The Democrats’ Latest Campaign Filings

Click here for the latest Democratic election filings

Stung by repeated charges of pay-to-play, the Aberdeen Democratic candidates decided they would still take the money but hide it from public view. Rather than run one campaign as they had in the past, they decided to run four individual campaigns and then ask each donor to write four checks, each for $300 or less to avoid disclosure laws. If the donor wished to give more, he could donate to the Aberdeen Democratic Executive Committee. My understanding is that none of the candidates took a leading role in fundraising but they all knew what was happening; they took tens of thousands of dollars from the very people seeking to get millions from us, the taxpayers. In private industry, this is called graft. In the courtroom, it’s called bribes. Among our councilmen and mayor-elect, it’s called politics.

I raise the issue again because we now have the latest election filings with the NJ ELEC and some new items have come to light. Total campaign expenditures for the democrats were about $50,000, in line with historical norms. However, the problem here is that Councilman-Elect Lauro raised virtually the identical amount as the other candidates.

Initial filings suggested he had not taken money from the town engineer, CME, since that would have been a clear conflict with his duties as the public works director. (A government employee should not be taking money from the very companies he’s overseeing.) More recent filings strongly suggest Lauro did take money from CME while working as the public works director. I can’t prove it but he raised nearly identical amounts as the other candidates and we know the others were taking money from CME so it’s a reasonable assumption.

Since the candidates chose to skirt the issue of pay-to-play, the other unanswered question is who did contribute to their campaigns aside from the usual suspects? Well, we know one person who did because he asked for his money back. Good old Joe Kremer. You know Joe, right? According to the Dem filings, he lives at 26 New Brunswick Ave. You know, corner property on Charles St.?

What’s that you say? It’s a warehouse? Now, what would old Joe be doing living in a warehouse? Huh? You never heard of old Joe? That is strange. Well, obviously he’s someone who cares a great deal about our town because he donated $300 to each of the candidates. Yup, $300. That is the absolute highest amount that any person could possibly give to a local candidate and still remain anonymous. He must be a good guy to want to remain anonymous and all.

I’m sorry, what’s that you’re saying about the warehouse? It’s owned by SPH Holdings? Nope, never heard of them. They want to get a variance from the township? Nope, didn’t know that either. And they’re on the tax sale list for not paying their water on time?

Well, no wonder Joe asked for his money back.

Yup, good old Joe. Thanks to guys like him, the Dems got four more years. >>> Read more!

A Litmus Test for Aberdeen's Town Council

Lately, Aberdeen’s town council has been taking steps, baby steps to be sure but steps all the same, in the right direction. I maintain we should encourage the council so long as it continues to move in the right direction. Others hold we should distrust anything the council does because it has so frequently betrayed our confidence. Both views are valid and founded upon recent events.

• The town council has recently drafted a pay-to-play ordinance that would open most of the professional services to competitive bidding
• In the prior election, save Councilman Minutolo who was forced off the ticket, all the council members ran for re-election. In the upcoming election, it appears only the rookie (and lifetime Republican), Councilman Tagliarini, will run again, this time for mayor. (Those who feel they can discount the Democrats in November’s election should reconsider. The Dems are assembling a formidable slate)
• Councilman Vinci will finally pay his fair share of property taxes and is no longer receiving “consulting fees” from the party
• The town passed an ordinance to have a separate vote on council members’ salaries so that it would no longer be “hidden” or “buried” in another ordinance

On the flip side,

• The town council doesn’t need to wait for an ordinance to end pay-to-play
• Financial shenanigans continue – Bill Shenton, new chair of the Aberdeem Democratic Executive Committee, didn’t just forget to file last quarter’s D-1 report with the state. He and Mayor Sobel created two new committees – One (ostensibly) for Mayor Sobel’s primary campaign and the second (even more unlikely) for Councilman Perry’s campaign. Excluding the names of the campaigns, Sobel's financial filing is identical to Perry's financial filing – identical contributions, identical contributors, identical dates, etc., including simultaneous $1,500 contributions from our good friends at CME. Worse, both candidates will be announcing in the next month or so that they have decided to not seek re-election - $8,250 for two local primary campaigns the party knows won’t happen. (Disclaimer: Councilman Perry is not involved in any party fundraising)
• The township is pushing through another Cifelli development, this time under the guise of COAH
• The town continues to reimburse homeowners $1 for confiscated land

(The APP’s recent headline that CME won a $402,259 grant to perform a remedial investigation of the South River Metals site is a rehash of a story from last April.)

