Hud. Co. Ethics Course, Corruption & Contra

[Guest Frank Ferreira]

With great fanfare, Hudson County Executive Tom DeGuise recently attended a training seminar designed to make ethics a priority in County Government. This comes on the heels of the equally publicized corruption trials over “no-bid” contracts. Although a little too late, any effort to clean up County Government, certainly is a step in the right direction.

However, the one group of elected officials who should have attended this course, the members of the Board of Freeholders, were no where in sight. Perhaps, their day has not yet arrived. But, it was, after all, the Freeholders, the Contract’s Committee, specifically, that approved the many no-bid contracts that have come under close scrutiny in the Janiszewski and Davila Colon corruption trials. The same contracts that will no doubt also get attention in the upcoming Braker and Byrne trials.

Still, you can have all of the ethics courses you want but if County leaders are genuinely committed to addressing corruption, especially the type derived from the very lucrative, at least for the chosen few, you must address two vital components: ( 1. ) the process and Board’s Contract Committee Members and ( 2. ) the very nature of no-bid contracts. Maximum benefit for the taxpayer, not who knows who, must be the ultimate criteria for approval and the dolling out of taxpayers’ money.

Moreover, no Federal investigation can ever be fully addressed until the players in this process are also questioned about their past role in approving the many no-bid contracts now under investigation and any others that raise suspicion as the up coming trials unfold.

During his recent arraignment, close Janiszewski ally and former Hudson County political broker, Paul Byrne, said something noteworthy. He said to get away with this massive theft of public funds, there had to be strategically placed individuals in the process. Think what you will of Mr. Byrne, this is probably one statement that has many on the Board of Freeholder’s Contract Committee, probably losing sleep at night and actually merits further probing.

Last year as a candidate for Hudson County Freeholder for the 9th Legislative District, I wrote and asked U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, to do just that. I also asked his office to investigate all of the approved ( “rubber-stamped” ) no-bid contracts approved by the Contract Committee. Given the recent revelation by the same office about more questionable grants and loans involving a well known real estate developer involved in the development of the “Gold Coast,” I repeat the call.

The Chair and members of the Contracts Committee have yet to publicly and in detail explain why the contracts in question, were approved, especially, since the media has also indicated that some of the contracts awarded, to the politically connected and campaign donors, may have gone to individuals and companies not necessarily best fit to do the work they were hired to do.

If the County Executive is to succeed, where many have failed, by accident or by design, to clean up County Government, he should do no less than join me in asking that the questions raised in this piece be answered. Until then, to many, an ethics course will only be a symbolic and hollow gesture. He ran on a pledge to reform county government. So did his predecessor.

Still, I hope that under his tenure, Hudson County will once and for all shed its unfair label as one of the most corrupted counties in the state.

[Guest PastGo]

Well thats how corruption begins Frank, Starts with a favor or a phone call from a go between individual working under the guise of perhaps a legitimate cause. Maybe the first phone recipient falls for the callers propaganda and innocently uses their power to arrange for their brother in law to get an envolope or maybe some money for a sisters sick kid or perhaps they see it as protecting an associate or subordinates father's opinions or interests on a lucritive business deal, the next thing you know dozens are unwittingly involved in the big scheme of things supporting the plot with propagative nonsence and the original initiator is then forced to engage in elborate self denial in order to protect their position of public trust. These psychopathic sick individuals then try to rationalize their now criminal behavior by constantly dwelling on the original scheme with daily escalating character assassination against their accussers along with exotic stories explaining to all who will listen about their twisted ideals of the why's and how the scam began. Thankfully as all true law abidding public servants have learned threw news paper headlines truth and Justice ALWAYS prevails in the end.

[Guest FAQ]

did I just read a confession?

[Guest Guest]

yes , you did...........................

[Guest Steve]

did I just read a confession?

The guilty party don't have the b***'s to admit to what he did was wrong, For if he stood up and fixed it would be the end to an otherwise illustrious career.

[Guest Edgar]

Remember when there is no truth there can be no justice

[Guest Guest]

Hey Frank, I would probably be safe in saying that you use or have used your political connections to get your job. Do you work at PVSC? Why don't you be quiet RATBOY and let people live their lives.