JohnPinho

The Harrison Mayor and Council meeting was packed tonight with residents holding up signs protesting rising property taxes. The other side of the handwritten sign contained a copy of articles on Councilman James Doran's appointment as Superintendent of Harrison's schools noting his salary. Mayor Raymond McDonough was not at the meeting due to an illness in his family which Councilman Doran described as a life threatening stroke. Councilman James Doran took over the running of the meeting. With respect to the 4.5 million dollar infrastructure bond for the Harrison Commons project, bond counsel stated that Richard Miller, Michael Richman, and Mark Villamar would be signing personal guarantees but David Barry and Michael Barry were not signing individual personal guarantees but would be signing through a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC). The rationale for not having David and Michael Barry sign personal guarantees was that the LLC had more assets than David and Michael Barry had individually. In addition, the personal guarantees have not been signed to date but will be signed on the date the bonds are issued. Councilmembers Steven and Marie McCormick moved to table the bond ordinance. There were not enough votes to table the ordinance. Councilman James Doran accused Councilmembers Steven and Marie McCormick of placing phone calls to residents stating that if they attended the town meeting that "their taxes would be lowered." Councilman Steve McCormick responded that he had made no such calls and then turned to the audience and asked "are you here because I called you" to which the crowd of residents responded loudly "No" followed by an outburst from one resident that he was there because he couldn't afford to live in town after being a resident for twenty three years. The residents then lifted their handwritten signs protesting every increasing property taxes. After attending meetings with a handful of residents, it was uplifting to see Harrisonians attempting to make their elective officials accountable. Ever increasing property taxes, the economy, and perceived corruption have all finally come together to awaken a very powerful group: the residents of Harrison. Revised Agenda 09/01/2009 Meeting Click Here View the full article

Middlesex Street in Harrison will be closed starting Tuesday September 1, 2009 from South Frank E. Rodgers Blvd. to Second Street. An announcement on the town's website states "Due to Environmental Remediation and Infrastructure Improvements as of September 1st, 2009 Middlesex Street between Frank E. Rodgers Blvd South and South Second Street and South Third Street between Middlesex Street and Burlington Street will be closed and no parking permitted." There is no indication on how long Middlesex Street will be closed. Questions are directed to Town Engineer Rocco Russomano. The closure of Middlesex Street will eliminate a significant amount of parking meter revenue. What Environmental Remediation is being conducted? Didn't the redevelopers already conduct the Environmental Remediation? How are commuters going to access parking lots? What plans are in place to deal with the closure of a major east-west traffic artery for commuters and Path train riders. Even when commuters park how do they get to the Path station if Middlesex Street is closed? Are the redevelopers picking up the tab for the lost parking meter revenue? View the full article

The September Mayor & Council meeting is scheduled for this coming Tuesday, September 1, 2009 with a caucus at 6:30 p.m. followed by a 7:00 p.m. regular meeting. The agenda is available here On the Agenda is Bond Ordinance 1213 for $4.5 million in sewer improvements for the Harrison Commons Project which will be placed along side the Path train parking garage. In July, Mayor McDonough promised that the principals of the Harrison Commons project would sign personal guarantees for the sewer improvements. The Ordinance mentions the personal guarantee but doesn't list the individuals. Mayor McDonough promised that he would provide the names of the individuals who were signing personal guarantees. Let us see if he fulfills his promise. View the full article

