Dear Editor:
Jersey City political bosses, the late Frank Hague and John V. Kenny must be smiling down at their 21st century protégés, who continue to use their questionable devious political tactics and antics. It is so unbelievable how these unprincipled deceitful philosophies and policies of the past have resurrected. Which are still adversely affecting our lives, on all levels of our municipal government and reverently accepted, by politicians, as part of life in Jersey City?
Jersey City’s new fiasco is Assistant Business Administrator Roger Grego and Chief of Administrative Services Kathy Dealy, who both submitted their retirement papers dated Feb. 1, 2010, under questionable circumstances.
Grego was paid $238,138.11 for 127 unused vacation days, 356 unused sick days and six personal days. Dealy was paid $133,447.26 for 60 unused vacation days, 269 unused sick days and six personal days.
This is not an unusual situation involving elite municipal bureaucrats, throughout our corrupt State. These financial abuses of the taxpayers and the pension system have been around since its conception. This is definitely a greedy disgraceful practice, which should be addressed and corrected without hesitation. Remember we had this same discussion and outrage a few years back, with retired Keansburg School Superintendent Barbara Trzeszkowski. These atrocities of financial perks are obviously, another form of political paybacks for years of loyal services rendered.
This is in no way associated with retirees from the State’s Public Employees Retirement System pension package that has a $15,000 cap on unused sick time, and a maximum of 50 vacation days earned, with no payment for unused personal days. These State retirees are not privileged to have the same lucrative municipal retirement packages as these individuals. Situations of this caliber should definitely be a wake up call.
It seems as though these individuals did nothing wrong or illegal; they didn’t break any laws and followed all the correct legitimate rules, regulations and protocol which entitles them to this excessive retirement package. On the other hand, what justification did the Mayor and City Council use to rehire them back on a temporary basis, training? Are they really stating this with a straight face that no one in their Departments are capable of performing these positions, and the City would be in total disarray without their continued employment? Give us a break; we’re not all that naive to actually believe this political spin. Why must the taxpayers pay addition revenue to those who have already milked them dry?
The real culprit to these excessive exploitations rests solely on the Municipality. These obvious questions should be asked and definitely answered, truthfully. Who monitored their time? Did they monitor it themselves? Is there any established fail/safe system that would track, regulate and place any limitations, of all earned unused time, to individuals close to retirement? The taxpayers are paying, and have a right to know.
These travesties in financial abuses are constantly resurfacing, with no positive solutions? Unfortunately, we meekly close our eyes, tolerate these injustices and never learn from our mistakes.
William P. Frasca
Jersey City, N.J.