Curley Walks Out On His Check

Disgraced freeholder ignores calls to release the report that led to his Censure and Reprimand

Impreveduto calls for Curley to release the $24K report

Disgraced Freeholder John P. Curley

Disgraced Freeholder John P. Curley left the room on Thursday when the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders discussed and authorized the payment of $24,075 to former Acting State Supreme Court Justice Mary Catherine Cuff for her investigation into the events that resulted in Curley’s  Censure and Reprimand for sexually harassing County employees and other atrocious behavior.

Judge Cuff’s report, which was referred to as “an interim report” by Monmouth County Counsel Michael Fitzgerald during the freeholders’ workshop meeting on Thursday afternoon, is sealed under a Federal Court approved agreement between Curley and the rest of the freeholders.  Curley sued the County, his fellow freeholders, Fitzgerald and County Administrator Teri O’Connor to prevent the Censure and seal the report.  The agreement also allowed Curley access to his office and confidential assistant, which had been forbidden after the report was presented. Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Freeholder DiMaso DID NOT Get Health Benefits From The County

DiMaso’s premiums exceed her claims by $36K

Deputy Freeholder Director Serena DiMaso

Contrary to nonsense being spread by the Monmouth County Democrats and the The Asbury Park Press,  Deputy Freeholder Director Serena DiMaso, a Republican, did not receive health benefits as compensation for being a Freeholder from 20012 through 2015.  Neither DiMaso nor Monmouth County violated Freeholder resolutions passed in 2009 and 2010 prohibiting the county from providing health benefits to freeholders. DiMaso’s participation in Monmouth County’s health care plan did not cost the taxpayers of the county any money.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Mallet slams Burry, “Club Monmouth” over Brookdale scandal

Burry on Mallet:  “She’s a fraud, she a fraud, a fraud, fraud, fraud!”

Former Freeholder Amy Mallett, a Democrat, laid the blame for the Brookdale Community College scandal that lead to former college president Peter Burnham pleading to guilty to theft by deception and official misconduct earlier this week at the feet of the Monmouth GOP’s “cozy” relationship, “Club Monmouth” with the leadership of college.

In an OpEd piece published in The Asbury Park Press, Mallet took aim at Republican Freeholder Lillian Burry and her campaign treasurer, John Cantolupo who was the Brookdale Board of Trustees’ lawyer at the time Burnham’s lavish contract and spending irregularities were uncovered.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

How can we sustain this system?

Wall Township Administrator Joseph Verruni is retiring from his $179,000 per year job, after 20 years of service, on June 1, 2012.   He is 54 years old.  His pension will be between $80,000 and $90,000 per year, according to a report in The Asbury Park Press.

This rant is not about Verruni. 

As Wall is a wonderful place, I’m sure he did a terrific job over the last 20 years.   I don’t necessarily begrudge him the $179,000 salary for the work he did (even though Monmouth County Administrator Teri O’Connor makes significantly less)  But he’s 54 years old, starting a new career in the private sector,  that will be supplemented by $2,500,000  if he lives another 30 years!   That doesn’t include the tax payer funded health insurance that will keep him alive, hopefully for his sake and that of his family, more than 30 years!

If Verruni collects $85,000 per year for 30 years, he will have “earned” an additional $127,500 for every year he worked as Wall Township’s administrator.

I really should have taken a government job when I graduated from Georgetown in 1980.

This is not about Verruni.  It is about a system that pays adults in the prime of their earning years the equivalent of full time wages not to work.  Like my high school buddy who retired from the Bergenfield Police Department at 53 and takes home $20 per month less per month than he did when he put the uniform on every day.  Or like the retired State Police Investigator, 47 years old, collecting  a pension of $84,300 per year, who is Acting President of Brookdale Community College with a salary of $150,000 per year.

This system is not sustainable and it is not equitable.

The pension and benefit reform package that Governor Christie negotiated with the Democratic Legislature is an improvement of the previous system.  Yet the new system is not sustainable over time either.  We’re not feeling any of the pain yet.

Over the next 30 years, the state pension contribution will be $4.9 billion per year.  The local government contributions will be $2.3 billion per year over the next 30 years.  Both figures are on average.   We’re “enjoying” the savings now with smaller pension contributions that must increase by $500 million per year until we’re “caught up” with all the contributions we haven’t made since 2000.

Unless there is significant economic growth, soon, we won’t be able to sustain this system without significant tax increases. 

Who is going to be left to pay those taxes?

If we’re going to have a pension system for government employees, we shouldn’t be paying out until the retirees are 65 years old, or older as life expectancies increase.

• Tweet