City employee Patrick “P.J.” Leonard appeared before the Bayonne City Council during the public portion of its Oct. 21 meeting, charging that campaign workers had allegedly received preferential treatment when it comes to city contracts. This was one of several allegations he lodged against city officials.
Leonard, an acquaintance of Mayor James Davis since their youths and a former political supporter, worked on Davis’s mayoral run from late 2013 into the spring 2014. Since last year he worked in the mayoral suite at City Hall addressing constituent concerns, before being laterally transferred to a position in Public Works later this year.
City Business Administrator Joseph DeMarco and Municipal Services Director Robert Wondolowski also worked on Davis’s campaign.
“During the course of the campaign, I was privileged to many conversations about what could be done to personally benefit [them] financially,” Leonard said, reading from a prepared statement. He charged that after taking office DeMarco had allegedly tried to negotiate with the City Council to secure 25-percent raises for himself and Wondolowski. Wondolowski acknowledges that they did in fact try to negotiate raises, but he said it was because they had been receiving less than their predecessors, Joseph Waks, former municipal services director, and Stephen Gallo, former business administrator.
Health benefits questioned
Leonard also alleged that City Council members, who are part-time employees, had received health benefits—prohibited by the state—that they weren’t entitled to.
Three of the council members, Council President Sharon Nadrowski and Councilmen Gary La Pelusa and Sal Gullace, acknowledged to a daily newspaper last week that they did receive the health benefits. But DeMarco said it was a misunderstanding.
“Right before the council got sworn in, they saw the Personnel Department to get their paperwork in order,” he said. “Part of that was completing a W-4 form, providing IDs, and sitting with Gerry Siwiec to talk about benefits available. He told them they were entitled to benefits under these terms; 25 or 35 hours a week. He advised them to keep track of their time.”
La Pelusa confirmed DeMarco’s account.
“When we were first elected, the benefits coordinator called us in, said keep a log of hours, and he would see what [benefits] we were eligible for,” La Pelusa said on Oct. 25. “So I took them. I wasn’t scamming anybody.”
DeMarco said that when the mayor’s office received a letter this summer from the New Jersey director of government services about the benefits he acted on it.
“He advised us to cease benefits to part-time elected officials,” DeMarco said. “I sent a memo to them that as of Aug. 31, they would not be entitled.”
In 2009, the state of New Jersey changed the law regarding council members receiving health benefits. La Pelusa was on the City Council when it voted on the matter in early 2010. He lost his bid for reelection later that year.
Leonard targets DeMarco
Leonard also charged that DeMarco was involved with an alleged illegal donation that profited the donor following the Davis victory.
Leonard said that the transaction involved “an engineering firm’s [alleged] $5,000 unreported cash contribution given to Mr. DeMarco to assist with the Davis election campaign effort. The engineering company in turn received a professional contract with the city of Bayonne.”
Asked about Leonard’s charge of the alleged illegal campaign contribution and alleged pay-to-play agreement, DeMarco said, “I can’t even dignify him with a response.”
“During the course of the campaign, I was privileged to many conversations about what could be done to personally benefit [them] financially.” – P.J. Leonard
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Leonard also charged that a local TV outlet had allegedly received a $20,000 sweetheart contract and that DeMarco gave a secret audiotape to Hudson County TV that revealed City Hall station firefighters allegedly working on the campaign of then-Mayor Mark Smith on city time.
DeMarco countered, “I don’t know why he said anything of what he said, other than he’s a disgruntled employee that didn’t get paid what he thought he was worth.”
DeMarco acknowledged, meanwhile, that the city had a contract with Hudson County TV. He said the city’s Urban Enterprise Zone entered into an agreement with the company for advertisements on its website to promote Bayonne “for events and things of that nature.”
Leonard, claiming that he was being singled out for retribution by the city because of his whistle blowing, said he was taking a leave of absence beginning Oct. 23.
Mayor Davis could not be reached for comment on Leonard’s charges.
Joseph Passantino may be reached at JoePass@hudsonreporter.com.