Dear Editor:
This letter was written to the Mayor and Council on May 26, 2003 demanding the council investigate the incident as reported in the Messages From Monitor H.E.R.E. Local 69. The council has already established the precedent for such an investigation.
On February 8, 1998 a letter from Joseph Purcell, Secaucus Housing Authority President, requested the mayor and council conduct an investigation as to my actions while a commissioner on the Secaucus Housing Authority.
By way of background, in the summer of 1997, a resident had sought my assistance in the waiving of the one pet policy which had been established. Upon learning the unique circumstances I proceeded to introduce a motion before the full board to waive the policy. My motion did not receive a second. I then suggested to the resident that she consult an attorney and then informed the attorney as to my motion and the reasons for same. A suit followed and a three member arbitration panel recommended that one pet policy be waived because of the unique circumstances (a reiteration of the reason for my motion.)
Almost one year after my original discussion with this resident the Chairman of the Housing Authority wrote a letter to the mayor and council requesting an investigation of what “may have” been a violation of my ethical obligation to the Authority and to the public. The council voted for an investigation which was then conducted by the Town Administrator Anthony Iacono.
The Administrator, Anthony Iacono, submitted a report advising that he had conducted an investigation by speaking to all who were involved except that he “purposely” did not speak to me. He concluded that “poor judgment” was made by me for “using his position as a commissioner and to become an adviser to a tenant suing the Authority.” Of course had Mr. Iacono completed his investigation by speaking to me he may have learned that when I had given advice to the tenant there was no suit against the authority. He also recommended to the mayor and council to advise the Director of the Housing Authority to “monitor” any similar actions and if any did then occur to “report back to council.”
I respectfully submit to you that my actions in offering advice to a tenant while I was a Housing Authority Commissioner was neither offensive nor a violation on my ethical duties to the Authority or to the public of Secaucus as compared to the ethical behavior of Town Administrator as reported in the Message From the Monitor.
I think a direct investigation should be made into why Iacono wouldn’t cooperate in a union probe, as Al Sullivan wrote in the June 8 paper. (Editor’s note: the town decided the matter was unrelated to town business.)
On May 27, 2003 the mayor and council on advice from their attorney refused to act on my request to investigate.
Tom Troyer