Two weeks after Guttenberg Mayor David Delle Donna and his wife were indicted for allegedly accepting gifts from a local bar owner, Delle Donna spoke out about the indictment.
“I am absolutely not quitting,” he told the Reporter last week. “I still am innocent until proven guilty. I have no intention of resigning.”
Five days earlier, Delle Donna and his wife appeared at a little-covered arraignment hearing that had followed their very public September arrest.
On Oct. 4, Delle Donna and his wife, Anna, were arraigned in U.S. Federal Court, both entering official pleas of not guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Harold Ackerman in Newark.
Both Delle Donna and his wife remain free on $100,000 secured bail and await a trial date in front of Ackerman, a trial that more than likely will take place sometime in mid-2008.
After issuing the plea in the court, Delle Donna issued a statement about his charges of mail fraud and extortion. The statement was released through his attorney, Ralph Lamparello of the Secaucus-based Chasen, Leyner and Lamparello.
The statement read: “My wife and I are dismayed that the U.S. Attorney in the District of New Jersey has decided to pursue criminal charges against us. The U.S. Attorney has the power to bring criminal charges. We have the right to defend against these charges. That being said, we still have a fervent belief in the American justice system. Our first participation in that system was on Friday, Sept. 28, 2007, when we voluntarily surrendered to authorities.”
The statement continued, “At our initial court appearance, through out attorneys, we advised the court that we were not guilty of the charges alleged. At our arraignment, we said it again, not guilty. We will vigorously defend the allegations brought against us. A basic tenet of our criminal justice system is the presumption of innocence. These are not mere idle words. If the presumption of innocence means anything, it means that I should continue to serve in my official position as the Mayor of Guttenberg pending the outcome of the trial. To do anything less would be inconsistent with our Constitution.”
Delle Donna then thanked the people of Guttenberg who have been supporting him through his tribulations of late.
“On a personal note, I would like to express our gratitude to the residents of the town of Guttenberg for their overwhelming support in this difficult time for our family,” the statement read.
Three out of six
Delle Donna gave additional comments to the Reporter last week after a Town Council caucus meeting on Tuesday was canceled because of a lack of a quorum. Some officials in town claimed that Delle Donna did not show up to the meeting because of his indictment. However, he denied this.
In Guttenberg, four out of six of the Town Council’s members need to be present at their meetings for a quorum. On Tuesday, only two were going to be in attendance, so the meeting was canceled.
Delle Donna’s political opponents in town insisted last week that the meeting was canceled because of the indictment against the mayor and his wife. One of Delle Donna’s opponents, former council candidate Mario Falato, reportedly had a petition with 250 names calling for the mayor’s resignation.
However, the meeting Tuesday night was not a regular council meeting, rather a caucus to discuss the upcoming introduction of the municipal budget. The regular council meeting, with comments from the public, is held on the last Monday night of every month. The October meeting is still slated for Monday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m.
Delle Donna was one of those who was going to miss the meeting, because his wife had a doctor’s appointment that he had to take her to.
He said that the caucus was canceled for several reasons.
“One, Monday was a holiday, Columbus Day, so we couldn’t hold the caucus meeting on Monday and it was moved to Tuesday,” Delle Donna said. “One council member, Adela Martinez, teaches class at New Jersey City University on Tuesdays, so she couldn’t make it. Another council member, Efrain Velez, had to go to the hospital with his son with an emergency that required hospitalization. I couldn’t be there because I had to be with Anna. That’s three. There was no quorum, so the meeting was canceled.”
Added Delle Donna, “It had nothing to do with the indictment. They can call it whatever they like, but it was not canceled because of it. And I am absolutely not quitting.”
Delle Donna said that he felt it was unfortunate that his political foes would use his recent misfortune against him.
“It’s a blatant attempt by people who have run against me many times to gain attention for what’s going on,” Delle Donna said. “Our regular council meeting was not canceled. This was a special caucus. When the next meeting is held, I will be officiating in the same duties since the day I was elected and will continue to do so. I’ve been in office eight years and I’ve missed three meetings. I admit, the timing looks suspect … but once Efrain’s son got sick at the last minute, that canceled everything.”
Supportive
Council member Frank Criscione showed his support to Delle Donna.
“I said it before that I think he’s going to be exonerated,” Criscione said. “I’ve known David for a long time, and as far as I can see, this is all ridiculous. He has no reason to resign, and he shouldn’t.”
But Criscione admitted that it’s been tough reading the bad news about Guttenberg. “It’s really terrible that we’re in the news this way,” Criscione said.
Jim Hague can be reached via e-mail at either OGSMAR@aol.com or jhague@hudsonreporter.com