InJersey

God’s speed Officer Auricchio

This brave, decorated war veteran and serving police officer is a victim of ignorant and, most likely, drunken thugs. Fortunately, he will soon be back with his family and back at his job; protecting Woodbridge residents. When he does come home, let’s hope he doesn’t get attacked by “politicians” looking for photo-ops!
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20120105/NJNEWS/301050038/Woodbridge-cop-recovering-from-attack-by-Flyers-fans?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

Will Woodbridge Township Elect a Mayor on November 8 or will it Affirm a Caesar?

How ironic that after working for three governors, it was Jon Corzine (of all people) who showed John McCormac the door at the NJ Statehouse back in 1996; thus giving rise to McCormac’s mayoral aspirations. As bad as Corzine’s financial practices appear to be, ala the latest news coverage about his stewardship at MF Global Holdings, Corzine found he could do without the further services of NJ Treasurer, John McCormac.

Mac doesn’t have much to say about his tenure in Trenton these days, especially his artful handling of the bonds. In fact, he usually deflects any questions on the whole debacle by saying something like, I don’t recall that! Well Mac, the taxpayers and state pensioners will be recalling your artful bond strategies for many years to come.

Of course, Mac took some of his loyal followers in Trenton back with him to Woodbridge, where people like his Chief of Staff/ Director of Redevelopment and his Communication Director found well paid position in the McCormac Administration.

So what memorable achievements has John McCormac done for Woodbridge Township during his time as mayor? Consider this:

1. Eliminated the positions of Police Chief and Assistant Chief of Police, and replaced them with retired police officers, who now get a nice pension, plus sizable paychecks for their current positions. Other key positions in the township have been, or may likely be, filed in a similar manner. Don’t all Emperor’s select and control their Praetorian Guard?

2. Shutdown St. John’s First Aid Squad because, according to some, the squad wouldn’t merge with Woodbridge Township Ambulance and Rescue Service WTARS). Reportedly, WTARS has a close relationship with John McCormac, who, in turn, has close financial contacts with financial institutions like NW Financial and Allegiance Bank. Doesn’t WARTS gets substantial financial assistance from the township, which they may well need to stay in service?

3. McCormac tried to destroy the self-sustaining Avenel Colonia First Aid Squad (ACFAS) with overblown allegation of criminal activity and personal improprieties. That didn’t work out to well for McCormac, as the squad was brought back into service by the voters. McCormac is still using taxpayer money to defend himself from a lawsuit by a former squad member. A lawsuit, by the way, McCormac apparently continues to stall until after the election. What does that say about a mayor who claims to be truly concerned about citizen’s rights? Maybe, McCormac doesn’t feel, justice delayed is justice denied, when a lawsuit is against him! And let’s not forget, McCormac has diverted a honorable and experienced police officer/fire inspector (Approx. $120,000.00 and $25,000.00, respectively, by position, plus pensions, a police car and a fire inspectors car) to act as the Operation Manager at ACFAS. The township taxpayers receive no reimbursement from the private, not for profit squad. Now that’s a Super MacDeal!

4. The Colonia Country Club was an absolute win for the owners of the Club. McCormac’s grand scheme to own the club and run it was far from a win. However, the residents of Middlesex County and Woodbridge Township did win by acquiring the development rights to the club’s property. The property, certainly to the delight of McCormac’s neighbors in Colonia, shall remain open space.

5. Speaking of McCormac’s neighborhood, he did get them a $500,000.00 skateboard park, next to a senior’s center. Of course that skateboard park took precedence over other important community issues, like the cleanup of the South Branch of the Rahway River (Sucker Brook). Then too, there are the monies McCormac could have used to saved residents thousands of dollars for surveys necessitated by FEMA redefining flood zones in the township. Unfortunately, for those residents in the flood zones, photo-ops of skateboard parks seem to be a higher priority in McCormacville.