Thanks. I knew you'd appreciate the quote from Mayor Santos. I'm surprised you did not challenge it as a making up my own facts. I disagree with your opinion that United Water did a good job. You are entitled to your opinion. Whoever reads these posts can decide for themselves. United Water never left a notice at my house. They mailed me a handwritten note addressed to Current Resident. They never asked to read the meter, they simply asked to set up an account. The account was already set up. They never made another attempt to physically read my meter. I paid estimated bills until I sold the house. . So "on occasion" is inconsistent with 10%. My understanding is that Kearny wants to bond for more expensive version of a remote read. What Harrison uses is older technology which should be cheaper. It is also proven technology. Since the matter is being challenged, we will see if United Water is the lowest qualified bidder. Yes. I don't believe everything I read in the local press or what local politicians say. Ok, you honestly believe if your sink is leaking you won't detect it. Or if your toilet is leaking you won't know it. Give me a break. Mayor Santos forgave underestimated bills under that theory. Boy, that is stretching it. I disagree with you. My original post specifically mentioned treating high volume users differently than low volume users. The big bucks are with high volume users. The Mayor specifically changed the water rates based on volume to generate more revenue from industrial users. That was a good idea for the town. Ok. I was just pointing out that not all the water breaks in town are handled solely by the town's Water Department. I don't manage the water department. But I'm sure they are not working everyday on water line breaks. Yes, I'm posting anonymously (sic you on 'unanimously'). If you decide to consistently post under your own name all the time, and you require that everyone who posts on this board use his or her name, then so will I. Until then, I'm abiding by the rules of this board. I guess that means you won't reveal your identity. You are correct this board does allow anonymous posts. You are within your rights. And, by the way, often those who demonstrate smug intellectualism with the use of 'sic' get it wrong themselves. Stop throwing 'sic' at me because 1) you make errors like everyone else and 2) this is not a legal brief. I'm sorry for the sic. It's just my legal writing training seeping through. When you get to know me, you'll realize that I am no where near "smug intellectualism". My parents did not raise me that way.

I'm not making up the facts. "The transition from East Orange Water to United Water New Jersey has been much more complicated than could have been expected. Inaccurate and incomplete billing records from East Orange have slowed the process considerably. Presently, the Kearny Water Department does not have the personnel or computer system available to take on this critical task. The Mayor and Council will be carefully evaluating the performance of United Water before the end of the current contract. Billing accuracy, customer serivce and collection effectiveness will all be reviewed. If it appears fiscally prduent to assume the responsibility of customer billing, that route would certainly be considered." -- Mayor Alberto Santos (12/4/2001) I Here is what the handwritten note on half a sheet of paper with an uneven cut said said ATTN: Current Resident Call United Water to establish acct with us or Face Shutoff 1800 422 5987 refer to account# [acct number] It said nothing about wanting to perform an actual read of my meter. Let me make it clear: There was no actual read done on my property until I sold my house. On occasion PSEG does an estimated read but they make a point of getting actual reads. Harrison's water department doesn't do estimated bills as a matter of course, they read the meters with remotes on the sidewalks. The change was significant. It allowed Town's to take back control of the bidding process. I disagree with the 15% estimate based on my own personal experience and the history of reimbursements for overbilled water. If my toilet is leaking, I hear it. If my sink is leaking, I see it. If a pipe is leaking in the wall, I will see it shortly when it soaks my wall and busts through the sheetrock. Once again, from the onset (Item #5 above), I stated that commercial should be treated differently than residential. Do they? Always? Why did we need J.Fletcher Creamer for? What do they do when their are no repairs to be done? You say the above because you want to justify the bonding. I disagree with you. I posed under my own name as a member. You're (no sic) posting unanimously as Fact Checker. Why don't you sign up as a member under your real name.

I am not making up my own facts. I am basing my statements on what I recall. When Kearny got back the water department from East Orange Water Commission, the data that was turned over was a mess. The reason for hiring United Water was to correct the data and to provide actual physical reads. It was suppose to be temporary. It became a permanent job. One in my opinion which was not done per the contract they bid on. Where did you get "United Work (sic) reads and re-connects meters on a daily basis." They never attempted to read or reconnect my meter. If you review council minutes you will see month after month, individuals getting refunds for overestimated bills. This went on for years. United Water was suppose to do physical reads not estimated billing. I'm glad that you now recognize that you don't have to accept the lowest bidder. The change in the law was significant and designed to secure qualified bidders and curtail underbidding of jobs. I warned Mayor Santos and the Council that United Water was estimating bills. They had five years to review which accounts were being estimated and they failed to make United Water accountable. The catch up bill problem rests squarely on the shoulders of the Mayor and Council. If you have a leak, you don't need an actual bill to tell you. Eventually your house fills up with water. I specifically stated that industrial users would be treated differently because they are a volume user. How many employees are in the water department? Saying there is 0 meter readers and 2 clerks doesn't answer the question. United Water was not hired to read "nonfunctioning" meters, they were hired to read the meters, bill customers and collect water bills. They billed customers and collected water bills but failed to read all the meters. My 5 point plan does not require you to hire one single person. I'll admit when I'm wrong. I wasn't wrong and for sure I was never "really wrong". I warned the Mayor and Council that United Water was estimating water bills rather than performing actual reads and little was done. Now that catch up bills were generated, residents complained, the Mayor and Council forgave bills and is bonding for new meters. Having the lowest water rates in the region doesn't mean that the town isn't being frugal with its money.

