The Mayor’s “Chief of Staff”?

For the record: There is no position in the City of Orange called “Chief of Staff.” Altamont Muhammad’s official job description is “Confidential Aid to the Mayor.”

This same position was described  in a May 1998  State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation Report on Orange municipal government, as the Mayor’s “chauffeur.”  The report cited the then Mayor, Robert L. Brown, with “Abuse of Office” (Exploitation of Official Position) for dispensing this job, and others, as favors “of questionable need at taxpayer’s expense”.  The individual holding the position of “Confidential Aid” at that time was only paid $15,000/yr to start, which was later increased to $34,000/yr.

$50,000/yr for a full time “Chief of Staff” position ($70.000/yr plus benefits,  including another City “job”) to serve a $25,000/yr part time Mayor should raise questions even if there were such a job. Hackett’s $49,000/yr job as State Assemblyman takes precedence over his job as Mayor- by statute. Are the taxpayers of Orange paying taxes to pay support staff for his State job as well? 

The Responsible Citizens For Orange committee has not been able to find out what, if anything, Altamont does for the City of Orange. We certainly have found a lot that he does for Mims Hackett's re-election campaigns for Mayor and State Assembly. The only consistently agree on "observation" offered by others working in the Orange City Administration, is that Altamont has never worked a forty hour week for the City of Orange.

Mr. Altamont Muhammad is in charge of collecting all political contributions from local store owners, city employees, residents, and others and depositing the money into the Re-Elect Mims Hackett, Jr. Campaign account at the local branch of the Hudson City Bank.

Altamont Muhammad is responsible for arrangements and promotion of fund raising events and organizations for the Mayor including the Orange Democratic Committee Civic Association and the Mayor’s Ball event held every October. 

Altamont Muhammad and Mims Hackett Jr. have actively directed and managed campaign activities for  supporters running for City Council.

This political activity was done during City of Orange business hours and was, and continues to be, paid for with Orange taxpayers’ money.

This is a variation of the abuses of office described in the State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation of Mayor Brown in 1998. This activity is illegal as well as unethical. We call for the State of new Jersey to reopen the investigation into City of Orange corruption to officialy expose these practices and to end this misuse of taxpayer money.