The Democratic County Connection Network – Social Network Analysis or UCDCSNA

"SNA can be defined as the mapping and measuring of relationships and flows between people, groups, organizations, computers, or other information- or knowledge-processing entities."

Kudos are in order for Charlotte DeFilippo, the Chairman of the Union County Democratic Committee, (she prefers to be referred to as Chairman as opposed to Chairwoman, ........whatever). Ms DeFilippo also happens to be the Chair of the Hillside Township Democratic Committee and she has done an absolutely outstanding job of keeping her committee people busy and off the streets least they get themselves into trouble. We all know what they say about idle hands.

What is curious about Hillside is that they have non-partisan elections, meaning that the political parties, Democrat, Republican, and Green Party etc. don’t get involved in municipal elections. There are no primaries and the municipal elections are held in May which is intended to reduce the influence of partisan identification and loyalties this is the intention with school board elections as well. (Click here to learn more about party politics in NJ….http://www.aljbs.org/php/govt/party.php )

Just recently those interested in running for posts on the Board of Education submitted their petitions to be on the ballot in early April. It is no secret that in some Union County municipalities the political parties field full slates of candidates and provide backing in various ways from producing campaign literature and signs to running full scale GOTV operations for their preferred candidates.

This year it is said that the Hillside Democratic Chair Charlotte DeFilippo is backing a slate of three candidates and what makes this especially interesting is that all three candidates are county employees, two of which were hired in the first half of 2007, Jamar Cherry and Salonia Saxton-Tompson. And two, Salonia Saxton-Tompson and Richard Samiec where given appointments by the all Democratic Freeholder Board as delegates to the Motion Picture and TV Advisory Board in January of 2006 till December of 2008. And further, one of those, Richard Samiec, also has a four year term on the Hillside Board of Adjustment. And Salonia Saxton-Tompson represents Ward 2 Dist. 2 on the Hillside Democratic Committee. This information was gleaned simply by going to a couple of internet search engines and putting in the names.

The Hillside Democratic Committee currently has 25 persons listed as committee members…. http://www.unioncountydems.com/ just click on Hillside on the Union County map ….Sixteen of those committee people, including Charlotte herself either have been appointed to one or more boards or authorities by the Freeholders, are county employees or in some cases are both employees and appointees to county or Hillside Municipal positions.. To her credit this arrangement allows Charlotte to keep on top of what is going on with County and Hillside Government inside and out.

This leaves one to ponder what level of influence the Union County Democratic Chair has in other Union County Municipalities under Democratic control.

Page Down for Charlotte's Hillside SNA.........whoops.....the Hillside Democratic Committee

The following links were among those accessed to prepare this blog.

Union Couty Employee Lists 2007 and 2008
http://unioncountywatchdog.org/docs/2007UCEmployeeList.xls

http://unioncountywatchdog.org/docs/2008UCEmployeeList.XLS


Union County Advisory Boards Sept 2007
http://www.ucnj.org/freeholders/Union%20County%20Advisory%20Board%20Members.pdf

New Jersey by the Numbers- Data base of public information – find info on public employees past and present -
http://www.nj.com/news/bythenumbers/

Hillside Democratic Committee - SNA

Ward 1, Dist 1
Peter Krill
Hillside Twsp emp.

Teresa Hale
Commissioner UC Board of Elections paid position $13,013 9/95 to present
Appointment…UC Advisory Council on Aging 1/07-1/09
Appointment …Commission on the Status of Women in UC 1/07-1/09

Ward 1,Dist 2
Charles Watts
Appointment …UC Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse 1/07 – 12/09
Retired Newark Public Schools
Gwendolyn Watts
Retired Newark Public Schools

Ward 2, Dist 3
Dr. Frank Deo (it is unclear where Deo’s legal residence is, some entries indicate Hillside other entries show Scotch Plains)
Councilman Township of Hillside w/committee assignments
Director of Special Services Hillside HS
Appointment: UC Open Space, Recreation and Historic Preservation Trust Fund Advisory Committee
Appointnent: Union County College – Board of Trustees

Helen Marie Troiano
Retired Township of Hillside

Ward 2, Dist 1
Cristian Pardo – No information available

Marie Pardo
Retired Township of Hillside
Appointment - UC Advisory Board Status of Minorities 1/07-12/09

Ward 2, Dist 2
Keith D. Burroughs
Employee - UC Runnells Hospital 5/73 to present…Bldg Maintenance

Salonia Saxton-Tompson
Employee – UC Clerk of the Board 2/07 to present Clerk …$49,000
Appointment –UC Motion Picture & TV Planning Board 1/07 -1/08
Hillside Board of Education Candidate – 2008

Ward 2, Dist 3
Samuel T. McGhee – Former Hillside Mayor
Exec.Dir. Joint Meeting of Essex & Union Counties (water treatment facility) $145,728
Appointment - UC Improvement Authority 1/03 -1/13
Appointment - Board of Trustees – Hillside Public Library

Nancy Maloney Smith – no information available

Ward 3, Dist 1
Ralph N. Milteer – former Hillside Mayor
Appointment – Union County College Board of Trustees
Hillside LibraryBoard of Trustees – President
Retired East Orange Board of Ed

