Mayor Eldridge Hawkins, Jr. ran on a platform of change and reform: Mayor Mims Hackett had claimed he was stabilizing property taxes by controlling spending
when in
fact the city continued to be burdened by run-away expenses, by the
creation of
unnecessary positions for political cronies, and by payment of
unreasonably
high salaries. "My administration will look
for a way to strategically manage the city
to a better budget"
said Hawkins
"...What he could accomplish that incumbent mayor Mims Hackett, Jr. could not?" asked the reporter
“New blood. Nothing will be handed down to me. I can sit at any table with no vendettas”, said Hawkins Jr. Interview with Orange Mayoral Candidate Eldridge Hawkins, Jr. By Kristopher Seals
Unfortunately,
little has changed. Most of the same Hackett Department Directors
are still in place. Mayor Hawkins has filled the same unnecessary
positions, some with friends and political cronies. the city continued to be burdened by run-away expenses, by the
creation of
unnecessary positions for political cronies, and by payment of
unreasonably
high salaries.
Mayor Eldridge Hawkins Jr. gives himself a 400% raise
Mayor Hawkins no Obama
It hurts when you get the cash drawer
slammed on your knuckles by taxpayers.
Even before the recent revaluation
that sent some
property taxes
soaring by 50% to 100%, Orange property tax rates were
moving steadily upward: 12% last year, 20% the year before,
58% in the last
5 years! This year Mayor Hawkins submitted a proposed budget with an 18.6% increase!
A few basics terms defined.
Cronyism:
“Favoritism shown to old friends without regard for their
qualifications, (as in political appointments to office)”.
The more formal term is “Exploitation of Official Position”. The Plain Language Guide to New Jersey’s Executive Branch Ethical Standards uses this term to warn: “You may not use your position to secure a job, contract, … or special benefit for yourself, a friend or family member.”
Examples:
- Taking an additional salary as Fire Director (Also illegal - only City Council can set mayor's salary)
- Hiring your Chief of Staff's sister instead of additional firefighters or policeman
- Hiring your political rival, Donald Page instead of additional firefighters or policeman
- Maintaining an extra police captain as a political favor to a prior corrupt administration.
Nepotism: "You may not hire,
promote. Or supervise a relative".
- The Mayor's mother is
working in the Mayor's office as a public relations spokesperson
for the City of Orange. She is a talented and powerful person;
Who is able to supervise her other than her son? Not officially accepting pay from the city
does not make her less influential or less of an employee,
nor does it lesson the potential for conflicts of interest.
Double Dipping: the holding of multiple positions
is not illegal in New Jersey as it is in other states, although it
should be. Far from being insignificant
“faults” as the Orange Transcript described
them “double dipping” is a major contributor to the
gridlock and unethical conduct
strangling political (and tax) reform efforts in New Jersey. Mims
Hackett, used his dual position as state assemblyman to helped block
dual office holding reform.
Cronyism and Double Dipping in the City of Orange Municipal Government....
Orange Multiple Job Holders
The
"full time" ($92,472) Orange
City Attorney, Marvin Braker, Esq., also works "full time" ($77,993 in 2005) for the Township
of Irvington
(as well as having his own practice) but receives "full time benefits"
from both cities. If the City of Orange shares a City
Attorney, shouldn't we also be sharing benefits and pension
expenses with the Township of Irvington? City Attorney, Marvin Braker, Esq. refuses
to acknowledge the need to document the amount of time he, or any other
attorneys working for the city, spends on city
business. Responsible management and accounting practices require
allocation of legal services to the appropriate Department and issue.
Would you hire an attorney who will not keep track of
billable hours? shouldn't we be able to account for what he is doing for Orange? Full time Orange Chief Financial
Officer, John W. (Jack) Kelly, works as a tax assessor for other towns, owns commercial
property in Orange, and appears to be getting property deals and tax breaks
through his City of Orange position. Kelley worked for the previous mayor and was cited by the
1998 New Jersey Commission of Investigation
for "unethical" and "irresponsible
behavior" in performance of his City of Orange duties. Read the
report and see if you feel your tax dollars are safe.
Orange Business Administrator, Jewel Thompson-Chin, was
hired by her friend and predecessor, Cheryl Fuller. When Fuller
left for a new job in Bergen County,
she remained on the Orange payroll as "Qualified
Purchasing Agent" and continues on the payroll at $12,000/yr.
Orange business
owners have complained that Cheryl Fuller played favorites with certain
suppliers and did not make an effort to use Orange
businesses for City purchases. A
resolution was submitted at the April 3, 2007 Orange City Council meeting to
combine City purchases with Bergen County (Where Jewel Thompson-Chin lives), ostensibly
to save Orange taxpayers some money. Jewel’s “out of
order, derogatory, and threatening” response to a citizen’s questioning of the
resolution, makes more sense when one considers the Cheryl Fuller connection.
Business Administrator, Denies Orange
Budget Gap!
