A week before a story broke in The New Jersey Law Journal detailing some of the exploits of former County Administrator Geoff Perselay, Freeholder Bill O’Dea asked the Hudson County Board of Freeholders to consider setting a two-year waiting period before former county employees can begin lobbying the county on behalf of vendors.
Although O’Dea did not mention Perselay by name, he alluded at the Nov. 12 Freeholder caucus to the fact that in 1995, the county administrator (who was Perselay) went from being an employee of the county to lobbying for firms that do business with Hudson County.
“I would like to see some kind of restriction that would preclude lobbying by former employees of Hudson County for a two-year period,” O’Dea said.
Perselay served as the Hudson County administrator under then-County Executive Robert Janiszewski from 1988 to 1995, during which time he was responsible for helping to negotiate several deals with vendors who would provide services to the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny and the county’s two geriatric facilities.
For a short period, he also served as the warden for the jail while county administrator. In 1995, he left the employ of Hudson County to take up work at Fair Oaks Hospital in central New Jersey, but also became a lobbyist for firms dealing with Hudson County.
Perselay is currently president of Correctional Health Services in Verona, which has numerous contracts with Hudson County, including a $13 million five-year contract awarded in September for providing health services to the correctional facility in Kearny and other facilities.
Abe Antun, current county administrator, said new ethics regulations were already adopted for the county under a plan proposed by County Executive Tom DeGise.
“I believe that the new code imposes a year wait,” he said. “But we will have to check it out and get back to you.”
Perselay and others who have gone on from county employment to working for contractors doing business with the county often did so before stricter regulations on lobbying were adopted, so they were seen as less of a problem in the past. But recent revelations in regards to Janiszewski’s activities, particularly his pleading guilty to extorting money from a vendor in exchange for contracts, has raised the level of concern.
DeGise asked and received approval from the freeholders earlier this year to establish an ethics board that would review complaints and set a policy for behavior. This policy went into the effect earlier this summer and was accompanied by employee education programs that would help them deal with many issues, including how to recognize corruption.
DeGise has also issued statements saying that his administration has “zero tolerance” for corrupt practices.
Other business
The freeholders also moved to accept participation in the state Development and Redevelopment Cross Acceptance program.
The integration of municipal, county, regional and state planning efforts is a key component of Gov. Jim McGreevey’s Smart Growth and sprawl control programs. As an important step in this process, the Department of Community Affairs is forging interagency coordination of planning efforts among the major state agencies that deal with land use.
On March 17, 2004, the State Planning Commission will authorize the release of a preliminary state plan that will sum up comments from various planning agencies around the state. The “cross acceptance process” is designed to create what the state calls “a true partnership” among the various planning groups in establishing a framework that effectively guides growth in appropriate places.
Freeholder Maurice Fitzgibbons said he believed the process would help in revitalizing areas of the county, and spark economic development throughout the county.
O’Dea, however, said numerous municipalities have established redevelopment plans that might have to seek state approval.
“While I support the concept of smart growth, I don’t believe the state should control local development,” he said.
Antun said he would be meeting with state officials on the plan and would discuss various aspect of local planning control.