Sen. Russo, Chairman Gilmore And Assemblyman Holzapfel In Aromatic Republicrat Deal To Carve Up The Town And Leave The Taxpayers To Face The Financial Music

Independent In-House Law Department Jeopardized By Holzapfel Appointment As Labor Counsel (With A Monthly Check Of $6666.67) And Sen. Russo Firm’s Designation As 2nd Labor Counsel For Extravagant Total Annual Budget Of $160,000 For Part Time “Labor Attorneys”

One Of Few Redeeming Features Of Turbulent Reorganization Is The Best Appointment In 15 Years: Former Deputy Attorney General John Sheehy Appointed Dover Municipal Utilities Authority Commissioner

A distinguished attorney with seventeen years of experience as a  Deputy Attorney General and Assistant Essex County Prosecutor has been appointed as a Commissioner for the Dover Municipal Utilities Authority.

Sheehy Appointed DMUA Commissioner Over
Furey And Larsen Objections

The appointment of John J. Sheehey, a Democrat, was made at last week’s turbulent township reorganization meeting by last and final appointed “Mayor” John F. Russo Jr., and approved by Committee members Carmine Inteso and Michael Fiure over the objections of Democrats “Doctor” John Furey and Richard Larsen, “the accountant” who won the November election because he was not Virginia Haines, the travel-loving former State Lottery Director who was supposed to win but didn’t.

Russo Jr. Appointed Mayor Over Protests
From Furey And Larsen Who Question His Integrity

Two hours earlier, the same Republicrat coalition designated Russo Jr. as the Chairman of the Committee, or appointed “Mayor” for 2003, touching off an explosion of criticism by Furey and Larsen, who questioned the “integrity” of the new “mayor” and suggested that Democrat local boss “Doctor” Jack Moriarty and Democrat county boss Fred Potter were better qualified to carve up the township government and share in its its financial resources than Republican County Chairman George Gilmore, GOP Assemblyman James Holzapfel, and Russo Jr.’s father, former Democratic Senator John F. Russo Sr.

Gilmore and Russo Sr., according to newspaper reports, were the architects of the interesting new Republicrat coalition. “Gilmore’s fingerprints are all over it”, said a report in the Ocean County Observer.

Full Time Law Department Is One Of
Township’s Few Real Accomplishments

The township’s full time law department, established in the late 1970's, is one of very few genuine accomplishments of the old Democratic administration that went out of business in 1979. But, over the past 15 years, the department has become a patronage dispensing agency for deserving Republican lawyers, and its budget has skyrocketed.

Holzapfel Reappointment Jeopardizes Law Department Survival

A prime example is the $160,000 appropriation in the current budget for “labor relations”, a stipend that includes a monthly check for $6667 sent to the law firm of land baron Joseph Citta and Assemblyman James Holzapfel, for services which the firm apparently does not have to detail.

Holzapfel was inexplicably reappointed Thursday and his $6667 monthly check reinstated by Russo Jr. and Posse members Inteso and Fiure. Russo Sr.’s law firm was also designated by Inteso to receive the second and slightly smaller part of the $160,000 “labor relations" appropriation, a contract which was, until last week, held by GOP attorney Jack Sahradnik, who also picks up checks as lawyer for the GOP Board of Freeholders.

Obvious Conflict Of Interest Holds Up Russo
Sr.’s Lucrative “Labor Relations” Appointment

The Russo Sr. appointment was held up, however, by objections from “Doctor” Furey and Larsen regarding the obvious conflict of interest of Russo Jr. voting to approve the appointment of his father’s law firm. The Russo Sr. appointment was referred to newly appointed First Assistant Township Attorney Thomas Mallon for review.

Law Department Will Not Survive Unless Bloated
“Labor Relations” Budget Is Cut

Republicans and Democrats adjusted the township budget in September and agreed on an ordinance to kill the full time Law Department and replace it with a law firm which would send in bills every month but, when the Republicans lost the election, they reneged on the “commitment” and tabled the ordinance, saying they were no longer convinced that the outside firm was a good idea.

The reality is that if they continue to pay $160,000 for “labor relations services”  they won’t have nearly enough left to keep the law department, and the taxpayers will end up paying double in a couple of years.

Sheehy Appointment Stands In Glittering Contrast
To Greedy Political Posturing

John Sheehy has considerable experience in Utilities Authority work. He is general counsel for the Berkeley Municipal Utilities Authority, a water service utility in Berkeley Township.

He holds a commission in the U. S. Army Reserve. He served as a member of Governor McGreevey’s transition team for the Attorney General’s office. He is a Lecturer for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Criminal and Civil Trial Practice, and is a  partner in the firm of Sheehy & Sheehy in Toms River.

John and his wife, Rosemary, are residents of Toms River and have three sons.

More on all of this very soon on OCPolitics•Com as the saga of the new Republicrat administration creaks forward.

Click here for last week’s article on township attorney Ed Corrigan’s recent retirement and law department alternatives on OCPolitics•Com.

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