Dave Gray praises Oroho's consultant

Poor candidate for freeholder Dave Gray.  He and his running mate need to work on their inter-candidate communication skills.  First, Gray reached out to Bill Winkler, long time consultant to the Littell family and to Bob Littell's successor, Senator Steve Oroho.  Gray asked Winkler to run his campaign. While Gray and Winkler were discussing it, Gray's running mate -- the bodacious and ever flavorful Mz. Kathleen Gorman -- started doing a very public dump on Winkler.  Gray was too late in restraining his teammate (she had already started).  End of discussion. 

But it didn't end there.  Gorman recruited the ridiculous Annie Sprinkle and together they made war on old Wee Willy Winkler.  This prompted Wee Willy to write a letter to the New Jersey Herald, causing further attacks.  Here's that letter:

Mate not heeding the warning

Posted: Apr. 5, 2016 12:01 am Updated: Apr. 6, 2016 6:19 pm

Editor:

In a comment posted under Sunday's column by Rob Jennings, candidate for freeholder Kathleen Gorman warned readers against "well paid political advisors" (the emphasis is hers). I wonder if she realizes that her own running mate, David Gray, personally contacted me on several occasions by telephone (I still have a voice mail he left me, if anyone cares to listen) with a view to hiring me to manage their campaign for freeholder.

We spoke, and I found David to be a pleasant and interesting young man. David told me that in the event that I could not accept his offer, he had planned to meet with the Philadelphia political consulting firm of Jamestown & Associates. Having worked with Jamestown's owner, Larry Weitzner, for more than 20 years, I highly recommended Jamestown to David.

The fact is I simply don't have the time to devote to the Sussex County freeholder race this year. Since 1993, I have fought a number of successful campaigns in Sussex County, but have learned to minimalize my local involvement during a presidential year, when there is so much to do that I cannot give Sussex County the full attention it deserves.

I wish all the candidates well and I am sure that Ms. Gorman will find, in Jamestown, the well-paid political adviser that she and her running mate require.

Bill Winkler

New Hope, Pa.

It also prompted candidate Dave Gray to send his own message of support and praise to Winkler:

From: David Gray <dgray@foremangray.com>

To: "baseline@sprynet.com" <baseline@sprynet.com>

Subject: herald comments

Date: Apr 5, 2016 4:48 PM

Bill,

I just wanted to send you a quick note to say that I have never met, nor have I ever spoken with Ms. Smulewicz – who commented in the Herald on your well-written letter.

Frankly, I have a lot of respect for you and thought we had a good conversation.  You are known in Sussex County to be one of the best political consultants around.  That  is why I called you and I thank you for your time discussing issues concerning Sussex County with me.  I hope to meet you in person in the future.

Best,

-Dave

David E. Gray, Esq.

--

Foreman & Gray, LLC

Attorneys at Law

760 Rt. 10 West 

Suite 204 

Whippany, NJ  07981 

Ph (973) 240-7313 

Fax: (973) 240-7316

ForemanGray.com

We got our hands on this directly from Winkler, who emailed Watchdog, and who doesn't seem to be too happy about being attacked and not being paid for it.  "I don't even have a candidate in the race," he wrote, adding, "Do you think they have a fetish concerning me?  It's like I'm being stalked! Could I be the focus of their bizarre fantasy?"   

Winkler's email referenced a further attack on him by a website some say is run by Freeholder Rich Vohden and energy lobbyist Wendy Molner.  The website uses various aliases when it blasts out its messages and has attempted to masquerade as Sussex Watchdog, Freeholder George Graham, and Mr. Winkler.

Things were going to be so boring without old Wee Willy.  Now, thanks to the desert dry team, and to the delight of everyone who follows the Watchdog, it looks like we're in for a real shatstorm. 

Planned Parenthood: The unprincipled and phony lies of Mary Sanchez

If you had occasion to read the New Jersey Herald on Sunday, you were in for a dose of corporate propaganda from Mary Sanchez -- Hillary Clinton cheerleader and sometime racist.  That's right, in an infamous column written in 2012, Ms. Sanchez let the world know that she judges people based on the color of their skin, not the content of their hearts.  In the world of Mary Sanchez race and ethnicity trump policies.  Ideas are secondary to your tribe.  That kind of thinking is right out of the Middle Ages.