I don't believe this is true. If it is true the bid documents did not reveal this fact. We overpaid United Water if this is the case, my understanding was that they were going to do physical reads of the meters. I know that even after I made public statements against United Water, my meter was never read. I received estimated bills up until I sold my house and a Kearny Water Department employee did a final reading. I believe that the percentage of estimated bills was much higher than 15%. But even if was 15%, United Water didn't do their job. They were paid to read every meter quarterly. New Jersey Public Bidding law has changed and allows the consideration of other criteria beyond who the lowest bidder is and therefore the Mayor & Council could reject United Water's lowest bid. They can hold a hearing and make a determination based on other facts including prior experience with the bidder. Years ago Contractors would low bid and then put in change orders which ultimately would be more expensive. The second lowest bidder has threatened a lawsuit because United Water's subsidiary is apparently not a qualified bidder. You can still bill quarterly (an estimated bill) and then do an actual read (once a year) which would insure the person got an accurate water meter read at least once a year. The above is acceptable to most residents especially since it will save them money on their tax bill (no need to bond). My original post (Item #5) contemplated that larger volume users would be treated differently than lower volume (residential) users. The Mayor's meter bonding is not just for South Kearny / Industrial Area meters, it goes townwide. I believe that it is wasteful and a burden to taxpayers. Your attempting to justify the expenditure by saying we need to hire more town employees. Your numbers are simply wrong. We paid United Water over $300,000 per year to send out estimated bills. The Mayor knew that a large percentage of bills were estimated but did very little to correct the matter. Now he is rewarding United Water (its subsidiary) with a new contract. Why? The Water Department has enough employees to do the job I've outlined. See my prior posts. I've been known to go to town meetings. It has been a while. I may take you up on the offer. We can both address the Mayor and Council and give our input. Will the Mayor and Council listen to me? They didn't over five years ago when I pointed out that United Water was estimating a large percentage of bills and not complying with their contract.

Over five years ago, Mayor Santos & the Council awarded an initial contract for United Water to physically read the meters. Let me make that clear: United Water was suppose to go into homes and physically read the meters. Your statement "Verizon no longer supports telephone-read meters. Not a one." is misleading. Reading the meters over the telephone lines didn't work almost from day one. From what I understood, the meter would call out to a phone number and report the current meter consumption number. The phone lines would inevitably be disconnected or not work properly. Kearny paid big bucks to have United Water physically read the meters and they never did. The Mayor and Council are awarding their subsidiary with a new contract to replace meters. Why? Using your numbers, if there are 8000 meters. You need to physically read the meter periodically maybe once a year. If you take 8000 meters and divide that by 260 days (52 weeks times 5 days), you need to read 30.76 (or 31) meters per day to cover the whole town. That would mean that every resident would have an actual meter read once a year to catch up on any over or underestimated bill. You don't need to hire any new employees to do the above. Being the town's meter read is great job security. Meters aren't read every month. Your example is again misleading. My ideas expressed above hold a lot of water. My ideas aren't new. Tell me why the Mayor doesn't support a cheaper time tested remote read meter that can be installed over a period of years by town employees?

