Wirths should look into local unemployment office

In Sussex County, the economy never really rebounded from the great recession that began in 2008.  For all his promises, President Obama bowed to Wall Street just like his predecessors, and despite the best efforts of Senator Elizabeth Warren the Glass–Steagall Act remains effectively repealed. 

Sussex County suffers under the restrictions of the Highlands Act and the resulting decline in growth and loss of population and tax base.  Some political leaders -- notably County Clerk Jeff Parrott and State Senator Steve Oroho, among others -- have worked to tackle the fallout from this long economic downturn.  For example, the efforts of Parrott and Oroho have sustained the county food bank, the need for which has never been greater.  Even when faced with attempts to thwart this by a top county bureaucrat who doesn't even live in Sussex County, Parrott and Oroho have quietly soldiered on to make sure that county residents have food on the table.

It is important to remember that people are not unemployed by choice.  The people who run this nation have bestowed on us the world as it is and all the middle class can do is try to cope with it.  Now Watchdog has received reports that, instead of being treated with respect, state employees (who have good benefits and a pension waiting for them) apparently amuse themselves by mistreating their fellow citizens.

At the Newton unemployment office, it was reported that some of the staff is "vitriolic, unsympathetic and abusive in speech and manner" in addition to reprimanding adult taxpayers like they are children.   The staff do not like to answer the telephone and reports claim that they rarely do. 

New Jersey Labor Commissioner Hal Wirths lives in Sussex County, so maybe it is time for him to make an unscheduled visit or two or three to the unemployment office.  If they aren't answering their phones, pull them all out and save the money.  If they are being rude to unemployed taxpayers, lay them off so that they can experience what it is to be unemployed first hand, so that they develop empathy and use it when they are brought back to work. 

We leave it in Hal Wirth's capable hands.

Vohden says legislators need his direction

There is general agreement around Sussex County and the region, that the current Freeholder Board -- led by the cabal of Phil Crabb, Rich Vohden, and Dennis Mudrick -- has been the worst for many years.  That's why voters wisely rejected the candidacy for re-election of Freeholder Mudrick, which should put Crabb and Vohden in the minority after next year's reorganization.

County government is marked by its arrogance and authoritarianism.  It is incompetent and lacks transparency, conducts business using nepotism and vendor cronyism, and is dominated by a corrupt few who have spent and borrowed the county into its current predicament. 

At the November 24, 2015, meeting of the Freeholder Board, Freeholder Richard Vohden was reporting on his attendance at the League of Municipalities festivities in Atlantic City.  He made these remarks:

"This year the most discussed issue was the urgency of funding the state Transportation Trust Fund.  I attended two seminars where the issue was discussed at length and another where the only topic was the fund.  The decision on how this issue is resolved is so important that I believe that we, the freeholders should have a conversation, I think we should discuss this and let our legislators know because the legislators are looking at this from different positions and I think maybe we could come to a decision on how we think this should be handled.  I think we should have that discussion. . . I think we should give our legislators some guidance."

Guidance?  From Richard "Solar Bailout" Vohden?  Vohden, who has done so much to screw up Sussex County, now wants to lend his expertise to screwing up the entire state.  Doesn't this leave that displeasing taste of arrogance? 

Sure, everybody is entitled to an opinion -- even a screw-up politician -- but the voters of Sussex, Warren, and Morris counties elected Senator Steve Oroho, Assemblyman Parker Space, and Assemblywoman Gail Phoebus to tackle state issues.  Vohden and the other Freeholders in Sussex County have a job to do in Sussex County.  If Freeholder Vohden needs something to do, he should figure out how Sussex taxpayers can get some of their money back from that solar scam he supported.

It didn't stop there.  Later in the meeting, Vohden attacked Senator Oroho's legislative team again.  Then -- after bemoaning Sussex County's decline in population (due to job loss), property taxes, and resulting foreclosures -- Freeholder Vohden made this stunning remark:  "As Freeholders we have no direct statutory authority to act on these issues." 

