To the Editor:
I would like to respond to Peter Cresci’s letter that appeared in last week’s “Community News.”
Mayor Smith has a variety of concerns about the administration of the Bayonne Parking Authority that Mr. Cresci did not address in his letter. Rather than deal with those legitimate administrative concerns, Mr. Cresci threw in a number of other issues that are totally irrelevant to the Parking Authority. Changing the subject does not make the questions about the Parking Authority go away.
The Parking Authority has hired special counsel to look into the issues that have been raised about its administration under Mr. Cresci. New Jersey state law requires that the Bayonne Parking Authority adopt an annual budget, and that the budget must be approved by the Parking Authority commissioners following an open public meeting. State law also requires an annual, independent audit of the Parking Authority’s finances.
Unfortunately, the Parking Authority has not followed these requirements under Mr. Cresci’s management. Furthermore, the chairman of the Parking Authority has stated that Mr. Cresci has refused to comply with his repeated requests for copies of Parking Authority records.
If there is a legitimate explanation for the Parking Authority’s failure to follow state requirements during the period of Mr. Cresci’s management, Mayor Smith would be happy to hear it.
JOSEPH E. RYAN