Democrat freeholders say 'no' to any cuts

Sunday, May 16, 2010
By FRANK HANNON

COLUMNIST

Every town council and board of education in the State of New Jersey is looking to cut staff/programs this year. Most have gotten the message that the days of wine and roses are over and it’s time to reduce costs. It is obvious that the Democrats, who are the majority on the Passaic County Freeholder Board, have not read the memo.


Over the objections of the three Republican freeholders, last Tuesday night the Democrats passed a $427.9 million budget. Not one employee is going to be laid off nor any program cut.


The budget does not contain the money needed to fund the now bankrupt old county pension system. In my column "County bonding… awful awful idea," I explained how the Democrat majority wanted to bond about $23 million to keep the plan solvent. They need five votes to bond and the three Republicans said no. The Republican minority wanted the $3.2 million to cover this year’s pension costs to be part of the 2010 operating budget.


They requested that department heads come up with $7 million (less than a 2 percent reduction) in cuts so that the pension costs would be covered and the tax increase reduced in the 2010 operating budget. The request was reasonable but according to Republican Freeholder Deborah Ciambrone, they got no information or cooperation.


In power for over a decade, much of it without any Republicans on the board, the Democrat majority and the bureaucracy they have installed, are determined to run the county unilaterally. It is a mistake that may cost them the majority this November.


Since the old pension plan will run out of money later this year, the bonding issue has not gone away. By passing the budget without paying for the pensions, the Democrats hope later this year to pick off the one vote needed to bond the plan. By law those pension costs must be funded.


Do you see the political shell game they are playing with your tax money to get what they want and keep the patronage machine intact? By not including the cost in the 2010 operating budget, will they argue that Republicans are violating the law if they don’t vote later this year to bond the pension expenses? My guess is that is their strategy. I say hold fast and make them take you to court. Let the court tell the freeholder board it must bond operating expenses.


Citing the 2010 3-percent tax increase and forgetting about the 10-percent-plus tax increases he voted for a few years back, Democrat freeholder and finance chairman Pat Lepore said, "This is a good budget. It doesn’t raise taxes any more than WE (emphasis added) have to." The "WE" are fellow Democrat Freeholders Bruce James, Greyson Hannigan and Lepore’s November running-mate Terry Duffy.


Last year, voters elected three Republicans to the freeholder board hoping that things would change. Obviously the Democrat majority did not understand the message sent by the electorate. It is obvious the only way we are going to get transparency and an honest discussion of the budget at the Passaic County Freeholder Board is to elect a Republican majority this November.

“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress and working together is success”. "Henry Ford"

Felix Garcia’s roots run deep in Passaic County. He resided in Paterson for over 40 years and continues to reside in Passaic County as a resident of Wayne. He is proud to be a Latino-American and just as his family migrated from Puerto Rico to Paterson he truly relates to the struggle all immigrants make to reach a better life for themselves and their families. He wants to assist people from all ethnic backgrounds whether from Latino to Arabic to African American to Asian to European descent.

Felix can be measured by his genuine and caring behavior that has a long history of engaging with the people of our communities. He has a long history of building personal relationships in every community which is one of Felix’s strongest traits. He enjoys engaging in conversations with people from all backgrounds and understands that diversity is the real strength of our county. He travels through communities meeting wonderful people that have real concerns about issues such as gangs, illegal drug activity and other issues that affect our future. He will deliver on his promise to engage the communities personally on a regular basis to develop solutions to the specific issues of each and every community within Passaic County. He believes in equal representation of all communities and he commits to equal opportunity by putting these words into action.

We all need to be united and put our greatest asset to work. As Henry Ford once said, “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress and working together is success”.

We must not allow ourselves to be insulted by leaders that only pay attention during election cycles. Diversity is the fabric of our communities that makes Passaic County unique and is a signal of our strength. Felix understands this best and is committed to making this the pillar of which we will build upon.

“Road to Victory”

Clifton, NJ- May 4, 2010. The “Road to Victory” gala was held for the Republican candidates, Felix Garcia for Sheriff and the Freeholder candidates Walt Garner and Tomas Gomez, at the Valley Regency in Clifton. They were joined by over 300 supporters from all throughout Passaic County. Assemblyman/PCRRO Chairman Scott Rumana said it best, “The overwhelming display of diversity here tonight is a sign of united strength that will carry us to victory in November”. With loss revenue, deterioration of the jail, frivolous spending, removal of the detention center, over abundance of political patronage and lack of accountability we must reevaluate county government. The message is clear that there is a crisis on the horizon and we need to elect strong leadership to be responsive to these problems. Sheriff candidate Felix Garcia and Freeholder candidates Walt Garner and Tomas Gomez pledge their commitment to the citizens of Passaic County and are asking for every person to get involved to make a difference.

Best regards,

Felix Garcia and the campaign staff

Videos of this event are now online.
http://www.garcia2010.org/