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Pricking The Dover Twp. Fig
Leaves Part II
Is Brush $65,000 "Full Time" Salary Desire Actually A Kind Of
Political Gratuity?
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Councilman Michael Fiure |
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Mayor Paul Brush
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Does
Brush's Demand For A Full Time Salary Mean He Will Spend Full Time
Ripping Off The Taxpayers??
Reports Say Comprehensive Deal Is
Essentially Done, As Seven Member GOP Council May Hand Brush Full Time
Salary Out Of Gratitude For "Cooperating" With Them
Toms
River:
Independent-Democrat Mayor Paul Brush, after spending the first four
months of his term handing out patronage appointments on a
"cooperative" basis with the all-Republican Council, now wants a "full
time" salary to go with his new office.
Brush,
who ran as a candidate on an "economy" platform, is
the first directly elected mayor of Dover Township.
Brush Promised To "Cut Spending
By Millions Of Dollars"
The new
mayor, who promised to cut spending in Dover
Township "by millions of dollars," and broke the pledge
before the ink was dry on his oath of office, has announced he wants a "full
time" Mayor's salary so he can give up a major part of
his private accounting business in order to spend full time
at town hall attending to the public business.
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Council President McGuckin |
McGuckin Has Made
No Comment
On Brush Salary Demand
Council President
Gregory McGuckin has, as yet, made no comment on the Brush salary
issue.
Instead,
Councilman Michael Fiure emerged as spokesman for the council, and
appeared to endorse Brush's full time salary demand. Some observers
say Brush is asking the council for a $65,000 salary.
Fiure told the
Ocean County Observer "a mayor's full- or part-time status is
determined by the amount of money he's paid."
Fiure Has "No
Problem" With More
Administration, Staff And Salary
Fiure was quoted
by the Observer as saying "if the mayor decided he wants to be full
time, I have no problem with that; if he wants the staff and the
administration to do more, I have no problem with that."
"The mayor
presents the budget, and whatever salary he recommends, we'd
consider," Fiure told Observer reporter Matt Porio in an article
published on Thursday, April 22nd.
Rash Of
Bi-Partisan Appointments Of Folks With Connections
Brush's full time
salary demand, coincidentally, comes after a rash of bi-partisan
"professional" appointments, "confidential" aide and "executive"
hirings involving politically-connected Dover Township Republicans and
Democrats, all of which have been embraced and welcomed by Brush.
Fiure Gets $100,000 "Confidential" Aide Appointment
Newly elected
Councilman Michael Fiure was appointed by the Republican Board of
Freeholders as "Confidential" Aide in the county parks departments
after Freeholder John Bartlett said it would be a good idea for the
county to have another lawyer on the payroll.
Fiure's
"Confidential" Aide compensation, including benefits, is approximately
$100,000 plus $8900 more for being a councilman.
Russell Got $105,000 Public Works Appointment
Fire Commissioner
Timothy Russell was appointed by Brush to be the Superintendent of the
township public works department after Russell was the third and
deciding vote to reappoint Democrats Steven Secare as Fire District
Attorney, and Richard Larsen as Fire District auditor.
Commissioner.
Russell's public works job has a price-tag of about $105,000 including
benefits.
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"Confidential" Aide April Yezzi |
Mrs. Yezzi Gets $67,000 "Confidential"
Aide Appointment
April Yezzi, wife
of billionaire architect Massimo Yezzi, was appointed as a
"Confidential" Aide to the county Department of Senior Services. Mrs.
Yezzi's salary, including benefits, is about $67,000.
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"Confidential" Aide
Carole Hedinger |
Mrs. Hedinger Gets $67,000 "Confidential" Aide Appointment
Carole Hedinger,
former Deputy State Lottery Director, neighbor of former Lottery
Director Virginia Haines and wife of former Dover Municipal Utilities
Authority Chairman Leonard Hedinger, was appointed "Confidential" Aide
in the County Surrogate's office at a salary, including benefits, of
about $67,000.
Mrs. Palmieri Gets $67,000 "Confidential" Aide Appointment
Last yeaar's Democrat
County Clerk candidate Stacy Palmieri was recently appointed by Brush as his
very own "Confidential" Aide at a salary, including benefits, of about
$68,000.
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"Confidential" Aide Palmieri |
Administrative
Costs Have More Than Doubled
Ms. Palmieri
represents another big increase in Dover Township administrative
costs, which Brush and the new Republican Council have more than
doubled since taking office in January.
Last Year's
Democrat Candidates To
Get Big Bucks From Dover Taxpayers
The Palmieri
appointment was also given the green light by township attorney Marc
Troncone, who was last year's Democrat candidate for a 10th District
Assembly seat.
Brush was last
year's Democrat 10th District State Senate candidate until he dropped
off the Democratic legislative ticket to run for mayor in Dover
Township.
Mrs. Palmieri is
not a lawyer which, depending on your point of view, is either a
benefit or a liability.
Seems Like Dozens
Of Attorneys Appointed
There were a
large number of attorneys appointed by the Council with the advice and
consent of Mayor Brush.
Space is limited,
so suffice it to say there are still more than a dozen attorneys listed
in the Ocean County Yellow Pages who have not yet received
appointments from Brush and the Council.
We all have the
right to hope.
OceanCountyPolitics
Readers
Say Mayor's Salary Should Be $25,000
In a
recent OceanCountyPolitics
poll, readers said pretty convincingly that the Mayor's salary should
be $25,000 a year; so we take the position that the Mayor's salary
should be $25,000 a year in accordance with the wisdom and judgement
of our readers, many of whom do not have "Confidential" Aides to help
with salary issues.
Check Out Poll
Results (Pt I) From 12/29/03 By Clicking Here
Check Out Poll
Results (Pt II) From 12/31/03 By Clicking Here
Check Out Poll Questions By
Clicking Here
In A Related Matter, Max Puppet Is Finally Vindicated As The Asbury
Park Press Scores The Dover Township Pay-To-Play Crowd:
Watch The Video
Much, much more on this issue as time plods majestically forward on
OceanCountyPolitics.
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Comments: gvgeditor@aol.com
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