Newark, NJ , September 1, 2010 -- It’s nearly Labor Day and the County of Essex is still without a 2010 budget and Republican county executive candidate Herb Glenn wants to know what’s taking so long to get a county budget approved.
“I have one simple question for County Executive Joe DiVincenzo and its this: ‘Hey Joe where’s your 2010 budget. What are your hiding from the taxpayers?’ ” said Glenn
Glenn said DiVincenzo is stalling on the county budget in an election year because he knows there is going to be a tax increase. He said such stalling is unfair to taxpayers and voters.
“ I think if Joe had his way, he would stall all the way until November,” said Glenn. “But that’s not acceptable. The people need to know now, before Election Day, how much they are going to pay in county taxes this year.”
Glenn noted that county taxes increased by $59 million between 2003 and 2009 - to $364 million -- and overall county spending increased by $124 million to $693 million.
“The county executives’ spending has been excessive,” said Glenn. “ He was fortunate in that he received considerable help from budget gimmicks and state and federal aid that is no longer available, so he is forced to deal with cutting spending and I don’t think he is prepared to do that.”
Glenn said that recent reports about DiVincenzo pressuring Cedar Grove to accept a plan to build 464 homes on the site of the old Essex County Hospital Center, part of the Hilltop property, are typical of DiVincenzo’s budgeting gimmickry.
DiVincenzo says the county needs the $11.5 million that would come out of the Cedar Grove deal from the developer K. Hovnanian for the county’s budget.
“Again we see the county executive trying to prop up his budget with one time revenue gimmicks,” said Glenn. “It’s not up to the people in Cedar Grove to balance the county budget.
“As county executive, Joe sold off big portions of the Hilltop Area in Verona , Cedar Grove and North Caldwell to developers to get revenue when those environmentally sensitive areas should have been preserved. All he did was avoid making tough financial decisions,” added Glenn.
The GOP challenger says in a year when people are facing financial difficulties, they are being paid a disservice by DiVincenzo’s foot dragging on the budget.
“I don’t think taxpayers are going to be happy with a surprise budget,” says Glenn. “Let’s get the budget facts out now, for everyone to see and debate.”
ESSEX EXECUTIVE CANDIDATE SAYS COUNTY SHOULD NIX NEWARK LEASE-BACK PLAN
Calls It Enron Style Financing
Newark, NJ August 27, 2010 -- County Executive Joe DiVincenzo’s endorsement of a plan to use the Essex County Improvement Authority to bail out Newark is a risky venture for both the county and the city and should be dropped, says Republican County Executive Candidate Herb Glenn.
Glenn says the proposed lease back arrangement being debated in which the city can close part of its $83 million budget gap by selling various city properties to the ECIA, which will then sell bonds to cover the cost of the city’s budget hole is -- “Enron style financing that solves no problems, but simply lines the pockets of insider and delays the inevitable day of reckoning for the city,” says Glenn.
The candidate says Newark has to come to grips with its budget problems and that the ECIA intervention is a venture that county should not endorse. He said DiVincenzo and the county freeholder board should step away from the deal.
Glenn noted that “the only winners in this scheme will be the financial consultants who will make hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees from the ECIA bond sale.”
“This is a scheme the county executive has signed off on without considering the long term impact on either the ECIA or the city,” said Glenn.
“His only concern is generating fees for the consultants to the ECIA.”
According to published reports, Newark will try to bridge its $83 million budget gap by selling police stations and municipal buildings to the ECIA and leasing them back from the Authority. The ECIA would pay for the structures with bonds backed by lease payments from Newark .
Glenn said private sector lease-back arrangements are of some value for long range financing problems, but in Newark’s case, a county agency would be stepping in to implement a one year bail out for the city that has to grapple with long range financial problems,
It is unknown whether the state Local Finance Board will approve of the plan to plug the budget city’s gaping budget hole.
“Lease back arrangements, as far as I know, are not used for one year quick fixes,” said Glenn. “They are for long term use.”
