Mayor visits Hamilton West GALRE Class:

A Political Roast 

click on the link below to listen to the entire presentation to the GALRE Students

https://youtu.be/Gvla1dNg3oc 

Yet another missed opportunity brought to you by the Public Safety Director of Hamilton

Take a read........ 

The Public Safety Director/Mayor started her interaction with the students talking about the windows in the schools. She did not know how a student could get out in case of emergency. She actually said, “I did not know that”, when the teacher explained how the windows worked in the classroom. The teacher also stated, “We do not have much faith in them.”

“Wow”, said the public safety director of Hamilton. She had no idea how the windows worked or what advice to give to the students in the event of an emergency.  That is not good. 

The Mayor was introduced as a lifelong resident who has been employed by the township for 13 years.  She started the talk with, “I am the first female mayor in the township and up for re-election.”  She shared she is the first Mayor with a Mayor-mobile.  It was interesting she took this approach, vs, wanting to learn about the students and what is important to them.  The Mayor is a graduate of Nottingham and stated she attended Stockton State College.

The Mayor went on to say she has been asked if she lives in the municipal building, does she have a jet, or a butler. Well, the butler part we may disagree with. The staff of the Mayor has been photographed, carrying her water, umbrellas, picking up dog poo from her animal in her car, having to dress up in drag, act as her backup dancers, etc.  She does not have a jet, but she has a fully outfitted Mayor-mobile.

As the Public Safety Director she stated she wants to get a feel for every school in the township. She stated that she is the first mayor to ever go into every school. We guess that the schools lack signage, see something say something.  One might ask how she missed the mushrooms and mold growing at the schools, which pose a public health threat to the students.  The Mayor went on to state that after the shooting in Newtown she wanted a feel for every school and how they are focused on safety. Yet, when residents OPRA’d the SOPS for the schools as it pertained to safety and cleanliness, they were told none exist. In the absence of SOP’s how are the children being kept safe by the Public Safety Director and the administrative staff of Hamilton? There are 17 elementary, 4 high schools and 3 middle schools in Hamilton. Where are the policies as it pertains to student safety?

She stated that she works hand in hand with DeRocco to ensure the schools are running and performing smoothly. Yet, on her calendar we could not find scheduled meetings that represented this level of dedication she shared with the GALRE students.

The Mayor went on to share that the town pays $6,000 a year to tell us the temperature of our bridges and crosswalks, that the township is solely responsible for the student’s safety to and from school. Yet, the crosswalks have not been painted in years at the schools.  So, we guess the Public Safety Director forgot to budget paint for her team. 

After attending college she ran for the Board of Education, she sat as VP on HBOE.  She also took full credit for a grant that the township received for the school systems. The mayor then said she has never thrown another politician under the bus. Maybe that is true, she has thrown them under a row of busses, not just one.  Maybe that is what she needs the Mayor-mobile for, to try and jump the buses like Evil Knievel over the residents and politicians she ostracizes. 

She went on to say, “Can you guess who said this to me?”

-Hamilton will never elect a woman

-You are too young

-You need to tone down the pretty (here we go again, why is this a topic at every GALRE talk)

“ELECTED OFFICIALS, she shouted.”  She then said, "This made me work harder and she told the officials I will either go around you, go over you or get under you.  You will not stop me.”  If you speak to some wives in Hamilton, they will concur that she certaintly did get under some men. So this was a 100% true statement. She feels she has made a difference in Hamilton.  She has, for herself and her inner circle, which is a true statement. She actually jumped right in to talk about her nephews who are 12 and 10. Her first thought and statement had nothing to do with the residents of Hamilton.   She went on to say that she ran for office so she can make a difference for her family who she wants close to her. It is inconceivable that the Mayor went to this GALRE class and spoke nothing about government policy or things that would represent positivity to the residents of Hamilton, but she did.

The Mayor went on to speak about how she is attacked on social media. She stated she sleeps like a baby at night even though she is attacked every day. Her job every day is the make the town better. Yet, today, when residents called HAMSTAT to find out about the issue with their water, that they had to boil it, the township 5 hours into the water issue, had not contacted residents, done any robo-calls, contacted council, etc. When HAMSTAT was asked why the township not done robo-calls their response was,” that is something we are entertaining.”  One might ask, where is the emergency response system SOP in Hamilton? 

The mayor stated she automated all the processes in the township to include dog licenses. She shared how she pioneered the use of Twitter, FB and other social media to increase awareness of the township. Yet, recently the township performed a shred fest of paper documents for the food inspections and animal shelter that included 72 cubic feet of paper shredded.  During the councils committee investigation of the animal shelter it was discovered that there was zero digital documentation occurring.  

During the conversation, the mayor also shared that she has launched the most comprehensive neighborhood improvement programs.  There are over 700 homes that are vacant in Hamilton, many of which right now have Yaede for Mayor signage on them. Signs cannot vote and it is puzzling how the strategy was to bring further attention to the abandoned properties in the town.  However, the signage possibly does represent, THE MAYOR TAKES FULL OWNERSHIP OF THIS MESS YOU SEE BEHIND MY SIGN.

The Mayor then went on to negative speak her opponent for Mayor in Hamilton. Yet, 10 minutes prior she stated how she never says a negative word against a politician.  She stated that disgusting politics has not role in Hamilton. Yet, the attack ads, attacks to residents have all been orchestrated by herself and her team.  

Q & A section of the discussion

When asked what she would do if she does not win the election, the mayor responded with, “I can technically retire.”

When asked what she thought Hamilton’s biggest issue is, she responded with, ”Safety.”  She felt her appointment being focused on fixing the abandoned buildings was an incorrect strategy to take. But, the Mayor fails to realize that the number of abandoned buildings drives crime and poverty in a town. So, it’s not the crazy strategy as she stated in her discussion with the GALRE students.

One of the students asked her a question about the scandal around the animal shelter. Her response was, “There was a deal cut to give the shelter to an outside group and the deal was done between Mr. Martin and the shelter. That is where it all started. She went on to say, “If a resident could not afford to put their dog down, for $100 the township would do that for residents.”  One of the council members called her to put their dog down so they did it. They were not holding the dogs for 7 days and they put them all down.  They had a sign up with the offering to residents she stated. Governor Murphy hand-picked Mr. Martin to run for Mayor creating these issues.  The council put together a committee on the shelter and according to the mayor refused to interview the Supervising ACO or the vet who worked at the shelter. The township paid the vet $70,000 a year to work at the shelter.”

Yet, this was done so they could get information from all involved to make it a complete investigation. The ACO has been charged with animal cruelty and the vet was questioned more than once by the MCPO’s office.  

 This is what the water looked like Jan 2018. The Mayor was contacted, she never responded. 

When asked about why the restaurants were not inspected her response was, “Governor Murphy sent a letter out saying that they have to be inspected every year.”  It was a political hit job according to the Mayor as to why the restaurants were not inspected.

She closed with, once she no longer is effective; she will leave Hamilton.  The residents will have to break out their effective meters and do some measurements to calculate the date of departure for the current mayor.  Last night, the residents water smelled like sewage in Hamilton. Today, they got a message in the early afternoon to boil it.  This is not what a leader should be doing. When a resident called HAMSTAT at 8:30am thi morning, and ask them when they would be doing robo calls, they responsed with, " We are entertaining that idea."  Today, the mayor stated she was proud numerous times, the Mayor cannot be proud of these epic failures.

Public Trust in Hamilton Has Been Shredded

The Public Safety Director in Hamilton has lost the trust of the residents of Hamilton and they do not care. Trust in your government is essential to the sustainability of the government.  This lack of trust has decreased the effectiveness and efficiency in the Hamilton government operations. The continued blatant disregard for the public's safety by the administration in a word is.....terrifying

The residents of Hamilton are properly appalled at the abuses that have occurred during what we will call, Textgate. Textgate,  represents the bankruptcy of the American political system.  It also represents a series of illegal acts and bad judgements by a number of individuals. It was the system and courageous people that brought the facts to light.   It will in the end bring those that are guilty to justice.  A system that in the end could include a determined jury,  an honest prosecutor, a courageous judge, and a vigorous free press.  With their help the residents of Hamilton will heal and rebuild trust in their government. It will rebuild Hamilton. 

It is essential now that we place our faith in that system, especially in the judicial system.  It is essential that we let the judicial process move forward.  We must respect the safeguards to convict the guilty.  It is essential in reacting to the excesses of others, that others do not fall into excesses themselves.  It is also essential that we are not distracted by events of yesterday, that  we neglect the vital work before us.  Before this town at a time of critical importance to this town. 