On Sunday, Mary Sanchez was trying to pull the wool over the eyes of Herald readers by telling them -- in the most snarky way possible (and frankly, she is a bit too old for snark) -- that Planned Parenthood isn't really about abortion, it's about a whole lot of other things relating to women's health.  Well, there are two things you need to remember about Planned Parenthood.  First, it works very hard to be a corporate monopoly in the business of providing government-funded services to poor and low-income women.  Second, it employs a multi-million dollar lobbying operation in Washington, DC, and in the capitals of the 50 states to make certain that they either keep that monopoly or obtain a monopoly in those markets where they don't currently hold one.

Take a look sometime at the legislation Planned Parenthood spends those millions lobbying on and then try to look someone in the eye and seriously argue that it isn't about abortion.  If Planned Parenthood had its way, religious charities would be forced to pay for abortions.  That's making yourself all about abortion.

Planned Parenthood understands that the taxpayer faucet to fund women's health is going to be turned on at the federal, state, and local levels of government -- and they want to make sure that they get all of it.  And we all know what happens when a corporation is allowed to achieve a monopoly:  They can raise costs to whatever the market will bear (and the taxpayers will pay).

Planned Parenthood is a billion dollar business with a central corporate office and 59 affiliated corporations across the country.  In addition to its corporate lobbying arm, Planned Parenthood has its own federal political action committee and dozens of affiliated state PACs that attempt to legally bribe elected officials to get them to vote their way in exchange for campaign cash.

In her argument on behalf of Planned Parenthood's corporate masters, Ms. Sanchez never addresses the actual content of the half-dozen or more videos that document (in their own words) how top Planned Parenthood officials are entering into the "ethically dubious" trade of harvesting human body parts.  For Mary Sanchez, it's an opportunity to show off some teen-snark but it comes across as genuine as a middle-aged mom trying to wear her 14 year-old's clothing.

Big powerful corporations like Planned Parenthood think they're above the law.  Along with everyone else in the know, Ms. Sanchez doesn't expect Planned Parenthood  to be thoroughly investigated for possibly violating federal laws against the sale of human body parts.  That's because they are so powerful and spend so much on Congress.  Planned Parenthood is no different than the banking giant HSBC.  It was caught laundering nearly a million dollars in sales from illegal narcotics and nobody went to jail for it.  As Democrat U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren pointed out, this was money from murderous Mexican and Columbian drug lords and the bank didn't do it just once but over and over again.  Senator Warren opined that "too big to fail has become too big for trial." 

Alternative options for women -- like those independent women's clinics that are not in the business of harvesting human body parts -- do not have the million-dollar lobbying operation or the national brand.  They have to fight for funding because they don't have the pro-abortion activists in their corner.

And that is what Mary Sanchez' column is really all about.  She is trying to protect the Planned Parenthood brand after its top corporate officials got caught on video (and in whistleblower testimony by former employees).  Ms. Sanchez would like you to believe that there is only one option, one company store, and that is Planned Parenthood.  That is certainly Planned Parenthood's monopolistic goal, but fortunately for women's health, there are other options and maybe now they will get the funding they deserve. 

At least one such option exists in Sussex County.  There is a Community Health Center located at 238 Spring Street, Newton.  They can be reached by telephone at 973-383-7001.  They can be accessed on the Internet at http://www.phcmednet.org/obgyn.htm.

As boss of lobby group, Bilik spent millions

Assembly candidate Marie Bilik told reporters and taxpayers at two different debates yesterday that she wasn't a lobbyist.  She denied it at both the WRNJ radio morning debate and the Skylands Tea Party debate later that evening. 

