Nearly every candidate running against an incumbent complains about the power of the incumbency, about the ability of an already elected official to get his or her name in front of the voting public.
Last week, members in opposition to the incumbent Democrats claimed the town went too far in using town resources. Councilman John Bueckner, who is supporting two Independent challengers in the 1st and 2nd wards, claimed Democrats exceeded their authority in attempting to help the incumbents retain their office by promoting them in a photo in the town newsletter.
This year’s council election pits Independent candidate Dawn McAdam against incumbent Democratic councilman Mike Grecco in the 1st Ward, and Independent George Broemmer against incumbent Democratic Councilman Robert Kickey in the 2nd Ward.
Councilman Bueckner raised the issue during the Oct. 24 Town Council meeting, and flyers issued by the Independents have been complaining about the alleged use of the town’s newsletter to give a prominence to Democrats Mike Grecco and Robert Kickey.
“In the past, the captions under photos in the Secaucus Scene (the town’s newsletter) always claimed accomplishments were done as a result of actions taken by the mayor and council,” complained Dawn McAdam, who is running against Grecco in the 1st Ward, last week. “But this issue started giving credits to various candidates.”
In fact, the only two candidates to get headlines in the newsletter were Grecco and Kickey.
“That’s a lot of bunk,” said Town Administrator Anthony Iacono last week. “I’m the person who put the Secaucus Scene together and I did it the same way as I always do. The fact is, Grecco and Kickey did take the lead on those two issues. The just can’t handle all the good news coming out of Town Hall, and the truth hurts. This town has a very strong Town Council.”
While McAdam questioned the timing of the newsletter, Iacono said the Secaucus Scene has traditionally come out quarterly, with the fall issue coming out in October.
“We have been very consistent,” Iacono said. “We report on what happened since the last issue. This includes special events, concerts in the park, the recreation center construction and road repairs. We gave credit to Mike Grecco for safety in the Plaza because he was involved in the changes there. We also gave Bob Kickey credit for the preservation of the Old Mill site because he led that drive. We also showed a picture of John Bueckner at the new parking lot in the north end. If the Secaucus Scene was political, would we have done that?”
But according to Bueckner, he had asked that the photo not be printed, claiming he did not want to be seen by voters as endorsing Kickey, who also appeared in the photo. However, Mayor Dennis Elwell charged that Bueckner has been playing political footsie with the public, asking not to be included in photos with Democrats in order to claim he’d been kept out by the Democrats.
McAdam, however, claims the political nature of the newsletter amounts to a town-subsidized campaign flyer for the Democrats, and she has called for the Democrats to reimburse the taxpayers the $5,000 the flyer cost to print and distribute.
Look at the difference
“All you have to do is look at previous issues where the headline said ‘council actions,'” McAdam said last week. “Now suddenly in the week before the election, the headlines shift and suddenly, individual council members are being named, and the two councilmen that just happen to be running for reelection. To be consistent, Secaucus Scene should have credited the whole council.”
McAdam also questioned some of Iacono’s facts, noting that former Mayor Anthony Just was the person who sought first to save the Old Mill site, not Kickey.
Bueckner took the issue a step further when he noted that a photo used in Kickey’s campaign literature had two police officers in it, something that he said amounted to using town employees to help with a political campaign.
At the Oct. 24 Town Council meeting, Bueckner questioned the policy that allows political candidates to use photographs taken as part of the town’s newsletter for use in their own campaigns.
He noted that two police officers had been used a photograph appearing in a flyer for Kickey in the 2nd Ward race. The flyer shows the candidate posing with two officers next to a speeding control device.
Elwell said that the photograph was originally taken for the Secaucus Scene, and that Kickey requested the photo before the town issued the publication. Kickey said he had asked for a copy when the picture was taken. He said Bueckner could have done the same thing with a photo showing him at the parking lot.
But George Broemmer, who is running against Kickey, said even if the Town Council has the right to use the photos, he wasn’t sure whether it was fair for the candidate to use the photo before the town published it. Town Attorney Frank Leanza said the town has a policy that allows it.
Broemmer said he couldn’t believe that a candidate can legally use the photo, calling it an abuse of power.
This year’s council election pits independent candidate Dawn McAdam against incumbent Democratic councilman Mike Grecco in the 1st Ward, and Independent George Broemmer against incumbent Democratic Councilman Robert Kickey in the 2nd Ward. Although Councilman Fred Constantino is also up for re-reelection in the 3rd Ward, he is running uncontested.
The Democrats are running on their record, claiming that they have kept taxes unchanged and have made vast improvements to the infrastructure of local government, improving roads and preserving land, as well as making progress on curbing flooding. The incumbents take credit for increasing the number of police officers while obtaining federal grant money to cover most of the cost. In the last two years, Democrats claimed to have brought in $3.6 million in grants overall.
Broemmer has called for the town to push state legislators to establish a hotel tax in Secaucus. He has also proposed the use of various devices – including television cameras – for increased traffic control in problem areas.
McAdam is seeking office to provide residents with more information about various town operations. She also would like to look into providing noise barriers in areas where homes abut highways.
The polls open this Tuesday, Election Day, at 7 a.m. and will remain open until 8 p.m.