Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Paul Swibinski - Could Passaic Valley Sewerage Controversy Hurt His Bottom line?

Paul Swibinski
Hired gun for Beth Mason
Update 2/8/2011: According to Bill Brennan, a Hudson County political observer and corruption fighter who produces the online show "New Jesey Civil Circus", Hudson County political consultant Paul Swibinski brings in over $300,000 a year in public contracts. In addition to that he has used his media company to both make money and battle reform in Hoboken by advising or running the campaigns of Dave "High Rise" Roberts,  Peter "Grind them into Powder" Cammarano, and  Beth "Develop or Die" Mason just to name a few. He also recently received a princely sum to assist the Hoboken Police Union in opposition to Mayor Dawn Zimmer trying to save the taxpayers some money that she was elected to do.

The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission has come under fire by the Christie Administration that has stepped in and fired a bunch of employees in an effort to clean up the commission which has had a reputation for being a patronage mill for years. This is after all the same commission that paid Paul Swibinski $100,000 for a f*cking children's coloring book! That's right, a f*cking children's coloring book! (sorry ladies, stuff like this really irks me to no end).

Thus it naturally begs the question as to whether Paul Swibinski and his Vision Media company will still continue to profit frrom this commission? I am pretty sure not too many Passaic Valley taxpayers will shed a tear to see this "public tit sucker" packing. Kudos to Gov. Christie for starting to clean up this patronage taxpayer hell hole but I would just like to remind him to be sure and flush out the patronage refise that is Vision Media as well. He should flush twice and check the bowl. This guy and his firm are real kling-ons!

Given that Beth Mason according to her most recent ELECs is still using Paul Swibinski (Vision Media) is yet one more reason not to support her come the City Council elections in May. Beth Mason has demonstrated that she is willing to abandon principle, circumvent the rules on campaign contributions, and spend on-godly sums to try and buy the Mayor's office, thankfully unsuccessfully. But in a way it makes sense, with Beth Mason whose personal ambition trumps the real needs of Hoboken residents and a crafty political mercenary who has no values other than the all mighty dollar. What a team!

Here is excerpt of the PVSC story from www.PolitickerNJ.com:
Another 71 sewerage workers down the drain

By Timothy J. Carroll February 7th, 2011

Gov. Chris Christie announced another 71 employees were terminated today at the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, another sweep in his continued fight against public authorities that lack government oversight.

He said the commission, which handles waste water in four northern counties, has been rid of 96 individuals in less than two weeks, including three who were arrested and accused with using their public positions to their own benefit.

According to sources, a total of more than 140 employees a have either left or have been fired since the Star-Ledger broke their in-depth expose on the authority a few weeks ago.

The drastic maneuvering at the PVSC will bring an immediate saving to the ratepayers in the north of over $10 million in salaries and benefits.

“The operations of the PVSC are still going just fine for those who want to flush their toilets in those four counties,” Christie said.

The offenders have “significant patrons inside this building,” Christie said. “This has been a place for key powerful legislators in both parties.”

Full Article: http://www.politickernj.com/44677/another-71-sewerage-workers-down-drain

Paul Swibinski (left)
 Original Post 9/15/2010:

Featured Patronage Arch Villian - Paul Swibinski and the case of the $100,000 coloring book

The PBA has hired Paul Swibinski to handle their PR in order to fight the "Zimmer Police Layoffs" and that is their right in my opinion however ill advised it may be tactically. However, I find it ironic that Paul Swibinski and the Union is lobbing the patronage label at  Mayor Zimmer when according to civic observer Bill Brennan he brings in over $300,000 a year in public service contracts. See my article on Bill Brennan dissecting Paul Swibinski here:

http://thehobokenjournal.blogspot.com/2010/08/ki-champthe-new-jersey-civil-circus.html

Click read more below to read on

If that wasn't bad enough a little Internet search has revealed Paul Swibinski once charged a Municipal Authority $105,000 for a coloring book and a newsletter according to PolitickerNJ.com. The coloring book was named after a children's character "Messy Marvin". For those who are not faint of heart you should look that term up on urbandictionary.com to get another meaning of the term.

Paul Swibinski once charged $105K for this coloring book
to the Passaic Valley Sewer Authority
 Here is the link to the Politicker NJ.com article:

http://www.politickernj.com/weinberg-and-ferriero-blast-each-other-over-government-reform-12512

Weinberg also criticized a $105,000 expenditure on coloring books and newsletters designed by a Democratic political consultant* who has a contract with the authority.

“The Messy Marvin Coloring Book” was one of the prime examples Weinberg and her running mates, Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle and Assemblyman Gordon Johnson, used to show wasteful spending by the so-called shadow governments.

“That is the only body of work that was turned over to us,” said Weinberg. “$105,000 for a coloring book for school children who might want to learn more about being messy and one newsletter, also for school kids.”

*The political consultant was Paul Swibinski of Vision Media. Below is his rebuttal in the article:

Representatives from the Democratic firm criticized by Weinberg also fought back today. Vision Media Marketing founder Paul Swibinski said that any money his firm earned relating to the coloring book was paid as part of his normal consulting fees. Also, $20,000 of the money paid to Vision Media was used for the news letter’s printing expenses.

“It is grossly inaccurate to imply that the PVSC paid $100,000 for the coloring book and that newsletter,” said Swibinski.

Below is the full version of the coloring book provided by Paul Swibinski's Vision Media couretsy of the taxpayer:



My statement: I don't care what anyone else thinks but no way no how should any municipal entity be spending money on a coloring book that has no educational value. It is the fault of the entity for giving Paul Swibinski the contract but I can ascertain one thing from this whole fiasco, Paul Swibinski certainly does not represent the tax payer based on his antics. Why then did the PBA hire this political spin meister? We know it isn't to lower our taxes or reform our government. Feel free to chime in below on this lousy waste of taxpayer money and the sheister behind it currently handling the PBA's PR war against Mayor Dawn Zimmer. ◦
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