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Editor's Note: This Is The Final Segment In The Boss Clement Reprise
Series As DMUA Commissioners, Encouraged By Boss Clement, Turn Their Backs
To The Public As The Boss Watches Approvingly; The DMUA Meeting Was
Conducted With Several Distinguished Members Of The Citizens Alert Committee
In The Audience While Three Shameful Conflict-Of-Interest Situations
Involving The Clements And Former Commissioners Resurface:
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Citizens Alert's Frank Kenny |
Citizens Alert Leaders DiGiovanni, Polifroni, Kenny Say DMUA
Commissioners Turn Their Backs (Literally) To The Public
Citizens Alert Leaders Complain That "Most DMUA Commissioners Sit With
Their Backs To The Public, So The Public Can't Hear Or See
What's Going On"
GOP GreedClub In More Conflicts Of Interest As Clement's Wife, Deborah, Fails To Disclose
Apparent Ethical Problems On Vote
Toms
River: Another apparent
conflict-of-interest surfaced at Wednesday evening's regular monthly
meeting of the Dover Municipal Utilities Authority, as a set of
minutes were "amended" two months after the fact at the request of
Commissioner Deborah Clement to show that she "abstained" at the
January reorganization meeting on a vote to appoint the firm of Citta,
Holzapfel, Zabarsky, Leahey & Simon as the sewer authority's "labor counsel."
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Deborah Clement |
Original Minutes Said Mrs.
Clement Voted YES
The
original set of minutes, distributed at the February meeting, showed
Mrs. Clement voted "yes" on the Citta-Holzapfel firm's appointment.
Full Disclosure Required
Mrs. Clement did not disclose what her conflict is, or even if there
is a conflict, but ethical practices regulations require a full
disclosure of pertinent information in the event of a conflict, and an
affirmative disqualification from discussing or voting on any matter
connected with the conflict.
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Boss Clement |
Mrs. Clement's husband, Richard Clement, is the current President of
the Dover Republican Club.
Mrs. Clement Says "Not I" On Citta Disclosures
In another matter, the commissioners were asked by
OceanCountyPolitics
editor Richard Schiff if any of them needed to make a disclosure or
disqualification in connection with a subdivision sewer application by
Citta Enterprises, with principals Phillip and Rosemary Citta that was
unanimously approved by the commission, including Mrs. Clement, who
replied "not I" to Schiff's question.
Mrs. Clement Helped Doctor Official Records Two Years Ago
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"Mayor" Aldrich Switched Jobs With
Haines |
Two years ago, Mrs. Clement was instrumental in doctoring official
DMUA meeting records to falsely adjust the timing of hiring former
Mayor Clarence Aldrich as DMUA Superintendent so Virginia Haines, then
DMUA Chairman, could be appointed to the township committee in
Aldrich's place on a schedule prescribed by the Republican Club and
the Clements.
Mrs. Clement, Haines Suppressed Documents
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Virginia Haines |
A few months earlier, in 2001, Haines and Mrs. Clement suppressed
another public record showing the likelihood of huge financial
consequences from their decision to drain the authority's reserves to
make political points in the 2001 and 2002 elections.
Suppressed Document Warned Of Budget Deficits
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Robert K. Haelig |
The document, a memorandum from long-time Commissioner Robert K.
Haelig Jr., warning that the reserve drain would lead to a series of
budget deficits, was excised from the records of the authority
by Haines, Mrs. Clement and former Commissioners Leonard Hedinger and
Paul "Wacky" Wnek because they didn't like what the memorandum said.
Deficits Appeared Just As Haelig Predicted
Sure enough, the drain in authority reserves led to three consecutive
budget deficits, just as Haelig predicted, and the current operating
budget deficit is more than $2.1 million for 2004 alone.
"There is no such thing as a free lunch," Haelig said.
Will Mrs. Clement And Other GreedClub
GOP Appointees Help Fix Deficits??
Ironically, Commissioner Haelig is now authority Chairman again, after
a hiatus of fifteen years, and has the responsibility of trying to do
something about the deficit created by Mrs. Clement and other
commissioners, after he correctly warned them repeatedly that their
actions were damaging to authority finances and the financial
integrity of the agency, only to have them suppress the record of his
warnings.
Citizens
Alert Leaders DiGiovanni, Kenny & Polifroni Say Bellu's Seating
Arrangements Turn DMUA's Back On Public
Wednesday's DMUA meeting was attended by leaders of the Citizens Alert
group that led the charge on changing the local government.
This
was the first time in months there has been anyone in the DMUA meeting
audience except Republican Club Boss Clement, whose solitary presence
was described by one GOP official as: "he sits as an audience of one,
presumably to see that his orders are carried out with respect to GOP
patronage and political discipline decisions."
Meeting Set-Up: No Mike, No
Communication With Public
The
Citizens Alert leadership group, consisting of community civic Leader
Frank Kenny, Ortley Beach leader Dan Polifroni, and Citizens Alert
Chairman, Angelo DiGiovanni, verbalized what they described as a
"major
complaint" about the set-up of the DMUA
meeting.
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Angelo DiGiovanni |
"A majority of
the DMUA commissioners sit at a table with their backs to the public,
there is no microphone and nobody can hear them, or easily see
anybody's face on either side of the table," DiGiovanni noted.
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Ortley
Beach Leader Dan Polifroni
Juan Bellu
Seating Plan Designer |
"DMUA Should
Look The Public
In The Eye," Says Polifroni
"A public agency
and all of its governing officials should be prepared to look the
public in the eye," said Polifroni, adding the DMUA "apparently has a
big current budget deficit, which should be debated at every meeting
in full view and hearing of the public. No wonder nobody comes
to the meetings," Polifroni said.
Three Commissioners: "Backs To The Public?"
OceanCountyPolitics has learned the new seating arrangements,
with three commissioners with their backs to the public talking to the
wall instead of addressing the public, were designed by DMUA Vice
Chairman Juan Carlos Bellu, who was appointed to the Authority in
January by the Republican Council after he was not put back on the
Township Planning Board by Mayor Paul Brush.
Bellu To Be New Emasculated GOP President?
Bellu was
Chairman of the Planning Board in 2003 and has been mentioned as the
new GOP Club President under By-Laws changes recently enacted to
preserve most of the power in the hands of Boss Clement and emasculate
the club presidency.
Citizens Alert Group Will "Keep Coming," Says Kenny
"The Citizens
Alert leadership group will continue to attend DMUA meetings in a
watchdog capacity," said Kenny.
"We would like to
see a complete public disclosure of any financial problems that could
affect the $225 basic sewer rate, and we are especially interested in
making sure that public officials have some accountability and avoid
embarrassing conflict-of-interest situations that damage the status
and the credibility of the Authority in the eyes of the community,"
Kenny said.
For 03/26/04 - Reprised 1/31/05
2/28/04: Mrs. Clement And Former Planning Board Chair Bellu Tried
At The January Reorganization Meeting To Hand Nearly $9 Million In
DMUA Reserve Funds With No Strings Attached To A Local Stock Broker,
One Of The Clements' Neighbors, To "Invest"
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