Welcome to taxes2high.org

Mims Hackett’s actions have already cost Orange taxpayers millions of dollars in lawsuit settlement costs.

· Friends and relatives of the Mayor in low or no show jobs have cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, and denied job opportunities for more qualified Orange residents!

Mims Hackett expertly works the double dipping and multiple job (and pension) loopholes to squeeze every extra dollar he can from taxpayers.

· Mayor Hackett uses questionable receipts and bogus expenses to take additional thousands of dollars a year from taxpayers!

Mayor Hackett uses Orange taxpayer’s money, city employees and equipment for his personal political benefit.

The Mayor has gotten away with this behavior for years because he is a charming and likable man. Most citizens are unaware or too trusting to object. Hardworking employees of Orange who witnessed illegal or unethical behavior of City Officials are too discouraged or fearful for their jobs to do anything about it.

Orange taxpayers are struggling with a $50 million dollar annual municipal budget - but this is only the tip of the iceberg. The City has survived for years on grants and subsidies. Our schools have been getting a free ride to the tune of $67 million, along with an additional $13 million in additional State Aid last year alone.

The fiscal crisis that Mayor Hackett refuses to face is the fact the New Jersey State has its' own fiscal crisis that puts these subsidies at risk. Other NJ Municipalities are objecting to subsidizing cities like Orange. The loss of even 1 million dollars in aid will have serious consequences on our property tax bills and municipal services.

There is currently $250 million in Orange redevelopment investment plans in various stages of planning - not because of Mayor Mims Hackett’s charm or vision of the future, but because of the location, transportation and availability of redevelopment sites in our city. Redevelopment can enhance the tax base and provide jobs for Orange residents or the benefits can be squandered away in political graft, mismanagement and corruption.

Feb15, 2007 The Responsible Citizens For Orange served Mayor Hackett with paperwork initiating a recall effort with the aim of having him voted out of office at the citywide elections in November. The petition of recall has been accepted by the City Clerk and the signature gathering process has started!

We come together in this effort to recall Mayor Hackett, not as residents of a specific Ward, nor as homeowners, renters, or businessmen, but rather as responsible citizens and taxpayers.

The impact of recent property tax bill increases caused many Orange residents to focus on municipal spending and the conduct of our elected officials. Reviewing the Mayor’s current and past budgets, studying documents, and attending City Council meetings, revealed that our City is plagued by run-away expenses caused in part by unnecessary positions, and unreasonably high salaries. For example, the Mayor allows a Coordinator of Volunteer Firefighting Services to earn approximately $100,000 (inclusive of benefits), yet Orange has no volunteer fire fighters; the Mayor’s Confidential Aide earns over $50,000 working, not for the City of Orange, but as the Mayor's political "Chief of Staff." Worse, our City administration lacks the vision, the will and the leadership to tackle these problems.

Allowing the continued deterioration of the City due to the Mayor’s mismanagement, fiscal irresponsibility, and cronyism will eventually hurt all citizens. Orange is in a fiscal crisis that can not wait another two years.

Mayor Hackett Responded to the Responsible Citizens For Orange criticisms by dismissing our group as “disgruntled citizens” (true) fronting for “wannabe rivals” waging “political war”, “telling lies in the form of a smear campaign” (not true). We expected such responses from a politician whose hand was in the cookie jar when the citizens turned on the kitchen light.

The Orange Transcript surprised us, though. In a recent editorial, “Case not proven”, the editors used some of our website Did you know? factoids at face value, as examples of our case against the Mayor. Noting that everything we objected to was "legal". They judged the “faults of the Hackett administration … (as) not causes for his removal”.

The Mayor and the Editors of the Orange Transcript both miss the point. Being "legal" and staying out of jail are not the measures of good government. They have confused legal with ethical. The "faults" of the Hackett administration are costing us money; Taxpayer money, not the Mayor's money.

