HUDSON COUNTY — An inquiry by the county’s attorney has determined that a trip taken to Poland by several prominent Hudson County officials was a personal trip and expenses for Hudson County Community College President Glen Gabert should not have been reimbursed by the college.
The inquiry was prompted by the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders last month when they learned that all the employees – except for Gabert — who took the week long trip to Poland had paid their own way.
“Hotel and ground transportation in Poland, however, was paid by the hosts for the trip,” the report said. “The trip consisted of sightseeing and visiting museums, palaces, and other tourist attractions.”
The report said that everyone who took the trip except Gabert had viewed the trip as personal and used vacation time for the trip.
The trip to Poland took place from Aug. 8 to 15 after two county executives in Poland invited Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise after meeting him in trips to Germany in 2007 and 2009. Bill Gaughan, DeGise’s chief of staff, attended the trip to Poland on DeGise’s behalf. Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith was also invited, but declined the invitation.
While Bill LaRosa, director of Cultural Affairs and Tourism for Hudson County, in a Sept. 7 memo said the purpose of the trip was to develop contacts that might benefit local governments, business, and artists, the report said, “It is clear that all the county employees who participated in the trip to Poland … undertook this activity with a clear understanding that it was a personal trip or a vacation.”
Gabert, however, did not use vacation time and had some of his expenses during the trip reimbursed by the college.
In its recommendations, the report said Gabert should retroactively and voluntarily apply vacation time to his Poland trip, and that the college’s travel policy should be amended to include the college president – which would help avoid situations like this in the future.