Editors Note: In a courageous letter to several area newspapers, former Central Regional School Board member Richard Elliott, the board's only watchdog, focused public attention on the drive launched by Republican Club officers to achieve total domination of both Berkeley school boards.

The GOP GreedClub school monopoly has been enormously costly to Berkeley taxpayers, particularly seniors, as Mr. Elliott has pointed out, especially regarding huge amounts of taxpayers money that went down the drain in the recent middle school construction and numerous political payoffs to Republican greed coalition cronies.

Mr. Elliott's letter is a refreshing warning to taxpayers, particularly seniors who have been ripped off by Carmen Amato (Republican Municipal Chairman, Central Regional Board President and a declared candidate for a 2nd Ward Council seat), Richard Ciullo (GOP GreedClub Vice President, Central Regional Board member and now a GreedClub candidate for dual membership on the Berkeley Elementary Board), Republican District Committeeman Jack Sahradnik (very expensive Berkeley Elementary School Lawyer & $1.2 million no-bid pay-to-play recipient), Tony DePayola (Pres. of Republican GreedClub and Berkeley Elementary School Board member) and many other GOP pay-to-play superstars too numerous to mention.

Mr. Elliott has put a spotlight on a very shabby plot to, once again, extort Berkeley taxpayers who will have their first opportunity to say "NO" in the Berkeley School election on April 19th when DePayola, Ciullo and GOP GreedClub treasurer Kevin Askew are candidates for Berkeley School Board. Mr. Elliott's perceptive letter follows:

I was a member of the Central Regional School Board for three years through 2004.

The newspapers should be commended for editorials and coverage on recent political payoffs involving the board of freeholders and promotions and crony appointments of politically-connected officials, one of whom, Carmen Amato, is currently President of the Central Regional board and a former President of the Berkeley Elementary School Board.

GreedClub President Amato Got Useless
County Jobs Sponging Off Taxpayers

Amato was president of the Berkeley Republican organization for five years; George Gilmore is Republican County Chairman and, coincidentally, the County Election Board Chairman who gave Amato his first useless county job sponging off the taxpayers in 1994.

Amato, GOP Greed Cartel Dispense Gilmore Patronage At Two School boards

Amato and a cartel of Republican political hacks associated with him have been in charge of dispensing Republican patronage at the two Berkeley school boards ever since.

Taxpayers Money Used To Pay
Off Amato With Huge Pay  Increases

The disastrous erosion of good public policy and good order at both of the Berkeley school systems was accelerated by Amato’s political promotions and huge pay increases, first with the County election Board; now with the county Printing & Graphics Department.

Amato's Raises Were Quadruple What Anybody Else Got

Amato got a truly dizzying sequence of pay increases, from $13,500 in 1994 as a Jr. Voting Machine Mechanic (whatever that is) to $66,608 in 2004 as Assistant Supervisor.

No Qualifications, But Amato Sold Out His Constituents

As Amato, who I believe has no qualifications for any of this, got salary increases and promotions from Gilmore and the election board, and two prominent Republican lawyers, one of whom, John Sahradnik, is also the $700,000 attorney for the freeholders, were repeatedly given no-bid pay-to-play contracts as board attorneys for the Berkeley school systems with Amato’s support, and the support of GOP Club President Anthony DePaola.

There were numerous other school board rewards for Republican campaign contributors.

Dover GOP Committeeman And GreedClub Contributor Yezzi Got
$1.9 Million For Elementary School "Architectural Services"

In 2000 and 2001, influential Republican pay-to-play Architect Massimo Yezzi was handed no-bid contracts for the construction of the new middle school and other school expansions which netted him and two other Republican patronage recipients a total of more than $2.7 million ($1.9 million for Yezzi alone) for design, engineering and construction management work that, in my opinion, would have cost no more than $800,000 if it was put on a competitive bid basis.

Taxpayers, Seniors, Foot A Huge Bill
Mrs. Yezzi Got A $70,000 Job From Amato

Berkeley taxpayers, especially seniors, have been forced to foot a huge bill for Amato’s pay increases which come very close to influence peddling and payroll padding.

One payoff overlooked in the recent cascade of political gifts is the one Amato and the GreedClub Republicans handed Yezzi’s wife April, President of the Women’s Republican Federation, as Central Regional “assistant business manager,” a superfluous job created to take care of somebody’s crony.

April Yezzi's Appointment Coincided
With Lacey Beachwood Payoff

The April Yezzi appointment coincided with Amato’s designation as Director of Printing & Graphics and Freeholder James Lacey’s appointment as Beachwood administrator.

Elliott Was Watchdog At Central Regional

I was the Central Regional board’s watchdog. Now, I am no longer on the board so, I am sorry to say, there is no one there to look out for the interests of Berkeley students or taxpayers.

Very sad for the school children. Very costly for the taxpayers, particularly the seniors.