Wasteful spending
The biggest issue concerning the County of Union is wasteful spending.
The last three years saw double digit tax increases, a rise in
licenses and other fees and a depletion of the reserve. The County
has been using the county budget for political means in the form
of no-bid pay-to-play contracts and creating patronage jobs which
has increased the size of county government. Wasteful spending
has caused a double digit property tax increase each year for
the last three years. What is worse is that the waste drains funds
from the budgets of the essential services. The neglect of these
services has been detrimental to the health and safety of the
people.
Unqualified leadership
Over the last three years, patronage jobs have increased in number
and now make up the highest levels of the County Administration.
The incompetence at the top of the county hierarchy renders the
rank and file workers unproductive. Administrators with no experience
or skills are overseeing projects that are costing the County
millions only to fail because of lack of oversight or proper planning.
The Freeholders are ultimately responsible for the management's
actions.
No checks and
balance system
The nine members of the Freeholder board are all Democrats. Its
been like that for six years. They act as a pack and their actions
indicate that they have put the interest of their party before
the that of the people. With no balance on the board the autocratic
system is free to do what they please under the luxury of secrecy.
There is a need for at least one alternate Freeholder to represent
the people.
The services that actually justify the existence of county government are being neglected. I would concentrate on these essential services before I spend time and energy on excessive projects. For example:
Jail System
The Corrections Officers have been working without a contract
since 2000. The working conditions are poor and dangerous. Not
only to the staff at the jail but also to the public. Over crowding
because of the Freeholders to close a portion of the jail has
caused the county to transfer inmates to out of county facilities
that are less secure. The decision also cost the county millions
of dollars in revenue that we received from the state and is costing
million to send our inmates elsewhere. The Freeholders have not
addressed the structural problems or the human resource concerns
of the jail. I would make them top priority before a tragedy occurs.
Juvenile detention
system
A tragedy has occurs. In June, a 17 year old boy hung himself.
The County has been cited by the state for its neglect and the
horrible conditions of the Juvenile Detention Center. The County
did not respond adequately. It has only become an issue because
of the election. The problems must be addressed even after the
election is over.
The reason the County is in such bad shape is that the public has no knowledge of what is going on. Critical information is not shared with the public until the resolutions are past. The impact I can have on the board would come from me getting the information out to the people. Even with the new Open Public Records Act (OPRA) in place the County is still not forthcoming, and when they are, the information is too little and too late.
As a Freeholder I would have access to public records first hand. I would make those records more accessible. I will inform the public of what is going on and in turn get them more involved. It would be difficult for the Freeholders to wheel and deal as they do under the secrecy of all democratic board.
Also, since I am not beholden to the leaders of the democratic party, I will not be rubber stamping my approval to flawed proposals and ridiculous contracts. The incompetence of county administration must be held in check.