The Orange Transcript editorial made us realize that many good people in the City of Orange (including our hardworking public servants that have had to shoulder the burden of their "low show" brethren) and in the State of New Jersey, have lived in this polluted political environment for so long that they mistake it for the norm. People are "disgruntled", as the Mayor says, but can't exactly explain why. They think that change is imposable - but they are wrong!

Responsible Citizens For Orange members believe that ethical, efficient government is possible and that from this foundation, fair tax policy can be realized. The voters of the City of Orange will decide in november whether we have proven our case for the recall of Mayor Hackett.

Recall Committee calls for Mayor Hackett to resign rather than force special election

September 10, 2007

2007 Committee to Recall Mayor Mims Hackett, Jr.

The recall petition drive of Orange Mayor, Mims Hackett Jr. comes to a conclusion today, having been overtaken by current events. The arrest of Mayor Hackett in an FBI sting operation last week validates our recall campaign and publicizes the abuses suffered by the taxpayers of Orange more dramatically than our own citizens’ initiative could ever hope to do.

It is our hope, and belief, that Mims Hackett, Jr. will soon resign his position as Mayor of Orange. The criminal justice system of the United States dictates the presumption of innocence. The actual criminal complaint against Mims Hackett, Jr., however, leaves little doubt that the Mayor has betrayed the public’s trust. We agree with Governor Corzine. Mims Hackett cannot remain in the office of mayor.

The 2007 Committee to Recall Mayor Mims Hackett. Jr., after much deliberation, has decided not to file our completed petitions for a November recall election but will defer to the statutory processes already in place. We consider the removal of Mayor Hackett from office to be only the first step in purging corruption from Orange and restoring ethical, efficient city government. We think that our time and resources can be better used in this effort than spent in duplicating the election process for a five month replacement mayor.

We wish to thank the thousands of Orange citizens who signed our petitions and our dedicated recall workers for their civic responsibility and courage in what was once believed by some to be an impossible task.


	Mims Hackett Jr., Mayor of Orange, New Jersey The Case For Recall "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. *Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."* -- Margaret Mead