Considering the conflicting data, I’d like to propose a litmus test for the town council –

1. Open all professional service contracts above $5,000 to competitive bidding
2. Give landowners fair compensation for land seized
3. Identify all people and entities that contribute to local campaigns and do business with the township

I’m even willing to make this easy on the town council and give the benefit of the doubt for 2 out of 3.

Should anyone complain that my litmus test is too difficult, please let me know which request is unreasonable. >>> Read more!

Aberdeen Dems Reforming the Party

It’s impossible to know whether the local Democratic Party’s actions represent true reform or if it’s just more election year tactics but the list of changes is growing more impressive.

First, Bill Shenton, the Aberdeen Democratic Executive Committee’s new chairman, ended Councilman Vinci’s “consulting fees”. The committee appears to be in violation of New Jersey election law for not filing a Receipts and Expenditures Quarterly Report in January but I’m guessing it was an oversight due to there being no receipts or expenditures. Councilman Vinci’s “raise” won’t cover his loss of fees.

Next was the selection of Fred Tagliarini to replace Councilwoman Gallo on the town council. Unlike Councilwoman Gallo, Councilman Tagliarini was chosen despite having no personal interests in the township aside from public service. (Ms. Gallo has been unable to make any public statements since her resignation because her son-in-law is a recent hire for the Aberdeen Police Department.) There have been rumors of grooming the councilman for the mayor’s seat but I hear he has yet to change his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat.

Then the Democratic council introduced a draft pay-to-play ordinance that would theoretically introduce some competitive pressures for professional services and, for the first time, allow us to see the true cost of engineering projects. The draft will likely be passed prior to this year’s mayoral campaign.

The latest development is Councilman Vinci will finally pay his fair share of property taxes. As previously reported, Councilman Vinci never paid taxes for land he received in 2003 from the highway authority. He then received another 2,538 square feet this past year from the township. However, those two parcels don’t seem to account for the whole story.

Last year, Councilman Vinci’s property was recorded as 86.7’ X 163’. This year, it’s 140’ X 163’, a difference of 8688 sq. feet. Also, the total property footage, 22,820 sq. feet at the end of a cul de sac, is plainly large enough to subdivide.

I can’t account for the 8688 sq. feet but I’m happy to see he’ll be paying his fair share of property taxes. By my calculations, the councilman’s taxes will be increasing over $2,000 this year.

Whether the motivations are altruistic or political, they certainly are an improvement. I’m happy to see the township moving forward. >>> Read more!

The Aberdeen Democrats’ Latest Election Filing

I always look forward to the Aberdeen Democratic Executive Committee’s quarterly filings with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. The filings often contain interesting tidbits and the latest filing doesn’t disappoint.

According to their 2nd quarterly report, the democrats have not received any political contributions this year (the amount on hand was left over from last year). This isn’t an election year so that would make sense except that, in 2006, the Executive Committee had raised $4,200 by this same point in time (see contributions in 1st quarter and 2nd quarter filings).

Then there’s the new party chairman, Bill Shenton. He succeeds longtime chairman Robert Axelrad who moved to Monroe. Shenton had replaced Councilwoman Gumbs as chairperson of the township’s planning board after she was elected to the town council. He earned a bit of “acclaim” for introducing the “McMansion Bill”, an ordinance that restricts the building height for homes. Unfortunately, he did this after being the swing vote that approved Ciaglia’s request to again subdivide a property, this time on Atlantic Avenue. (Notice the restriction is only on height. Shenton may have felt awkward asking for a size restriction since he lives in a 3200 square foot house.)

Once again, Councilman Vinci is still on the payroll, this time for “Expenses and Promotion” (page 7). He’s collecting over $2,000 a year in quarterly payments. Each payment takes place shortly after the previous quarter’s filing date and has been this way for years. I can’t tell if he’s simply taking money at the earliest opportunity or if he needs it to pay his property taxes.