Public trust of the leadership is lost in Hamilton.  The leadership owes it to the residents to speak to us on the critical issues. We are into day 61 of their refusal to do so. Yesterday, statements were made about vindication. There was no vindication, if there were, there would not have been charges in the first place. There would not be text messages and supporting documentation that proved what occurred, occurred. The Public Safety Director did not pay a fine yesterday, but they will forever pay a fine to the residents of Hamilton.  The lost of public trust with all the failures in the administration, 2 other directors charged, the removal of the CFO to ensure a budget that would not have gotten approved, slipped thru,   the issues at the animal shelter, failed economic development, failed inspections of food establishments, the failure list goes on and on. The administrations failures are extensive and costing the town millions of taxpayers dollars. 

There will be continued distrust by the residents of the Public Safety Officer in Hamilton and the administration. The current scandals and those yet to be disclosed,  will forever cast a shadow on the town.  The permanent public distrust towards the leadership in  the government will permanently leave a scar on every person in Hamilton. These scandals have made such an impression, that it’s suffix “-gate” has been used to name other scandals that have occurred around the world in the past decades. Textgate, Animalsheltergate, CFOgate, gate, gate, gate gate…..

God bless the MCPO, the free press and every resident who is fighting to make a better Hamilton. To safeguard our future and help rebuild public trust. Everyone must continue to fight for what is right. 

The government has failed its residents and lost the public trust in Hamilton, that is not vindication in any rational persons world.  But, we are not talking about rational people here.  The only time the current Public Safety Director and administration will be vindicated, is when they finally admit guilt, that they made huge mistakes, and will speak to the residents about all the issues. Until then, there is ZERO vindication. 

Hamiltonians for a better Hamilton, must join forces to continue to hold those accountable, accountable. The deception runs deep, and the residents are not a care in their world.  The abuse of authority and defiance of subpoenas by the administration is terrifying for residents. The acts of defiance and ignorance to public safety is just radically delinquent. 

What’s next, will the administration feel that have a legal right to disclose all the medical history of anyone who ever walked into the health office, of the employees at the township? They already are on that path. At a recent council meeting the Environmental Safety Officer disclosed private health information of an employee at a council meeting. This was a large HIPAA violation that was reported by residents to the proper authorties.    

There is nothing frivolous about these behaviors in the administration. The habitual refusal to meet with the public by the Public Safety Director proves that they have something to hide. The habitual refusal to properly react to subpoenas, proves they have something to hide.  What are they hiding that the residents have yet to disclose? That is the scary question residents ask themselves every day in Hamilton. Residents can only hope the removal of computers in a raid by the MCPO will disclose what they are hiding. 

The safety of residents is in jeopardy in so many aspects. An elderly resident brought to the attention of the Public Safety Director an issue on their street. The issue focuses on the fact that emergency vehicles, trash trucks etc cannot get around their court due to the numerous cars that park on the court. The township engineers this week told them, there is nothing the township can do.  That it is up to the police to correct the issue. The police will say, it’s not their issue.  This consistent passing of the buck endangers residents’ lives. Emergency vehicles cannot get to these homes, and the Public Safety director takes zero ownership on this issue. So the residents who live in on this court could die from the lack of a fire truck getting to their homes. They could die do to the fact an ambulance cannot get to them. The Public Safety Director is allowing this to happen. They will own the tragic outcome, if God forbid something ever happens to residents on that court and emergency services cannot get to them.  

The Public Safety Director is not been vindicated.  The PSD is not focused on public health, the proper running of the animal shelter,  the proper leadership behaviors needed to ensure public safety.  The Neighborhood Watch groups are taking on additional responsibilities, fighting the crime in the administration as well as local crime in their neighborhoods.  They are tired of the sleepness nights they have due to the lack of concern by the local leadership. 

The public is not the only thing in danger in Hamilton. The data in the township is also in danger.  We wrote an article on a recent large shredfest that occurred in Hamilton. In addition, the employees are using Dropboxes to back up their data from their computers. A free service not encrypted; it is not a secure cloud service. How does that make you feel? The director of IT, the Public Safety director and Clerks office in Hamilton, has a legal and ethical responsibility to safeguard the government data. 

They have failed the residents. When residents OPRA  emails, they always get the response, sorry the data does not exist. How is that possible?  Yet, they claim they are an open government. The only thing open is their own hands to feed themselves and their inner circle.  Their hands are definately in the cookie jar. 

Mayor Abandons Ship

I am a member of the Republican Party and I am embarrassed by the goings on in Hamilton. This is not a politically motivated article, just the facts.

“That was no raid”, said the BA of Hamilton this week after his place of employment was raided by the MCPO.  Who in their right mind would make such a statement? Maybe, one can conclude, that the level of criminal activity occuring in Hamilton is so high, a raid is viewed as a flower delivery.  What will the comments be like when the charges of those indicted in the town, are finalized with judge sentencing?  See, it was just a traffic ticket, see it was just 300 dogs killed illegally?” The comments by those leading the town are so far-fetched, but are they?  Not in their eyes, as they focus on one thing, their pensions.

The leadership is avoiding the public. We are at day 57 that the Mayor refuses to answer council to do a town hall. Residents have also made this request, crickets in the garden are all they hear. No response from leadership.

This week as well, the Trentonian did numerous articles on the hanky panky in Hamilton. In the link below, there is an audio of the Mayor. Listen to it, carefully. This is not a good situation for the residents.  This audio demonstrates pure panic in the voice of the leader of Hamilton.

https://www.trentonian.com/news/mayor-yaede-claims-she-has-emergency-avoids-questions-about-hamilton/article_244786c8-d66f-11e9-bf7c-4bdd0dba9065.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share&fbclid=IwAR3zwOp-yZKv935_PjmR2JrF3S3l5Md8UeuuZgEeU4cvSH5e-nFmAoVNlII

During the raid by the MCPO this week, the Mayor chose to leave the building as this was going on.  The excuse, she had an appointment. NOPE!!! Hogwash alert! Even if that is true, a true leader would have cancelled whatever magic make believe appointment they had to stand with their team. If she has no guilt, she would not have done an Irish goodbye and slipped out stage right swiftly.

The captain goes down with the ship" is a maritime tradition that a sea captain holds ultimate responsibility for both his ship, and everyone embarked on it, and that in an emergency, he will either save them or die trying. You do not exit the building when shit is going down. That is a true sign of a coward.

There have been real captains that abandoned their ships and that did not go over so well, ask Yiannis Avranas, captain of the Greek luxury liner Oceanos, which sank off the coast of South Africa in 1991.  When he ordered abandon ship, he felt it did not matter what time he left. He felt abandon is for everybody.  His logic was, if some people like to stay, they can stay. These  words were spoken by Avranas and he was charged with misconduct after it was discovered that he and numerous crew members left the ship while the passengers remained behind.  The ships entertainment crew had to take over the rescue efforts.

Why can’t the Mayor of Hamilton be charged with misconduct for leaving her ship?  Where is the band to help the employees of Hamilton? The administration is comparing this legal scrutiny to the scrutiny given to the song, Louie Louie in the 60’s by the FBI.  Nothing obscene here….says the administration of Hamilton. We are as clean as Mr. Clean.  

Let’s share one more example of a captain who abandoned ship.  What was supposed to be a routine trip from Norway to Denmark, became one of Europe’s worst ferry disasters after an arsonist set ablaze the Scandinavian Star late one evening. As the fire raged out of control, most passengers were sound asleep in their cabins unaware of their imminent doom.

Those fortunate enough to escape the smoke of their rooms were left dumbfounded and powerless, pondering how to acquire life vests, let alone, survive the sinking ship. The poorly trained crew, many of whom could not speak a common language, only added to the confusion and panic aboard the burning vessel that contained faulty fire alarms, smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers. Only adding to the mayhem was the absence of the captain who jumped ship long before any of the passengers. When asked his reasoning for abandoning helpless women and children, Captain Hugo Larsen replied, “Did you want me to drown?”  Did the Mayor of Hamilton leave because she felt she is the most important person in the building and town?  Or was it done in shear panic?  We think her voice in the audio above spells that out.

Captain Hugo was subsequently tried by a Danish court, where he was found guilty of being responsible for inadequate security aboard the Scandinavian Star that claimed the lives of 158 passengers. Hugo was sentenced to 60 days in jail, while two of his crew, a Danish ship-owner and the shipping line director, both received 40-day sentences.  A captain cannot leave the ship.

