STR Municipal Tax Rate Is Now $1.07, The Second Highest In Ocean County

Nominated To The “Top Ten Worst Public Officials” List In July, Democrat Abe Rodriguez Now Becomes A Republican

South Toms River Councilman Bungled $30,000 County Grant, Never Even Tried To Cut Costs Contributing To Stratospheric Local Tax Rate

Ms. Kearney Says Rodriguez Simply “Crossed The River” To Join The Wrecking Crew

South Toms River: Robert DiBella, the Beachwood Democrat turned Republican who bungled the Molinini Democrat primary campaign in Lacey earlier this year, was in the audience applauding loudly as Abe Rodriguez stumbled through his canned statement in the form of a letter to Mayor George Greitz.

All the ingredients were there for high comedy as Democrat Rodriguez, nominated by several South Toms River Republicans only three months ago for the Top Ten list of “Worst Public Officials in Ocean County”, read a statement prepared for him that he was becoming a Republican.

Democratic Municipal Chairman Bill Hill said: “frankly, I’m relieved that he is their problem from now on”, referring to the local GOP administration.

“Rodriguez gave the Democratic Party a black eye soon after he was sworn in”, Hill said, noting that Rodriguez “bungled the only job he was given as a member of the council”.

Rodriguez was appointed recycling coordinator by Greitz when he joined the council last year. He was nominated by several South Toms River citizens as one of the Ten Worst Ocean County officials when it became known that he blew off a whole series of recycling meetings.

If Rodriguez had attended the county meetings, which he promised to do, South Toms River would have qualified for a $30,000 recycling grant to build a local recycling center, a facility desperately needed by the community to save money in processing recyclables.

OceanCountyPolitics•Com verified the facts and added him to the Ten Worst list.

Another factor in Rodriguez’ Ten Worst” nomination was his complicity in wasting funds paying employee health insurance premiums that are as much as $4000 higher per employee than in other public agencies, a factor that is responsible for a 10¢ component in South Toms River’s record tax rate.

After his conversion, Rodriguez said he could not support  Democratic mayoral candidate Carla Kearney, the only member of the council to criticize him for bungling the recycling grant.

“Mr. Rodriguez simply crossed the river to join the crew that is responsible for the shambles that Mayor Greitz has made of our local government”, Kearney said.

Complicity in South Toms River’s big tax increases was another factor in Rodriguez’ nomination.

Three Referendum Questions Submitted
By Kearney Could Lead To Lower Taxes

Kearney noted that Rodriguez and Greitz also opposed giving taxpayers the right to vote YES or NO on three referendum questions that could lead to lower taxes.

The three questions were designed to give the public “an opportunity to make a choice in an open and free election”, Kearney said.

“But the questions were killed by Greitz and Rodriguez”, Kearney noted, “so we do not know how the public would have voted”.

Stephen Marshall

Also Councilman Stephen Marshall, a former Democrat who defected earlier this year to the ultra wacko American Reform Party, is a candidate for re-election to the council on that party’s twilight zone ticket.

Marshall Switches Parties Again

Flash: Marshall switched parties again last Monday and became a Republican.

OceanCountyPolitics•Com may have to devote a special section of our WebSite to party switches by Marshall and other South Toms River officials if the present trend continues.

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