Comments were made in the last couple of days in reference to my actions as Party Chair and my reasoning for moving in the direction that I did in terms of giving the council three names to choose from. I would like to respond to these comments and to the concerns of one of the Democratic Committee members reasoning for my not sharing certain information that I had received from four different attorneys in terms of the process that we used. First all four attorneys agreed that the process used was legitimate, in fact a similar process was used in another NJ municipality in which a Democratic Committee picked a Republican to include in a slate for nominees for a council vacancy.
This same person that basically questioned why I have not shared information with "anyone" failed to realize that our last mayor - who was elected by the Democratic party - never asked for a meeting with me or the Democratic party to announce that he had decided to become a Republican. Since the law allows an individual to be able to do this, I had to accept his rights. He had a right to make that decision and I understood that the law gave him that right, so why should I challenge his decision?
Secondly, there is a bigger reason why I did not share this information with some members of the Democratic Committee. I found out that without the permission of the Democratic Committee, our meeting was video taped and put on the internet; furthermore the tape was altered to show an incorrect message of what went on at the meeting. This leads me to feel that the City Committee can no longer trust some members. So I am now researching how the Committee can avoid someone taking such actions without getting permission from the members of the Committee. The Committee members feel that they are attending a meeting and that they have the right to maintain their privacy with respect to expressing their feelings on various issues within the party with no fear of seeing themselves on the internet. Now when the same individual is complaining about how I was conducting myself found no problem with the implementation of this “new” process in terms of videoing private meetings and then posting the meeting on the internet – that means that there is no respect for the members of the Committee or the subject matter – some of which is sensitive and should be treated as such.
So understand that there is nothing that was done illegally, there was nothing done that was corrupt. I have read some comments that I have identified as coming from the new Tea Party that we have here in the City of Plainfield. I am not surprised at some of the comments, the Tea Party members are trying to turn something that I did legally into something bad. It is embarrassing when you hear some of these individuals mention one individual was not registered because he must have served time in jail.
These kinds of comments are not only embarrassing but they hurt a man’s reputation. Unless these types of comments can be proven, bloggers should not allow the use of their blogs as a way to get this false information out.
I would like you to take a moment to read how the township of Aberdeen’s all Democratic Council appointed an individual as a replacement and nothing in the news article said anything negative about anyone.
I have been told that a person is blessed when God has given him common sense rather than being blessed with book knowledge and no common sense.
Dems cross party lines on council appointee
BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer
December 11, 2008
ABERDEEN — The township's all-Democratic council appointed a Planning Board member to fill a vacant council seat at the Dec. 2 meeting.
Newly appointed Councilman Fred Tagliarini just happens to be a Republican.
He was one of three candidates whose names were submitted to council by the Democratic County Committee of Aberdeen Township on Nov. 18.
"It is a tremendous honor and I was flattered," Tagliarini said of his appointment. "I wasn't expecting it, which makes it that much more pleasurable in a way."
Tagliarini was appointed by a unanimous vote at the Dec. 2 Township Council meeting to fill the seat vacated when former Councilwoman Janice Gallo resigned.
Gallo was elected to a four-year term in 2007 and her resignation came just shy of one year into that term.
Tagliarini, who filled a vacancy on the Township Council previously, will fill the vacancy and run for election in 2009.
"There was an identical situation some years ago when a councilman moved away and the same thing happened when they asked me to fill the term," Tagliarini explained. "At this point in time, I would like to get up to speed on the issues and workings of the council. However, in light of these economic times, I would like to make sure the council and the town are both operating as efficiently as possible."
Tagliarini said the fact that he is a Republican didn't seem to matter to the mayor.
"I think it is a credit to the council for looking across party lines," he said. "When the mayor called, I said 'I am not of your party's persuasion,' and he said that the council didn't care and that they would like to work with me regardless."
"We received what I believe were three names of people who are very qualified and are longtime residents of the township," Mayor David Sobel said in a Dec. 5 interview. "Fred, I have known for over 20 years. He has headed up the Little League baseball for years and now the Babe Ruth League, so he is very involved. He actually served for a year on the council in the mid-90s, and it may be interesting because he is a Republican." According to Aberdeen Township Manager Joseph Criscuolo, the Democratic County Committee of Aberdeen Township is the municipal party that selected Tagliarini as one of the potential candidates.
"They can choose anyone they wish just as long as that person is eligible to run for office in town, if they are over the age of 18 and have a current residence, and so on. The party can submit anyone they choose regardless of party affiliation."
Sobel also said that Tagliarini, who was sworn in at the Dec. 2 meeting, serves on the Planning Board and will also be the council's liaison, and an alternate will fill Tagliarini's spot on the Planning Board.
"He is just a great person, and I think in time, people who come to meetings will think so also," Sobel said.
Criscuolo confirmed Dec. 1 that the municipal party submitted the names of Tagliarini, Henry Arnold and Irwin Katz for the Township Council to succeed Gallo, who submitted her letter of resignation on Nov. 8.
"The municipal vacancy law allows [the Township Council] to take up to 30 days after the submission of the names," Criscuolo explained. "The council has through Dec. 18 to decide who to appoint to the council."
The law that Criscuolo referred to is NJSA 40A:16-11, and according to the New Jersey League of Municipalities Web site, the law provides that if the office of a governing body member who was the nominee of a political party becomes vacant, the municipal committee of that party has 15 days from the date of the vacancy to present three candidates for the office to the governing body.
The governing body then has 30 days to appoint one of the three to the position. If they fail to meet this deadline, the municipal committee that submitted the nominees, within 15 days, will appoint the successor to fill the vacancy.
Gallo, a Democrat, submitted a singlepage letter of resignation Nov. 8 that listed personal and health reasons for leaving.
In it, she wished Aberdeen Township "success in all its future endeavors" and intimated some sort of disagreement between her and the rest of the council.
"Over the past year we have certainly had our share of differences; however, recent developments have [caused] me to realize that my attempts to promote what I believe are the best [interests] of Aberdeen, are often at odds with my fellow council members," Gallo stated. "As a result of my strong commitment, my personal life and health have begun to suffer. I therefore no longer feel that I can fulfill my duties and responsibilities as a council member."
Speculation that Gallo would step down began after a contentious Sept. 2 Township Council meeting during which she posed numerous questions about the $15.3 million budget that was adopted despite her no vote.
At that time, Gallo said she was unsure if she would continue her term as councilwoman.
http://independent.gmnews.com/news/2008-12-11/front_page/007.html
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