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.