“The same financial problems that Newark has today will be there next year and what will the city do then? What properties will they sell next year?” asked Glenn, an advocate for fiscal conservatism.
August 20, 2010 CHALLENGER SAYS DiVINCENZO ALLOWING COUNTY OFFICES TO BE USED FOR POLITICAL FUNDRAISING
Democratic Party Cocktail Reception Invitation Faxed Out of County Office
NEWARK, NJ -- Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo has apparently allowed his own rules against politicking on county property to be violated by his party when an invitation for a Democratic County Committee campaign cocktail reception on Monday was distributed to the county freeholders and others using letterhead and the fax machine from the Essex County Board of Freeholders office.
The invitation to the $150 a head event in Belleville was attached to a fax cover sheet from the clerk of the freeholder board, Deborah Davis Ford. A copy of the invitation and the cover sheet was obtained by Republican County Executive candidate Herb Glenn.
The fax cover sheet, dated July 30 showed it was distributed to “Members of the Board” and notes that there were two issues attached to the fax; one was a press conference on the county’s forest regeneration program and the other the “Democratic Committee Cocktail Reception” on August 23 at Nanina’s in the Park in Belleville
Glenn said such blatant abuse of county property for politicking is irresponsible and he is demanding that DiVincenzo reveal who the fax was distributed to.
“The county executive is undoubtedly a beneficiary of the cocktail fundraiser for the party that supports him and he should explain who ordered the freeholder clerk to distribute this invitation and tell us who it went to,” said Glenn. “The taxpayers have the right to know how much county time and resources went into promoting a campaign cocktail reception.”
Specifically, Glenn said he wants to know how many people outside the county Hall of Records received the fax. “Was someone in the county clerk’s office ordered to work on county time faxing an invitation to possible attendees in order to raise money for the Democratic Party? If so, that’s criminal,” said Glenn.
Glenn said DiVincenzo allows the county offices to be run “as if it were a Democratic Party clubhouse in violation of his rules.”
“If there are rules against campaigning on county property or using county resources for campaign work then they need to be enforced for everyone,”
said Glenn.
Herbert Glenn announces for Essex County Exec
May 27th, 2010 5:04 pm ET
Herbert D. Glenn, a long-time resident of Newark and a data-processing programmer for the Essex County Corrections Department, announced his candidacy late last night for the job of Essex County Executive.
Glenn made his announcement at the Brunswick Lanes in Belleville, according to Deborah Ann Tripoldi of the Belleville Times, who covered the event. By way of explanation for his unique starting venue, Glenn told the Times:You have to start somewhere. No one does this, starts a campaign in a bowling alley; I want to be a unique candidate.
He also carries the endorsement of the Internet group Independence Caucus.
WeCarePartners is Glenn's model for organized voluntarism as a substitute for government control and action. As he explained in detail to Tripoldi of the Belleville Times:We don't need so much government control. We need more input from the community, need more community decisions, need more participation from the community. I'm going to be an advocate for building the participation.
Glenn knows that incumbent Joseph DiVincenzo will outspend him tremendously. According to The Star-Ledger (Newark), DiVincenzo has at least $1 million available, as against about $800 for Glenn. Both men are uncontested in their respective primaries, and Senator Kevin O'Toole, the Republican GOP county chairman, is enthusiastic about promoting Glenn in an election season marked by distrust of incumbents and especially Democratic incumbents.
Glenn has already raised a question about a deal to develop a park on a contaminated parcel of land in the Ironbound section of Newark. The Port Authority is financing the development, and Glenn has wondered aloud where the PA found the money for such a park at a time when it, along with other public-transportation providers, is having to raise fares to cover operating expenses. More broadly, Glenn's primary issue with DiVincenzo in the coming campaign is likely to be the abuse of political patronage.
Herbert D. Glenn, candidate for Essex County Executive was the Keynote speaker at the eighth graduation of the First Step Services For Children, Inc Child Care Center.
The child care center is located in the United Hospital site in the west ward section in Newark.