There was an interesting article in the Observer this week from Celeste Regal about the battle over who should get the contract to replace water meters in Kearny. Over five years ago, I addressed the Mayor and Council on this issue and brought to their attention the fact that United Water was not complying with their Contract. I recently brought this up again in the Kuehne Chemical topic on this board. http://forums.kearnyontheweb.com/index.php...ost&p=97718 I believe that there is no need to replace the water meters in the majority of the town and awarding a contract of this nature is wasteful and additional burden on taxpayers. Here is my solution to the current problem facing Kearny with respect to water meters. 1. United Water should be required to comply with its original contract and read the meters or return the money they were paid to do so. 2. Town Employees (Finance/Treasurer) should take back the billing operation saving the town money. 3. Residents who want an actual reading could do their own meter read and send in a prepaid post card to the Water Department. Town Water Department employees would then do actual readings at least once a year to keep residents honest. If the resident's "actual read" is way off, the town could do an actual read on a particular home. Since a Water account bill is a lien against the property, the Town is secure in getting its payment even if the house is sold. A final water reading will insure that the bill is eventually paid in full. 4. Town Water Employees could start the process of installing remote readers similar to the ones installed in Harrison and the City of Newark. They are a lot cheaper and proven technology. 5. Town Water Employees would initially concentrate in replacing meters and installing remotes on larger volume customers first. That is where the potential large income for the Water Department exists not in residential water accounts. Over five years ago, I brought this issue up to Mayor Alberto Santos and Councilwoman Laura Cifelli-Pettigrew (who was the Water Department Chairperson). I am glad they have gotten around to addressing it now. But their approach is too expensive and not thinking out of the box. My opinion at the time was that United Water was not reading the meter in violation of their contract. Why would you reward them with this contract? The bottom line: Reject all bids. Read the meters manually. Implement the above. Save Kearny taxpayers some tax dollars.

I uploaded last night an article covering the meeting. Visit www.YourHarrison.com. Please spread the word to your neighbors, friends and family about the website.

Mayor Raymond McDonough and the Town Council moved one step forward towards modifying a financial agreement with the Harrison Commons, Pegasus Group, and the Canyon Johnson Urban Fund (Redevelopers). According to a Memorandum from Bond Counsel Tom Hastie, the necessity for the change was caused by an objection by Harrison Common's mortgage holder Citibank. Citibank objected to a special assessment concept because it diminished Citibank's security interest in the real property. Mayor McDonough started the meeting off by stating that he appreciated everyone making an effort to attend the meeting on such short notice. The Meeting Notice was printed on Friday, July 17, 2009 and the actual Agenda was uploaded to the Town's website late last night or early this morning (Hey! I can't stay awake all night). There was no member of the press at the meeting and only a handful of residents. Mayor McDonough held the meeting on the Third Floor of the Town Hall even though the Second Floor Council chambers was open and available for use. The reason for the Special Meeting, the Redevelopers need to make an application to the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust Fund (NJEIT) by tomorrow, July 22, 2009. There was some interesting discussion back and forth between Council members Steve McCormick and Maria McCormick with Councilman James Doran and Bond Counsel Tom Hastie. Ultimately, the Mayor and Council passed two resolutions, the first a Resolution Making Application to the Local Finance Board, and the second a Resolution Declaring the Town's Official intent to Reimburse Expenditures for Project Costs from the Proceeds of Debt Obligations. These two resolutions were necessary for the application to NJEIT for funding. Councilmembers Steve & Marie McCormick voted against the two resolutions. The Mayor and Council also introduced for first reading Bond Ordinance 1213 which proposed bonding of 4.5 million for the water, sanitary sewer and infrastructure. After some questions from Councilmembers Steve and Marie McCormick, Bond Council Tom Hastic revealed that the Redeveloper "principles" would be personally guarantee the infrastructure bonds. At the end of the meeting, Town Clerk Paul Zarbetski distributed the Financial Agreement with the Redevelopers. Among the apparent principals are Richard Miller, Michael Richman, David Barry, Michael Barry, and Mark Villamar. There was however no personal guarantees contained in the package. Mayor McDonough promised me that he would provide the names of the principles that would be signing personal guarantees before the September 2009 Mayor and Council meeting. If the Redevelopment principles sign personal guarantees, I will be a lot more comfortable with the town bonding for infrastructure which originally was suppose to be paid entirely by the Redevelopers. If there are no personal guarantees, I believe the Harrison taxpayer will ultimately be holding the bag. Of interest is that the principals of Canyon Johnson Urban Fund will not be signing personal guarantees. One of the principles of Canyon Johnson is Magic Johnson. The Financial Agreement and proposed Bond Ordinance is available here The partial Agenda provided to me is available here View the full article

I just posted up the Agenda for another Special Meeting of the Mayor & Council on the www.yourHarrison.com website.