6. Residents in the non-Colonia areas of Woodbridge Township are not being forgotten. Fords will soon have a $500,000.00 miniature golf course atop a capped landfill, a WAWA, a no fills super market and a nice, big, new housing project near Fords park. Decedents of Keasbey residents may one day enjoy a waterfront park along the Raritan River. And for those along the Woodbridge River, the new Evergreen housing construction in Avenel is removing part of those pesty wetlands which contribute to your flooding woes, and those of your neighbors in areas of Port Reading. While helping you, Mac is promoting construction jobs and providing economical enhancement for his developer supporters. Sewaren and Port Reading, someday, maybe, you will get a nice marina and dog park, if the grants for improving your area are not diverted to Colonia or elsewhere.

7. Our schools, which have the greatest impact on taxes and property values are aging and not doing too well according to the latest ASK test scores. With all the influence McCormac has on the BOE and the Superintendent’s Office, why aren’t property taxes lower and scores higher? If you think the Woodbridge School District is politically neutral, think again. John Crowe, the Superintendent of Woodbridge Schools endorsed McCormac in Sunday’s Star-Ledger.

The list of McCormac notables could go on, but to what avail. As long as Woodbridge enjoys having a Caesar that controls almost all things Woodbridge, including jobs and appointed positions, why change the Administration or the Town Council (Caesar’s Senate, if you will) that support it? Apparently, Woodbridge loves having closed stores, warehouses, declining schools, increasing unemployment and more spending and taxing by its Emperor. Don’t believe me, well just wait to see the November 8 election results. McCormac believes the township can afford him and he demands another four years to prove it. But maybe, just maybe, the voters will say they no longer want to be bonded, indentured servants of the McCormac administration and they will take back their community.

God Bless America!

A Snowjob?

see: http://www.mycentraljersey.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=PluckPersona&U=322800f60687437299e53f05d5ffb054&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckUserId=322800f60687437299e53f05d5ffb054&plckPostId=Blog%3a322800f60687437299e53f05d5ffb054Post%3a75c4fabd-796f-4db5-925a-9d46c8a76952&plckBlogItemsPerPage=5

Can the Rifts in the Republican Party Heal in Time for the November Election?

Only weeks from the general election, the fighting factions of the Woodbridge Republican party look like they may be putting aside their differences in time for Nov. 8.

By Deborah Bell
Email the author
October 11, 2011

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Photos (5)
The Boros fundraiser at Woodbridge Bowling Center.
Councilman Bob Luban at the Boros event.
Sue Boros (center) meets her supporters.
Republican mayor candidate Chris Struben and Council at-large candidate Sue Boros pose for a picture.
Republican councilman Bob Luban (left), and Republican mayoral contender Chris Struben join forces for the November election in Woodbridge.
Add your photos & videos

With less than a month to go before Woodbridge municipal election, the Republican candidates have been quietly working the phones and ringing doorbells.

The effort hides the fact that the politicking has been going on in two equal but separate Republican camps. The animosity in the Woodbridge Republican party is borne from the June primary, when mayoral candidate Chris Struben and his slate beat out Republican councilman Bob Luban and his team in an upset, still hasn’t evaporated.

There may have been some progress, though, in the unification of the disparate party factions in time for the Nov. 8 general election.

Sue Boros, the one council-at-large candidate from the Luban ticket who won in the primary, has been running separately from the Struben team. At local events which politicians traditionally use to establish a presence with the public, the Struben slate has set up their tables, while Boros has been doing the politicking for her campaign by herself.

Boros held a fundraiser Monday night at the Woodbridge Bowling Center. She expected supporters, part of what she calls ”a truly grassroots effort”, to show up and lend support.

They appeared, and so, surprisingly, did Chris Struben.

It was, to anyone’s recollection, one of the few times Struben and Boros had appeared together in public since the primary.

Struben is running against incumbent Democrat John McCormac for the mayor’s seat. Republican council at-large candidates Eduardo Ascolese, Walter Kaczmarek, Jr., and Debra Reinhart who ran with Struben are running on the regular Republican line for election, as is Sue Boros, the only candidate from the Luban team to win in the June primary.

They are pitted against Democratic incumbent council members James Carroll, Gregg Ficarra, and Brenda Yori Velasco. Kyle Anderson, another Democrat who was appointed to his at-large seat, is also running for a first time election.

