Open Letter To Governor Christie From Hoboken Revolt
January 27, 2010The Honorable Chris Christie
Office of the Governor
PO Box 001
Trenton, NJ 08625
Dear Governor Christie:
I am writing to you on behalf of the steering committee of Hoboken Revolt, a community-based, nonpartisan watchdog organization whose mission is to ensure fiscal responsibility and accountability in Hoboken government. Since its formation a little over a year ago, our website has grown to include almost 800 members and is considered a primary destination for local government related news and discussion.
As you are aware, Hoboken has been mired in official corruption scandals, including the arrest of former Mayor Peter Cammarano after a mere three weeks in office, as well as the indictment, a month ago, of the former head of the Hoboken Parking Utility in connection with the alleged theft of over $600,000 in quarters collected from parking meters. The city has been plagued by financial mismanagement for years. The municipal budget has ballooned from $65 million in 2003 to $120 million in 2009. The situation became so dire that, in 2008, a state fiscal monitor was appointed when the Council failed to approve a budget. When the fiscal monitor completed her initial review, the taxpayers of Hoboken were saddled with a devastating 47% municipal tax increase. To make matters worse, the taxpayers are on the hook for what may be more than $52 million (plus accumulated interest) in hospital bonds, in the event that Hoboken University Medical Center should fail. Furthermore, the tax burden is not fairly allocated among property owners since the city has failed to conduct an evaluation since 1988, in clear violation of applicable law.
Hoboken's runaway budget has been fueled in large part by uncontrolled personnel costs completely out of proportion with the needs of our mile-square city and out of line with similarly situated municipalities in Hudson County and elsewhere in the State of NJ. Hoboken was highlighted in the December 2009 report of the State of New Jersey Department of Investigation entitled "The Beat Goes On, Waste and Abuse in Local Government Employee Compensation and Benefits." The report cites extraordinary terminal leave and vacation accrual benefits, cash stipends, longevity raises and special leave benefits, including days off to attend weddings, baptisms, and to give blood, afforded to public safety employees.
The taxpayers of Hoboken demand accountability and transparency. We are aware that a police department audit was conducted by the state, at the behest of the fiscal monitor, in late 2008. As a result of the audit, the state fiscal monitor called for the elimination of sixteen positions in the police department. That plan has never been implemented and the audit report has never been released.
In response to then-Councilperson, now-Mayor, Dawn Zimmer's March 2009 request that the report be provided to the city council, the fiscal monitor indicated that the report had not been finalized, but would be made available by April 2009. Nine months later, in response to this group's December 26, 2009 call for public release of the report and for the city to undertake efficiency and forensic audits of all other municipal departments and agencies, Mayor Zimmer disclosed that the 2008 police department audit still had not been released by the State. State DCA Director Susan Jacobucci reportedly represented to Mayor Zimmer that the report was still in the "final editing stage" and committed to provide the report by January 18, 2010. Mayor Zimmer pledged to make the report available to the public soon thereafter, following an opportunity for the Police Chief and Public Safety Director to review it. It is our understanding that the DCA has failed to meet the commitment of issuing the audit of the Hoboken police department on January 18, 2010. The State has twice failed to comply with its own, self-imposed deadlines and the report remains unavailable to the public.
Yesterday, in response to our inquiry, State Fiscal Monitor Judy Tripodi represented that, to date, she had not received a final copy of the police department audit. It is our understanding the mayor and city council have never seen the report, even in draft form. Ms. Tripodi made no commitment to make the report available to the mayor, the city council or the public prior to presenting a proposed public safety labor contract to the council and further, indicated that it was her intention to finalize the contract, with or without the approval of the city council.
With a new local administration in place, the 2010-11 budget under review, and public safety contracts in negotiations, the taxpayers of Hoboken are hopeful that some relief may be on the horizon. The State should play an active role in helping Hoboken achieve fiscal health, including a responsible budget commensurate with the needs of the community and public employee contracts that are fair and equitable for the employees and taxpayers. Department audits are critical to identifying available cost savings in the budget and evaluating labor contract provisions. The State's excessive delay in releasing the police department audit is inexplicable and inexcusable. It is an affront to the principle of open government and undermines the ability of our elected officials to take responsible steps toward right-sizing our budget. We ask that, consistent with your expressed commitment to fiscally responsible, honest and open government, you direct DCA to release the police department audit immediately and direct the state fiscal monitor not to present the city council with the proposed police department labor contract, or finalize it, until the report is forthcoming and there is a reasonable opportunity to review it.
Finally, whether or not the fiscal monitor has the legal authority to overrule the city council on this issue, to do so would effectively disenfranchise the voters of Hoboken. We ask that you consider instructing Ms. Tripodi to honor the decision of the city council on the contract issue. We invite you or your representative to meet with us to discuss our concerns and help to identify ways in which state and local governments and community groups like ours can work cooperatively to achieve our mutual goals.
Sincerely,
Hoboken Revolt Steering Committee
cc: Mayor Dawn Zimmer
Members of the Hoboken City Council
Susan Jacobucci
Judy Tripodi
Below is the link of the letter on Hoboken Revolt's Website:
http://www.hobokenrevolt.com/forum/topics/open-letter-to-governor
Share your thoughts as to this letter's contents in the comments section below.....