There will be another Special Council Meeting at high noon in Harrison tomorrow July 21, 2009. Click here for the Agenda. View the full article

On Thursday July 16, 2009, President Barack Obama visited New Jersey and held a rally for Governor Jon Corzine at the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel. It was with mixed feelings that I watched President Obama stumping for Governor Corzine. I was one of the very early supporters of then Senator Obama in his candidacy for President. When Jon Corzine and our local politicians were all lined up behind Hillary Clinton, I was one of the few local Democrats who supported then Senator Obama. I was extremely proud of my numerous contributions of $25.00 to Obama’s campaign. I asked for nothing in return for my support except for one thing: Honest Efficient Government. I am sure that while I was working away in my office on Thursday insuring that I continued to support my family and kept my staff employed in these tough economic times, those who initially did not support President Obama, and some local politicians who would not even put up a sign for Obama were undoubtedly on hand for a photo opportunity. In the news coverage of the rally, I couldn’t help but notice that Corzine looked like a little kid who had gotten a present that he knew he really did not deserve. You could tell that Corzine was uncomfortable. He knew that he did not initially support Obama. What was it that Corzine said, Obama was not experienced enough? Hillary was. Or was he thinking who would elect an African-American president? Corzine did what was politically convenient and supported who he thought was a shoe in for the Presidency, Hillary Clinton, and that has defined his Governing of New Jersey to date. I, on the other hand, evaluated the candidates and supported the one I found to be most articulate, compassionate, and qualified for the job. A millionaire like Corzine should not be worried about going out on the limb to do the right thing. Christopher Christie released a video welcoming President Obama to New Jersey. He reminded President Obama that New Jersey is one of the highest taxed state in the United States and is in need of a change in governance. He invited President Obama to visit New Jersey again when Christie is Governor. Today, Christie’s campaign website has a video of individuals who voted for Barack Obama but are voting for Christie this coming November. Christie gets it. My wife’s a Republican. I’m a Democrat. She said the other day to me that she knows that it will be the first time in a long time that I will be voting for a Republican come November. She is right. Corzine does not deserve my vote. Every decision he makes is political. I want a Governor who makes decisions on what is good for the average citizen and not what appears to be politically convenient. An example of the latter is his caving to the New Jersey Public Employees Union Leaders who threatened to picket a Corzine campaign rally at the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange where Vice President Joe Biden was going to be the Guest of Honor. Biden had stated that he would not cross a Union picket line to attend the campaign event. The Union Leaders knew that Corzine would buckle under the pressure and give in to their demands. A real Governor would have told the Union Leaders go ahead and picket the Vice President of the United States. To Vice President Biden, Corzine should have said that is your personal choice, the rally will go forward either way. I ask you to seriously consider who you want to be the next Governor of the State of New Jersey. I voted for Obama and I'm voting for Chris Christie. Join me. View the full article

If raising questions is living to embarrass Santos, then we're guilty. Mayor Santos has after 6 years come to agree with our position on the need to retrofit Kuehne. That was not his position 6 years ago when he accused us of grandstanding. Another issue that I pointed out long ago (2003?) was the fact that Kearny was paying United Water to read water meters and United Water wasn't reading the meters. Recently (May 2009), the Mayor and Council agreed to forgive homeowners whose water meters were under read but now being billed for actual consumption. What Mayor Santos should have done was taken care of the problem back when I raised it. But if John Pinho asked a question, Mayor Santos would immediately take a defensive posture. I once joked that if you wanted something to get council approval, hire me to oppose it and it would be voted in by the Mayor and Council. In 2003(?), I was simply pointing out what turned out to be the fact: United Water was paid to read water meters and did not read the meters they simply sent out estimated bills. Why should I as a Kearny taxpayer subsidize my neighbor not having to pay his/her water bill because the Mayor and Council didn't take the appropriate measure to have water meters read for years. Mayor Santos and the council were made aware by me of the fact that the majority of the meters were being estimated for years. Some overestimated and some under estimated. Solution: sue United Water for their failure to read the meters per their contract to make up for lost water revenue income. How much did we pay United Water to send out estimated bills? $300,000+ per year? I could have done that from my house with a computer, a software package and a laser printer. The Mayor said he was going to study bringing the billing in house but decided to stick with United Water. Why? Frank and Rosa have moved on. Their talent and skills are much more appreciated outside of Kearny. I thank God they are doing well. I've been Frank's friend since we were teenagers and me and him founded a youth club in Holy Cross Church in Harrison. Frank has always been ahead of the curve. I realized that early on. Nobody can question "his b**ls" (your words). He led the charge to make the Kuehne Chemical plant safer and now his goal of having the plant retrofitted may actually come to fruition. In any other town, the Mayor and Council would be honoring him and Rosa. Mayor Santos and you will never do that. As far as what we did. We wrote letters. We went to council meetings. We publicized on the internet the danger of lax security at Kuehne. What else would you have done? Look on KOTW's Environmental page and read Frank's letter to Chief Dowie. Like I said, Frank has always been ahead of the curve. John M. Pinho P.S. To the readers of KOTW, please note I'm using my real name as a registered user. The other poster hasn't registered and is hiding as a Guest. I may not respond to all anonoymous Guest posts.