The Mayor made the choice to leave the building/ship. She also made the choice not to return to the building (if indeed an imaginary friend appointment was occuring that made her leave the building)  These were very bad choices for the employees and residents. When times get tough, real leaders roll up their leaves and make sure their underlings are taken care of, not abandon them. These raids can have a negative influence on the employees. What was done to help them? The BA said, “That was not much of a raid.”

There are many leadership lessons  that can be learned from the Costa Concordia disaster. There are questions of preparation as well as how to handle a crisis in a calm, composed and coordinated fashion. But the biggest lesson in leadership is the most obvious one; that a captain—in this case Captain Francesco Schettino—should never abandon his ship.

What crisis management SOP’s exist in the township?  There is no “dawn raid” SOP? Does the SOP for dawn raids say, Mayor run!

While it is obvious that the examples, we shared are from  cruise ships, the same thing is true of leaders of any organization. You don’t abandon your ship. You don’t turn your back on the people who depend on you for their safety and well-being—whether we are talking your employees or your most valued stakeholders.

Great leaders don’t panic. They have a sense of calm, even in the most dangerous and perilous situation. We saw it during 9/11 with the crew and passengers of Flight 93 that crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania. We saw it with Chesley Sullenberger, known as “Sully,” the pilot of the US Airways plane that landed in the Hudson River . A leader’s calm demeanor has a direct impact on the demeanor of others around him. Conversely, when a leader panics, it is obvious that he or she induces panic in others.

CALM down Madame Mayor, talk to the people of Hamilton and stop hiding.  It's time to have courage.  She cannot win  the election this way.  However, she can win if by some stroke of luck she gets through all of this without a handcuff and demonstrates strength beyond belief.  That;s the person residents want for mayor, a leader in the face of a Category 5 huirricane.  There have been mayors in jail in the USA that still got elected while they were in jail. So, no one can underestimate the outcome of the election in Hamilton.

This is going to be interesting to watch.  

Hamilton Matters

There is a lot of tension in Hamilton township, Mercer County.  The issues are massive; the suspension of the CFO, the large illegal issues at the animal shelter, the sewer issues with Robbinsville, a health director indicted, an ACO indicted, the list goes on and on. The leadership refuses to meet with the public to discuss the issues; even though they have been contacted by residents, by council and concerned friends. Their unified silence is deafening.  The leadership has failed its residents.  What is next for Hamilton? Only a select few; who have been performing an extensive investigation of the town, know the real answer to that question. The same agent who did the investigation of Hamilton during the prior administrations rein, is also doing the current investigation.  Is there more than one agency looking into the issues, residents will soon find out.

Let the story begin…….this weekend, we interviewed the CFO of Hamilton, Mercer County, John Barrett.  This is a man who has had to withstand some grave hardships over the past several months, because he stood up for what was right. He signed up for this, this family did not. The strain this local political hit has on one’s family is devasting.  Those that created hit, could care less. It’s all about them. You are either on their team or you become their next victim. Maybe they will even leave pamphlets on your doorstep that preach about the death of Jesus.  The threats are quite substantial.

Some of the great things Barrett did for the township of Hamilton are:

• ·     Turning a $79,000 fund balance into close to $10 million.  That gave the town a better bond rating and less interest costs to make capital improvements.

• ·       Getting the towns financial house in order and getting the town out of state oversite over a year early because the state new Barrett’s track record of getting Ewing out of state supervision.

• ·       He is a hired gun to fix towns that have financial disasters.

• ·       He has always treated everyone the same. He does not report to the 6 elected officials, he reports to the 90,000 residents of Hamilton township.

• ·       As the CFO he is the custodian of the public trust.  If trust in the number’s fades, it’s the beginning of the end.

What has happened in Hamilton, Mercer County, the trust has eroded. The township officials removed Barrett to do the things they knew he would not allow them to do, due to the damage it will do to the town and its residents.  He is not to blame for any of it.  He looks forward to coming back and fixing Hamilton, just like he did in 2008 when he was hired originally.

In 2008, Hamilton was in a $16 million operating deficit.  This was since the leadership spent $16 millions in funds that were not approved. They spent it on sewer projects and they raided the Uniform Construction Code trust.

In 2007, the auditor gave over 45 comments to Hamilton on issues with their finances. That is the audit that Barrett inherited when he came to Hamilton in 2008.  He got the audits cleaned up to where there were only clean audits without audit comments. Hamilton was on the mend.  However, since the removal of Barrett, the shenanigans are in full throttle and it will take his level of expertise to make Hamilton solvent again.

There was recently a posting on the www that talked about how the people in charge of the money now in Hamilton were moving moneys from the trust funds.  There are trust funds that begin with the letter “T” in the budget.  If there are any budgetary certifications on any resolutions,  anything  with a T is clearly identified as a trust fund.  This could be for storm basin maintenance, i.e. a developer will pay money to maintain a storm basin.  There are also third-party escrow fees that exist, there is off duty employment, there is an animal control trust, and recreation trust.

When the town under-budgeted in the current fund and the utility fund budget to get through this year, creative accounting took the front seat in 2019.  When the leaders need money, and they do not have it in the operating funds they attack the trusts. This is a very quiet place where no one really understands the purpose of the trust funds, except the CFO or the deputy CFO. However, since the removal of Barrett the leadership has already raided the trust funds to put one-time revenues in for this year’s budget.  

There is a report that demonstrates, that the funds were drained quietly.  They were put into appropriations.  An audit will reveal this, and it will have all the fingerprints of those responsible for this on it.  Their names will be on the entries.  For example, let’s say you need a million dollars and you have a million dollars in a trust fund, that no one is worrying about, one can bring it in and reimburse the currently fund with it. This drains the trust fund and instead of having a $100,000 in a line item,  and you reimbursed it $50,000 from the trust fund, now you have $150,000 to spend. However, in the budget it will still only show as $100,000. If all the trust funds are depleted, by the time the smoke clears with Barrett’s suspension, this puts Hamilton in a very bad financial state.

Barrett’s leadership style is one where he is not the “boss”; he is an equal coworker with his team. Unless he must deal with an HR issue or must protect his team, they all worked as equals. The culture on this team was very positive and a great place for him to work.  Until last October or 2018, he would gratefully drive the 45 miles from his home to Hamilton to perform his duties as CFO.  When he was on vacation or sick, he still enthusiastically answered his phone to help his team and the residents of Hamilton township.  He would always remote in to help everyone at any time.  There are very few people in any organization, that behave in this manner.  The consummate professionals do. There are other employees that would sooner hand in their keys than compromise their integrity.  Many are being harassed by the leadership. These bad behaviors allow other bad behaviors to be stimulated in the town. They see what the leadership is doing and has gotten away with so far, and they feel they can do other crazy things that compromise resident safety.

The position of ambivalence that the leadership is taking is no surprise to anyone.  To a large degree this is due to the arrogance and lack of intelligence by the leadership. They are going to very famous when all of this done, this will make the mayor extremely happy.  One of the leaders in both staff and private meetings, weeks prior to the removal of Barrett,  stated in a meeting, “That the town has handled the issues at the animal shelter like pros.” As if they had brought in a PR firm to help them spin the story. They went on to say, “We are going to win the November election without issue. The Mayor is at the ballfields, hanging on the fences talking to residents. People do not follow this stuff going on in town.” This comment was made by one of the three leaves.

Leaves of Three, let it be... 

History will expose why this leadership has done what they have done and the motivations behind their decisions and behaviors. It also appears from the conversations on the street, the end is near for the shenanigans and a cure for the residents. There have been numerous interviews of both township employees, residents and the like over what has transpired over the last 18 months. Many were done under oath by different agencies.  It’s a trying time for the town and its residents.  The residents are looking forward to healing.

There was a mediation this past week between Barrett and the township officials. The township does not want Barrett to come back, for obvious reasons. It would appear they do not want him to continue to discover the financial shenanigans that have been going on since his removal; especially with the election around the corner.  This case will continue to go on in the future.  

In Oct 2008, Barrett was hired to become the CFO of Hamilton Township, Mercer County. At that time the town had a $79,000 fund balance. The current mayor was on council and Wrinkle Penny was dating their sister.  There were approximately 50 employees that were either laid off or threatened to be laid off.  There was a $16 million-dollar deficit, the town was in a financial mess.