In the Third Ward, Michele Charmello, who was appointed to her seat by McCormac to fill the term left by a resignation, is running for election to the seat she holds. On the Republican side, Pradip ”Peter” Kothari is aiming at the Third Ward council slot.

Whether it was a sign of a rapprochement between the feuding factions of the local Republican party, though, was unclear. Struben posed for pictures at the Boros fundraiser with the candidate herself, and in one picture, Luban and Struban appeared to be cordial.

Neither Struben nor Boros, though, were particularly anxious to discuss the ongoing problems with party infighting.

”I wish Sue all the luck in the world as a Republican candidate,” Struben said in an interview.

Boros said that Struben came to the fundraiser, but not at her invitation. ”Struben turned his back on me. He’s made up his signs, they’re out on lawns. My name isn’t on them,” she said.

For his part, Struben said he only cared about getting Republicans elected next month, and letting ”bygones be bygones” over the party’s seeming inability to heal their internal rifts.

”All that matters is that Republicans get elected in the general election. Sue is a Republican I support. I was happy to donate to her campaign,” Struben said. ”I want her, and all Republicans in Woodbridge, to win.”

Boros has held several fundraisers, and keeps her campaign moving along with the help of neighbors and friends. ”We’re cruising along. I have high school kids, we’re going out every weekend. We’re trying to win an election,” she said. ”We’re beyond grass roots in how we’ve drawn people to work on my campaign.”

Luban, the sole Republican on the council, has been helping Boros with her fundraising and campaigning. He was cordial towards Struben.

”We’re all Republicans. We’re all working toward one goal,” Luban said.

Tom Maras, a former Republican ward chairman who recently resigned from the Republican party to become an independent, said he was glad to see the two sides trying to work their differences out.

”I’m glad to see that the factions inside the party are coming together in a more united way to stand against the McCormac regime,” Maras said.

He said he was ”glad to witness the closing of ranks” against the mayor

Dem Brooklyn Bums had nothin’ on this Team!

For those that may have missed it, Sunday’s, August 7, edition of the Star-Ledger showed a picture of John McCormac, Mayor of Woodbridge, NJ, taken’ it out to the old ball game; a Mets game to be specific, on Friday, July 15, in Philly.
The “Auditor” (http://blog.nj.com/njv_auditor/2011/08/nj_republicans_line_up_to_chal.html) a writer for the Star-Ledger, who wrote the story had the following comment:
“ Talkin’ baseball
John Lynch, the former state Senate president and Democrat power broker, has kept out of the spotlight. But The Auditor noticed he was caught on camera at a July 15 Mets game, sitting one seat from Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac. The two were seen on an SNY cablecast of the Mets game against the Philadelphia Phillies, when the camera scanned the crowd before the start of the fifth inning. McCormac declined comment. Lynch, who served a 39-month federal sentence for taking kickbacks, could not be reached for comment”.
For all the blustering he does, it is amazing how when John McCormac is put in a spotlight he doesn’t like, he either declines to comment or can’t recall events!

Now if John McCormac had Tom O’Leary ( {*} former So. Amboy Housing Director), NJ Assemblyman/Woodbridge Municipal Law Counselor Craig Coughlin and Michele Charmello (Woodbridge 3rd. Ward Committeewoman) in the empty seats around him, Mac would have some “Team” there. Heck, if Joe Vas wasn’t tied up for some time to come, he might have had a seat in the box as well. Do birds of a feather really flock together?

Humm!, Wonder you owns the box or who paid for Mac’s ticket?

{*} see: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/federal_grand_jury_indicts_two.html

Revised BOE Nepotism Policy Raises Concerns Among Board Members (Patch July 26, 2011)

See the entire article on PATCH at: http://woodbridge.patch.com/articles/revised-boe-nepotism-policy-raises-concerns-among-board-members?ncid=M255

My Response.

