Review of the County Commissioners’ Meeting of June 8th
/by Rubashov
It is the opinion of many, that over the past few years, the Board of County Commissioners (formerly the Board of County Freeholders) has been recast into something along the lines of a ceremonial body, with the real running of the county left to an unelected County Administrator and a cabal of well-paid, white-collar managers, hand-picked by the unelected Administrator. Some argue that there has always been a power elite in the county of a few monied family interests and a network of friendly vendors and professionals. Of course, the way it is supposed to be – in a representative democracy – is that the people are in charge, their majority opinion, represented by those they elect. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.
That’s not to say there is an absence of reform-minded people. There are reformers both in and outside of county government. The elected constitutional officers, all Republicans, are keen reformers who have saved millions – only to see it wasted in padding the administration and paying vendors, instead of going towards cutting property taxes and county employee retention. The labor movement and good government activists have asked questions and prodded county government with OPRA requests, seeking information that was often thwarted. The Democrats, who could have played a role, have instead obsessed about their sexual “identities” and have largely remained outside the reform efforts (along with the campaign for a livable wage for county employees).
At the moment, the politics of the Board of Commissioners is very interesting. The County Administrator has left, an interim is in his place, and the county is undergoing a period of reorganization and, one hopes, introspection.
Anthony Fasano, the Commissioner Director is not running for re-election. Deputy Director Chris Carney and Commissioner Dawn Fantasia are each considering a run for the Assembly seat being vacated by Parker Space. Commissioner Herb Yardley faces re-election next year. Jill Space, the newest Commissioner, faces re-election this year. There will be at least one new commissioner next January, and if the Democrats get their stuff together, possibly two.
On top of all this, there is a popular movement to ditch the whole unelected County Administrator form of government in favor of an elected County Executive. This would negate the necessity for the elected County Commissioners to act as a supervisory executive – something many believe they have demonstrated they are not up to doing.
Opposing this reform agenda is the self-described Chief Operations Officer, an unelected Left-of-Center Democrat and loyalist of the former County Administrator. She can usually count on the support of a couple Republican Commissioners (and the support of a former Commissioner who is still very much a behind-the-scenes force in county government).
News about the workings of county government is covered only partially since the New Jersey Herald was absorbed by the Gannett conglomerate. Local news organizations have been trying to fill the gap, but their knowledge of the players and the politics is often spotty. This isn’t their fault, they just lack the perspective of decades-long observation and engagement.
Watchdog is determined to fill the gap and has reached out to several sources to help with this. We hope to soon be able to announce the engagement of a part-time county government reporter. Until then, we will provide our perspective through board meeting reviews, the first of which appears today, covering the Board meeting of Wednesday, June 8th. Here are the highlights of that meeting:
Activist Democrat advances again. A well-known Newton Democrat has again been promoted with the support of most of the County Commissioners. This Democrat – who has received rapid promotion in the county and a substantial 50% salary increase in just a few years – was promoted on a vote of 4 to 1, with only Commissioner Chris Carney opposing the Democrat’s promotion. After the vote, a commissioner complained that he had been misled by the COO and another called into question the actions of the Board Clerk, but a recorded vote is a recorded vote. Politically, this vote benefits Commissioner Carney should he seek to move up the political ladder and run for the Assembly.
Inaction on Covid deaths at Andover Subacute. There has always been a weird hesitancy about the county taking decisive action to stop the human suffering and death at the former Andover Subacute nursing home (now the Woodland Behavioral and Nursing Center). Amid the COVID pandemic in 2020, one (now former) freeholder even threatened to quit if the Board voted to have the county investigate the matter. It is clear now that such an investigation could have saved lives and would have almost certainly prevented human suffering.
Last November, county residents overwhelmingly voted to give the county the authority to go after the problem. A county ballot question to investigate and bring legal action against the nursing home passed 42,965 to 10,199. But more than seven months have passed since then and the progress, as acknowledged by Commissioner Dawn Fantasia at Wednesday’s meeting, has been glacial (see attached video -- audio only).
Part of the problem has been the leadership from the Board. For some strange reason, the Board Director placed the matter under the purview of the very Commissioner (then a Freeholder) who had threatened to resign in 2020. More recently, the matter was handed off to the newest, least experienced Commissioner.
What makes this even more perplexing is that the Board actually has a career public health professional among its members. He is Commissioner Herb Yardley, the former county health officer, and Health Department head in Sussex County. It was Commissioner Yardley who led the charge early on, sending a series of demands for information to the state Health Department. But instead of making him the liaison with the county Health Department and allowing him to lead in keeping the pressure on the state and the nursing homes, he was all but sealed off from contact with his former department. Why?
Apparently, this has continued, with the head of that department a few weeks ago advising her county workers not to interface with Commissioner Yardley – an elected member of the Board who should be permitted to interface with any county employee he damned well pleases to interface with. As an elected representative of the people, the eyes and ears of the taxpayers, no bureaucrat should ever keep anything from him. That should be an actionable offensive.
Happily, a great deal of information is becoming available through the legal and regulatory actions being brought against the nursing home’s owners independently of government actions. Watchdog is in direct contact with plaintiffs and whistleblowers and will likely get to the truth long before the county does.
The electoral fallout from this could be massive and apparently the political antenna of those involved isn’t quite working. After all, who can’t understand the significance of a vote as lopsided as 42,965 to 10,199? Only an idiot.
Commissioners take a step in developing a Freedom Month. Imagine a month-long series of events that attracts people from all walks of life to Sussex County to explore and celebrate the many freedoms granted them through the Constitution and the Bill of Rights? Everything from Evangelical congregations to gay bars could participate – each in their own, very individual, way. The Board took a first step in that direction by issuing a proclamation that declares June 2022 to be “Freedom for All Month” in Sussex County.
A handful of Democrats did show up to argue that their made-up holiday of “Pride” – named after one of the seven deadly sins and created to commemorate an act of anti-police violence, a riot – should be celebrated instead. Once again, in the current political climate (and especially given the toxicity of the debate over mandatory sexualizing of children through the public school curriculum) the broader proclamation makes much more sense and is much more inclusive. What could be more inclusive than all sorts of people, with all kinds of viewpoints, all celebrating the same month and the same ideal – freedom – in all their individual ways?
All the Commissioners voted “yes” to Freedom for All Month, so it was a feather in all their caps with the electorate.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, June 22nd, 6pm
Sussex County Community College Performing Arts Center
“In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
George Orwell
We welcome your commentary. If you would like to submit a column for publication, please contact us at jerseyconservativetips@protonmail.com