Wrinkle Penny was moved from personnel director under Mayor Gilmore to payroll supervisor this was a demotion and a cut in pay. Barrett at that time had a team of four people. Out of all the employees in the room, Wrinkle Penny was the only person who raised their hand when Barrett asked, “Who wants to do bank req’s?”  Wrinkle Penny became a friend in 2008.  In 2009, Barrett received a phone call from Little Egg Harbor that they too needed a part time CFO.  Barrett reached out to Little Egg Harbor and found out that he could mentor the new CFO they had just appointed, who was on their planning board. To ensure that all was on the up and up, Barrett went to the then BA of  Hamilton to ask if it was okay for him to work part time for Little Egg Harbor. This would have been a consulting agreement due to the fact Barrett has his own consulting firm. The township had no issue with this. All the audit schedules were already done for Hamilton and they were way ahead of the financial tasks for the year due to Barrett’s expertise.

Soon into 2009, there started to be collection calls to the township for Wrinkle Penny to the office. Barrett realized that WP was under stress due to this. This was a person that Barrett could rely on and he wanted this person to take CFO classes. These CFO courses would have helped the wp to best understand how to move money  and book it and perform journal entries.  Barrett offered WP the ability to do work for his consulting company in Little Egg Harbor. WP made an additional $1,000 a month doing this work so that their family could pay their bills by doing the bank req’s for Little Egg Harbor township.  This helped develop a strong friendship between Barrett and the administrations family.  Barrett was invited to holiday parties, weddings, birthday parties and the like.  The mayor was  appreciative of the help Barrett was giving to her family members and the town financial issues. At the league of municipalities, they would all go out together for drinks and dinner. He got hugs not handshakes. He felt like part of the family.

In 2015, things shifted, the hugs stopped, and the turmoil began. The BA was out on medical leave, and the ball committee and mayor that year thought it would be funny to have all the directors dress up as women at the ball.  The directors were instructed to dress in different manners that the mayor would dress.  In the end, all the male directors had to parade into a room of very 500 people dressed in this manner. The prior year Barrett had done the invocation at the ball, so going in drag the next year was quite the pivot.  While in drag at the ball in 2015, he was called upon to do the invocation,  as his name was still on to do the invocation this year at the ball.

Barrett has just entered in the deaconate program in August that year.  He was so embarrassed that he had to do this.  The year prior all the directors were forced to act as though they were all the back up dancers for the Jackson 5 song, I want you back.  In case you do not know the song….here it is.

https://youtu.be/s3Q80mk7bxE?t=25

Here are the lyrics….ironic….was this a cry for what would happen in the future?  The directors had to put on top hats and dance behind the mayor. Barrett is a white finance guy; he would agree his dance rhythm is not seen in the video of Michael J. He did not invite his wife to the second years ball for he was so embarrassed by what they were making him do, dressing drag. He shared with others how demeaning this was. The mayor did not walk in dressed as a bald guy; she wore an evening gown.   

I Want You Back"

Uh-huh huh huhhh
Let me tell ya now
Uh-huh
(Mmhhmmm)

When I had you to myself, I didn't want you around
Those pretty faces always made you stand out in a crowd
But someone picked you from the bunch, one glance was all it took
Now it's much too late for me to take a second look

Oh baby, give me one more chance
(To show you that I love you)
Won't you please let me back in your heart
Oh darlin', I was blind to let you go
(Let you go, baby)
But now since I see you in his arms
(I want you back)
Yes I do now
(I want you back)
Ooh ooh baby
(I want you back)
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
(I want you back)
Na na na na

Trying to live without your love is one long sleepless night
Let me show you, girl, that I know wrong from right
Every street you walk on, I leave tear stains on the ground
Following the girl I didn't even want around

Let me tell ya now
Oh baby, all I need is one more chance
(To show you that I love you)
Won't you please let me back in your heart
Oh darlin', I was blind to let you go
(Let you go, baby)
But now since I see you in his arms

All I want...
All I need...
All I want!
All I need!

Oh, just one more chance
To show you that I love you
Baby baby baby baby baby baby!
(I want you back)
Forget what happened then
(I want you back)
And let me live again!

Oh baby, I was blind to let you go
But now since I see you in his arms
(I want you back)
Spare me of this cause
(I want you back)
Give me back what I lost!

Oh baby, I need one more chance, hah
I tell you that I love you
Baby, oh! Baby, oh! Baby, oh!
I want you back!

I want you back!

When Barrett got into the deacon program, they knew he was aligned with politicians in Hamilton.  As  the CFO it is a political position in the town. The laws of the church states that no deacon can participate in any political activity, which includes a fund raiser, ball or dance, gold outing, contributing or run for office without Bishop approval.  That was the best news Barrett got in late August.  He felt this was his way out of the galas. In 2015, he went to the then Economic Development director and shared with him what the Bishop shared with him. He asked him to share this detail with those above him.  Since his suspension since January 2019, to make matters worse, a member of the administration called the Bishop to inform him that Barrett was going to be indicted, so he should be kicked out of the deacon program.

This message, that Barrett could not participate in future political shenanigans,  got to those higher ups and what he knows, is that this triggered the thought process that now Barrett can no longer be involved.  He was the number two guy under the BA.  He knew where all the numbers were and all the inner workings in the organization. There is no neutral island with the administration. You are either with them or you are voted off the island. There is no middle ground.

This is where the shift occurred with their relationship. All the friends and family of the administration unfriended and blocked Barrett on social media. At the end of 2015, going into 2016 the BA was out on medical leave. The town had just had a re-evaluation so the penny on the tax rate switched from 500,000 to approximately 800,000. 

After this, all the sudden Barrett was not being contacted by the administration. He then found out from the municipal clerk that the mayor has delivered a budget with a zero-cent tax increase, they went around the CFO.  He received a copy of the budget and was in bewildered on where the numbers came from on the revenue side. It turns out that there was a shenanigan done to do a zero-cent tax increase. However, they used 500,000 as a penny vs. 800,000  and it was a one cent tax increase as they were presenting to council.  All the fund balances were now gone. The surplus was gone, and no one ever consulted the CFO, Barrett. The hard work by Barrett for years was erased in an afternoon by the leadership.

Barrett met with the Mayor and the township attorney to share his concerns.  The rating agencies look at the finances of a town with great rigor, so there was great concern about this. Barrett had a meeting with them to help them understand the ramifications of their decision to create a budget without him. The adjustments to revenue were not consulted by the administration to the CFO. He asked them why this was in the meeting.  Why did they create a budget without him, and decrease the surplus?  He did all he could to protect them.  Barrett had reached out to the then BA and he was not aware of what was going on. 

Out of respect, Barrett signed the document. He must report to the state and has a fiduciary responsibility to the town. He contacted council immediately and while he was in the clerk’s office he stated, “Do not introduce that budget its wrong.”  That year taxes were raised, $1.3 million since the budget that the leadership (without the CFO’s input) introduced was not appropriate. This was also the year that it was a family event, just like in 2019.

At this point, the relationship between Barrett and the administration dissolved. He got called into frequent inquisitions. One of which, the then township attorney, the mayor, the mayor’s assistant (who for the first time was the official note taker) during the inquisition and Barrett were in attendance.  This was a meeting that was quite bizarre, like an episode of the Twilight zone. (see link) Unfortunately, this was not a first-time occurrence of this space odyssey type meeting. This was the norm not the exception.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C34g5mz1ZQ&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2tK5OtBzAdP081e1kpQ3fU8PGYTagla5usGY2UwjKyKM0jc_QChauqc0c

Even though Barrett asked repeatedly in the meeting why did the Mayor go around him to submit a budget, the mayor refused to answer him. She attacked him about an email where he called her classy. The dialogue in this meeting leaves one to wonder about the leader of the township.

During this timeframe, Wall township had reached out to Barrett to recruit him to be their CFO. It was an amazing opportunity. This would have put him closer to home (4 miles vs. over 40 miles) and an increase in salary. When he shared that he had this offer, the attitude was from the administration, GREAT, leave. A conversation with the township attorney, asking for his advice, he stated, “ If you leave, the mayor wins.” At that point, being a stubborn Irishman from NY, he decided to stay on in Hamilton.

When we asked Barrett if the current mayor is capable of responsibly running the town, Barrett answered,  with a swift No response. When asked what she has demonstrated in meetings to convince him of that, Barrett stated, that the process by which the municipal budget and finances are run are as follows. The administrator has control of personnel, purchasing and budget.  The CFO has control of finance. The task of building the budget is the administrator’s duty.  It was a team effort between the BA and the CFO. They worked together to ensure what the tax rate needed to be, they brought the revenues together, what the surplus targets were for the rating agencies for S&P and Moody’s. They had to understand every move they made and how it would affect not only that year, but future years as well. They always wanted to keep the taxes flat during election years.  Once the budget is almost completed and in binders, it was only at that time when they met with any mayor. The mayor, the budget officer and CFO would meet to review of the entire budget.  At that point, it was very easy to see, based on the questions or challenging questions they asked, what grasp any mayor had on the budget or finances of the town. During these meetings Barrett shared that there was an eye glazed over response from the Mayor during these reviews.  There was no engagement that he experienced in the day to day financial operations of the town.