It is amazing that at least a few of the Woodbridge Township BOE members did not suffer from apoplexy during the first reading of the NJ Department of Education’s (DOE) mandated regulation on nepotism. Imagine how difficult it was for many of the BOE members to endure the reading of the State’s new regulation. How many of those Board members were angrily thinking: How dare the State DOE try to curtail or infringe upon practices (nepotism and, dare anyone say, cronyism) which have been such an integral part of the Woodbridge Township BOE, basically from its inception! This is Woodbridge, nepotism and cronyism are an unwritten part of the personnel hiring manuals, for both the BOE and 1 Main Street.
It should be remembered, BOE members do not get paid for their BOE seats. But the family and friends they get employed by the school district or the municipality certainly do!
Is it pure coincidence the President of the Woodbridge BOE, Mr. Brian Small’s, daughter was given summer jobs with the BOE in the past, while she was off from her college studies. Now, just before the BOE will have to amend its nepotism/cronyism ways, Mr. Small’s daughter gets a permanent position in the school district as a bowling and soccer coach. Who was her competition and who decided which of the competitors was the most qualified for the job? Was it her daddy or one of friends? The same question can be asked for every school district job position filled by a friend or relation of any BOE member!
As the news article states, prior hiring’s of those with BOE connections are “grandfathered” and, therefore, are exempt from the new nepotism regulation.
(No wonder the BOE reportedly brought back Angel Korodan from her highly paid retirement, at $90.00/hr(?), to help process the staff the school is getting rid of, so as to make room for those new hires. Won’t want any of the neppies or cronyism crowd to miss getting a job because their start date didn’t beat the implementation of the forthcoming state nepotism regulations. Keep in mind Ms. Korodan was paid $375.00/day in 2008 for being the Acting Superintendant. That equates to $247,691.00/year for a 252 day work schedule! Wow, not bad for a school district that cries poverty every time their budget stands for an annual public vote).
If “rumors” (more like leaks”) persist, Mr. Small may be resigning from the BOE in January 2012. Keep in mind, January is also the time frame Mr. Small is scheduled to return to his police duties. As you may know, Mr. Small has been assigned by our “well meaning town fathers” to act as the Operation Manager of the Avenel Colonia First Aid Squad until at least the January time frame. His role at the privately owned, not-for-profit, ACFAS, saves the squad, for the time being, $40,000.00/yr or so for a outside hire for that position. While this is a great deal for the ACFAS, it is costing the residence of the township the use of a well trained police officer, at a time the WPD claims to be short staffed, and is costing the taxpayers $100,000.00 or so in his salary and benefits, plus a township car.
It could be assumed, the current, long entrenched BOE members have gotten most of their family and friends jobs in the school system at this point in time. So what do they have to fret about? Well, how about getting jobs for the children and friends of the children and friends of the BOE members who have already been hired! Nepotism isn’t just an ingrained part of the BOE, it is an insidious part of their culture!!
Even if the NJDOE does not mandate every member of the BOE and the School District declare they are hiring a relative or friend for a position in the school district, the public should. The public should be told you is being hired, who they are connected to and why that candidate is the best choice for the position.
For those with unemployed family members and friends, it must be nice to know the family and friends of the people you helped put in office are ! taking care of their own, on your money!
If you don’t like the status quo, tell the BOE, the Superintendent of Schools and their de facto boss , John McCormac, enough with their shenanigans.

P.S. Wait until you find out how much money the District is paying to cover Chartwell’s cafeteria loses, while keeping the BOE’s saved, at taxpayer expense, protected cafeteria manager and staff. Between Chartwell and the protected ones, $750,000. 00 might be a close guess! Oh, by the way, look for cafeteria meal price to go up soon!

In Jersey was a great idea. It provided a good space for local clubs, events & opinions. Sorry to see you putting it all on hold.

Who and what is the Woodbridge Township Conservative Republican Organization (WTCRO)?

Who are the members of the organization? How many members are there in their organization? Where do they meet, aside from possibly at a local diner? Does the diner serve as their de facto headquarters?

If one wonders what they do to promote the Republican Party in Woodbridge Township, just go to their website. Once there, the viewer will see lots of quotes from historic Republican leaders. Perhaps, the WTCRO imagines the use of the words of those highly respected Republicans and linkage to numerous national Republican organization, lends credibility to their organization. However, when it comes to what the WTCRO is doing for the Republican Party in Woodbridge, a reader might conclude they are trying to destroy it.

