Freeholder Bill O’Dea may not have been as original as we first thought in combining politics with his playwriting. A recent re-reading of Shakespeare’s MacBeth made us realize just how much former County Executive Robert Janiszewski owes to the 16th Century political tragedy.
This tale of a henpecked husband’s rise to power could not have reflected the rise and fall of Janiszewski’s administration any better, except that we would have to substitute a few names to make the point.
The original play basically runs like this: MacBeth comes to power as a great hero, but the title bestowed upon him is not enough for his ambition. MacBeth secretly ponders his ability to become the king. Urged on by a power-hungry wife (Lady MacBeth), MacBeth slays the king, blaming the crime on the dead king’s children, and takes the crown for himself. MacBeth is a bit of wuss, henpecked by his wife, paranoid about holding onto his throne. A ghost of a former victim haunts him at inappropriate times. In the end, MacBeth and his wife have no friends and have betrayed even their closest associates. Besides casting Gerry McCann as the ghost that keeps coming back to haunt Janiszewski, you can fill in the rest of the names as you please.
Test your ethics
Federal officials found the concept of ethics lessons in Hudson County rather lubricious, suggesting that Hudson County already knows ethics well enough to violate them at every turn. Of course, a test of county workers after such lessons might look something like this:
What is corruption?:
a) Stealing taxpayers dollars
b) Giving county business to friends
c) Getting caught.
Who should get no-bid contracts?
a) Those best qualified
b) Those who cost least
c) Your brother-in-law Joey who has a workshop in his basement.
How can you keep Hudson County politicians honest?
a) Stronger public disclosure laws
b) More federal investigators
c) A firing squad.
What should be required to become a politician?
a) A college degree
b) Strong religious affiliation
c) A fourth-degree or better felony conviction.
What should you do if you see your boss doing something corrupt? a) Keep quiet and do your job
b) Report him or her immediately
c) Blackmail him or her for a piece of the action.
How do you feel when people get away with corruption?
a) Indignant at the injustice
b) Scared because they might think you’re involved
c) Cheated because you didn’t get some.
It’s in the mail?
Al Poreda says he can’t get any answers from Hudson County. He is the president of one of the “other” companies that bid on the county’s technology maintenance contract. Since the bid was awarded to Hindsight Inc. of Flemington, he has been seeking answers as to why, looking for scoring sheets that help explain why the county saw his firm as less worthy than Hindsight. The county’s explanation is that Hindsight has more experience and a better track record than competitors, even if Hindsight didn’t have the lowest bid.
“I’ve asked for all kinds of information,” Poreda said. “The county keeps telling me they will send it and they never do. My attorney has sent four or five letters. I’ve personally called up officials there, and they always tell me the information is in the mail. Now when I call up, no one calls me back.”
He said he will now have to seek this “public information” through the prosecutor’s office.
Looking for hints may be much more simple than Poreda believes, and he can do it via the Internet. All he has to do is look at the Election Law reports. In 1999, Hindsight Inc. contributed nearly $4,000 to the Hudson County Democratic Organization. In 2000, this figure rose to $8,000.
They only contributed $5,200 in 2001, but the company did give $1,800 to Jim McGreevey’s gubernatorial effort. In 2002, Hindsight gave the HCDO $11,500. You can bet with those kinds of numbers, somebody will always answer Hindsight’s phone calls.
Teflon king of Hudson County
Questions were raised this week about why Hudson County officials so heartily supported former County Administrator Geoff Perselay in an article published by the New Jersey Law Journal.
The article, called “Hudson County’s Teflon Contractor,” by reporter Jim Edwards, followed the exploits of Perselay, a former associate of Janiszewski, puzzling over how someone so close to so many major scandals from billboards on the state level to the privatization of the county geriatric hospitals could go unscathed.
Perselay represents many firms doing business with Hudson County and is a more frequent visitor to most Hudson County department heads’ offices than the county executive, and yet has not been the target of any charges of wrongdoing.
But the defense of his status by county officials has the ring of “true believers.” It may be perfectly true that Perselay has danced with numerous devils and not sold his soul – the way many of his associates have. But the testimonials county officials gave him in the Law Journal beg for a more concrete explanation.
As with Hindsight, you only have to look at the Election Law reports to get a sense of why the HCDO might find Perselay so personally appealing. In 1999, Perselay’s generosity to Democrats was overwhelming, giving about $5,000 to local Dems including Assemblyman Joe Doria, former County Executive Robert Janiszewski, and the HDCO, with similar figures for 2000, 2001 and 2002. There were hefty contributions to Doria in 2003. Scratch like that can purchase a whole lot of Teflon.