If I was grandstanding, the Mayor is grandstanding now. I was not grandstanding then, nor is the Mayor grandstanding now. Mayor Santos is expressing some 6 years later the same concern that I was expressing in 2003: conventional security isn't the ultimate answer for Kuehne. A retrofit is. So the record is clear, nobody trespassed on the Kuehne chemical plant. The video taken by Frank Ferreira in ~2003 was done from the street. It showed a main gate ajar with a gapping hole. When Jonathan Dienst of NBC went out to the Kuehne Chemical Plant in 2006 nobody challenged him. Dienst's producer called me at my office to let me know that they were outside Kuehne filming and the gate was wide open. I told them that Kearny Police were patrolling and would surely be there shortly. They assured me that no security was present and that I could come down for an interview and see for myself. I did. They were right. I haven't been down to Kuehne since. I think about it on occasion. If the topic comes up, I passionately discuss the need and rational for a retrofit of the plant. I just hope that Mayor Santos, council members, Freeholder Cifelli, Governor Corzine, Assemblywoman Quigley and Assemblyman Prieto, Senators Lautenberg and Menendez, Congressman Rothman, other elected officials, Kuehne's management, and members of the public, get together to lobby for funding for a retrofit of Kuehne plant. Kuehne should repay from profits over a number of years some of the cost of the retrofit. A formula can be worked out between the parties. Let me be clear, what Frank Ferreira and former Councilwoman Rosa Alves did in 2003 was admirable and in the interest of the public good. The characterization by Mayor Santos and some council members that we were grandstanding was irresponsible, unprofessional and politically motivated. Putting what happened in the past aside, I am glad that Mayor Santos has changed his mind and is supporting retrofitting the plant. We will all be more secure when that is accomplished. I hope he invites us to the ribbon cutting ceremony outside the Kuehne Chemical Plant. I'll have Frank bring his video camera. John M. Pinho

I am not sure it has ever been done but I couldn't help but quote my own post of over 4 years ago. This week Rose Duger of the Jersey Journal wrote a story entitled $1 M grant to beef up South Kearny Security. In the article Mayor Alberto Santos "hailed the grant as important to the security of Kearny and surrounding areas, he called the new security system a stopgap measure. The mayor has been a proponent of forcing the chemical manufacturer to retrofit the plant with safer technology that would require less chlorine to be stored at the site." He is quoted as saying "Ultimately, I think the technology of this plant needs to be retrofitted," he said. "This is not the ultimate solution." I am glad that the Mayor has come around to supporting the idea of retrofitting the plant. This has not always been his position. When former Councilwoman Rosa Alves, Frank Ferreira, and I brought this very important topic to his attention, Mayor Santos stated at town public meetings that we were "grandstanding". We were not grandstanding, we were concerned. I am so glad that the Mayor now understands the importance and urgency of getting funding to retrofit the Kuehne Chemical plant. If he asks I will support his efforts to make the retrofit a reality.

