The new administration has failed again to keep their promises. The agenda for the February 22nd committee meeting had nothing on it about a discussion of the staffing of the construction office. A check of the online agenda even today shows that the item was not “added” just prior to the meeting.
This was an important discussion since it is a “money decision”, one that impacts the municipal budget. It is also important because one of the subjects of the discussion, the code enforcement official, has for years come under fire for how he has performed his duties. The code enforcement officer was un-officially banned from committee meetings after verbally attacking and berating Mullica citizens in the public forums.
The irony here is that on one occasion when an item was added to the agenda in 2010, former mayor Forman complained at the meeting that the public was not given advance notice of the item. Now, under the same circumstances, she has gushed about what a great meeting it was. Why, Janet, is okay for the new administration to do this when you complained last year? This is the hippocrisy that we have all come to expect from our former mayor. She stood up at a public meeting in 2010 and suggested that it would be wise to hire a code enforcement official from outside of Mullica, but now seems to be going out of her way to support the code enforcement officer who is rumored to have testified on her behalf in her dispute with the Department of Environmental Protection.
I did not attend the meeting, so I am not placing blame on one party or the other as to who brought the subject to the table. Perhaps someone in attendance can enlighten us. I do take offense to the new mayor allowing this sensitive subject to be not only discussed but also voted on without public notification. Again, the code enforcement officer is also the host of Mayor Brown’s Republican Club meetings. When the subject is then blocked from the public’s input, it serves to further the perception that the new mayor is putting political hacks ahead of what is best for Mullica Township.
I will cover the financial impact of hidden government on Mullica Tax Force, but I will state here that the beat goes on with broken promises from Janet Forman’s puppets, Jim Brown and Larry Riffle.
Michael St. Amour
Moderator, Mullica Tax Force
Saturday, February 26, 2011
OPEN GOVERNMENT ANOTHER BROKEN PROMISE OF NEW ADMINISTRATION
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16 comments:
Since Sandman's bar is "Mullica Republican Headquarters" and if the club was not paying for it's use, KBR needed to recuse themselves from voting on Sandman's reappointment or any employment changes. It's called a conflict of interest and probably is illegal.
There was a written amended agenda but still the committee should have voted to add the resolutions if they were added after the legal deadline.
From Mullica's ordinance:
"Resolutions shall be prepared by the Township Solicitor upon request of a majority of the Council. Every proposed resolution shall be prepared in writing and may be introduced at any regularly scheduled meeting of the Council upon a motion and seconding, subject to Rule 5."
Rule 5:
"Any and all matters to be presented to and acted upon by the Council at its regular meetings must be filed in the office of the Clerk not later than 12:00 noon six working days preceding the date of such meeting, and unless so filed, will not be considered by the Council until the next succeeding regular meeting of said Council, unless authorized by majority vote of the members present."
Finally:
"The agenda for each regular and special meeting of the Township Committee shall be prepared by the Clerk. Except for emergency matters which may be added at any time, the agenda of each regular meeting of the Committee shall include only such matters of business as have been presented or delivered to the Clerk not later than five days preceding the meeting. The Township Committee may, by majority vote, amend or make additions to any meeting agenda. As soon as the agenda for each meeting is prepared, the Clerk shall deliver a copy to each Committee member and to the Township Solicitor."
At a minimum, the latest that the agenda could have been changed without a vote to add would have been the Thursday night before the scheduled meeting.
The previous administration always voted, in public, to add resolutions that did not meet the deadline, as the law requires. They can't be done behind closed doors. That's illegal.
Both the solicitor and township clerk know the rules, so they are as much to blame.
"Both the solicitor and township clerk know the rules, so they are as much to blame."
Its gone on so long under previous rebublican adiministrations that it has become habit.
Mullica is very lucky to have Brown, Riffle & Kennedy representing the taxpayers interest. They are not looking for anything but to keep Mullica Township viable for future families.
To 6:22pm...
How are Brown Riffle and Kennedy doing any better for Mullica than the other two on committee?
ARE YOU ONE OF JIM BROWN'S KIDS???