There is almost no end to their inane attacks on local Republicans, who were elected, by the voters, to positions within the Middlesex County Republican Organization, and beyond. It certainly is easy for any reader of the WTCRO to see they are much more adept at rumor mongering, innuendos and personal attacks, then they are at showing why Republicans are better for Woodbridge than are the Democrats, especially, John McCormac and his crew.

Where, in any of their diatribe, do they show outrage, or even displeasure, at the way the McCormac Administration has handled this township? Where are their attacks on higher taxes, wasteful, pork barrel spending and reduced personal freedoms? When have they stood, open and identified as WTCRO members, before the mayor, his administration or his town council, over the years, to challenge the McCormac Administration’s practices and policies? Yet they belittle those Republicans that do.

If John McCormac isn’t backing the WTCRO and its candidates, and I am not saying he is or has, he should at least be grateful for all they try to do to ensure Republicans, be they moderate or non-radical conservatives, do not have a chance to seriously challenge his dominion over Woodbridge Township.

God save the Republic, for which we stand, especially from the likes of the WTCRO ideologues!

Did True Republicans Show True Colors?

Last night the WTRO held its first meeting since the June 7th Primary. The meeting was well attended by Republican County Committee members, the WTRO candidates and those of the Right Choice for True Republican, the latter group being headed by candidate for Mayor, Chris Struben. Also in attendance were the Republican State legislature candidates for the 19th District, Paul Lund for State Senate, Shane Robinson and Angel Leon for the NJ State Assembly.

While the routine business of the Woodbridge Township Republican Organization was addressed, a good portion of the meeting focused on Chris Struben and his Town Council running mates. Candidate Struben took the opportunity to congratulate the WTRO Primary Candidates, including Ms. Susan Boros (who won in the Primary), on their recent efforts in the Primary election. Struben called on the WTRO and all Republicans to rally behind his team in their efforts to win in the November 2011 election. The WTRO candidates, in turn, congratulated Mr. Struben and his team on their wins in the Primary. Once the obligatory acknowledgements and calls for unity were completed, those in attendance had an opportunity to hear the 19th District Legislative candidates speak.

In short, Paul Lund spoke first, followed by Shane Robinson and Angel Leon. Each man spoke about the importance Woodbridge Township voters will play in the November 2011 legislative race. Listening to the candidates, it was clear they are knowledgeable, capable and highly committed individuals. They each bring their own unique talents to the campaign. Collectively, they represent a force the voters are sure to find compelling. In fact, as the Woodbridge voters get to know these candidates, it may well be they, and Ms. Susan Boros, who present the greatest challenge to the district/township political status quo.

The Monday night meeting also discussed the Saturday, June 18, WTRO fund raising breakfast at the Woodbridge United Methodist Church on Main St. The breakfast was well attended and very much enjoyed by a nice cross section of Woodbridge residents. It is worth noting the efforts of Tony Cuntala, Susan Boros, her two sons, her husband Steve, who with Ken Russo, ensured there was lots of good food. Special mention should also be given to Chris Struben’s mother, who handled ticket collections and greeting the hungry arrivals. Walt Kaczmarek, Jr. and this writer handled food delivery and KP duties.

Given how well the event was going and how hard the cooks were working, it was extremely disappointing that two of Chris Struben’s senior staff members chose that venue to corner Ken Russo, while he was cooking at the stove, to berate him over something Mr. Russo posted, prior to the Primary election, on a forum. Fortunately, even after being ‘invited outside’ by the male member of the aggrieved duo, Mr. Russo maintained his demeanor, disengaged from the confrontation and returned to his cooking duties.

Most people would think Saturday’s inappropriate and poorly timed incident would have been enough to put the matter to rest. Well, it was not. Apparently, it has become a real cause célèbre within the Struben camp. So much so that Mr. Struben asked, toward the end of the WTRO meeting, if I would have the piece I wrote over a month ago, which included Mr. Russo’s opinion on the WTCRO, taken down from the Injersey.com website. Apparently, injersey.com sites, unlike the NJ.Com Forum, which allows the willy-nilly removal of posts, has a much higher standard about removals.

