Clarity for the Blogging Community

I would like to clear the air with truth and clarity regarding information shared pertaining to my sons’ salaries; one being an undersheriff for Union County, and the other employed by the City of Plainfield as a firefighter.

First off, they were referred to as ‘Jerry’s kids’, while they are both 40+ years in age, and have been working in their respective careers for over 20 years, and I am very proud of them both. Jerry Jr. has been a sheriff’s officer for over 20 years. He took the civil service exam, passed, and went through the academy, which qualified him as a sheriff’s officer. This was not a political appointment, and I am proud of the job he has done as a sheriff’s officer. It is warming as I go around the State and am approached by other officer’s and am swamped with compliments regarding his job performance. His salary is no different from other sheriff officers, for it took him 20 years to achieve the salary grade of $102,000, which he currently holds and has earned.

My son Sheldon is a firefighter, and went through the systematic selection of becoming a civil servant. It took him 20 years to get to the salary grade of $76,000, again one he has dutifully earned and achieved. His job as Plainfield Emergency Management Coordinator is a title, a title that brings him no monetary benefit. In other municipalities, individuals with this position bring in salaries topping over $100,000. I have gone on record expressing my disagreement for his holding of the position, because if anything ever happened in the City, he would be the first one blamed. Nevertheless, because this is his passion, I respect him for his decisions.

Now, the questions I have been asking for the past few months have yet to be answered, while in my responses to misinformation, I am labeled as attacking and ‘losing it.’ The respect I have gained in this State, with the Vice President sharing with me his appreciation with the wonderful job I am doing on behalf of New Jersey as Chairman of Local Government and Housing, the few off-the-cuff remarks from ‘haters’ are futile and will not be an avenue in which I will feed into.

Eventually, that hate in their hearts will cause them to cross the line. When this happens, their will be legal ramifications to their actions. I myself will not engage in gutter politics, but will continue to shed light and truth with the public.

When questions are asked of me, I answer them. I shake my head when bloggers like Cory Storch duck questions that demand truth and accountability, a shameful practice for an elected official. Mr. Storch should be held accountable to the public just as I am when questions are asked, for we are both elected officials.

Therefore, as my 2nd ward council representative, I have a few questions for Mr. Storch, and hopefully he will be man enough to give me a truthful answer before his term expires. First, what did Dan Damon do for the City of Plainfield while you were a council member, where he earned $65,000/yr, which is over a half million dollars for his tenure, drawing this salary from the Economic Development Department? Two, Christian Estevez’s wife started as a teacher earning $41,000. However once Mr. Estevez was elected to the School Board, she received a $40,000 raise in one year, and is now generating a salary well over $100,000. I would like to know if this is regular practice for every school employee.

Sharing this sort of public knowledge is not an attack on Chris Estevez, but is a demand that, as a taxpaying citizen, should be answered, being sure to defeat any type of inside trading.