Concord continues to gobble up the energy market

One town after another in Northwest New Jersey is being gobbled up by Concord Engineering's energy aggregation program.  The program, which is touted as a way to reduce electricity rates, is run by the company, based in southern New Jersey. 

Here is some helpful background on Concord Engineering.

Concord Engineering is a full-service engineering, energy consulting, construction management and commissioning firm. Concord was established in 1989 by Michael Fischette and other investors. As a former employee of a large architect-engineering firm specializing in the design of nuclear and coal-fired electric power plants, Mr. Fischette was experienced in the execution of large, multimillion-dollar projects.  This knowledge provided the framework for the development of a new company that could deliver turnkey services while maintaining the personal attention required by savvy clients.  

Headquartered in Voorhees, NJ with other offices in Philadelphia, Atlantic City, New York City, and Wilmington, Concord employs over 100 engineers and designers.  Concord Atlantic Engineers was established in 1996 and is well versed in designing and developing mechanical and electrical systems specializing in the casino and hotel industry nationally. Collectively, our staff has over 130 years of engineering experience.

Concord Engineering is led by this team of executives:

Our industry professionals have obtained LEED, Certified GeoXchange Designer (CGD), Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Certified Energy Procurement Professional (CEP) and Certified Building Commissioning Professional (CBCP) certifications in order to combine practical field experience with a high degree of design knowledge and education. This unique combination allows us to design and engineer your projects from energy audit through construction management and commissioning with the same individuals, all in house. We can even help you enjoy additional savings from electric/gas procurement and demand response.

Concord Engineering and Concord Atlantic's team of professional engineers possess a diversity of talent and experience that provides our clients with the knowledge, the background, the skill, and unique perspective on their projects.

 

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Michael Fischette, PE, CGD

Chief Executive Officer

Guy Molinari, PE, LEED AP

Chief Operations Officer

Albert Patroni, CPE, CEM

Chief Operations Officer, Concord Atlantic

Joseph Sullivan

Vice President, Energy Policy & Development

Thomas W. Xenakis, PE, CGD, CEM

Vice President, Commercial Division

Tom Batten, PE

Vice President, Power and Industrial

Vicki Molloy, CEP

Vice President, Energy Services

Dilip K. De, PE

Vice President, Transmission and Distribution

Anthony Caucci, PE

President, Concord Atlantic

For more information, these executives can be reached by email through this webpage:

http://www.concord-engineering.com/ourteam.html

Does Sussex County have a politicized police force?

The Republican primary to nominate a candidate for the open 24th District Assembly seat being vacated by Alison Littell McHose had a lot of strange elements to it.  None stranger was candidate Marie Bilik's attempts to politicize the police departments of Sussex County.

It began a few days before the start of the Memorial Day weekend, when Bilik campaign chairman Molly Whilesmith sent an email to police chiefs asking them to mobilize their departments in opposition to Freeholder Gail Phoebus, a candidate for Assembly.  At a Blairstown debate, Phoebus had suggested that some police chiefs received excessively large payouts and that some police officers were able to access their pension benefits too early. 

Both positions are perfectly defensible -- particularly in a Republican primary.  In 2013, Assemblyman Gary Chiusano -- then a candidate for Surrogate -- took a much harder line on police pensions and went on to crush a well-funded primary opponent by 20 percentage points. 

But Freeholder Phoebus went to great lengths to claw back her statements.  She personally apologized to individual police chiefs and officers, and she sent out at least two written apologies that we know of.  But apparently, it wasn't enough.  Embracing the idea that having an enemy is better than having a friend, some of the cops went all out to stick it up the poop-chute.  Perhaps they're just those kind of guys.

Watchdog has learned that Whilesmith -- who is a paid representative of Concord Engineering/ Energy, as well as an elected Sparta councilwoman -- organized a meeting of seven police chiefs, for the purpose of coordinating campaign operations against Phoebus.  At a PBA dinner held in Sparta, Bilik was the only candidate invited.  And there was a Facebook campaign organized to get police to vote for Bilik, along with Phoebus running mate Parker Space.  They even made a video ad to aid their efforts.

We've learned that the Phoebus camp was somewhat perplexed by the behavior of the predominately male members, refusing to accept the apology of a woman, more determined to make threats and carry them out.  One memo, obtained by Watchdog, referenced polling numbers on this issue and closed with the term "Assmonkeys", whatever that means.

In the end, this campaign appears to have helped Freeholder Phoebus, whose numbers were much closer to those of incumbent Parker Space than expected.  This is evident when compared to the last contested primary for an open Assembly seat, in 2007.

2007                                                                          2015

McHose (incumbent)        9,600 (35.5%)         Space (incumbent)            6,533 (40%)

Chiusano                               7,705 (28.5%)         Phoebus                    6,048 (37%)

Zellman                                 5,701 (21%)             Bilik                            1,696 (10%)

Woods                                   3,950 (14.5%)         Orr                             2,010 (12%)

Memo to the people who jumped on this scheme:  If you are going to publicly screw an elected official, don't come back with numbers like these.  Apparently however, Phoebus is a genuine friend of the police and a significant contributor to their causes.  She has stated that she looks forward to representing them in Trenton. 

That's a pity, as far as Watchdog is concerned.  We can't say we agree with her.

The bigger issue here is the politicization of the police.  Do we really want police chiefs behaving like party bosses?  Do we really want ward heelers with guns?  Instead of sobriety checks, how about traffic stops to check your voter ID?  Does anybody think having political cops is a good idea?

If the police want to become politicians, they should leave the force and run for office.  Law enforcement and the judiciary should be party blind if they want to maintain their integrity and the public's trust.

Is Bilik spreading false claims again or is Vohden just losing it?