Well, maybe she thinks we are all stupid, but here is a newspaper article from five years ago that explains who Bilik worked for, what she did, and who she is, pretty darn well.  It was written by the Bergen Record's Elise Young.  It appeared on the front page of that newspaper on June 20, 2010.  The headline read:

SCHOOL LOBBY SPENDS MILLIONS

The publicly financed lobby for New Jersey's school boards is spending millions to renovate its Trenton headquarters, even as local districts face massive state aid cuts, defeated budgets and construction proposals, and pending teacher layoffs.

The New Jersey School Boards Association collects more than $7 million a year from 588 member districts, which are legally required to join. It has socked away so much in dues and conference fees -- $12.3 million, an amount greater than the group's annual operating budget -- that it is paying cash for the improvements.

It also paid $1.6 million in cash for 10 suburban acres where it had hoped to build an $18 million conference center. But the board abandoned that plan and put the land back on the market.

The headquarters renovation's most recent projected cost was $6.3 million. But that figure could grow an additional $600,000 to $1 million, as the contractor decides whether to fix or replace the building's walls of glass windows, officials said. In the meantime, its 70 employees -- including five lobbyists paid to influence legislation -- are working in leased office space.

Critics say the spending sets a bad example, particularly when New Jersey government and taxpayers are telling schools to cut back.

In April, voters passed just 41 percent of local school budgets, the lowest approval rate since 1976. Voters also rejected three of seven proposed multimillion-dollar construction projects and denied permission to all six districts that had sought to exceed state spending caps.

Even grimmer: The proposed fiscal 2011 state budget calls for $820 million less state aid to districts, and thousands of teachers potentially will be laid off if districts don't cut spending and dip into their surpluses.

"We shouldn't be building in an economy like this, period," said Jerry Cantrell, president of the New Jersey Taxpayers Association. "They should have found some usable space and taken advantage of it. It's taxpayer money, whether it's coming directly out of the taxpayer pocket or through some other mechanism, like the school board."

But association officials defend the improvements, saying the staff will work more efficiently, provide better state-ordered training to trustees and offer more guidance to school boards, which are entrusted with spending the bulk of municipal property taxes.

"We'll walk away with a state-of-the-art building and no debt," said Marie Bilik, the executive director.

Bilik also said the group is mindful of districts' financial troubles. Last month it reduced dues 5 percent and offered other savings. Those discounts, however, come after dues have been increased by 73 percent over the past 10 years.

You read that right.  Under Marie Bilik, local school boards were made to spend 73 percent more than they had ten years before.   But wait, it gets worse...

The School Boards Association has come under some criticism in recent months, after The Record reported that its staff is enrolled in the state-run health and pension systems even though they are not government employees. Workers at two other Trenton lobbying groups -- the Association of Counties and the League of Municipalities -- also are in the programs as a result of 1950s legislation that declared they were acting in the public interest.

 In all, New Jerseyans will fund retirement payouts and lifetime health benefits for 107 non-government employees with combined pensionable salaries of $7 million. Right now, taxpayers are giving $1.3 million a year to 62 retirees of the groups. Governor Christie has said the benefits arrangement must end.

 So now you know.  Not only did she run a lobby group, she got a taxpayer-funded state pension deal out of it. 

Bilik's photo-shop campaign

Assembly candidate Marie Bilik lives in Alexandria, Virginia, and is employed by a Washington, DC lobby group.  Bilik travels 4 1/2 hours back and forth to New Jersey on the weekends. 

This is an obvious problem for her political campaign for elected office in Sussex, Warren, and Morris counties.  She's not around and it shows.

Take a look at her campaign website.  Why would a candidate who lived in Sussex County need to photo-shop her image onto a background of High Point?  

Why would a candidate who lived in New Jersey need to photo-shop her image onto a background of the State House in Trenton?

If Bilik was around, she would do what everyone else who lives in Sussex County does when they want to take their photo at High Point -- drive to High Point and take a photograph. 

You can't find a single photograph taken in the 24th District on Bilik's website.

And it doesn't help matters that she's hired a Florida campaign consulting group to do her opposition research, design her website, and run her campaign.

