Four Dover Municipal Utilities Authority commissioners appointed by the Republican council voted today to hand the township $2.1 million out of dwindling DMUA reserves as part of the purchase price of acquisition of property off Fischer Boulevard known as the "Home Depot" property because of plans submitted to build a big Home Depot store there.

Home Depot Could Have Been
Bought For Under $1 Million

The Home Depot tract, which is mostly wetlands, could have been purchased four years ago for under $1 million, but a plan to do so as part of a comprehensive open space acquisition plan submitted by veteran Republican DMUA commissioner Robert K. Haelig Jr., was killed by the leadership of the local Republican Club and Republican county chairman George Gilmore.

In 2003, the Home Depot property was again part of a $20 million open space acquisition plan backed by Haelig, Toms River Regional School Superintendent Michael Ritacco, Council President Gregory McGuckin, school board attorney Gilmore, every member of the regional school board, all DMUA commissioners and all of the Republican candidates then running for the new council.

Could Have Bought More Than 1000 Open Space Acres

The $20 million program would have purchased more than 1000 acres of environmentally sensitive open space, with the commitment divided into thirds for the DMUA, the township and the regional school system, after subtracting available state and county grants.

But as soon as election returns showed all Republicans as winners, Ritacco and Gilmore reneged on the school system commitment, saying they needed a referendum to approve the purchase.

Everybody Except Haelig, Broome Reneged On Open Space Commitment That Helped Get Republican Council Elected

The council reneged on the $20 million program as soon as they were sworn in and, as a result, the last opportunity was lost to use open space acquisition as a weapon against higher taxes, overcrowding and traffic congestion.

Political Cronies Instead Of Open Space

Instead of buying open space, the Republican council decided to appoint more than fifty political cronies, mostly lawyers, to township jobs and contracts, leading to the largest local government spending increase in township history.

The DMUA now has a $5.3 million current year budget deficit, including the Home Depot commitment, possibly the largest single-year budget deficit of any local government agency in the history of New Jersey, and the township council approved the largest spending increase in township history last year in the first budget of the new Dover Township government.

Haelig The Only Commissioner Who Said "No"

Haelig, whose conservative fiscal policies kept the DMUA solvent and the sewer rate stable for more than 17 years, from 1984 through 2001, was the only commissioner to vote against giving the $2.1 to the township.

Township Commitment Is Apparently Zero

One of the reasons Haelig gave for opposing the payment was the revelation by authority executive director John Broome that the township was contributing nothing to the Home Depot purchase, despite a prior agreement limiting the DMUA commitment to an amount no larger than the commitment by the township.

Greed Conspiracy Lets 23 Acres Stay In Private Hands

It was also revealed at the same DMUA special meeting that the owners of the property, including former Republican State Senator William T. Hiering and numerous Hiering family members, and Joseph Citta and members of his family, will retain ownership of a 23 acre piece of the Home Depot real estate, despite a prior agreement with the DMUA that the entire 165 acre piece would be transferred to public ownership.

Another Gilmore-McGuckin Scam On Taxpayers? Stay Tuned!

If this sounds like another Gilmore-McGuckin greed conspiracy scam coming down the road and headed towards the taxpayers, you will want to pay close attention to subsequent articles on these issues as all of the bells and whistles go off at once.

This article prepared for publication  September 8, 2005