July 13, 2003: Shea's Leagal Fees • • • APP

Ocean County Politics .com

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Attorney
Robert Shea

Asbury Park Press Publishes Shea Revelations In Sunday Page One Exposé; Shea Tells APP His Fees Are “Absolutely, Unequivocally Not Excessive”; They Are “Reasonable And Fair”, He Says

Ocean County VoTech Paid Shea Nearly $600,000 In Past Three Years For “Legal” Services, On Top Of $350,000 In Two Years ('00 & ‘01) From Fire District, On Top Of More Than $200,000 In Three Years From Township Planning Board, On Top Of Nearly $800,000 In Three Years From TR School District

The Asbury Park Press has published its eagerly awaited exposé of alleged overbilling and excessive fee charges of Planning Board, Fire District, County Vocational School, Regional School District Attorney Robert Shea.

The Press article, authored by reporters Jean Mikle and Carol Gorga Williams, says Shea’s bills were cut by more than $40,000 (from over $400,000) by fire district officials in two years, leaving a net paid to Shea by the fire district during the period of about $350,000.

Shea Charged More Than 12 Times As Much
As Jackson For Legal Services In District #1

By comparison, a year of legal services for two Jackson Fire Districts cost $14,835 in Jackson District #2 and $11,240 in Jackson District 3 in 2002, compared to $165,233 charged by Shea for the 2001 budget year in Toms River District #1.

In Lakewood District #1 in 2002, commissioners approved and paid $12,540 in total legal bills.

Shea Gets A “Retainer” Of $12,000 - And Pension Benefits

Shea gets a “retainer” of $12,000 each year from Toms River District #1, and has been included in the state pension system as an “employee” of the district.

The Press did not offer a comparison with the legal costs in Fire District #2 in Dover Township, the community’s second fire district, which has different commissioners and a different attorney, but is managed by the same employees who reportedly evaluated Shea’s bills and approved the $350,000 net total for submission to District #1 commissioners, who approved the bills, as adjusted.

Shea’s Vocational School Bills Were Between Five And Ten Times As High As Districts With Higher Annual Budgets And More Employees

The Press said Shea’s firm was paid $229,175 for “legal” services during the 2001-02 budget year by the Ocean County Vocational School.

This compares with $25,478 paid by the Monmouth County Vocational School, where the annual budget is more than $11 million higher than the budget for the Ocean County Vocational School.

Further comparison was offered by the Press for the Burlington County Institute Of Technology, which paid its attorney $30,000 for the 2001-02 fiscal year.

The budget for the Burlington school is $22.1 million, compared to the annual budget in Ocean County of $18.4 million.

Shea’s fees for the Ocean County VoTech were seven times as high as fees in Burlington County, and nine times as high as fees in Monmouth County.

Shea Was Charging Over $325,000 Per Year For “Workers Compensation” Cases For The Toms River Regional School District

In the 2001-02 school budget year, the Press said Shea charged the TR Regional Schools $326,525 for “legal” fees related to Worker’s Compensation cases, an amount which is exponentially higher than fees paid for similar services by other area school districts for worker’s compensation legal work.

School Board member Linda Garvey, who has questioned Shea’s bills for years, according to the Press, was instrumental in persuading the board to cap Shea’s bills at $180,000 a year, an amount which is still exponentially higher than costs in other school districts, but Garvey told the Press she was “happy with what we’ve decided to do to control the situation.”

Shea told the Press his legal fees are “absolutely, unequivocally not excessive.” They are “reasonable and fair”, he said.

As Chamber President, Shea Recently Recommended Economic Development Authority With Executive Director

Shea, who is the current President of the Toms River-Ocean County Chamber of Commerce, recently recommended the township committee set up an Economic Development Authority for Route 37 and Route 9, and hire an executive director to help expand business and support the revitalization of downtown Toms River.

He did not mention what the Executive Director’s salary would be, or how much the total budget for the Economic Development Authority would be, or whether there would be a tax increase for the affected taxpayers.

10% Tax Increase For Downtown Taxpayers From BID

The Chamber was active earlier this year in supporting a business improvement district, approved by the township committee, with a 10% tax increase for downtown taxpayers and a 3% tax increase for Route 37 taxpayers.

The purpose of the Business Improvement District (BID) was to hire an executive director, help expand business and “support the revitalization of downtown Toms River”.

The Business Improvement District (BID) recently hired Terry Bastone as executive director.

Ms. Bastone, who will be paid about $63,000 in salary and benefits by the Toms River BID, was executive director and “instrumental” in the “success” of the South Broadway Business Improvement District (BID) in Yonkers, NY.

This according to local BID chairman Frank Capone, who was quoted recently in the Ocean County Observer.

Click here for previous article on the BID. More soon on the Shea controversies on OceanCountyPolitics•Com.