The site is majority owned by African-American Dr. Clyde Pemberton and is a political hot-potato because the current Essex County Executive is aggressively attempting to force the New United Corporation to forfeit the property. The county has unveiled plans to consolidate several vocational schools and use the site to build a new campus making way for a risky plan that will demolish the facility and force the multi-service operation out of its current residence.
The New United Corporation has plans for redevelopment that have approval from the Newark City government, but the county is blocking the development in favor of demolishing the property. The county owns forty percent of the property and has allowed for the percentage to deteriorate in hopes of identifying the property as condemned forcing a law suit to seize through eminent domain.
First Step Services For Children, Inc Child Care Center Commencement Graduation Address
Herbert D. Glenn, Keynote speaker Friday June 25, 2010
To the Director Dr. Sitgraves & Mrs. Taylor-Ebanks, Chairman Pemberton, Clergy, Parent, Friends and the staff of the First Steps Services for Children, Inc. Child Care Center. Your sincere and dedicated service to the residents in this community is helping to deliver the success of your mission and it has made the lives of these beautiful children an inspiration of hope that this generation will receive a future filled with a passion for education.
I am sure that all of you graduates are ready to start your career in school. All of you will have to take your next level of training and use all of the things that you have learned here at First Steps For Children to be better than the best. How many of you know what the best stand for?
The best means that you will have to study hard and ask questions when you do not understand. You will have to read and write and learn new words to use to make your chance to live better possible.
I remember when I first graduated from school. It was the happiest moment in my life. I am sure that you are very happy today. You have done a great job and deserve to give yourself a hand clap.
You have finished your work on-time and found many friends here. Every day through the rain you have put on your boots and rain coats and umbrellas, through the cold and snow you have worn your coats and scarves and in the summer you have dressed yourselves to be cool and happy to complete this journey and we are very proud of you. You have worked hard to help your teachers and your mothers and fathers and you have learned many new things that will help you as you graduate to the next school.
Take the time to look to the left and look to the right at the person who is sitting next to you. This might be the last time that you will see them here as many of you will be going in different directions. America is a very big country. It has many places called states that you can visit. Some of you will be going to the same school. Some of you will be going to a different place to live, but you will always have this school to remember how you learned the things that matter the most.
Be polite with your friends. Thank your parents for caring for you and respect your teachers for teaching you how to be better than the best.
Your teachers are the most important people who will help you to learn the things you need to make your life a success. You must pay attention and raise your hands when you want to speak and always say thank you when someone gives you what you want.
It is extremely important that you be faithful and understand that you are not alone. Your life is very important and you are alive for a purpose. Never take advantage of your friends and always be willing to help others when they are unhappy and sad.
Be a good spirit and smile when you meet someone for the first time. We are very proud of you and we know that you will never let us down. You can all be sure that we will never do anything to let you down.
We will continue to watch you as you work hard to go to school and encourage you to be the best that you can be. Because you can be anything that you want to be if you remember that we are behind you every step of the way.
There are some of you who might want to one day be like me. I am a leader. You can be a leader also. Being a leader takes a lot of work and I know that you can do it. We need new leaders and you are the best person for the job. But you have to stay in school, listen to your parents and always finish your homework.
It is wonderful to have the pleasure to address you at this important time in your life. I am honored to be a part of this celebration . I hope that you are as excited as I am about this graduation and will always remember this day as long as you may live.
Congratulations and Best wishes to you the graduates of 2010. May God continue to Bless you, your family and your friends.
Be careful when you get to your new school. There will be more people that you make friends and you will have to share your teacher with them. Always remember that your parents are your best teacher and when you have a problem never be afraid to let them know how you feel.
As a leader, it is very important that I work hard to be a team player. Remember that your parents and your teachers are on your team. And if you want to win, you have to win as a team. It is impossible to do it alone.
We are all cheering for you to be the better than the best. We know that you can do it. We are sure that you can do it and we will always be by your side to help you do it.
