The Burlington County Republican Freeholder Board has chosen a new administrator to manage the county's finances and workforce, but apparently he can't manage his own finances, is behind on his child support and did not inform them about prior lawsuits.
In the latest example of don't lie to the media, he initially said everything was up to date on his child support when asked, but then admitted he still owed money and was finding ways to catch up. That led the paper to his ex-wife who had this harsh observation about the man and the position:
"I think it's interesting that he can get a job overseeing 2,000 employees and a budget of more than $200 million when he can't even handle paying child support on time," Johnson said Thursday. "He's just a liar. I hate to say that."
Divorces can be ugly, but that's rough. The Republican Freeholder board denied a Courier Post request to get the other applicants that were in the running for the position, so the Post kept digging and found that Drayton was not forthcoming with the Freeholders about other issues he has faced including legal actions against two former employers:
A judge in Burlington County last year issued a judgment of almost $200,000 against Paul Drayton Jr. and two partners for failing to repay a bank loan for their firm, Capital Consulting LLC of Mount Laurel.
And in 2005, Drayton sued a former employer in federal court, claiming racial and age bias were behind his termination a year earlier. Drayton last week had said he left his job rather than accept a transfer to Texas. The bias lawsuit was dismissed in July 2006, according to court records.
This isn't the first time that Drayton has found himself making headlines in the papers. As head of the DRPA, he had an ugly split:
He left in 2003 -- with a $198,000 cash severance package labeled as a settlement -- after a power struggle with Jeffrey Nash, a Camden County freeholder who was then the authority's vice chairman.
At the time, Nash called Drayton's settlement "the most blatant circumvention of DRPA policy I've ever heard of."
The two Democrats on the board were critical of the selection process all along, but those criticisms have taken on a new life in light of the revelations since the hiring. Only two of the Republican freeholders conducted the final seven interviews before choosing. The Republicans have continued to defend their selection as additional news comes out daily. Even if they still believe he's the most qualified for the job, which has to be questionable at this point, what does it say about their interview process that the newspaper in four days has been able to get more than the board did throughout their "extensive search and interview process?"
As the days go by, the situation continues to change in Burlington County. Yesterday, I got a notice reminding me of a Special Meeting to elect a new Chairman of the Democratic Committee on February 4. It said in part:
As there is some confusion as to the status of the forthcoming special meeting
The letter covered what they said were allegations made in reference to the special meeting that required them to "respond in an honest effort to clear the record." To be honest, I'm not fully clear on the acting designations, but the letter covered who is authorized to send notice of meetings and alleged procedural irregularities with the resolution. Herb Conaway had introduced a resolution at the last committee meeting calling for an election on that date, rather than in June as had been anticipated.
Today I opened my mailbox and had another letter, this from Acting Chairwoman Alice Furia:
By now you have heard about a special meeting scheduled for February 4, 2010 at Kove II, which purportedly has as its purpose the election of an "interim chairman" for the Burlington County Democratic Committee. Such an election will not take place or be recognized on that date. Pursuant to the advice and opinion of legal counsel, the special meeting February 4, 2010, to the extent it seeks to elect an interim chairman for the BCDC, is absolutely contrary to and violates the BCDC's by-laws. Therefore, any action taken at that meeting purporting to elect an interim chairman shall not be recognized, and will be declared null and void. The election iwll take place in June - as scheduled - pursuant to and as required by the BCDC's by-laws, and will take place on the first Tuesday immediately folllowing the primary election.
Along with the letter came a legal opinion from the firm of Zucker Steinberg with respect to whether an election can be held February 4:
Since the BCDC by-laws do not permit the selection of a Chair on an interim basis, any attempt to do so through a special meeting is ultra vires and therefore, void.
In fact, if a Chairperson were to be elected on an interim basis, that election would breach the by-laws and unjustly infringe upon the duties specifically assigned to the Vice Chair.
What a mess, I can only imagine what I'm going to find in my mailbox tomorrow.