Home Our Mission Get Involved Press Need help? About Us Property Tax Municipal Spending Contacts	Mims Hackett’s actions have already cost Orange taxpayers millions of dollars in lawsuit settlement costs. · Friends and relatives of the Mayor in low or no show jobs have cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, and denied job opportunities for more qualified Orange residents! Mims Hackett expertly works the double dipping and multiple job (and pension) loopholes to squeeze every extra dollar he can from taxpayers. · Mayor Hackett uses questionable receipts and bogus expenses to take additional thousands of dollars a year from taxpayers! The Mayor and his appointee’s steer contracts and city business to benefit their friends and political cronies. Mayor Hackett uses Orange taxpayer’s money, city employees and equipment for his personal political benefit. The Mayor has gotten away with this behavior for years because he is a charming and likable man. Most citizens are unaware or too trusting to object. Hardworking employees of Orange who witnessed illegal or unethical behavior of City Officials are too discouraged or fearful for their jobs to do anything about it. Orange taxpayers are struggling with a $50 million dollar annual municipal budget - but this is only the tip of the iceberg. The City has survived for years on grants and subsidies. Our schools have been getting a free ride to the tune of $67 million, along with an additional $13 million in additional State Aid last year alone. The fiscal crisis that Mayor Hackett refuses to face is the fact the New Jersey State has its' own fiscal crisis that puts these subsidies at risk. Other NJ Municipalities are objecting to subsidizing cities like Orange. The loss of even 1 million dollars in aid will have serious consequences on our property tax bills and municipal services. There is currently $250 million in Orange redevelopment investment plans in various stages of planning - not because of Mayor Mims Hackett’s charm or vision of the future, but because of the location, transportation and availability of redevelopment sites in our city. Redevelopment can enhance the tax base and provide jobs for Orange residents or the benefits can be squandered away in political graft, mismanagement and corruption. Feb15, 2007 The Responsible Citizens For Orange served Mayor Hackett with paperwork initiating a recall effort with the aim of having him voted out of office at the citywide elections in November. The petition of recall has been accepted by the City Clerk and the signature gathering process has started! "Statement of reasons: We come together in this effort to recall Mayor Hackett, not as residents of a specific Ward, nor as homeowners, renters, or businessmen, but rather as responsible citizens and taxpayers. The impact of recent property tax bill increases caused many Orange residents to focus on municipal spending and the conduct of our elected officials. Reviewing the Mayor’s current and past budgets, studying documents, and attending City Council meetings, revealed that our City is plagued by run-away expenses caused in part by unnecessary positions, and unreasonably high salaries. For example, the Mayor allows a Coordinator of Volunteer Firefighting Services to earn approximately $100,000 (inclusive of benefits), yet Orange has no volunteer fire fighters; the Mayor’s Confidential Aide earns over $50,000 working, not for the City of Orange, but as the Mayor's political "Chief of Staff." Worse, our City administration lacks the vision, the will and the leadership to tackle these problems. Allowing the continued deterioration of the City due to the Mayor’s mismanagement, fiscal irresponsibility, and cronyism will eventually hurt all citizens. Orange is in a fiscal crisis that can not wait another two years. Please join us in this effort to recall Mayor Hackett." Mayor Hackett Responded to the Responsible Citizens For Orange criticisms by dismissing our group as “disgruntled citizens” (true) fronting for “wannabe rivals” waging “political war”, “telling lies in the form of a smear campaign” (not true). We expected such responses from a politician whose hand was in the cookie jar when the citizens turned on the kitchen light. The Orange Transcript surprised us, though. In a recent editorial, “Case not proven”, the editors used some of our website Did you know? factoids at face value, as examples of our case against the Mayor. Noting that everything we objected to was "legal". They judged the “faults of the Hackett administration … (as) not causes for his removal”. The Mayor and the Editors of the Orange Transcript both miss the point. Being "legal" and staying out of jail are not the measures of good government. They have confused legal with ethical. The "faults" of the Hackett administration are costing us money; Taxpayer money, not the Mayor's money. The Orange Transcript editorial made us realize that many good people in the City of Orange (including our hardworking public servants that have had to shoulder the burden of their "low show" brethren) and in the State of New Jersey, have lived in this polluted political environment for so long that they mistake it for the norm. People are "disgruntled", as the Mayor says, but can't exactly explain why. They think that change is imposable - but they are wrong! Responsible Citizens For Orange members believe that ethical, efficient government is possible and that from this foundation, fair tax policy can be realized. The voters of the City of Orange will decide in november whether we have proven our case for the recall of Mayor Hackett. Recall Committee calls for Mayor Hackett to resign rather than force special election September 10, 2007 2007 Committee to Recall Mayor Mims Hackett, Jr. The recall petition drive of Orange Mayor, Mims Hackett Jr. comes to a conclusion today, having been overtaken by current events. The arrest of Mayor Hackett in an FBI sting operation last week validates our recall campaign and publicizes the abuses suffered by the taxpayers of Orange more dramatically than our own citizens’ initiative could ever hope to do. It is our hope, and belief, that Mims Hackett, Jr. will soon resign his position as Mayor of Orange. The criminal justice system of the United States dictates the presumption of innocence. The actual criminal complaint against Mims Hackett, Jr., however, leaves little doubt that the Mayor has betrayed the public’s trust. We agree with Governor Corzine. Mims Hackett cannot remain in the office of mayor. The 2007 Committee to Recall Mayor Mims Hackett. Jr., after much deliberation, has decided not to file our completed petitions for a November recall election but will defer to the statutory processes already in place. We consider the removal of Mayor Hackett from office to be only the first step in purging corruption from Orange and restoring ethical, efficient city government. We think that our time and resources can be better used in this effort than spent in duplicating the election process for a five month replacement mayor. We wish to thank the thousands of Orange citizens who signed our petitions and our dedicated recall workers for their civic responsibility and courage in what was once believed by some to be an impossible task.

Copyright © 2006 All Rights Reserved

Mims Hackett Jr., Mayor of Orange, New Jersey