If Freeholders Richard Vohden and Phil Crabb were not such stubborn old men, they would realize that they are only a small part of a nationwide group of victims of taxpayer-supported solar programs -- "a no brainer" as Crabb called it -- that turned out to be an old fashioned scam. It is happening all over.
What is it about Vohden and Crabb that leads them to want to own the solar scam? Too proud to admit they made a mistake? Or are they protecting someone?
In 2004, a newcomer named Steve Oroho ran for Freeholder against the county insiders and upended the sitting establishment. They ran the usual gossip campaign against him. Gossip is big in Sussex County where campaigns for public office are often conducted along the lines of an election for king and queen of a high school prom.
In 2004, the whisper campaign of malignant gossip spread around dirt on Steve Oroho. They tried to say that he was "stupid" -- ignoring the fact that Oroho had been the Senior Financial Officer at a Fortune 500 company. Then they tried class warfare and made him out to be a wealthy elitist in a top hat (like the man off the Monopoly board) when, in fact, he was the hard working son of middle class Irish-American parents.
Gossip and lies, lies and gossip. That's the way of the Sussex County whisper campaign.
Franklin Borough and Hardyston Township are the latest victims of the Sussex County whisper campaign. In 2004, they heard all the lies about Steve Oroho. This year, they are being subjected to a different set of lies.
Freeholder Phil Crabb has been working the fire houses on behalf of Marie Bilik and the solar bailout. Now that the County's top bureaucrats have all called it quits, Crabb wants to make sure that the solar bailout stays in place. Crabb wants to make sure that consultants like Stephen Pearlman and Gabel Associates keep stuffing their pockets with the property tax dollars of Sussex County taxpayers.
Crabb wants to make sure that the Wall Streeters who made millions screwing up the project don't have to worry about being held accountable, because Crabb signed a statement saying that they wouldn't. Crabb wants to make sure that the gag order (what he calls a "non-disparagement clause") is enforced, so that these Wall Street predators can go on and pitch their business to the next suckers and nobody will be the wiser.
Crabb needs Bilik because he needs to protect his friends.
Bernie Re is Sussex County's longtime, well paid Treasurer. The finance officer of Sussex County. Bernie Re pockets $148,060 every year, plus benefits, health care, and a nice fat pension when he retires, aged 62, this year.
The average property taxpayer, doesn't have a pension, or paid benefits, or free health care. And if he or she retires before 66 on Social Security, it is subject to a penalty. Oh, and the average family income (husband and wife together) in Sussex County is just $87,335.
Bernie Re was one of three Sussex County bureaucrats who were part of the Sussex County Evaluation Team. This is the committee that recommended to the Freeholder Board that they agree to the solar scheme. These are the assurances, Bernie Re and the other bureaucrats made to the Board:
"The SunLight/MasTec team possesses high quality management, installation capabilities, and sound solar development experience. In addition, the SunLight/MasTec proposal provides Sussex benefits in the following key areas:
- It provides substantial direct energy cost savings;
- It provides the Local Units the potential for additional savings through the sharing of revenues from the sale of Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs) and other environmental benefits;
- Due to SunLight/MasTec's proposed capital investment, which reduces the required size of the Authority bonds, it provides a strong level of protection for Sussex from financial risk;
- It provided additional financial protection for Sussex in the form of a debt service reserve fund; and,
- It includes a restoration security providing for additional Local Unit protection at the end of contract.
Back in 2011, Bernie Re and the other county bureaucrats gave their assurances as professionals, their word, as men of honor. Apparently his word isn't worth much and his professional standards are simply nonexistent.
In today's New Jersey Herald, Bernie Re -- a man who Sussex County taxpayers have paid handsomely year after year -- essentially laughed in their faces and said "let the buyer beware".
Here is Bernie Re's exact quote:
Re, though, acknowledged that he had been upset by the political storm surrounding the solar issue. He said county officials provided thorough information and that decisions were always up to the freeholders.
“Elected officials have a job to do. Nobody put a gun to anybody's head,” Re said.
"Nobody put a gun to anybody's head." Isn't that what scammer Bernie Madoff said about his victims? Yes, and scammer Jordan Belfort, the Wolf of Wall Street himself, said it too. Isn't that what every scumbag scammer says?
Yes, elected officials do have a job to do. They should have been better judges of character in selecting the county's top bureaucrats.
We've just been through tax time. Imagine if something was really wrong and you got audited and the person who you trusted to advise you on preparing your taxes said, "Nobody put a gun to anybody's head."
Of course, that wouldn't happen because the IRS holds the tax preparer to account. Unfortunately, the majority on the Sussex County Freeholder Board of Crabb, Vohden, and Mudrick will not be holding Bernie Re to account. If they did hold him to account, they would ask for their money back for the years 2011 through 2015.
Bernie Re will soon be retiring. Laughing at the taxpayers. Laughing all the way to the bank. "My advice was crap," but they still paid me. "The Freeholders should have never trusted a thing I wrote or said, ha, ha... but they still paid me."
But there still is something we can do to make sure that a lesson is learned and that others with the same professional attitudes as Bernie Re holds are not allowed to prey on people who look at their credentials and forget to examine their character. We can file a professional complaint against Bernie Re.
Filing a complaint cannot undo what Bernie Re did to the taxpayers of Sussex County. But it will stand as a rebuke to every financial officer who says of the people he is supposed to provide honest advice, "Nobody put a gun to anybody's head."
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.
> 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
Sussex County Watchdog