Ocean County GOP Chair George Gilmore must be getting madder with each passing moment. I wrote about the pending civil war that is ready to break out over who will challenge John Adler the other day. Burlington County GOP Chair Bill Layton just can't help himself and when it's not Jon Runyan talking directly, Layton is making sure no story goes without a quote:
Layton, for his part, acknowledged that he supports Jon Runyan, but said there remains plenty of time to avoid a primary.
"To me it remains the same. Jon Runyan is the best candidate. So at some point we need to convince others of that, and that process is still taking place," he said. "If Jon Runyan was an Ocean County guy, I'd be with Jon Runyan. Jon Runyan is the best candidate for the race. It's about winning back the seat, not whether the guy is from Burlington, Ocean or Camden."
Gilmore said that he did not read any of Runyan's interviews and would wait until he has to comment.
Oh to be a fly on the wall when Gilmore finally reads the interviews. This has the real potential to be a fun one to watch. It sounds like Layton is telling Gilmore that there is plenty of time to avoid a primary as long as he agrees Runyan is the man. I don't think George Gilmore is used to that type of ultimatum.
Should Runyan and Adler face off in the general election, it would be a match of clear physical contrasts. Runyan is listed at 6-foot-7 and 330 pounds. Adler, D-3, stands 5-foot-9 and weighs less than half that, coming in at less than 160 pounds, according to Greco.
Not as if that will factor into the race as much as who has the bigger warchest. But not all the people who played with him expected this turn in Runyan's career:
"He never struck me as a politician," Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter said, "but if the 'Terminator' can become governor of California, then Jon Runyan can run for Congress."
I don't know if that's exactly a ringing endorsement of Runyan. More important than what Runyan says or the people who played with him say, is what the Ocean County chair George Gilmore believes. He doesn't seem sold on Runyan running yet:
"If he has a good season with the Chargers, they might offer him a (new) contract," Gilmore said. "Just because he says he's running for Congress, it doesn't mean he will."
"I'll wait for Mr. Runyan to make contact and we'll take it from there, but obviously there are a lot of viable candidates out there," said Gilmore. "Some are from Ocean County, some from Burlington, and we'll have to wait and see how they all withstand the scrutiny that will be put on their strengths and weaknesses."
When Runyan does call, Gilmore already has some questions:
Gilmore also noted that Runyan - a free agent who is not active in the NFL right now but has not retired - has expressed interest in past interviews about returning to play football.
"These are the questions we want to ask, but I have yet to have the opportunity to discuss this with Mr. Runyan," he said.
It's not like Gilmore is just someone in GOP politics, as evidenced to his appointment on the Christie transition team. Wally had more on Gilmore's influence:
Gilmore, a superstar since he delivered a 70,000-vote margin for Gov.-elect Christopher Christie last week, has reacted poorly to demonstrations of disrespect like this in the past. In 2005, Gilmore gave GOP gubernatorial candidate Douglas Forrester a list of calls he needed to make to secure support in Ocean County. To Gilmore's annoyance, Forrester never made most of the calls; Gilmore instead gave the Ocean County GOP line to Robert Schroeder, who diligently courted local Republicans. Forrester won the primary, but never got Gilmore fully engaged; he won Ocean County by about a third of what Christie did.
Gilmore and the Republicans would probably like to avoid a repeat of last year, where a costly primary fight between the counties left them fighting an uphill battle against Adler. While Gilmore may not have gotten a call, Burlington County Republican Chair Bill Layton is already a member of the Jon Runyan for Congress facebook group. That's sure to make Gilmore happy.
The first thing that has to happen is for Runyan to decide if he's just seriously considering or ready to jump in the political fray.
As of yesterday, the McGuire Airforce Base, Fort Dix and Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering station no longer exist:
Fort Dix is being merged with the neighboring McGuire Air Force Base and Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering Station to make the military's first three-branch base, a 65-square-mile behemoth stretching through farmland and forests and given the clunky moniker Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
What a name. This merger has been in the works since 2005 and October 1 was the deadline set by the Department of Defense to reach "full operational capacity." This isn't the only merger going on around the country:
It's part of a strategy of reorganizing and standardizing the services. Twenty-six bases around the country are to be merged into 12 new joint bases, a move Defense officials say could save $2 billion over 20 years.