"Chief of Staff" Tahirah
Cooper has two jobs that cost Orange taxpayers over $90,000/yr,
including benefits. Mayor Hawkins hired Miss Cooper for the same two crony jobs that Altamont
Coley-Muhammad held under Mims Hackett.
What
makes the job of
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) worth an extra $20,000?
How is Miss Cooper qualified? Every Citizens Budget
Advisory Committee for a number of years has recommended that this
job's responsibilities be folded into other Department and the stipend be eliminated.
There
has
never been a justification for the position of "Chief of Staff"
in the first place. Under the Faulkner Act, the Business Administrator
acts as Chief of Staff. The State objected to the position when
it was called "Confidential Aid to the Mayor" under corrupt Mayor
Brown. Citizens objected to the position under corrupt Mayor Hackett.
They still object. There is no "staff". The first act of the new Chief of Staff - before the new mayor was even sworn in - was to spend $7,250 of taxpayer money on new furniture for the mayor's office.
Hawkins
does Hackett one up by also hiring his "Chief of Staff's" Newark resident sister
and his political rival, Donald Page, to $39,000/yr make work jobs at the Orange Police Dept.
Other responsible NJ municipalities have imposed hiring and spending freezes. Hawkins is hiring and spending.
Multiple Job Holders: Here are the public employees in New
Jersey who had income reported to the state pension system by multiple
employers in 2006, along with their total reported pay.
You can get information on an individual by clicking their name, or filter the list by employer using the drop-down menu.
Multiple-job holders in ORANGE CITY.
| CHERYL GIBSON-FULLER |
4 |
$172,509 | Englewood $142,200 Hudson County $15,684 Orange $12,000, NJ Dept of Labor $2,625 |
| JOSEPH FONZINO |
2 |
$168,076 | Full time for West Orange |
| MARVIN T BRAKER |
2 |
$160,989 | City attorney, Irvington |
| RONALD THOMPSON |
2 |
$130,968 | Full time City attorney, Newark |
| JOHN W KELLY |
2 |
$130,020 | Caldwell, $23,744 |
| ROBERT CORRADO |
2 |
$104,917 | Also works for South Orange |
| ERIC S PENNINGTON |
2 |
$95,531 | Passaic Valley Sewerage $41,007 |
| GREGORY L DILLON |
2 |
$74,995 | West Orange $7,318 |
Orange
Fire Department A long time tradition of Cronyism
and mismanagement in the Orange Fire
Department has not only hurt Orange residents
in the pocketbook, but endangered their
property and firefighter’s lives by diverting funds that
should have been used for adequate
staffing and training. Eldridge
Hawkins, Jr., in spite of voting to abolish the position of Civilian
Fire Director when he was a member of the Citizens Budget Advisory
Committee the preceding year, assigned himself an
additional salary of $76,000 upon being sworn in for the
$25,000/yr Mayor's job. Under the Faulkner Act(Act NJSA 40:69a
to 40:69a-21) only the City Council can set the mayor's salary:
"Salaries of department directors, mayor, and council shall be set by
council resolution (does not require the mayor's approval)" Under former mayor Mims Hackett, the
positions of “Civilian Fire
Director” (Alan Barnhardt) and “Coordinator of Volunteer
Firefighters” (Doug Burris), were jobs that of questionable
need,
funded at Orange
taxpayer's expense. The Civilian Fire Director position continues ti be used for easy access to taxpayer cash. Administrative Clerk ( Evon Ilnor) is an important position
filled as a political favor with a person unable or unwilling to keep
up with the job's requirements. An
Orange Fire Department Deputy Chief James Fonzio ($128,542/yr under the old contract) also works for the Borough of
Peapack-Gladstone and receives retirement credit for the New Jersey
Public Employees System pension fund which is supposed to be open only to
"state, county, municipal, authority, and school board employees who
are precluded from any other NJ state pension system" (i.e.. Fire). Contractually,
the Deputy Chief works four days on, and three days off.
The second job is on his City of Orange days off. and is perfectly
legal. But how many others, like him, are taking advantage of double dipping
pension loopholes?
The
city employs a fireman full time (Joseph Rothenberger)
who also
works full time for the public works department - thus drawing two sets
of
benefits and two different retirement programs from the City of Orange
at the same time. Unlike the past position of "Coordinator of Volunteer
Firefighters," he at least shows up for work.
Chronic
under staffing of the fire department has resulted in a top heavy
Fire Department - with senior Captains and Deputy Chiefs making
up over one third of the total
active firefighters. The under staffing has resulted in at
least one other municipality (Bloonfied) refusing to honor mutual aid agreements
with the
Orange Fire Department. Overtime
cost overruns exceeded $847,692 in fiscal year 2007, and
$609,273 in FY 2008 to cover this staffing shortfall.
Overtime costs add
to the earnings that are used for retirement benefits thus costing the
city
taxpayers twice. Substandard fire department staffing can cause
homeowner insurance rates to up and expose the city of Orange
litigation. and huge damage awards.
Protection sought for protesters
Councilman Page protests "these Gestapo-like tactics"
Orange split over anti-mayor signs at council session
To
be continued.........
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