appoint a new committee. Do you agree that is the best strategy? Is the union changing who will be representing them? It sounds like the board has different ideas on what its position should be. That is never good in one of the most important duties the board has.

Anonymous said...

Joey,

Were you told by someone in authority outside the district to be wary of what you post on your site as a result of a union complaint? can you just be straight forward and stop with the games?

Thanks

Norm said...

Joey only types what I tell him tp type, because, he's one of my bitches now. There, I said it. Now, go back to your miserable lives.

Anonymous said...

Joey has turned into just another politician. Playing word games, not answering questions. This blog helped him get the position and has now turned into his worst nightmare. Politics corrupts and this is just another example.

Aberdeener said...

Aside from the blackout period, I'm free to type whatever I want.

Anonymous said...

MATAWAN POLICE CHIEF JAMES ALSTON TO RETIRE! True or could this be another delay tactic on his part?

We advise.....YOU decide...

Anonymous said...

Alston will retire and he did his job. Politicians and their meddling and a couple of personal issues that Alston has will be dealt with but the politicians will remain and be the idiots they are. Proof is the BS development at the old foodtown. The idiot politicians allowed that sign in the window for a business that never came just like the developers sign at south river in aberdeen for campaign contributions. That drives everything isn't that right Mr. Kauff and that idiot Buccelatto.

F Alston said...

They should have told him to F himself years ago instead of paying for his, and MB's frivolous lawsuits. Good riddance to him, and his geri curl.

Anonymous said...

The law sir says otherwise. Review the Lawsuit.

Aberdeener said...

Sorry Anon,

I didn't surrender my first amendment rights upon becoming a board member.

Anonymous said...

They should have never made that guy chief to begin with. They should have stuck to their guns when he, and his nephew filed those BS lawsuits, then he would have been long forgotten by now.

Anonymous said...

Re: Police Chief James Alston. If anyone checks the facts in this case, Monmouth County Prosecutor's office had been investigating Alston for some time. Buccellato is the Mayor of Matawan, not the County Prosecutor. Matawan deserves a Police Chief who is in complete control of his faculties, sans any substances that could cloud his judgement. Check with the Prosecutors office for documentation before you accuse the politicians. Alston has problems that must be faced by him, not while he is trying to administer justice in Matawan. Truly hope for his sake he gets the help he needs. By retiring he still gets paid and also benefits.

If this matter is truly closed, Matawan can finally deal with the more serious issues facing our community. The economy is still in a huge slump and no sign of it getting any better soon. The Borough Council (elected officials) have some tough decisions to make and let's trust they have the fortitude to make them. They are doing a great job with a knowledgeable Borough Administrator. Keep in mind the Mayor only gets to vote in the case of a tie. Instead of looking to place blame, let's work together to improve our Borough! Small minds talk about people, great minds talk about ideas.

Believe the Mayor of Matawan is intelligent and the best qualified. He certainly is a breathe of fresh air from previous administrations that just spent money and put Matawan in a huge deficit.

Anonymous said...

With Matawan needing a Chief, this might be the time to merge the Aberdeen and Matawan police departments.

Anonymous said...

Can't do it. One is civil service, one isn't. You would have to disband MPD, and contract out police services to Aberdeen.

Anonymous said...

Naomi Klein wrote a book, Disaster Capitalism. In it she proposes the theory that society should watch out during times of extreme stress, like natural disasters or economic recessions. Because those are the times that changes that were wanted by profiteers for decades are slipped into place. Changes exactly like breaking unions and civil services, privatizing school services, and privatizing municipal services. The result is always the permanent lowering of the bar for ALL wages in that society, across the board!

Anonymous said...

Word on the Street is Alston changed his mind. Oh well, now let's face it Alston's interest is in himself only, at any cost to taxpayers. Let's see what charges were made by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office. C'mon Mayor let's get this over with so Matawan can move on.

Wouldn't it be ironic if Chief Alston gets fired from his job and walks away with nothing. There are times when one can be too greedy! Shame on you Chief Alston.

Anonymous said...

Let's pray that's exactly what happens. F Alston, and his geri curl too.

Anonymous said...

Alston is an embarrassment to Matawan! He is making a joke of the system while getting paid by the taxpayers for his folly. It is not about his appearance, it is about his job performance or lack thereof. Could Mullaney be encouraging him to sue as a political move for himself?

We advise....you decide

Anonymous said...

Update on suspended Police Chief Alston....word is the matter is being kicked back to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office. Question, during all of this back and forth suspension, is the Chief being paid by our tax dollars? If he is found guilty, does that mean he will reimburse Matawan for the pay he has received while suspended?