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Robert Haelig Jr. |
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Haelig Offered Deficit
Reduction Program At March 11 DMUA Meeting -
Watch Part 1 Video
Watch Part 2 Video
In
1982-'87, Haelig Helped Save DMUA From Insolvency - Can He
Do It Again After Years Of Nepotism, Cronyism, Bad Business Practices, Raids
On DMUA Treasury By Greedy Republican Club Political Hacks Produced $8
Million Total Deficit, Reckless Depletion Of Vital Reserves?
Veteran Official,
Lone Voice Of Sanity And A Principled Republican For Fifty Years,
Fought Against Years Of Financial Blunders, Political
Manipulation, Excessive Spending At DMUA That Threaten Viability Of
Township Open Space Effort
Dover Township:
A few years ago, the Dover Municipal Utilities Authority had $41
million in reserve, an annual budget surplus, and a reputation for
operating on traditional Republican principles.
$225 Basic Sewer Rate One Of The Lowest In NJ
The basic annual residential sewer rate of $225,
one of the lowest in New Jersey, had not increased in almost twenty
years, even though it never produced nearly enough revenue to pay the
annual expenses of the DMUA.
Haelig Designed The Most Successful Investment Program In NJ
But by profitably refunding its debt several times since 1983, and
operating the most productive investment program of any public agency
in New Jersey, the DMUA kept the low rate stable, and produced a
balanced budget every year until 2001.
Then the commission majority, obsessed with greed and political
ambition on the part of some of the commissioners,
began to walk away from the agency's productive financial policies and
the man who designed them, former Assemblyman, 24 year DMUA
Commissioner and DMUA Chairman from 1982 - '87, Robert K. Haelig Jr.
Political Flunkies Began Trashing
Successful DMUA
Policies With $2.4 Million Giveaway In 2002
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Virginia Haines |
First the commission, over Haelig's vigorous objections, gave away
$2.4 million in vital DMUA reserves in the form of a "credit"
designed by former Lottery Director Virginia Haines.
Haines, then DMUA
Chairman, used the "credit" to buy votes in the 2002 election where
she was a township committee candidate, following a job switch which
landed her an appointment on the township committee in return for
appointing former "mayor" Clarence Aldrich "Superintendent" of the
Utilities Authority, another scam, the fallout from which is now part
of the growing DMUA annual budget deficit.
OCUA Political Payoff Cost Another $2.7 Million
Secondly, again against Haelig's vocal protests, the commission
majority bought $2.7 million in political brownie points with a
completely unjustified payoff to the Ocean County Utilities Authority,
when many knowledgeable observers knew the huge payment should have
gone in the other direction.
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Richard Clement
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Haelig's Investment Policies
Trashed By The Clements
And for several years, DMUA commissioners, all except Haelig under the control
of Republican Club "President" Richard Clement (Commissioner Deborah
Clement is Clement's wife) trashed the authority's investment
program, originally designed by Haelig, a card carrying Republican for
nearly fifty years and
an advocate of conservative Republican fiscal principles since the
second Eisenhower campaign in 1956.
Annual Investment Proceeds Depleted By More Than $1.8 Million
Annual investment proceeds, once over $2.3 million annually, are now
less than $500,000 after years of political bungling and bad public
policy generated by the Clements and their camp followers.
Reserves Depleted By More Than $8 Million, Annual Deficit
Is Now $2.1 Million, Largest Agency Deficit In South Jersey
The result, with several other smaller political giveaways of
ratepayers' money, every one of them opposed by Haelig, is a three year
cumulative depletion in vital DMUA reserves of more than $8 million, the largest
annual agency operating deficit in South Jersey (more than $2.1
million this year) and a developing reputation for trashing basic
Republican principles.
DMUA Deficits Could Affect Open Space Program
And, ironically, the deficits will affect more than DMUA ratepayers because the
township government, depending on the DMUA to provide some of the
money for the township's open space acquisition program, may have to
wait until Hell freezes over if the DMUA continues to operate at ever-increasing annual operating deficits.
Will New Commissioners Continue To Knuckle Under?
Now, except for Haelig and Mrs. Clement, the authority has new
commissioners appointed by the new Republican council. Some of the new
Commissioners were "recommended" by the Clements, but it remains to be
seen if they will take orders with the same level of discipline and
sufferance as the former group that did so much damage to good public
policy.
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Deborah Clement |
Haelig Elected Chairman In January, Mrs. Clement Adds Credibility
To His Election: Votes "NO"
Haelig was elected Chairman of the commission, apparently out of sheer
desperation, when the commission reorganized in January, getting
everyone's vote except that of Mrs. Clement, who voted "NO".
"Last Chance For Deficit Reduction," Haelig Says
Last Thursday, March 11, Haelig put a deficit reduction program on the
table, a plan designed to undo some of the financial damage done by
the Clements and their associates over the last several years.
In The Black By 2011; No Increase In Basic Sewer Rate, Haelig Says
The deficit reduction program, using some simple basic financial
strategies and making some modest cuts in the authority's operating
budget, would slice the current $2.1 million annual deficit in half
this year, and put the authority on track to be completely in the
black by 2011.
$225 Rate Could Be Kept Intact Until At Least 2020
If Deficit Reduction Plan Goes Forward, Haelig Says
The $225 basic sewer rate, now threatened by a series of annual
deficits totaling $8 million from 2002 through the current 2004 budget
year, would be kept intact during the entire 2004 - 2011 period, and
if Haelig's deficit reduction plan is accompanied by a modicum of
financial discipline and cooperation from the current commission
majority, the $225 rate could be maintained through 2020 with budget
surpluses every year beginning in 2011.
Check Out The Video Of Haelig's
Deficit Reduction Plan - Click On right
More on the DMUA reorganization and the challenges facing the agency
in 2004 coming soon on OceanCountyPolitics.
Haelig
& The Commissioners Who
Reorganized The Dover Municipal Utilities Authority In The 1980's May
Have Been The Best Public Officials In The Township’s History.
1982-87 Commissioners Saved DMUA From
Virtual Bankruptcy
Click
Here For 01/05/03 Story On '82 Commissioners
(for 03/12/04) |