The reason I mentioned former Councilman and Mayoral candidate Ed Callaghan was to point out that I did not support the Mayor in his Democratic primary bid. I guess that qualified as being critical of the Mayor. The "not more than $36,000" includes all work including "special projects". My billing file is in storage. I pulled out my old Quicken records to give everyone a total. The last time I checked the Mayor still had not posted the town's finanicals on the web nor did he respond to my Letter to the Editor in the Observer. I guess he is busy or "is he just playing a game?"

I answered the "how much money I made while working for the KMUA" question above. As you can see it is way below the imagined $200,000. I am not throwing mud but expressing my opinions frankly. I will state that despite my disagreement with the Mayor on certain issues, I respect him and the job he is doing as Mayor. I do not however give him a free pass as many others do.

No. They bill and collect but don't read meters. They estimate bills. The bid documents should say bill and collect and only read a small percentage of the water meters. We would then get lower bids for the work. . My understanding is the town bonded years ago to replace the meters. What happened to that money? Harrison has a remote reader where the meter reader scans from the outside of the house the remote reader and they perform their own meter reading. Water is billed quarterly so even if you estimated 3 of 4 quarters you would catch up at the end of the year. United Water didn't do that with my bill. Does your bill say "Reading Type" Estimated? United Water did not read my meter for years. They are under contract to read all the meters. There is simply no reason why they are not doing the job. . 6 people in the water department. Fix the meters with remote scans and you can read the meters (in house) with the personel we have. If you're afraid our water department personnel can't handle payments, send the payments through the tax collector's office or outsource it to a bank (cheaper than United Water). I walked door to door with former Councilman and Mayoral candidate Ed Callaghan. I was involved in Kearny even before I became a resident.

Paul, I am expressing my opinion based on first hand knowledge. My statement is based in fact. When I raised (along with former Councilwoman Rosa Alves and her husband Frank Ferreira) the security issue with the Kuehne Chemical plant, Mayor Santos stopped listening and accused us of "grandstanding". Former Councilwoman Alves had had some politically based disagreements with Mayor Santos, therefore the Mayor stopped listening even if what the councilwoman was saying made total sense. The Mayor has since changed his mind on Kuehne. As far as the KMUA, my statement is fact. You want me to lay a foundation. My foundation is I signed this post with my name. If I was trying the case, I would call the former commissioners and I would lay the foundation through their testimony. I'm not trying a case, I'm making a statement on a discussion board. I stand by my statement.

I reviewed my records, I made no more than $36,000 per year from work performed on behalf of the KMUA.

No, I'm not the only person who tries to argue with a straight face that making government bigger would save taxes. What I'm saying is that: 1. We are paying United Water to read meters but they are from my vantage point not reading the meters on a regular basis. We are paying for reading and billing of water meters. United Water is only billing but not reading the meters. We are paying for a job they are not performing. 2. The town has hired additional personnel for the water department. Are those persons fully occupied that they cannot handle the billing with the aid of a computer software package and a couple of printers? Enlighten me on how many people work for the Kearny Water Department and provide their job titles and description of their jobs. That would take too much time. But you can ask Mayor Santos about our history going back to the Democratic primary for Mayor (when was that 9 years ago?) My opinions were voiced both at council meetings and in private to whoever would stop to listen.

Paul, With respect to the Water Department, the rationale as I understood it was that the data from the East Orange Water Commission was poor and the town needed someone to work through the data to get it straightened out. In addition, there were not enough personnel, at that time, to handle fixing the data, read the meters, and bill the water accounts. It was suppose to be a temporary fix. As far as my comment on the Mayor, please let me know how that's a personal attack. Show me the "many layers of unsubstantiated conclusions".

The nominal fee for a copy of the audit is over $50.00 so to get all the documents the finance committee has access to is got to be over $100.00. Since the Mayor put out the challenge for us Kearny taxpayers to help him figure out ways to save on our property tax bill, he should give us the facts (audit, budget, line-items etc.) If the Mayor truly wants our input he can scan into PDF the documents and post them on the town's website. There is no cost to doing that beyond getting a secretary or staff member who is already getting paid to do it. I assure you that the town is not using all the disk space it is already paying for with its website server so posting the public financial information would be at no additional cost.