And even though the Air Force will be in command of the joint base, it did not seem to ruffle the feathers of Army and Navy personnel.
"We fight together anyway. In Iraq and Afghanistan, there are soldiers (from all the branches) fighting side by side. We also already train together and go to school together. So our young service members understand what this is all about," said Army Col. Joseph Poth, the joint base's deputy commander. "And now we'll be able to look at things from three different perspectives. That's the way it should be if we expect to win America's wars. Especially the kind of warfare we're currently involved in."
And they're not done making improvements or trying to secure more funding for future development:
Grosso said $275 million worth of projects are still under construction that will help the joint base reach its full potential.
And Adler said efforts are ongoing to secure even more funding for the joint base, money he said would trickle down to surrounding communities.
"A lot of the people who work here commute here from nearby towns," Adler said. "We have an opportunity to grow the economies of Ocean and Burlington counties ahead of the rest of the nation in coming out of this recession."
The alternative to merging the bases would have been some form of closures. Former Congressman Jim Saxton was credited with helping avoid that:
Saxton said one of the main reasons he fought so hard to keep the bases open was the negative effect that closing them would have on the surrounding communities.
"There are close to 30,000 people who come to work here," he said. "Closing them would have left a tremendous gap in the local economy that would be irreplaceable."
That is certainly an economic impact. Lakehurst's Director of support said they are the largest employer in Ocean County and they don't expect that to change. The joint base is actually the nation's first all service facility.
Responding to building pressure for him to resign as Chairman of the Burlington Democrats, Rick Perr tonight stepped down effective September 1:
Burlington County Democratic Chairman Rick Perr has resigned. In an e-mail sent at 10:09 PM to Alice Furia, the Vice Chair, Perr said simply: "I am resigning as Chairman of the Burlington County Democratic Committee effective 12:01 am on September 1, 2009." Furia will become Acting Chair.
Democratic Chairman Rick Perr and former committee treasurer Jeff Meyer previously had denied any involvement with the Medford-based New Frontier Committee, but numerous e-mails obtained by the Burlington County Times show the two corresponded with New Frontier's treasurer Jack Senechal on fundraising, campaign contributions and committee finances.
Meyer had already resigned and a county committee meeting was scheduled to select a new Treasurer this week. But following the article, a steady stream of releases came out throughout the day on Monday calling on Perr to go. Follow me below the fold for more.
Talk about a surprise at the first working meeting of the new council in Evesham this past Tuesday night:
The council voted last month to put a referendum on the November ballot, asking residents whether they want local elections held in November, instead of May.
But in a surprise move, Deputy Mayor Joe Howarth introduced an ordinance Tuesday that would repeal that decision Tuesday.
Howarth said he's not opposed to the referendum or moving the election, but said he thinks more discussion needs to take place.
More discussion has to take place, but at the last minute he rushes through a resolution to repeal the chance for voters to weigh in on that conversation? Apparently he wants to have a discussion, but not letting members of the current council know what he was planning to do surely doesn't lead itself to more discussion:
Mayor Randy Brown said he and Councilman John McKenna, both Democrats, weren't told about the ordinance.
Howarth said even Hackman and Croft were caught off guard.
Those are some great communication skills for the discussion. Howarth appears to want to defend the politics he has, not what may be; and there is a cost to the voters:
Supporters of the referendum say it will save the township $50,000 every two years and could increase voter turnout.
But Howarth offered a different take.
"If it was just about the money, it would've been done after (Brown) took office, in that first year," he said. "But they did it after they lost an election, and that leads me to believe there are other motives."
Ah, so those evil sore losers. There was actually talk and plans to move the election because of cost savings and increased turnout long before the last results came in. Rather than a discussion with everyone, it seems like Howarth is just talking to himself. Or maybe he is only having his "discussions" with those same politically connected people that helped to get him elected.