So, the question is what does the administration do every day? Barrett’s office faced her parking spot in the lot. On Tuesdays, they have staff meetings at 9am to 11am.  All the directors, surrogate and at times a member of the police department will come to the meetings. In the last two years, after the staff meeting there would be a second staff meeting that only the Three Leaves, Sammich, Legal Eagle and the mayor would attend to refuse “other items”.  There were only minutes for the first staff meeting and at the conclusion of the meeting there was always an email sent to all the directors with the minutes from the meeting. There were never minutes done during the second meeting that was held with the elite group.

When asked if he knew he was going to be suspended, Barrett stated it was a huge surprise. He had scheduled a vacation over a year ago in January of that year.  The day before he left for vacation two of the three leaves entered his office to ask for his computers. Due to the forceful nature, he left and went to the police station. He reported the altercation and then shortly thereafter left for his vacation. While he was in Florida, he received a phone call from  his attorney stating that the administration had reason to believe he was still at home in Brick. It appeared someone went to his home and saw all the cars in the driveway and reported back that Barrett was not in Florida, which was not the case.  He had to send copies of his airline tickets and take a photo of himself in Florida to prove to his attorney that he indeed was in Florida. The administration was very concerned about the computers that Barrett used during his employment. Barrett’s attorney said he will return them upon his return.  But that was not good enough for the administration.  The administration not only filed the tenure charges against Barrett. They also filed theft charges for $4,000 worth of computers. So, Barrett now has a police report that he stole computers, even though his attorney was in touch with them.  They sent the tenure charges to him. He was scheduled to go back to work after vacation. However, upon his return from vacation, he learned that he was suspended with pay pending the hearing.  The administration immediately cut off all his access to the township systems. This left the town without a CFO and no one managing the fiduciary responsibilities of the town.  This was a huge surprise to Barrett.

The shenanigans did not stop there. There was a photo from 5 years ago of Barrett that was sent to the Trentonian taken by a member of the administration. It was sent to the paper on their personal cell phone. 

When we asked Barrett, “What do you think they are trying to hide that they wanted you out so desperately?  He knows exactly what it is. They wanted to play the tax gimmick, by giving a false tax break. The towns ratable base went up and our levy went down by $165,000. It’s immaterial. They have used $4,000,000 of one-time revenue that Barrett would have never let them use. He also would have never let them cut the budgets on the appropriation side to under fund budgets.  The utility budget has been cut so drastically.  It does not appear that Robbinsville is ever going to pay an extra million dollars to Hamilton. This is on top of the $1.6 million they have been paying for years.  The worksheets prove it. This is the fight. The administration had to get rid of John Barrett so they could fool the residents that taxes have been cut and helped re-align sewer fees.  What are they hiding with this sewer drama? Does Hamilton owe Robinsville? Time will tell. 

After this week’s mediation, Barrett will be getting his job back when a new mayor comes in. If the current mayor wins the election, Barrett will still get his job back.  The stars are aligning in his favor in the judicial system.  The allegations are weak that they have developed.  The motion that was initially sent into the courts also was not written by the township attorney.  It was written by the BA. It was viewed as an illegal document.

The mediation forced Barret to develop two formula’s,  Option one and Option two.  Option one: the administration would immediately have to take Barrett back, pay for all his legal fees, pay pain and suffering, an apology letter, dropping the administrative charges and loss of income. He has lost  a lot of revenue in the towns he consults with.  The township administration has also harassed the towns he consults in with numerous OPRA requests. They have all hired another consultant in Barrett’s in his place due to this.  

The mediation last week was Barrett vs. Hamilton, not Hamilton vs. Barrett. The administrative law judge overseeing this case will again in the future review the case.  At that point they will either charge Barrett with something or recommend some discipline if charged or he could be exonerated. This decision will then be sent to the director of local governmental services team. They will then take the result and uphold the judge’s decision, reverse it or amend it. She has that authority as the director. This same director had one of her surrogates reach out to her to see if Barrett would be willing to go to a larger town under state supervision to fix their issues. 

Barrett stated that he will be getting his job back. All the damages from his civil case and whistleblower case may go away.  They will no longer be the amounts that were calculated but will be limited to pain and suffering from the time he was a whistleblower. There is no huge payout for Barrett at the end of this ordeal.  The township will be on the hook for the legal fees ( at least $55K). One cannot put a price on one’s reputation. In option two, the township would have to pay him to leave. They would have to buy him out for the next 20 years, with benefits.

After three hours, the mediator stated that there are hundreds of thousands of dollars accumulated in legal fees and other expenses for this case.  They are paying Barrett $140,000 a year plus another $40,000 in benefits to stay home.  This is resident’s taxpayer dollars. By the time this is done, it would have been a year and a half, that is a lot of taxpayer dollars.  If he would be found guilty, he would have the right to appeal it and would be put back on his salary during the term of the appeal.  The township is not gaining anything by doing this. This could cost the township over a million dollars by the time this ends.

Barrett asked the township attorney, “What are they thinking?”  The township’s legal council said,” I went to them in October 2018 and told them  that they should stay away from Barrett and bring the joint insurance fund in. He has a huge valid claim against the township.” They did not listen to their attorneys advise.  

This same township attorney shared that a township employee, we will call this person, the Hulk, got 45 extra days of vacation.  Evidently before the other BA left, he supposedly signed something  that gave him this. That is why the Hulk was on vacation most of the year. Barrett called in an auditor for it was the township attorney who shared this story. The auditors came in and they brrought with them their forensic accountant.  They ask Wrinkle Penny who entered these vacation days into the system, why he did this. WP was not truthful to the forensic accountants.  He said he could not remember doing that in Jan of that year.  They confront Wrinkle Penny further with the printout they had of the entries.  Then WP’s amnesia was cured, and they remembered a memo that the employee evidently had stating that they were to add 45 days of vacation. The auditors and CFO asked for the memo, Wrinkle Penny said he no longer had the memo. However, all documents are on a shared drive in the township for documentation. When the auditors and CFO asked WP why they did not load the document up onto the shared drive, they stated, “I do not know, I forgot.”  By twelve noon that day. Barrett met with the prosecutor’s office and everything unraveled. This is one of the major issues that he was reprimanded.  Later that evening, after Barrett lawyered up, he attended the council meeting. At the meeting council asked Barrett why they were buying flowers from capital accounts. Barrett stated he was just as shocked when he read the reports. 

Barrett believes that the expenditures are reviewed and approved appropriately. The purchasing agent is very detailed oriented in Hamilton. During the good times with the administration’s family, members would share with him that when their air conditioning broke, a “friend of the family” would take care of it for them. When asked how much it was their response was, “ I do not remember.  When residents must replace their air conditioners, they never forget how much it was for this is a very expensive replacement in one’s home.  

When we asked Barrett, why do you think Sammich, who has been indicted, has not been fired. His response was interesting. “He knows too much.  He was the municipal chair of the party prior to the current leader.  He takes direction from the mayor and was made director by the mayor. He is someone who has leveraged himself against his pension, and he has obligations that he cannot meet according to Barrett.  He is not someone who can walk away from the town. He should have just retired.   The towns leadership is helping him by keeping him game fully employed. There chatter on the street that they have asked him to leave.” 

This case is going to get expensive for Hamilton. The township has a $50,000 retention.  The first $50,000 the town pays;  everything else is the JIF (joint insurance fund) pays.  The JIF could come back and create a standard for these types of cases due to the large payout that could happen if the town does not settle this case.

Barrett told the two of Three Leaves that they are not dealing with the animal shelter correctly. That they needed to show that this type of behavior would not be tolerated.  It’s better to have these people get their jobs back on appeal that sit ideally by and do nothing.  The administration is very loyal to people who yes them.

We asked Barrett what is next for his case against the township of Hamilton. Barrett stated that there is a conference call at the end of September with the judge assigned to this case.  Since mediation has failed a hearing will be scheduled and they will go into discovery with depositions.  The next step will be a hearing in the first quarter of 2020. Based on the  results of that Barrett will not be cleared to come back to work until June of 2020, unless the charges are dropped. If the charges are dropped this all goes away.