When I get my tax bill, I'll let you know how they are doing. If my taxes go up, they're not doing what they said they'd do. Plain and simple, and I think I'll need to keep it simple for you.
6:22, how do you keep Mullica "viable" by paying money out to a political hack? And Kennedy doesn't think for himself...he just does what he is told. He doesn't even know the meaning of viable, and I'm not sure you do either.
re 6:22pm
It's quite obvious that Brown has rolled out the red carpet for the "Republican County Machine".
He has taken large political contributions from County outsiders,hired the President of the County Republicans to be our Solicitor,put an unqualified crony in a position against the best interest of the taxpayers costing us money.
From what I've heard and read,Brown has no idea how to run a civilized meeting and he and his shills are rude,insulting and getting threatening to the public.
I do not feel that Mullica is lucky at all. We have regressed to days where the citizens of this town are not the first priority. Brown owes the County and the County could care less about the wishes of the people here.
Viable for "future families" could mean a low income housing development that the County would love to shove on us. Our school taxes would go sky high and the rest of us would have to move out.
re 6:22 pm
It seems to me that Brown is bought and paid for by the County Republicans. I want to know what the County is looking into in Mullica. They invested their money here for some purpose and now Brown owes them a favor.
re 12:04 am
I was thinking along the same lines as you. We will have to wait and see what plans are in the works for Mullica. I hope we find out a lot faster than when the rail transfer station was kept a secret from us by Chasey.
Township business is not supposed to be discussed among committee members on the sly and behind closed doors. That's why we have committee meetings, for the people's business to be discussed out in the open. If no one on committee objected to how this was put on the agenda, then everyone on commitee knew about it and they're all culpable for letting this happen. Folks, this is not the open government that you all said you were for when you ran for election.
Gee, on Mullica News,Janet Forman thinks it's shameful what is being written about Jim Brown. The shameful part is that every word is true and Jim Brown's own actions led to the things being exposed.
She thinks that Brown would never put our town in jeopardy. This is coming from the person that continually raised our taxes,kept the rail transfer station a secret, used our tax payer money to try and get a dense housing development put on Waszen's property,broke DEP laws,was involved in insurance fraud and used town employees for her benefit,etc,etc,etc,.
Now,she is Brown's biggest,loudest supporter with Chasey right by her side. Just their support of Brown alone would put doubts in my mind about him. His own actions prove to me that he is starting to play their same games.
The Tax Force is a great benefit to the people who really want to know what's going on and who desire an ethical government in Mullica.
re2:01pm
You're right! Forman is causing severe damage to Brown just by her association with him and her vile writings. She has more to cover up than anyone in this town and is just bringing more and more attention to her past by her continued debasement of Mike.
Brown brought his troubles on himself by listening to the wrong people. I feel that Brown should cut his ties now with the past Forman/Chasey administration that brought this town so much trouble. We don't need the County involved in our business either!
I am grateful that we still have the Gadfly and now the Tax Force to get the truth out to the people. Maybe someday Brown and his followers will actually investigate the facts of issues presented here and there and not rely on the hearsay of proven liars for their information.
I like Jim Brown. He seems like a very honest Family man to me.
12:07 AM-he seems like a very honest family man? He misled the public on tax issues and open government. As for him being a family man, I don't see what that has to do with being a community leader. I am sure St. Amour, Forman, Kennedy and Chasey were all committed to their families, but did it make them all good leaders? I don't see what being a "family man" has to do with anything.
re12:07am
If Brown was so honest,why did he allow all the lies about the Dems to be put in his mailers?
He ran a dirty,dishonest campaign right from the start.
If he was told by his handlers that the statements in the mailers were true,then he is very ignorant for not investigating the facts for himself.
A "leader" would search into the issues before putting his name on political statements.
I'm sure his family loves and supports him but they are also being deceived by the same people who tried to destroy this town. Did any of them follow the politics in this town for the last 15 years??? He and his family should be angry at the people who are using them,not at the people who are stating the truth.
TRUTH-n.honesty;conformity to fact or reality;veracity;constancy;true statement;undisputed fact.
St Amour's blog conforms with the truth. Brown's words and actions do not equal truth or honesty.
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