He says he wants a discussion, but he didn't tell anyone he was raising the issue and now has scheduled an emergency special meeting on July 27 to expedite a 2nd reading on the matter. And where was he discussing the issue during the open comments when the resolution was being considered after he was elected to office, but before he was sworn in? Howarth had an opportunity to "join the discussion," but sat silent. That's some in depth conversation Howarth is leading.
Drollas is with Burlington County GOP Party Boss Glenn Paulsen's law firm, Capehart Scatchard Attorneys at Law of Mount Laurel. While Paulsen isn't the formal party Chairman, his next door neighbor Bill Layton holds the role. The Burlington County Democrats put out a video last year detailing the connections of the Paulsen's 20 shell game and how they finance the election of Republicans in the county. At 2 minutes, 19 seconds of that video, they explored the connections of Drollas guaranteeing $30,000 in loans along with the work he and his family have received. Not only did Drollas become solicitor, but Capehart scored another appointment with Brian Kowalski being named the new bond counsel. The Burlington County Democrats didn't miss the chance to respond to this latest connection:
The Paulsen's 20 (www.paulsens20.com) is a political version of a Ponzi scheme founded by Paulsen in which investors have made over $30 million in taxpayer-funded contracts, jobs, salaries and billings.
Paulsen said his contributions have nothing to do with his law firm doing work in the county.
"Pay-to-play is illegal. There never were quid pro quos when I was county chairmen or now," he said. "That shouldn't preclude me or anyone else from exercising their first amendment rights in accordance with the law."
Come to think of it, it's probably fitting that Chris Christie didn't attend the event. He turned his back as US Attorney while corruption reigned at the Burlington County Bridge Commission, where under oath it was said by Bob Stears at sentencing, "I got sucked into a corrupt group of people." The former Republican Mayor of Evesham Gus Tamburro said Paulsen held the attitude, "So let it be written, so Let it be done." Last Wednesday, it was done once again.
The latest release from the GOP candidates for Freeholder in Burlington County speaks volumes about their own GOP Freeholder Leadership:
Garganio & O'Brien Call Budget Process "A Mess;"
This is the budget that their own Republican counterparts they want to join on the board crafted. Here's how the candidates described things as they continued:
Pointing to spotty, unreliable revenue information provided by staff that made the county budget process "a mess" and lamenting the failure of the freeholder board to make the tough decisions necessary...
With friends like that... If that's how their own people speak about them and the way they do work, what do you think the Democratic opponents will have to say?
State Sen. Philip Haines (R-Springfield) will remain in the Senate until after the November general election, and will become a Superior Court Judge during the Legislature's lame duck session, according to sources familiar with the pending appointment.
Haines, a 59-year-old Burlington County Republican who was elected in 2007 after years as the County Clerk and as a Freeholder, has spent much of this year angling for a judgeship. Democrats prefer that a special election for his seat be put off until November 2010, rather than this fall.
That last line is the key. The 8th has been a tough district and Democrats would be hoping that having Adler at the top of the ticket will give an extra boost to their candidate for Senate. Chris Myers will just have to wait a little bit longer.
Burlington County Republicans are saying that they expect Gov. Jon Corzine to nominate State Sen. Philip Haines (R-Springfield) to the Superior Court this month, and that Haines has told party leaders he could be out of the Senate as early as June 25. Republican sources say that Christopher Myers, a former Medford Mayor who won 48% in a bid for Congress last year, has emerged as the leading candidate to win a July special election convention to fill Haines' seat.
We here at Blue Jersey always thought that Myers was running a campaign for State Senate rather than United States Congress. At least we know he already has the state GOP talking points down.
And after Republican Freeholder James Wujcik disclosed additional county revenue of $621,000, Democratic Freeholder Chris Brown became incensed that other board members were unaware of the development.
"This information is absolutely critical. When you put a budget together, we need the damn numbers," Brown said. "We should not be handed a document (tonight) saying there is another $621,000. This is a joke."
The freeholders unanimously passed Brown's motion to table action on the Donnelly budget until the freeholders can review new budget information.
Wujcik said he learned earlier Wednesday that the county would have to pay $621,000 less in projected payments for leased bonds sold through the county bridge commission. Wujcik, who said he did not withhold that information from the board, later called Brown "arrogant" and "pompous."