Editors note: What we have shared with you above represents a substantial systemic failure in the aspect of leadership in Hamilton, Mercer County. The “three leaves”, Wrinkle Penny, Sammich and the mayor have a strategy, point the finger and take zero accountability. The mayor of the town, being the first female mayor has missed the opportunity of a lifetime. She has done zero to help the female population in the town, as it pertains to inspiring them, holding them up when they needed assistance, and driving positivity with the youth. She has surrounded herself with directors who only think about their pensions and payouts. 

The missed opportunity to mentor, inspire and take the town to new levels it not of any interest to the mayor or the “three leaves”.  She has chosen to put herself first, the residents are an afterthought at best. As the Public Safety Director, she has zero interest in the safety of the public, only herself. But she cannot help it, for she lacks the resilience that is needed in leaders to drive teams to success; in the face of unforeseen circumstances.  

In March of this year, the mayor visited one of the schools (7^th and 8^th graders) in the township. She started the conversation with the students, “I am here to talk about how the fact that I am so pretty and how that affects my ability to be mayor.”  She went on to say to the students that people told her that she was too pretty to ever achieve anything.  I think the mayor missed the memo on how to motivate children and do public speaking. I can only hope that after that fiasco, that the Superintendent of schools in Hamilton set a protocol for political visitors. One student after her visit was so disgusted by her visit they tweeted this….. his last sentence is compelling. She wasted their time, not a smart thing to do to a future voter. The complete disrespect of their time was yet another missed opportunity to inspire. That student no doubt went home and shared what happened that day to his family. They vote too.

Do you think they were inspired from her visit? This tweet roars the frustration. Do you think she talked about anything but herself? Do you think she spent any time getting to know the students and understanding their needs and future dreams? No, of course not, except yes to the second question, that is all she did. It is not in her DNA to care what others think or to have apathy.

The mayor grew up in the Bromley section of Hamilton, yet recently she told residents in the Bromely section of Hamilton, when they reached out to her, “We have done enough for Bromley.”  She has also proven to the residents of Hamilton, its not in her DNA to care about them. The examples to prove this statement are endless.

The mayor is fixated on titles. She has done this in every job she has held.  This has allowed her to never learn what leadership is truly about.  It is not about the title, its not about the position, its not a crown, its not a red carpet, a throne for her to sit upon with the right to order everyone around.  It is an opportunity. A chance to turn the whole into something greater than the sum of its parts. She has missed this opportunity in all aspects of her career and as mayor.  She has demonstrated gross abuse of power in her role of mayor, causing her to not become an effective leader. The phrase one person used was,” She is a tyrant in heels.”

The mayor spends a lot of time combing the streets, not looking for things to optimize, but stalking the residents. She spends a lot of time driving by my home.  As she drives by, she tells passengers, “That is were that Democrat, Tammy Duffy lives.”  Well, I must break your bubble mayor, but I have been a  Republican since I registered to vote.  However, I vote for the right candidates.   I request you stop the drive by’s. My house is not Starbucks, I do not sell coffee.  This is just normal behavior that all who have ever challenged the mayor on a topic are rewarded with harassment, stopped OPRA requests, being the topic of staff meetings in a negative manner with nonstop defamation etc.  The residents will never stop fighting for right is right. One good thing all this bad behavior has done, it has brought the community closer together to fight “city hall” for the rights of the people

It’s day 43 that the mayor has not responded to council to have a town hall meeting about Jeff Plunkett and other ailing issues in the township. This is grossly unprofessional of the mayor and the three leaves.  It is the duty of the administration to create an atmosphere for residents that is not harassing, bullying or intimidating. The residents would give the mayor and the three leaves an A plus in this arena. But my dear that is not something you want an A plus in.  

The best leaders learn how to pace themselves- in everything they do both personally and professionally.  One must develop a rhythm that suits you and enables you to use your energy as efficiently as possible.  If you don’t the likelihood you will meet your goal, is unlikely.  At worst, you risk physical and mental exhaustion as well. 

It is important that you develop a rhythm that suits you and that enables you to use your energy as efficiently as possible. It takes fortitude to keep yourself from the natural urge to just get the task done as quickly as possible at any cost.  Make sure you get perspective before you make decisions and earn to pace yourself. Create moments of rest for yourself and the people around you.  Recognize that the best people or employees are not workaholics, but rather people who are connected to the world, who are connected to families, who give back to the communities.

Apathy and lack of passion are serious encumbrances that need to be jettisoned and replaced with positive attitude and a commitment to excellence. There is no room for ego in these types of roles you have been either elected to do or hired to do. It is not very classy to behave in the manner that K and the three leaves do.  

The experiences you as leaders in our town must have on residents is critical to the residents.   The talk at the high school “I’m so pretty” left an indelible impression on each of the students in that room.  The fact that that mayor could not read their body language also speaks volumes. Read the room. Each member of a team must generously give and graciously receive.  We all need to continue to step up to the plate and fill the void with positive forces.  We need to face the difficulties and challenges life gives us in the most positive manner.

What are those challenges that are inside us all? When we conquer vanity, excessive love of self, insecurity, fear of failure and perfectionism we summit in life.  We live a life where we not only conquer mountains but conquer ourselves as well. In doing so, you will one day look back at a time of crisis with satisfaction that comes from having courageously conquered the challenges within and without, and with the assurance that you have fulfilled your purpose in life.  

No time or energy should ever be wasted searching for a path to realization. Live your prophecy. Never question fate. We experience a life that in no way resembles the ordinary civilized life to which we have grown accustomed.  Inside each of us, is the ambition to reach the summit, to realize that you are stronger than the obstacles, that it is within your power to do something uncommon and indeed impossible for most people. But one must be prepared to face those obstacles.

It would be far better if ambition compelled people to train, to commit to preparation that went from simple to complex, hardening the spirit.  An individual should derive pleasure from the process of leadership and mental development.  The payment for ambition should be made in preparation, in training and improving oneself, not threats, intimidation and bullying. The greatest significance of our efforts is to have a way to evaluate our actions in life.  It is time for the mayor to evaluate herself, to show the Hamilton residents matter.

Last night, a local resident celebrated the one-year anniversary of rescuing a turtle from the Hamilton Shelter. It was quite the event. The musical group, the Jazz Lobsters performed, playing a multitude of jazz songs and other requests made by the guests.  It was a great night had by all those who attended.

The Mercer County Prosecutors office has been diligently working on a case that led to the indictments of the ACO and Health Director of Hamilton Township. The unthinkable acts performed by these two people and others are beyond human recognition.  The turtle was rescued from the Hamilton Shelter.

The support by the local Mayor, Director of Health, her Chief of staff, and BA, of these unthinkable acts has perplexed residents for over a year. How can anyone support the purposeful killing of animals? How can anyone ignore subpoenas to testify? Well, this is what is the norm in Hamilton, Mercer County. The current Mayor has not only allowed the animal shelter to be a point of contention for the town but she has allowed public health to be ignored. The Mayor made herself the Director of Public Safety when she was elected, so she is 100% accountable to all the wrong doings, and ignorance to public health in Hamilton, Mercer County.

Residents and council have been reaching out to the Mayor to request a town hall meeting to discuss all the issues. The Mayor for several months has demonstrated a belligerent position to residents and council, ignoring all emails and phone calls. She has gone as far, it would appear, as to direct employees to ignore government issues subpoenas.  

Let’s look at the public health issues that have resulted in deaths in Hamilton

1.  2014: EVD68, Eli, a 4-year-old Hamilton resident dies from the disease.  The Mayor, health director and entire administrative staff were obtusely unaware of a Nationwide epidemic going on. They stood up town halls and openly admitted to the fact they had no idea what the disease was. An OPRA request also demonstrated that prior to the death of Eli. No SOP's existing in the schools in Hamilton to manage dealing with outbreaks. This was demonstrated from an OPRA request. It was not until there was a death in town that they learned about the epidemic that the Mayor and her administration, addressed the public demonstrating they had no idea what the disease was. They misled the public by stating they were rewriting the SOP's. The SOP's at that time never existed. 

2.  In 2019, Legionnaires cases and a death in Hamilton. To date, there has been no information shared on the township website. Other municipalities in NJ, that have had this unfortunate event as well, all have been forthcoming with residents.  The administration of Hamilton, Mercer County, stated that the state is responsible for telling residents.  The township Health department never let the BOH know this was happening.

3.  Director of Health department gets indicted for numerous issues. DOH states they are in process of revoking his license. No public annoucement from the Public Safety Director on this issue. When she was approached by residents, she ignored all of them as well as councils requests for a town hall. 