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I am writing to you on behalf of the steering committee of Hoboken Revolt, a community-based, nonpartisan watchdog organization whose mission is to ensure fiscal responsibility and accountability in Hoboken government. Since its formation a little over a year ago, our website has grown to include almost 800 members and is considered a primary destination for local government related news and discussion.
As you are aware, Hoboken has been mired in official corruption scandals, including the arrest of former Mayor Peter Cammarano after a mere three weeks in office, as well as the indictment, a month ago, of the former head of the Hoboken Parking Utility in connection with the alleged theft of over $600,000 in quarters collected from parking meters. The city has been plagued by financial mismanagement for years. The municipal budget has ballooned from $65 million in 2003 to $120 million in 2009. The situation became so dire that, in 2008, a state fiscal monitor was appointed when the Council failed to approve a budget. When the fiscal monitor completed her initial review, the taxpayers of Hoboken were saddled with a devastating 47% municipal tax increase. To make matters worse, the taxpayers are on the hook for what may be more than $52 million (plus accumulated interest) in hospital bonds, in the event that Hoboken University Medical Center should fail. Furthermore, the tax burden is not fairly allocated among property owners since the city has failed to conduct an evaluation since 1988, in clear violation of applicable law.
Hoboken's runaway budget has been fueled in large part by uncontrolled personnel costs completely out of proportion with the needs of our mile-square city and out of line with similarly situated municipalities in Hudson County and elsewhere in the State of NJ. Hoboken was highlighted in the December 2009 report of the State of New Jersey Department of Investigation entitled "The Beat Goes On, Waste and Abuse in Local Government Employee Compensation and Benefits." The report cites extraordinary terminal leave and vacation accrual benefits, cash stipends, longevity raises and special leave benefits, including days off to attend weddings, baptisms, and to give blood, afforded to public safety employees.
The taxpayers of Hoboken demand accountability and transparency. We are aware that a police department audit was conducted by the state, at the behest of the fiscal monitor, in late 2008. As a result of the audit, the state fiscal monitor called for the elimination of sixteen positions in the police department. That plan has never been implemented and the audit report has never been released.
In response to then-Councilperson, now-Mayor, Dawn Zimmer's March 2009 request that the report be provided to the city council, the fiscal monitor indicated that the report had not been finalized, but would be made available by April 2009. Nine months later, in response to this group's December 26, 2009 call for public release of the report and for the city to undertake efficiency and forensic audits of all other municipal departments and agencies, Mayor Zimmer disclosed that the 2008 police department audit still had not been released by the State. State DCA Director Susan Jacobucci reportedly represented to Mayor Zimmer that the report was still in the "final editing stage" and committed to provide the report by January 18, 2010. Mayor Zimmer pledged to make the report available to the public soon thereafter, following an opportunity for the Police Chief and Public Safety Director to review it. It is our understanding that the DCA has failed to meet the commitment of issuing the audit of the Hoboken police department on January 18, 2010. The State has twice failed to comply with its own, self-imposed deadlines and the report remains unavailable to the public.
Yesterday, in response to our inquiry, State Fiscal Monitor Judy Tripodi represented that, to date, she had not received a final copy of the police department audit. It is our understanding the mayor and city council have never seen the report, even in draft form. Ms. Tripodi made no commitment to make the report available to the mayor, the city council or the public prior to presenting a proposed public safety labor contract to the council and further, indicated that it was her intention to finalize the contract, with or without the approval of the city council.
With a new local administration in place, the 2010-11 budget under review, and public safety contracts in negotiations, the taxpayers of Hoboken are hopeful that some relief may be on the horizon. The State should play an active role in helping Hoboken achieve fiscal health, including a responsible budget commensurate with the needs of the community and public employee contracts that are fair and equitable for the employees and taxpayers. Department audits are critical to identifying available cost savings in the budget and evaluating labor contract provisions. The State's excessive delay in releasing the police department audit is inexplicable and inexcusable. It is an affront to the principle of open government and undermines the ability of our elected officials to take responsible steps toward right-sizing our budget. We ask that, consistent with your expressed commitment to fiscally responsible, honest and open government, you direct DCA to release the police department audit immediately and direct the state fiscal monitor not to present the city council with the proposed police department labor contract, or finalize it, until the report is forthcoming and there is a reasonable opportunity to review it.
Finally, whether or not the fiscal monitor has the legal authority to overrule the city council on this issue, to do so would effectively disenfranchise the voters of Hoboken. We ask that you consider instructing Ms. Tripodi to honor the decision of the city council on the contract issue. We invite you or your representative to meet with us to discuss our concerns and help to identify ways in which state and local governments and community groups like ours can work cooperatively to achieve our mutual goals.
Sincerely,
Hoboken Revolt Steering Committee
cc: Mayor Dawn Zimmer
Members of the Hoboken City Council
Susan Jacobucci
Judy Tripodi
Below is the link of the letter on Hoboken Revolt's Website:
http://www.hobokenrevolt.com/forum/topics/open-letter-to-governor
Share your thoughts as to this letter's contents in the comments section below.....