Shirley E. Milteer – no information available

Ward 3, Dist 2
Joseph W. Miskiewicz
Employee – Union County 1/04 to present Clerk $48,155
Appointment – Union County Improvement Authority1/06 -1/07 & 2/07 to1/12

Rosemary D. McClave
Appointment – Union County Citizens Insurance Review Board 1/07-12/07 & 1/08 – 12/08
Appointment – Union County Planning Board 1/05- 12/07 & 2/08- 12/10
Former Treasurer Hillside Township

Ward 3, Dist 3
Vacancy

Julia A. Krajcech – no information available

Ward 4, Dist 1
Richard Johnson,Jr. – no information available

Georgette Corvelli
Employee – Union County 9/99 to present Housing Dev Analyst……$72,048
Appointment – Hillside Board of Health exp June 2008

Ward 4, Dist 2
Robert Varady - Attorney w/various muni and county contracts

Gina Varady – no information available

Ward 4, Dist 3
Dennis Scott Kobitz
UC Board of Elections Dep. Admin. 3/16/85 to present $80,149
Appointment – Hillside Board of Adjustment 4 yr term

Charlotte DeFilippo – Chair Hillside Dem. Committee
Chair Union County Dem Committee
Employee Union County Mgmt Speclst 2/98 to present Dept of Finance (Director UC Improvement Authority) $143,420 yr.
Appointment Hillside Public Library Board – Mayor’s Representative
Legislative Aid – Assemblyman Neil Cohen $10,000 yr.
Appointment – State of NJ Local Finance Board resigned 6/07

Ward 4, Dist 4
Jerome Jewell, Jr. Former Hillside BOE
Councilman Hillside w/committee & board assignments
Appointment UC Parks and Recreation Advisory Board 1/07 – 12/09

Kimberly Mollett – no information available

The UC “Virtual” Improvement Authority”

It has been about six years that the Union County Improvement Authority has been renting space in a shop worn office building on Cherry Street in Elizabeth; the current rent is $2,500 per month. The commercial building is a short sprint, about 2 blocks from the county administration building. The UC Freeholders are in the process of purchasing the structure for $1.275 million to house the Improvement Authority.

It is puzzling enough that the office space should be rented let alone the building purchased for what appears to be a “virtual” operation. Charlotte DeFilippo, the authority’s exec director, earns $132K annually and has made no bones about the fact that she does the county’s business from her Hillside home.

According to a Star Ledger interview, “She is at her dining room table by 7:30 each morning, her hands shuffling papers spread across a white tablecloth. She works mostly from home. By 8 a.m., the BlackBerry is buzzing, the cell phone is ringing and the spent cigarettes are piling in the ashtray.” On more than one personal unannounced visit to the authority office no one was found to be around, just a piece of old copy paper attached to the dull Luwan door, it read “be back later”, nothing further, leaving one to guess when later actually would be, and it has been reported by those making actual appointments that the visitors usually arrive before the admin who suddenly appears from somewhere off site regardless of the hour.

The Improvement Authority has nine members, the meetings are said to be very brief often not taking place at the Cherry Street location as advertised but rather at other county office sites. Bearing all of this in mind, why is the county purchasing this building to house this “virtual authority”?

A quick check of the county board of taxation website revealed that the current owners are Albert G. Mauti, Jr. and Joseph Mauti, his cousin as in M & M Construction Company. Between ‘99 and ‘04 alone the all Democratic Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders awarded various no bid contracts to M & M Construction Co. to the tune of over $20 Million.

From ‘99 thru ‘04 M & M made contributions to the Union County Democratic Committee, of which Ms DeFilippo is the Chair of at least $30,000. Further Assemblyman Joseph Cryan represents a portion of Union County to include the town of Union where he is the Dem Municipal Chair; he is also the Chairman of the State Democratic Committee and a Union County Undersheriff.

Numerous members of the Mauti family residing outside the county contributed over $22,000 to Cryan’s election coffers between ‘03 and ‘05. Family members have also contributed to the campaign of Senator Nick Scutari and Michael LaPolla’s run for Congress, both UC Dems

In 2005 the municipality of Union awarded Al Mauti a redevelopment contract to build town houses on a piece of property owned by a local developer who had obtained the lots by purchasing tax liens. The developer planned to build townhouses himself; the all Dem town council said he wasn’t working fast enough and moved to take the tract of land from him, he filed suit to protect his investment and the town, though they deny it, changed the zoning thus preventing him from building. Litigation is still pending and no one is building anything.

One could venture to guess that the county Dems could be looking to repay a favor.

What could be better than to take this debilitated office building off the Mauti’s hands? Unfortunately the residents of UC will be the ones paying for it and it can be predicted, it’s much needed refurbishing. All of this will mean more contracts and more bonds and more debt to the taxpayers. Perhaps the county will award that contract to M&M to spruce the place up, now there’s an idea. But why bother, the Exec Director of the Improvement Authority probably won’t budge from her comfy home office anyway.