4. For 7 years, residents in the Cornell Heights area have contacted the current Mayor on traffic issues. They have been ignored for 7 years by the Mayor, even though she claims she has an opened door policy.  In July 2019, a 24-year-old boy was killed on the corner of Sandalwood and Carlise while riding his bike. The township officials the next day had an emergency meeting to finally approve signage to stop the use of trucks on the streets. Again, it takes another death before the leadership responded.

5. Currently there is a Hepatitis A outbreak in NJ. This is a disease that is very contagious. There are 361 cases on record, 19 of which are in Mercer County. Yet, again there is zero information of focus on community education on this issue from the Public Safety Director: Mayor Yaede or anyone on her staff. They again are obtusely unaware of this epidemic.  The Director of Public Health for Hamilton who is also the Mayor, must be waiting for a death or two to happen before alerting the residents of this epidemic. 

6.  Youth Suicide Epidemic. Statistics show that Mercer, Warren, and Ocean counties have the three highest rates of suicide attempts and self-inflicted injuries in the Garden State, which has 21 counties overall. So what is the Hamilton Public Safety Director doing about this? Nothing. 

ETC. ETC. ETC.....you get the picture?

This consistent ignorance by the Hamilton Public Safety Director has residents very concerned. There is a very bad pattern of behavior that exists in this administration and the directors that is causing deaths in the township, needless deaths.  They have zero remorse for their wrong doing. 

Below are some informative links focused on the current Hepatitis A epidemic in NJ.

https://www.state.nj.us/health/cd/documents/topics/hepatitisa/Infographic-HepAOutbreak-GayMen.pdf

https://nj.gov/health/cd/documents/topics/hepatitisa/hep_a_2019_data.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/outbreaks/2017March-HepatitisA.htm

Another example of the closed door administration of Hamilton, Mercer County….

The letter below was sent to the Mayor several weeks ago, the resident never received a response even though they have called, emailed and placed a request for a call with HAMSTAT. All requests have gone ignored.

Dear Kelly Yaede,

I never received a response to this request/email. I do look forward to a response and do expect one as a 53-year resident of Hamilton township. The residents of Hamilton pay your salary. It's not unreasonable to expect a response. 

This evening, the animal shelter subcommittee scheduled and held a meeting in Hamilton Chambers. As you are aware, this meeting was to have ACO Munford present to residents and the subcommittee details of optimization at the animal shelter.  There was a request by council for months to have Ms. Munford share the information regarding the shelter. She refused, as you are well aware. This should have been a very positive meeting but the refusal by your team to share the details forced council to subpoena her, and she received the subpoena. She refused to come without it. It is our understanding that you and Mr Kenny advised her not to come to evening. Why did you do that? If you and the employees of Hamilton have nothing to hide, and all is well at the shelter, there should be no reason why a harmless meeting like this evening could have taken place.  Residents took time away from their families to attend this meeting. Only to have their time wasted because the instruction to Ms Munford was....don't show up. 

A subpoena is a court issued order that cannot be ignored, at least not without consequences. Failing to comply with a subpoena can result in a legal penalty, as noncompliance almost always constitutes contempt of court, which can lead to imposition of fines and/or jail time. To have Ms. Munford behave in a manner this evening where she ignored the subpoena leaves residents to believe that things are not fixed at the shelter.  The ad you placed in regards to the shelter,  which was paid for by the Republican party, of which I am a member, was propaganda.  Your position on this issue is quite perplexing and very concerning. It's time to stand up and speak to the residents.

A Mayors role is to enforce the laws of a town. It is also the Mayor’s job to maintain safe streets to control crime and establish programs that preserve the health and welfare of residents. You gave yourself the additional title of Public Safety Director when you were elected. It is also a Mayor’s responsibility to supervise the conduct of all officers and department supervisors in our town authorized by law.  An additional responsibility of the Mayor is to provide council with information they request in order to help them make good decisions for the residents of our town. You have failed the residents in every aspect of your responsibilities. This is gravely disappointing as a fellow Republican to see such widespread failure in the administration.

At the 2018, at the US Conference of Mayor’s in DC, there was a forum (see link) https://www.c-span.org/video/?443646-1/us-conference-mayors-examines-school-public-safety, where Mayor’s from all over the United States discussed public safety in their towns, challenges in their towns, etc.  I highly recommend you watch this 3-hour video. For you were not in attendance to this break-out at the meeting. This could prove to be an effective training for you to learn what Mayors are doing to keep their residents safe, deal with challenges, and be a leader in creating an active communication link between departments, residents and the administration.

Barbarians at the gate usually don't bring down once-successful civilizations. Nor does climate change. Even mass epidemics like the plague that decimated sixth-century Byzantium do not necessarily destroy a culture. Far more dangerous are institutionalized corruption, a lack of transparency and creeping neglect of existing laws.  Ultimately, no town can continue to thrive it its government 

refuses to enforce its own laws and ignore its residents. The residents of Hamilton are wondering why you and your administration are selectively exempt from following the law.

For the past 7 years the residents of Cornell Heights have been in contact with you and your directors about the traffic, speeding, and road issues in our area. You have ignored residents for 7 years. The council recently has been very helpful to try and move issues along to course correct signage that should have been put up over 10 years ago during the American Metro Project. This signage would have decreased speeds, put in calming measures on the roads, increase signage. For seven years, you and your directors ignored the residents.

A few weeks ago, another young youth was killed in our neighborhood on a bicycle.  He collided with a car. His 24-year-old body went through the back window of the car and then he was catapulted back onto the street. This killed him instantly. His face and neck were torn beyond recognition and his body lay in the street for over 3 hours while police did their investigations. The sheet over his body was soaked in blood.

Last week the mother of this child was in the neighborhood. She leaves fresh flowers at this death site every week. She proceeded to go to the area where her son’s body was during the accident and sniffed the ground where his body laid. She then proceeded to kiss the ground and sob uncontrollably in the area as well. She repeated this at every mark on the ground, where his bike was, where his sneaker was, etc.  No Mother should ever have to make the last kiss, the last scent she gets to do with her child in a street.

The area where this young boy was killed lacks enough lighting as well as properly marked stop lines. They are worn away. There was no way for this child to see the stop sign or the street line to know to stop. Why did you ignore residents for 7 years on the issues in Cornell Heights?  Why did you allow the project not to be properly managed by your directors for the calming measures in Cornell Heights? As our Public Safety Director, you must take ownership for these institutional failures.   If all the things residents asked for, for the past 7 years were taken care of, this child may not have died on our streets. His Mother would not have had to have her last kiss and inhalation of air to try to capture her son's scent, would not have had to happen on Sandalwood Ave.  

The failure at the Animal shelter, with our Director of Health and elsewhere in the administration, are making residents to have pause about the abilities of the administration.  Your commitment to residents is concerning. A Mayor cannot be absent from the administration.  There is a large public safety concern as it pertains to all food establishments, the animal shelter and many other issues. It is your responsibility as Mayor and Public Safety Director to ensure our safety. To speak to residents in time of need.

So, in closing I will ask again, when will you hold a town hall meeting to address the residents of Hamilton township, Mercer County. It's time to do your job as Mayor. If you do not feel like doing the job, resign. Let someone who cares about the residents take over. The residents need leadership and someone who cares about them. Not an absent Mayor. 

Kind Regards,

Hamilton Resident in Cornell Heights

Government Gone Bad

Seven days ago we Opra’d the food inspection reports from 2010 to 2019 for several food establishments in Hamilton township. We got a message yesterday from the township stating that the request was too broad, and they would not share the information. We pushed back on them to state our request was not too broad and in the event the township did not reconsider their response, we would seek legal assistance to get the information.

Today, the clerk’s office sent the information we requested. However, there was one extra document in the mix that we did not ask for, a document that is quite compelling.  Turns out on Feb 26,2019 the clerk’s office of Hamilton township certified the destruction of records. There were 72 cubic feet of records destroyed. The certification of the destruction is below. The specific records that were destroyed were:

-All food surveillance inspection reports from 2000-2015 have been destroyed. The email from the clerk’s office stated,

“ Good afternoon Ms. Duffy,

Pursuant to OPRA request 19-1286 regarding specific food delivery/restaurants in Hamilton Township, please be advised that the inspection report records that you have requested for the time period of January 2010 through December 2015 were destroyed through a request and authorization for records disposal of (Food Surveillance Sanity Inspections Reports [01/2000 to 12/2015], Food Establishment Inspections Reports [01/2008 to 12/2015], and Reports of Inspections [12/2007 to 12/2015]) as submitted and approved by the NJ Department of the Treasury, Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services, Records Management Services.