As to the disclosure timeline, Donnelly apparently briefed the Republican Freeholders earlier in the day, but left the two Democrats on the board in the dark on the matter. The Democrats challenging for the Freeholder seats in November jumped at the opening:
"How do you "find" more than $600,000 this late in the process, when a budget is up for public hearing?" asked Bernard. "That's either incompetence or dishonesty, but it's definitely fiscal malpractice. Burlington County taxpayers deserve accountability from their public officials."
"The political appointees who are responsible for this stunt need to be punished or terminated," said Kersey. "This is precisely why their patronage salaries need to be cut. Actions such as this "miraculous discovery" of revenue at the last minute are more proof they are over-paid and under-qualified."
Maybe the Governor can call the bridge commission for help with the state shortfall too.
Last week, Amy Voorhees, a 27 year old teacher unfortunately lost her life in a terrible automobile accident. The passengers of the other vehicle were both illegal immigrants who fled the scene. Mount Laurel Councilman Tracy Riley was appointed by the courts to defend the passenger in the fatal accident. And now, we get the news that Riley has resigned from her position on the Democratic Committee, citing "irreconcilable differences":
"After long conversations with the leaders of the Burlington County Democratic Party, it has become apparent we have irreconcilable differences regarding my private work," she said. "I do not want my private legal work to become a distraction in this party's pursuit of government reform. Simultaneously, I am dedicated to honoring the oath I have taken as a lawyer and will continue to provide a zealous defense as the Constitution requires. Therefore, I am resigning my position within the Burlington County Democratic Committee."
She offered no additional comment when reached by the paper. Rick Perr, the party chairman had this comment:
"Today, I have respectfully accepted Tracy Riley's resignation from the Burlington County Democratic Committee," Perr said. "Tracy is a zealous advocate for the constitutional rights of her clients and wishes to pursue her career in such a manner. As the elected chairman of the Burlington County Democratic Committee, I have taken a pledge to execute our organization's mission to represent the working families of Burlington County. It has become apparent that Tracy's private legal work may be at odds with that mission."
It may make it more difficult to elect people because of the political ramifications of the immigration issue, but I don't see how her legal work runs counter to the mission. This isn't the first time Riley's legal work has become a political football. In her unsuccessful 2007 Assembly bid, Republicans basically called her a terrorist sympathizer because her husbands law firm was representing one of the Ft. Dix defendants.
I can't help but wonder if this development only raises the profile of the issue. The Democrats were already going to be attacked over this issue regardless of Riley, as they were two years ago.
However, the point that seems disturbing is Rick Perr's statement that Riley's being an advocate for constitutional rights run counter to the mission of serving working families. Is Perr saying that the Burlington Democrats are not committed to defending the Constitutional rights of the County's working families? And isn't being appointed by the court something that a defense attorney can't decide to decline - for risk of her livelihood and career?
It's a shame that something that seems to be politically motivated turns out to be a sloppy action that seems to have the effect of telling Burlington County families that rights enumerated by the Bill of Rights isn't all that important.
Some of the largest gains in the 2008 election for Democrats were seen in Burlington County. We saw a great many firsts for the party. Congressman Adler became the first democrat elected for the NJ3 in over 100 years. Two democratic freeholder and County Clerk were also elected on the county level for the first time in over 20 years. Now we look to this election year, where control of the freeholder board will be up for grabs. Rumors abound that at least one Republican incumbent is not planning to seek re-election. That served as the backdrop to a visit this morning before a packed house for the County Committee breakfast by Governor Corzine and State Chairman Joe Cryan. Also in attendance were the new Democratic County Freeholders and the Assemblymen from the 7th District, Herb Conaway and Jack Conners.
The Governor talked about everything from SCHIP and the stimulus, to transportation funding and veterans issues. He touched on the upcoming election and the opportunities Burlington County Democrats will have.
He also took questions from the audience on foreclosure issues and received an invitation to participate in a debate during the general election from the Veterans for Education, who sponsored Adler/Myers and Andrews/Glading debates last cycle.