He must be crazy.  Not only do Freeholders set the county portion of every property tax bill, they have an important role in creating a pro-job, pro-growth environment in the county. Vohden looks like he is trying to shift blame for his own failures to the legislators, even as he seeks to lecture them about state issues.

Looks like he is beginning his 2016 re-election campaign early.

LD24 Republicans are popular

According to yesterday's statewide election returns, Assemblyman Parker Space is the most popular Republican member of that chamber.  His running mate, Assemblywoman-elect Gail Phoebus, starts her career as the third most popular Republican member. 

At 35 percent of the vote, Assemblyman Space leads all Republicans statewide. With 33 percent, Assemblywoman-elect Phoebus is tied with the two Assembly members from LD09 and just behind the two from LD30 (at 34 percent).  They join Senator Steve Oroho, who has long held the distinction of being the most popular Republican member of the State Senate -- winning elections with over 70 percent of the vote.

For the Democrats, Michael Grace and Jacky Stapel came in dead last, with just 14 percent of the vote.  Green candidate Kenneth "What is the Frequency" Collins picked up just 4 percent. 

In the last days of the election, Collins' campaign took on an odd aspect when he allowed his campaign for public office to become part of a long-running neighbor dispute, carrying nasty rumors about one neighbor, on behalf of another.  It was a strange way to end a campaign and led to questions about what favor the candidate was receiving as an inducement to involve himself in such sordid trade.

Collins started out as a serious issues activist but ended his campaign as a personal mail chimp.  

Steve Oroho goes all in for Gail Phoebus

No bones about it.  Steve Oroho wants to work with Gail Phoebus in the Legislature to make things happen. 

Senator Oroho sent a strongly-worded endorsement letter to the New Jersey Herald and followed it up with a recorded personal message from him,  in which he touts Phoebus' positives and strongly endorses her for the Assembly.

Legislative District 24 is one of the few districts in the state that has a district office and constituent service operation that is maintained by all three legislators.  Oroho, who has been Senator since taking over from Bob Littell in 2008, has made it clear who he wants to be sharing an office with -- Gail Phoebus.

In his letter, Senator Oroho discussed Gail Phoebus, her family business and her background as a practical, small businesswoman. 

As your senator, I am proud of the job we do representing the people of Sussex, Warren and Morris counties in the New Jersey Legislature.

Gail Phoebus has served as mayor of her hometown and as a member of the county freeholder board, where she has fought to reduce spending and hold the line on property taxes.

As the owner of a small business, Gail Phoebus knows how to create jobs and what it's like to have to meet a payroll. She understands that business is the engine that creates jobs and she is dedicated to working with me to make New Jersey more business friendly. Gail is a problem-solver and someone who is anxious to help people. I look forward to working with her.

On June 2, please remember to vote for Gail Phoebus and incumbent Parker Space for Assembly. (NJ Herald, May 28, 2015)

Commenting on the recent attacks by candidate Marie Bilik against Gail Phoebus, her family, and her family business, Michael Garrett, Congressman Scott Garrett's brother and business partner had this to say:

Bilik is playing the age-old liberal game of attacking success. She claims that Gail Phoebus isn't paying her fair share of property taxes. But Gail pays over $220,000 per year in property taxes. She also pays income tax to the feds and the state on her facility in Andover. She also collects sales tax and turns that over to the state. Her property costs the town, county and state virtually nothing. Her property has never once sent a kid into the school system. Instead of attacking her, the rest of us taxpayers should be sending her a thank you note. As for left-wing Bilik, I can only wonder why she doesn't simply run as a Democrat. She would be so much more at home in that liberal party. (NJ Herald, May 30, 2015)

Well said.  Go Garrett!  Go Oroho!

 

The Crabb-Bilik whisper campaign

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.

Update on Monday, May 4, 2015 at 12:21PM by Sussex County Watchdog

This is the actual photo of the settlement/bailout that Crabb signed on behalf of Sussex County