That being said, attached hereto is the original OPRA request for reference, the disposition request review summary sheet, and responsive records. This request is considered closed. “

Well, Well, Well…….how timely to destroy all of the food inspection reports when there is an active investigation going on of the health director for not doing the inspections. They are required to hold onto the documents for three years, so not out of the ordinary, but timely to destroy everything in one day.  Leaves one to question why it took over 15 years to destroy the documents.

-Food Establishment inspection reports from 2008 to 2015: DESTROYED

-Report of Inspections from 2007 to 2015: DESTROYED

-Animal Impoundment records from 2000 to 2017, Adoption forms: DESTROYED

-Animal Impoundment records from 2000 to 2017: DESTROYED

Hmmmm…. why the shred fest oh Hamilton leadership? What were you hiding? Why did it take 17 years to do this? The documents only have to be held for one year. This is highly suspicious. Why is the township playing catch up with the destruction of records? Has someone told them to destroy anything that could incriminate them? You be the judge of that.

The OPRA request also focused on certain food establishments in Hamilton. These were selected based on personal frequency of patronage. We asked for the full inspection reports for: Stone Terrace, JoJo’s, Reading Center, the Hamilton Garden Inn, Fred and Pete’s, Longhorne Steakhouse, Banzai and Risoldi’s supermarket.  We asked for reports from Jan 1 2010 to July 20 2019.  We were only able to obtain some of the reports due to the extensive destruction of records that occurred on Feb 26 2019.

These reports in their entirety are attached. There were claims made by a few food establishments when the DOH report came out with the intent to revoke Mr Plunkett’s health license.  They claimed the inspections were extensive.  However, you be the judge of how the templates were filled out by the inspectors during each inspection. 

We have placed the inspection reports at the link below

https://www.sendspace.com/filegroup/utQr9b%2BlMdbN8xzvbW4LRrlqVnUF4jPUtoqk96D12aIREddv7mq7gbj46JNt5ouB5lPZMMlyi8o 

 Where is the accountability? Tomorrow is day 14 of zero response from our Mayor on these critical issues as it pertains to public health.  The mass destruction of documents from the animal shelter as well as the food establishments are concerning. We hope you find this information useful as you make decisions on where to obtain food and meals in Hamilton township.

Dear Honorable Mayor Yaede,

Last week I contacted your office and requested you consider doing a town hall meeting as it pertained to the issues surrounding Mr Plunkett. I did not receive any response. As a resident I am very concerned about the disclosure by the DOH as it pertains to the lack of inspections performed by Mr. Plunkett of our restaurants and his overall and derelict of his duties. This poses a significant risk on public health in Hamilton. A town hall meeting, chaired by yourself, could ease the concern of residents and the business owners of Hamilton.

In 2018, the Greater Mercer County Public Health Partnership (GMPHP) undertook development of its third Community Health Assessment (CHA). The CHA was designed to ensure that Mercer County public, private, and community-based organizations continue to effectively and efficiently serve the needs of their communities. The CHA was developed in accordance with all federal rules and statutes, specifically PL 111-148 (The Affordable Care Act) which added Section 501(c) to the internal revenue code and, in accordance with New Jersey regulations N.J.A.C. 8:52 10.1-10.3 governing local boards of health.

The Community Health Assessment is a process that determines and evaluates the state of health and health needs of a local population. It enables the identification of major risk factors and causes of ill health; and - Identifies action needed to address these factors. The report they published provides valuable information regarding why and how to improve the community’s health status.

Mercer County was split into 5 pie pieces to ensure that each part of the county is well represented. Out of 5 focus groups held between March 5 – 14, 55 people from diverse backgrounds shared their experiences and opinions. Results were broken down by “Definite Improvement” and “Some Improvement”. The improvement categories are broken down by municipality in the report. I have placed below what was recommended for Hamilton in the report below.

Area Definite Improvement Some Improvement for Hamilton
• Clinics for uninsured
• Support for disabled
• Veterans programs
• Childhood obesity
• Senior services availability
• Opioid addiction

There were additional focuses that were also recommended. Those are listed below from the report.
1) Community/Network Connectedness/Communication
2) Access to care
3) Mental health –the single greatest concern area that was broadly defined - Opioid addiction, Stress/Anxiety management, Suicide prevention
4) Transportation
5) Language barriers/Immigrant population
6) Senior/Adult Needs -Also Veterans Services in some areas
7) Education -Health, Parenting, Social Media, tutoring programs, bullying
8) Medical Conditions - Alzheimer’s/Dementia, Asthma, Cancer, Cardiovascular, Diabetes, Hypertension, Childhood Obesity, Chronic Pain Management Although occasional improvements were noted, respondents characterized access as ‘not good’ or ‘in need’ of improvement’: this was true across all groups.

The Census repors and the MCHA report demonstrate that in Mercer County/Hamilton the Asian population grew by 29% between 2010 and 2018, and Hispanic and Latino populations grew 20% during the same timeframe. Poverty rates in Mercer County for families, people, and children, were higher than the State. In Hamilton, the poverty rate is 38%. Poverty has long been recognized as a contributor to death and disease, but several recent trends have generated an increased focus on the link between income and health. Lower levels of education attainment can indicate issues of health literacy and the ability to follow medical advice. 50% of residents in Hamilton only have a HS or Associates degree level education. (Source: US Census). This also has an effect on healthcare disparities.

The inpatient use rate in Mercer County (171.7 per 100,000) was higher than that of the State, and the zip codes of Trenton/Ewing zip code 08618, Trenton zip code 08628 and Trenton/Hamilton (08609) all have hospital use rates well above the statewide rate. We have a lot of residents that required hospitalization due to their disease states. In Hamilton we have the highest rate of diabetes, renal disease, COPD, and hypertension in the state. The oncology statistics are also rising in the Hispanic and Black communities, all of which are communities rising in population in Hamilton. These patients are all immunocompromised. Thyroid, Renal, uterine, etc are all cancers on a significant rise in MC/HTWP. The overall age adjusted rate for cancer occurrence in Hamilton Mercer County is on the rise and is representative of one of the highest in the entire state of NJ, as compared to other counties in NJ. These are all patients who are immunocompromised. 

Any patient who is immunocompromised does not have the ability to respond to infection due to an impaired or weakened immune system. Young children are readily susceptible to disease and the consequences can be serious or life-threatening. Adult or pediatric patients who are immunocompromised (i.e oncology patients, diabetics, HIV, malnutrition, or on different drugs etc) can die from the simplest event of exposure.

These immunocompromised patients will go out to eat to break the monotony of their disease to get out of the house. The lack of inspections of our eating establishments puts these patients at the highest risk of adverse event. The entire population is at risk, but these residents who are immunocompromised are at the greatest risk.

In Oct 2014, Hamilton lost a small boy, Eli Waller to EVD68. You did a town Hall for that issue. That helped residents. During those Town Halls, Mr Plunkett shared that he was rewriting the SOP’s for the schools. However, when I OPRA’d this information in Oct 2018, I asked for the SOP’s that existed prior to Oct 2014 I was informed that no SOP’s existed. I can forward the OPRA request and the response from the clerk’s office. How is it that Mr Plunkett said he was revising them during those press conferences, yet, an OPRA showed they never existed. That is concerning. Eli was immunocompromised. There was a nationwide epidemic going on in the US for EVD68. NJ was the 30th state to be hit with hit. Yet, Mr Plunkett stated at the press conferences, as did you, that you had never heard of EVD68. As our Director of Public Safety, it is imperative that when nationwide epidemics are occuring, we are ahead of the curve. Educating the community and safeguarding the children in our schools. It was not until the death of Eli that the town reacted to the Nationwide epidemic.

We have a large population of immunosuppressed residents in Hamilton. It is the responsibility of the Mayor, the Public Safety Director and the Department of Health director to ensure the safety of our community. With the indictments that occurred for Mr Plunkett and the recent DOH decision to revoke his license, the residents want and deserve answers. The community must be safe. There must be accountability for the lack of supervision that occurred on Mr Plunkett. To continue to ignore the requests of residents to have a town hall on these important issues is not acceptable.

I just OPRA'd very specific information on inspection reports in Hamilton for food establishments. The clerk's office is not sharing the data. This is not representative of a transparent government. This adds to the level of concern for residents.

I would also like to understand why in the Annual reports prepared by Mr Plunkett he makes no reference to the findings to the Mercer County Community Assessment report. The recommendations made in the report from Hamilton should also be a topic of discussion for the town hall.

We look forward to a response and a town hall for residents in the immediate future.

Kind Regards

Dr Tammy Duffy