Dear Neighbors,
PAYOUTS IN THE DARK
Approval of nearly $400,000 of retirement payouts were quietly pushed through at Monday’s 4 p.m. budget hearing by the Town Council. Taxpayers should be asking why.
Retirees deserve to receive legally owed compensation. But West Orange has already been flagged by the Comptroller’s Office for exceeding legal limits on sick and vacation payouts, and the state is actively investigating the Township over a proposed nearly $800,000 payout to another retiring employee.
Making matters worse, these payout settlement resolutions were placed on the agenda mere hours before the start of the hearing, depriving the Council and the public time to consider the matter and investigate. For this reason, I requested written legal opinions and supporting documentation for the payouts be shared before any vote was taken.
The McCartney administration provided nothing of what was asked. Despite the unanswered questions and ongoing investigations, Councilmembers Krakoviak, Casalino, Williams and Scarpa voted to approve the payouts.
It is often said that “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.” What this adage tells us is that transparency and openness can help expose and eliminate corruption or wrongdoing. It is at once unwise and fiduciarily irresponsible to spend taxpayer dollars on questionable items that have not yet withstood thorough examination. That is basic good governance.
Taxpayers should be deeply concerned about the precedent created by fast tracking large payouts without full public vetting. Rushing nearly half a million dollars out the door could expose the Township to unnecessary financial and legal risk if these payments need to be clawed back. At a minimum, the public deserves a full airing of the facts before these payments were approved.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS & PROTECTIONS AGAINST LAWLESS ICE RAIDS
Last month, I proposed a resolution to make West Orange municipal properties “safe zones” by mirroring Governor Mikie Sherrill’s executive order protecting state properties from ICE activity without a judicial warrant.
This proposal came directly from community groups working to support and protect our friends and neighbors. The Essex County Board of County Commissioners also passed a measure making County properties off limits to ICE enforcement without a judicial warrant. County properties in West Orange including the Turtle Back Zoo and Eagle Rock Reservation have more protection than our own municipal properties. Until my resolution is passed, ICE agents may wreak havoc at venues like Town Hall, our library and other public spaces as they have in Minnesota, putting lives in danger.
Meanwhile, we know ICE activity has already occurred in West Orange, leaving some families living in fear and even hiding in their homes.
To help our community, I reached out to our brave Congresswoman LaMonica McIver. She agreed to host a Know Your Rights workshop in West Orange.
Thursday, May 28 at 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
West Orange Library 10 Rooney Circle
Come learn how we can support and protect our immigrant neighbors and friends. Refreshments will be served.
AND SOME NEWS…I AM RUNNING FOR MAYOR
My time on the Council has driven home one fact: Change in our township has to start at the top.
The issues facing our township are many, but they are not insurmountable. While Montclair, Summit and Maplewood are praised for their beautiful downtown areas, West Orange has lost businesses. We can restore our historic downtown, not with pie in the sky talk of movie studios that has gone on forever, but with realistic planning and community involvement.
As Mayor, I’ll take the lead on improving downtown by focusing on walkability and pedestrian safety — making West Orange appealing to new businesses.
We are also facing major threats of overdevelopment, mismanagement of public funds, loss of green spaces and a lack of transparency from the outgoing administration. On the council, I’ve fought against developers who want to force high-rise apartments in neighborhoods where they don’t fit. We can help solve our housing shortage by making it easier for homeowners to build accessory dwelling units on their property because our needs change as our families grow. As Mayor, I’ll change the zoning code so residents can hire builders to improve their homes instead of lawyers. The first step in stopping this haphazard development is to FINALLY HIRE A FULL TIME IN-HOUSE PLANNER — a common sense solution that no town should be without.
But the position of one councilmember cannot move West Orange in the direction it needs to go. I offer you my honesty, my integrity and my commitment to listen and lead. My voice will be our voice, one that puts the residents’ interests first. At Town Hall, you will find a Mayoral door open to oversight and collaboration. I hope I can earn your vote.
Thanks for staying involved. I love hearing back from you, so please keep the comments coming.
With best regards, Joyce
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