Maybe we shouldn't blame Marie Bilik for this one.  On Friday, at the start of the Memorial Day weekend, Freeholder Richard Vohden asked his "followers" on social media to spread a lie for him.  The lie Vohden wants to spread is that there are no Assembly debates between now and the June 2nd primary.

Vohden is a supporter of Marie Bilik for Assembly and a sometime spokesperson for her campaign.  Bilik was recruited to run for Assembly by a lobbyist for Concord Energy after Freeholder Gail Phoebus refused to vote for a solar energy bailout that cost Sussex County taxpayers millions.  Freeholder Vohden voted for the bailout and has been on a revenge tour ever since.

We don't think that Marie Bilik is behind the lie Vohden is asking people to spread  because Bilik is well aware that she will be attending at least two debates next week -- a radio debate at WRNJ on Tuesday morning and a videotaped debate at the New Jersey Herald on Wednesday afternoon.  There is a third debate, this one hosted by the Skylands Tea Party on Tuesday evening, that Marie Bilik has not yet confirmed she will be attending (Parker Space and Gail Phoebus are confirmed, we have leaned).

So, far from there being no debates next week, which is the lie that the "honorable" Mr. Vohden wants people to spread for him, there are three debates scheduled for next week, although Marie Bilik might miss one of them.

What's up with Vohden?  Was it a lapse in memory or is he just predisposed to not telling the truth?  We believe that Mr. Vohden is so filled with  jealous rage over the fact that Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose and Senator Steve Oroho backed Gail Phoebus and didn't ask him to run that he can no longer think straight.  We're worried about him and think he should cool it and get some anger management therapy, before he totally loses its one day.

Police should reject effort to make them part of solar retaliation

 

In the middle of a criminal investigation into the loss of millions in fees paid by Sussex County taxpayers and the improper use of millions in United States Treasury grant money, Concord Energy lobbyist Molly Whilesmith has attempted to use the police to retaliate against Freeholder Gail Phoebus for blowing the whistle on the Sussex solar bailout.

Whilesmith is a lobbyist for Concord Energy/ Concord Engineering, an energy firm that just landed a fat contract from Sussex County.  She is also the chairman of the Marie Bilik for Assembly campaign. 

Bilik was recruited to run against Assemblyman Parker Space and Freeholder Gail Phoebus by another Concord lobbyist.  This was done in retaliation for Space and Phoebus' call for an investigation of a solar energy deal gone bad that cost Sussex taxpayers millions and had to require a $7 million bailout.  The deal is currently being investigated by federal and state law enforcement authorities.

Without revealing her connection to the Bilik campaign, Concord Energy, the solar deal, or the federal/state investigation, Whilesmith contacted every police chief in Legislative District 24 yesterday and asked them to politicize their departments in the effort to retaliate against Freeholder Gail Phoebus.

It was Freeholder Phoebus who opposed the solar bailout.  It was Freeholder Phoebus who led calls for an investigation.  It was Freeholder Phoebus who wrote to the United States Justice Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Securities & Exchange Commission, and the State Attorney General's Office.

Unfortunately, Watchdog has learned that a few did assist in the furtherance of Whilesmith's attempts at retaliation and in violation of accepted ethical practice.  This is unfortunate because most taxpayers in these heavily Republican counties believe that the police should not become partisan political agents in an attempt at retaliation -- particularly when there is an ongoing criminal investigation. 

Sparta Councilwoman attempts to politicize the police

All across America, people are concerned about what some call the "militarization" of our police departments.  There is a lot of discussion going on aimed at reassessing the interaction between police and citizens from various groups -- ethnic, racial, and political.

Into this already heated atmosphere steps Sparta Councilwoman Molly Whilesmith.

Whilesmith is a lobbyist for Concord Energy/ Concord Engineering, an energy firm that just landed a fat contract from Sussex County.  She is also the chairman of the Marie Bilik for Assembly campaign. 

Bilik was recruited to run against Assemblyman Parker Space and Freeholder Gail Phoebus by another Concord lobbyist.  This was done in retaliation for Space and Phoebus' call for an investigation of a solar energy deal gone bad that cost Sussex taxpayers millions and had to require a $7 million bailout.  The deal is currently being investigated by federal and state law enforcement authorities.

Without revealing her connection to the Bilik campaign, Concord Energy, the solar deal, or the federal/state investigation, Whilesmith contacted every police chief in Legislative District 24 today and asked them to politicize their departments in the effort to retaliate against Freeholder Gail Phoebus.

It was Freeholder Phoebus who opposed the solar bailout.  It was Freeholder Phoebus who led calls for an investigation.  It was Freeholder Phoebus who wrote to the United States Justice Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Securities & Exchange Commission, and the State Attorney General's Office.

Let's hope that Councilwoman Whilesmith's unethical attempt to politicize police departments in Sussex, Warren, and Morris Counties is thoroughly rebuked.  The police shouldn't become partisan political agents in an attempt at retaliation -- particularly when there is an ongoing criminal investigation.

Whilesmith's unethical request of police chiefs is printed below:

From: whilesmith@gmail.com 
Sent: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 10:20
Subject: Sparta Councilwoman needs you to be Aware...

Dear Chief,

I ask that you share the following information with your department. 

Though you may not know me, I consider public safety my number one obligation to the residents of Sparta, just ask any one of Sparta’s fine officers.

We have an important Primary coming up on June 2nd.  I recently attended the Assembly debate in Blairstown and it is imperative that all public safety officers understand what transpired.  You do not have to take my word, I will share a video with you so that you can see and hear for yourself. 

I am going to the trouble to send this to every police chief in the 24th Legislative District because this Primary is important.  People need to understand what is at stake.