Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 2:09 PM
To: tinarenna@unioncountywatchdog.org
Subject: RE: Open Space
Pursuant to OPRA, kindly submit a request form for the audit report which you have requested below. Thank you.
-----Original Message-----
From: tinarenna@unioncountywatchdog.org [mailto:tinarenna@unioncountywatchdog.org]
Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 11:49 AM
To: Nicole Dirado
Cc: union@starledger.com; jcasiano@starledger.com; dwalsh@starledger.com; union@njnpublishing.com; editor@goleader.com; press@goleader.com; subnews@njnpublishing.com; letters@thnt.com; ipeditors@njnpublishing.com; cnletter@c-n.com; editorial@thelocalsource.com; Jersey@nytimes.com; letters@thealternativepress.com
Subject: Re: Open Space
Dear Mrs. Dirado,
Please forward this to your freeholder board:
My comments were in response to Freeholder Chairman Angel Estrada's comments to John Bury who inquired, forgive me for not recalling the exact words "what has the open space trust fund accomplished to date". This is the second meeting where Mr. Bury asked this question and Freeholder Estrada replied ,if not word for word than it was implied, “I will be happy to get you that information”.
I am requesting Freeholder Estrada hold true to his offer to Mr. Bury. Asking me to now place an official OPRA request in which I now have to fish for this information is disingenuous and business as usual for a one party ruled freeholder board who has proven time and again that it answers to no tax-payer.
I respectfully request that Freeholder Estrada keep his word and not waste any more of my or Mr. Bury's time. Since this fund has spent millions of tax-dollars, as well as created dozens of new county jobs, there should be some form of audit that accounts for every dollar. As to how much came in, and how much went out, how much debt has been incurred and how Green Acres funds intermingle with the funds expenditures.
I refuse to waste my time on playing these unprofessional if not outright childish games in my quest for how approximately ¼ of county taxpayers property taxes are spent. I am also tired of the outright lies that are told during freeholder closing comments to dispel any questions the public asked during their alloted 5 minutes speaking time. Freeholder Sullivan surely remembers every election where at least one candidate not on the power broker appointed Democrat party line suggests that this fund be put on hiatus as well as the complaints that this fund is being used for brick and mortar projects rather than open space. There has been numerous letters to the editor written about this as well as public comment during freeholder meetings. There has also been numerous editorials written about such things as using this fund to purchase the Arts Center as well as to hire employees is not in keeping with the meaning of the fund.
If there is no documentation to which Freeholder Estrada eluded to than that would be an answer as well. More lies and smoke and mirrors, I've come to expect nothing better of this freeholder board and I will not allow them to lie to the public without speaking out.
Sincerely,
Tina Renna
President
Union County Watchdog Association, Inc.
cc: UCWA Member list
------Original Mail------
From: "Nicole Dirado"
To: "Tina Renna"
"Opra"
Sent: Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:04:17 -0400
Subject: Open Space
Mrs. Renna:
As per your comments last night, kindly submit an OPRA request for the
documents you seek relative to the Trust Fund.
