Editor's note:
Now we find out that Richard Elliott was almost certainly correct to
call attention to the probationary status of Central Regional High
School and the politically infested school board.
|
Central School Board
Member, offensive Website Operator, GOP VP
Richard Ciullo |
Now, commentator
Richard Bombardier has obtained records with evidence that many school
buses may not be up to safety standards because of failed inspections.
The problem in all of
this appears to be the domination of the two Berkeley school boards by
officers and political flunkies associated with the Berkeley
Republican organization and its two most unsavory political animals,
Chairman Carmen Amato and Vice President Richard Ciullo, both school
board members and both associated with political websites publishing
internet material that most people would find extremely offensive.
|
Chairman Gilmore
Funded Ciullo's Website |
The website with the
most disgusting material was funded by GOP county chair George Gilmore
and, through Gilmore, former GOP Gubernatorial candidate Robert
Schroeder.
Richard Bombardier has
given the taxpayers of Berkeley Township information about bus safety
they should be grateful for. He is to be commended for his courage,
because another tidal wave of smear and vilification will almost
certainly follow the publication of his letter. Ciullo and Amato do
not appear to take criticism very well, no matter how constructive.
Mr. Bombardier's
letter also appeared in the Asbury Park Press and the Berkeley Times.
To the editor:
Berkeley Republican chairman Carmen Amato and vice president Richard
Ciullo have struck the taxpayers again as members of the Central
Regional school board. As soon as Richard Elliott left the school
board in April 2004, Amato and Ciullo wasted no time in destroying the
reforms that Elliott championed and brought to the board.
One of the reforms was hiring a full time mechanic at a cost of
$40,000 a year to oversee the district’s fleet of school buses and
also to bring accountability to the transportation department. The
mechanic reduced the incidence of failed inspections, and reduced the
cost of repairs by more than 75% compared with the no-bid contractor
that previously handled the maintenance and repairs.
Elliott Facts Essentially Vindicated
|
Dean Wormer |
When Elliott left the board, Amato and Ciullo bought out the remaining
three months in the mechanic’s contract, and once again, hired Ryan’s
Service Center, a Republican patronage favorite, to bill the school
board on a per-job basis. During the first six months of Ryan’s
no-bid contract, the school board was billed $400,000 for repair and
maintenance work by Ryan’s.
May Be Worst Recent Safety Record In Ocean County
And, recently, it became a matter of public record that 32 out of 48
school buses failed the latest inspection for various safety
violations. This is up from 26 buses from the previous DOT
inspection, which is up from 22 buses from when the mechanic handled
the buses.
In most cases, a failed inspection means that some important aspect of
child safety is missing needs to be fixed: 32 of 48 buses were not
safe at inspection time. It is my opinion this has to do with the way
Amato and Ciullo and others have politicized the operation of the
schools to the detriment of children who use school service.
To Amato And Ciullo, Cronies
Come First, Bombardier Says
|
GOP candidate
Carmen Amato helped waste $400,000 on maintenance work that
produced
32 failed bus inspections in 48 school buses |
To Amato and Ciullo, Republican cronies come first; school children
and school bus safety comes last.
Ciullo has another year and a half to continue to politicize the
school board, but Berkeley voters may have two opportunities to say NO
to the way Amato has betrayed them by wasting their money and
compromising safety of school children.
Two Chances To Say NO To Amato's
"Costly And Damaging Record"
Amato is a candidate right now for town council in Ward II where he is
doing everything he can to keep the voters from connecting Carmen
Amato the council candidate with the costly and damaging record of
Carmen Amato the former president and current vice president of
Central Regional School Board.
The second opportunity may come when Amato’s term on the school board
is up next April. If he still had the desire to be a candidate, the
voters may have another opportunity, once again, to say NO to his
politics in the school system.
Richard Bombardier - Bayville