For a campaign that complains about consultants so much the Bilik campaign is certainly loaded with them.  There's an opposition researcher from Florida, a web designer from Florida, a campaign consultant from Florida, and a couple energy company consultant/lobbyists from New Jersey.  And then there's the candidate herself,  who works for a Washington, DC area lobby group.

Update on Thursday, April 30, 2015 at 2:01PM by Sussex County Watchdog

With photo-shop Marie Bilik can be anywhere!

Bilik operative lobbied county on solar

If you want to know why things are so crooked in Sussex County, here is why.  For months now, local politician Wendy Molner has been attacking Parker Space and Gail Phoebus for calling for an investigation of the Sussex solar mess -- despite the fact that 9 out of every 10 people in Sussex County want the investigation.

Molner has defended the county bureaucrats who sold the project to the Sussex County Freeholder Board -- despite the fact that the public blames the county bureaucrats, attorneys, and lobbyists two to one over blaming the Freeholders for the mess.

Molner, along with local politician Molly Whilesmith and political activist Ann Smulewicz, form a trio of apologists for the bailout deal supported by Freeholders Crabb, Vohden, and Mudrick -- despite the fact that residents oppose the bailout as much as they oppose raising the gas tax.  Molner, Whilesmith, and Smulewicz cheered on Crabb, Vohden, and Mudrick when they embraced the "non-disparagement clause" (aka "gag order") and the bailout's "hold harmless clause" in opposition to the feelings and beliefs of nearly 90 percent of the residents of Sussex County.

Molner and Whilesmith even recruited someone who retired from a job in New Jersey, started collecting a state pension, moved to Virginia to start a new job as a Washington, DC-lobbyist, and talked this lobbyist into running for the New Jersey Assembly against Parker Space and Gail Phoebus.  Why?  Just as a way to get back at them for calling for an investigation of the county insiders behind the solar mess.

Molner has done all of this because she is one of the county insiders who look to profit from the county.  County bureaucrats like John Eskilson and elected county officials like Phil Crabb are the levers of power an operator like Molner tries to work to get what she wants from county government. 

Here is Molner excitedly lobbying Freeholders Crabb and Zeoli in the run-up to the vote on solar on February 23, 2011. 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From:  WENDY MOLNER  <wmolner@embarqmail.com>
Date: Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 12:01 PM
Subject: Re: Local Govt Energy Audit Program (LGEA) Info
To: Phillip Crabb <phillip.crabb@gmail.com>


The BPU grants of up to $l00k  are available immediately to all schools, and government facilities. you can go online and download the application and get started. Why only offer $5k for solar feasibility. Audit the entire facility and see if solar is feasible as well. if solar is feasible have a meeting with Morris County consortium, and install your solar.

It just makes sense to apply for the free energy audit first that looks at the entire facility for energy upgrades, not just solar.

Unfortunately there are so many fragmented groups running around selling this piecemeal plans and it is very confusing. The state will be moving away from solar... New direction in the energy master plan coming in April via our Governor.

Wendy

----- Original Message -----
From: "Phillip Crabb" <phillip.crabb@gmail.com>
To: "WENDY MOLNER" <wmolner@embarqmail.com>
Cc: "Richard Zeoli" <Rich@rzcimpact.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2011 11:27:33 AM
Subject: Re: Local Govt Energy Audit Program (LGEA) Info

Hello Wendy,

Thanks for this information...the first question that comes to mind is do we
have time to wait for the BPU process..?

1603 (30% ITC) grant money goes away if winning bidder doesn’t earmark 5% by
12/31/11.

Right now, if County approves this tonight, and we hold outreach meetings in
March,  we’re talking about a funding date in October, which barely gives
the developer sufficient time to make that safe harbor, and leaves little
time for slippage.

Phil


On Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 10:52 AM, WENDY MOLNER <wmolner@embarqmail.com>wrote:

> Please think about combining these and making it a "hybrid". It is the
> right thinkg to do for Sussex County.
>
> Call me if you have questions
>
> Wendy Molner xxx-xxx-xxxx

> Concord Engineering Group
>  www.ceg-inc.net

Molner was among those demanding a piece of the action.  So now you know what she is up to and why.