In the thin sliver of a county that is Camden County, with over 500,000 residents bunched into 222 square miles, remaining open space is few and far between. Unmitigated growth of this Philadelphia suburban county, with very little foresight, has resulted in one of the most developed counties in the state. The problems and financial constraints involved in open space preservation, though, coupled with the high cost of land in places like Cherry Hill, Haddon Heights, and Haddonfield, make preserving open space a difficult endeavor. My sense is that any progressive agenda must include environmental preservation and long-term sustainability as part of its platform, and this includes work to preserve open space on a local level.
UPDATE:Guess what? I tested out something new - shooting video of the radio show. And, after some editing, it ended up sortof, well, ... you decide. -JG:
Chris Brown, Burlington County Freeholder
Each week, Blue Jersey Radio streams LIVE with New Jersey's latest political buzz, interviews with newsmakers, and your stimulating calls.
This week: It's a new year, with new faces popping up all around the state. One of them is the new democratic Freeholder from Burlington County, Chris Brown, who will share with us what it's like to be the first democrat sworn in to his seat in almost 30 years.
Something brewing in your head? - you can always give us a call and have your say.
That number again is: 646-652-2773.
And, if you arrive a little early, by all means, take a last look back at 2008's Blue Jersey Radio year in review. We're hoping to make this year even better. Talk to you later!
In a split vote, the all-Republican county Board of Freeholders broke from tradition and awarded three, three-year contracts Tuesday.
Conner Strong Companies Inc. was named the county's insurance broker from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2011. Anderson, Jackson, Metts was named benefits broker. And Berkley Risk Managers was named the third-party administrator for the same period.
Yes, the Freeholders who just got dumped from office "broke from tradition" - a nice way of saying "ensured their bread got buttered" - by handing out multi-year contracts. The best part is this: Freeholders Aubrey Fenton and Joe Donnelly, who wasn't at the meeting but voted by phone, supported all three.
Joe Donnelly couldn't even be bothered to be corrupt in person. How quaint! Yes, those Republicans really do have their own way of doing things, don't they?
Tomorrow at noon, Burlington County will hold their reorganization for county offices at a public building, the Olde Courthouse in Mount Holly, during an open public meeting. I decided that I wanted to go, but was told to make sure I had a ticket. As a Democrat wandering in the Republican desert of Burlington County for many years of my life, I and many others were excited to see this historic change. The last time we had a Democrat sworn in at the county level in Burlington was 1980. They left the board in 1983. It's been a long time coming.
Never before had the freeholder board tried to limit access to the reorganization. Then again, maybe they didn't think people would actually come when the same Republicans were elected over and over. Times have changed. Two Democratic Freeholders will be sworn in along with the new Democratic Clerk. Apparently the GOP was afraid of the crowds wanting to witness.
The GOP freeholders came up with a plan to limit attendance to "ticket holders" by funneling tickets through officeholders first. If any were left over after that, the public could be lucky enough to see their newly elected officials sworn in. It was a clear effort to limit the crowd to a more friendly audience.
After pressure from many Democrats, the GOP has reversed course and agreed to open up the meeting and swearing in to anyone who wants to attend. Attendance will still be first come, first serve until the courthouse reaches capacity. Here's what Burlington County Democratic Party Chairman Rick Perr had to say about the situation:
Burlington County Democrats ran on a platform that included increasing accessibility to county government. This is just the first step in showing that having Democrats in county government actually makes a difference.
I'm glad the GOP freeholders scrapped the county Ticketmaster policy. What were they afraid of, people coming to see government in action?
George Pierson just wants to exercise his Constitutional rights. He believes that disbanding the Cinnaminson Police was a bad idea and that the services received from Burlington County do not measure up. So he set up a mobile sign and tried to get his neighbors to pay attention.
However Mayor Young disagreed, noting the sign was removed because the township's recently adopted sign ordinance expressly forbids mobile signs from being left on public property.
How con-VEEEEEEEEEEEN-ient!
Now, apparently, there is also a secret law against using public information gained through lawful means. Make the jump.
How con-VEEEEEEEEEEEN-ient!
