Run, Joe, Run!

Run, Joe, Run!

By Joe Renna

According to the Election Law Enforcement Commission, the county wide expenditures for the Democratic Party for the 2002 elections was $1,000,000. I'm no Milton Freedman but can the position of Union County Freeholder, that pays $28,000 a year, be worth that much? You bet it is.

The Freeholders hold the purse strings of a $341,000,000 budget. That's some righteous bucks. In fact it's your righteous bucks, the tax payer! And for the past three years in a row the county has raised their portion of your property tax bill almost 10% per year. There is no indication that next year is going to be any different.

Most people don't know what a Freeholder is or what the county does with the money it collects. If you look at your property tax bill you will see that about half goes to your Board of Education, about 25% goes to your municipality and about 25% goes to the county. In fact some people pay more tax to the county than they do their town. When the school or city taxes go up, everyone gets up and screams and hollers. When it comes to their county taxes most people don't even notice what is happening.

Many cities are struggling to make their budgets work. Last months newspaper reported that Rahway is looking to lay off policemen and educators in order to get the budget under control. At the same time the county has increased it's levy on the property tax. Cities and BOE's know how sensitive the property tax issue is and hesitate to raise the tax because there may be political repercussions. There is only so much tax that could be collected. When the county hits the property owners with a higher tax, then that is less that is available for education and safety on the local level.
The Union County Freeholders are immune to the threat of being voted out. With the amount of cash at their disposal, the incumbents can do anything they wish without fear of losing their seat.

The classic end to a con artists career is when he gets too greedy. The arrogance of the con causes him to extend himself, never thinking he will ever get caught. If the con was successful so far why not go for a bigger payoff? When he inevitably does, he gets noticed.

The county is creeping dangerously close to the point in which their actions will have a detrimental effect on some fundamental issues.
On May 29, 2003, just before the Freeholder Board voted on approving the 2003 budget, an additional $500,000 was added to the tax levy. There is no checks or balance system in our county government. Taxpayers are being fleeced. People are not informed and, even if they were, they are powerless to stop the Freeholders from doing what they want. The only way to stop this thievery is to elect new Freeholders who will balance the one sided Democratic board. At the very least an independent voice on the board can keep the public informed.

That is why I have chosen to run for Union County Freeholder this year. Running for office is something
I have been wanting to do for a long time. For ten years I have been working with many municipalities, Urban Enterprise Zones, Special Improvement Districts, government agencies and non-profits. This has been my career. I sold my business and joined on with the county in 2001. I am a member of the American Society of Public Administration and I will receive my masters degree in public administration in less than a year. Details of my career can be found on my website under resume.

There are many services that the County delivers that are valuable to the public. But not $341,000,000 worth. The waste is incredible. The money should be back in the hands of the people who earned it. The county should accentuate the programs that do the most good and cut the waste.
As a member of the Board of Chosen Freeholders I intend to make sure that people are informed about how the county operates. As a board member, I will give the people the opportunity to have a real say in the decisions I make.

I can be a very effective representative of the people. That is what I would like to accomplish. I'm not running because I hate anyone. I don't hate anyone. I do realize people now hate me for running. It's sad to think that running for office is regarded as hatred for an opponent. I'm running because I believe that I can improve the County Government. I will show the deficiencies that exist and offer solutions.