After asking Mr. Struben to clarify one of his remarks about the wording used in the post that is causing so much consternation, I informed him I would consider his request. My reply was not well received by Mr. Struben or some of his team. (What followed next might be viewed by some, as people showing their ‘True Colors’, not their “True Republican’ ideology).

While Mr. Struben was expressing his displeasure with my reply, the WTRO Chairman, John Vrtaric, found it necessary to interrupt him and call into account a few facts. That exchange lead to Mr. Struben turning to his running mates and his entourage and telling them he and they were leaving. Dutifully, they followed him, out the door.

One might question, based on the manner in which Mr. Struben and his cadre departed the meeting, what the dialogue earlier in the evening about Party unity and putting the past behind us really meant. It seems, at least for that evening, the only thing the Struben team put behind them was applause as they made it out the exit door.

As to my removing my earlier from credible sites, I make Mr. Struben this offer. Use your influence and contacts to remove what many feel is the abhorrent posts about Messrs. Vrtaric, Cuntala, Russo, Luban and this writer, on website like the WTCRO and the like, and I will have mine removed. Surely, having that dated rubbish taken down would show true sincerity on your part in wanting Woodbridge Republicans to stand united. Otherwise, please explain what purpose, at this point in time, it serves to leave that divisive rhetoric stand.

Making Woodbridge Greener!

Has John McCormac found another way to make Woodbridge Greener. With all his horrible green election signs popping up all over the township, it appears he has. No matter many of these “McCormac for Mayor” signs have reportedly been placed on lawns, without the property owners’ permission, or may be violating local right of way ordinances, Mac, as we know, makes his own rules.

When is the last time anyone remembers an unopposed mayoral candidate campaigning in a Primary. In his usual fashion, Big John’s name dominates the signs, almost to the point of obscuring the names of the other candidates.

So why all the Primary promo ? Between Bob Luban and Jean Pierce, perhaps, McCormac is trying to alleviate his Primary jitters by reminding everyone he is the Mayor. How much is that helping his Council candidates?

Just imagine how McCormac’s name and face will be in the community’s face between June and November. Bet he even starts passing out fliers tell everyone the wonders he has accomplished for the citizen of Woodbridge Township. If that turns anyone green, it won’t be from envy!

Don,
Your puerile need to attack me or anyone else in the gobbledygook you write might be a sign of logorrhea. Good luck with that.

How Frightened Is John McCormac?

For those receiving fliers or who have read the various blogs and forums, it certainly seems John McCormac is very afraid of facing Bob Luban in the November mayoralty election.

Oh, John is not saying much against Bob Luban, in fact, he usually defaults to his “no comment” , when questioned by the press about the upcoming Primary election. And why would John say anything against Bob or his slate, when he has so many of his minions and anti WTRO cohorts doing it for him. In fact, they are working overtime at it!

The “Bully of One Main Street”, as he is referred to by some, has been at the game of politics long enough to know his chances of being re-elected mayor in November go up exponentially, if he does not have to face Bob Luban. So, naturally McCormac will use every trick and every person, regardless of Party affiliation, to avoid a real election contest with Luban in November.

For those that may doubt John McCormac would use such tactics, just wait to see how desperate and low the opposition’s rhetoric will become in the few days they have left to help McCormac.

From what I understand, Chris Struben is willing to debate but Bob Luban is not.

Why would Bob not want to debate if he has such a stellar record and is not ashamed of his pension padding as he notes in today’s article?

Perhaps the incumbent Mayor should publicly state that if the two Republican candidates do not debate each other, then he shouldn’t even have to consider a debate between the winner and himself???

It just does not make sense that registered Republican voters have only the literature put out by the candidates to base their vote upon. Seeing the two gentlemen in a debate would certainly provide a forum where a more educated decision could be made.

Sergio, good to know you will be watching the posts and posters. This site should never become what the NJ Forums site has become. Your readers know you will never allow to happen.

Happy Avenel Community Day!

Share your photos: sergio@injersey.com or http://facebook.com/woodbridge.injersey