Former Township Attorney Norman Kauff is still running the show through his wife’s name. Judith Kauff is still the person who signs the checks. Her name had disappeared from last quarter’s filing but it was likely just an oversight.

However, the one item that truly caught my attention was a $250 payment to Charles Uliano (page 7). Looks like they bought an hour of time from the former Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor. Why would the local Democratic Party need a consultation with the former prosecutor? Makes you wonder.

So, a new party chairman, zero contributions, and a one-hour consultation with a former assistant county prosecutor. Meanwhile, Kauff and Vinci are still up to their old games. Yup, the more things change, the more they stay the same. >>> Read more!

Aberdeen's Election Issues

The Democratic Party has controlled Aberdeen's Town Council for the past 12 years. This election will be a referendum on that control. Aberdeen Township is also a democratic enclave within Republican Monmouth County and both county and national politics will likely play a role in Tuesday's elections. Every voter should familiarize himself with the issues and the candidates prior to casting a ballot.

Below are the major issues facing Aberdeen . Due to time constraints, I have been unable to get detailed responses from the Green Party and felt it would be unfair to extrapolate their positions solely from their party's platform. Instead, I would encourage voters to visit www.aberdeengreens.org. I would also like to thank Republican Tom Aljian for explaining his party's positions. Regarding the Democrats, as the party in power for the last dozen years, their position is public record.

1. Residential Development
   Democrat – Allow continued residential development to build neighborhoods and support local businesses
   Republican - Residential development hikes property taxes by burdening our school system. Permit limited residential development to entice developers into other projects
   


2. Commercial Development
   Democrat – Office and retail development near the train station and in the Anchor Glass Factory area
   Republican - Develop comprehensive master plan rather than phased development
   


3. COAH Units ( Mount Laurel Housing)
   Democrat - Construct low income housing for the elderly, purchase some allowances in neighboring towns, and postpone the rest until absolutely necessary
   Republican - Abide by state mandates
   


4. Public School District
   Democrat – Work with the Board of Education to find new ways to improve education and control spending
   Republican - Use the power of the bully pulpit to influence the Board of Education
   


5. Traffic Congestion
   Democrat – While some traffic can be reduced through road improvements, current traffic congestion is normal for a town of our size and location
   Republican - Push county for more road improvements
   


6. County, State, Federal Funding
   Democrat – Working with officials at all levels to obtain financing for special projects such as funding for the Sea Walk Enhancement project
   Republican - Hire a professional grant writer to pursue additional grants
   


7. Anchor Glass Factory Area
   Democrat – Build office, retail, and residential units on the property
   Republican - Light commercial, light industrial, limited residential
   


8. Shore Development
   Democrat – Restore the beachfront through successive small projects until private developers find the area worthy of investment
   Republican - Float a municipal bond to properly finance beachfront development
   


9. Property Taxes
   Democrat – The municipal tax rate is stable and the town is not responsible for the school budget
   Republican - Keep surplus money in "Rainy Day" fund. Avoid election year financing gimmicks
   (Note: The Green Party has been circulating a chart showing municipal property taxes have risen 36.1% over the Democrats' 12-year tenure. The chart, however, does not account for inflation. In both real dollar terms and as a percentage of household income, municipal taxes have remained flat over the past twelve years. School taxes have risen sharply.)
   


10. Infrastructure Maintenance
    Democrat - The town has been actively maintaining the streets and sewers and will continue to do so
    Republican - Continue the town's maintenance schedule
    


11. Transit Village Project
    Democrat – 10-story office buildings, 7,000 new parking spaces, and limited residential development
    Republican - Must coordinate all transit area development with Matawan
    


12. Parks and Open Spaces
    Democrat – Parks will continue to be maintained and enhanced such as the new lighting for the Oakshades Park
    Republican - Refurbish playground facilities where needed
    


13. Contract Bidding Process
    Democrat – The current bidding process is open, fair, and competitive
    Republican - Avoid emergency no-bid contracts

>>> Read more!