by Linda Baum
Think it doesn’t matter who you vote for? It took a change of control in Brick to say enough is enough. That’s what it’s going to take in Middletown.
******************
Did anyone see the “Watchdog” column in Saturday’s Asbury Park Press (2/9/13)? The headline read “Brick MUA pays $93G for commissioners’ health benefits”. See the attached PDF with the APP article or link to it here: https://www.app.com/article/20130208/NJNEWS2002/302080134/Brick-MUA-pays-93G-commissioners-health-benefits
Political party control recently changed hands in Brick and the new Democratic majority has taken steps to end the provision of health benefits to Municipal Utility Authority board appointees. Patch readers may recall that I drew attention to this same issue a few weeks ago with regard to the Middletown Sewerage Authority (TOMSA): http://middletown-nj.patch.com/blog_posts/middletown-twp-committee-approves-lucrative-board-compensation
Per the APP article, the value of health benefits for some Brick MUA board members is in the range of $26,000 to $33,000 annually! I was frankly surprised that anyone was even able to get at this information given the difficulty I’ve encountered here in Middletown and suppose the new majority there finally had the pull to obtain it.
The APP article states that “the Brick authority is self-insured, which allows them to make the rules about who is eligible for health benefits.” Middletown Township is also self-insured for health benefits, but from what I can gather -- at least for current employees if not retirees -- TOMSA is not self-insured. Instead, TOMSA offers employees several insurance plan options, one of which is a state health benefits plan. According to the APP article, “under the state health benefits plan, boards and council members are not allowed to take health benefits.” Surprisingly, however, two TOMSA board members – Chantal Bouw and Joan Smith -- were among those enrolled in the state plan per a list of TOMSA enrollees received from the state last year.
The article offered some other insights, too. For example, I hadn’t considered that TOMSA board members might be receiving dental coverage from the Authority or that they might be getting full or partial “opt out” payments for benefits they have declined.
Though I’m not sure if TOMSA provides payment for “opting out” of their health plan, Middletown Township does with certain restrictions. The Township offers no partial “opt out” payments, and any employee covered by another Township plan (e.g., a spouse’s plan) is ineligible. Township retirees are also ineligible for “opt out” payments, as well as dental and eyewear coverages.
Since TOMSA board members – even those who are actually retired -- are not retirees from the Authority’s perspective, the board members could be receiving full or partial “opt out” payments and dental & eyewear coverage in addition to other benefits. I have already confirmed that board members have eyewear coverage based on reimbursements that appear on TOMSA payment reports.
Another question is if TOMSA board members are contributing toward their health benefits in line with the 2010 State law that requires it. They are supposed to be paying the greater of 1.5% of salary or a certain percentage of the insurance premium. The latter is the far greater of the two for board appointees.
And if board members are being treated like employees during their terms on the board, are they being treated like retirees when terms end, continuing to receive health benefits well into the future?
Of the 7 TOMSA board members listed in the chart below, one -- Anthony DeMarco -- is a new appointee and therefore ineligible for health or pension benefits, though whether or not he is receiving benefits has not been verified.
I may never know the answer to these questions because TOMSA keeps this information well hidden. I can tell you that with the exception of the few report entries that I’ve already mentioned, there is nothing that reveals what benefits board members are receiving or what the costs of those benefits are. That information has been requested but has been denied -- unlawfully denied, in fact -- and it might take a change of guard like that in Brick Township to get it. http://middletown-nj.patch.com/blog_posts/middletown-declines-to-say-who-receives-paid-health-benefits
Brick council members have said they will appoint to the MUA board only people who will decline the benefits. While that’s a move in the right direction, I have to wonder why council members don’t just pass an ordinance eliminating the benefits altogether. That raises the question of whether or not an independent Authority would need to comply with such an ordinance. In fact, TOMSA has not seen fit to comply with the Middletown ordinance (codified in Chapter 47, section 4 of the Twp administrative code: http://clerkshq.com/default.ashx?clientsite=Middletown-nj ) that states that TOMSA board members shall receive no compensation other than salary. However, the resistance of the majority on the Township Committee to pass an ordinance in 2009 stripping benefits for all board appointees suggests that such an ordinance may have teeth.
One thing is certain, though – greater oversight and transparency are needed and won’t happen until there is a change of political control in the Township. Middletown has been under Republican control now for three and a half decades.
TOMSA BOARD APPOINTEES:
Thomas F. Stokes - TOMSA Board 25 years, term expires 2/1/18
Lives out-of-state part of year; calls in to meetings
A regular board member until 2/1/13; made an alternate thereafter.
Current Republican District Committeeperson
Former Board of Education member
James L. Hinckley - TOMSA Board 24 years, term expires 2/1/14, current vice chair
Current Republican District Committeeperson
Current Middletown GOP treasurer
Current Zoning Board Chairman
Chantal Bouw - TOMSA Board 15 years, term expires 2/1/18, current chair
Current Republican District Committeeperson
Current Middletown GOP Vice Chair
Current Zoning Board Vice Chair
Current Local Assistance Board member
Joan A. Smith - TOMSA Board 8 years, term expires 2/1/15, current secretary / treasurer
Current Republican District Committeeperson
Former Middletown mayor
Charles W. Rogers - TOMSA Board 6 years, term expires 2/1/17
Middletown Emergency Services Manager
Emil F. Wrede - TOMSA Board 5 years, term expires 2/1/18
Made a regular member on 2/1/13; previously an alternate
Current Zoning Board member
Anthony DeMarco - TOMSA Board 1 year (alternate), term expires 2/1/16
Showing posts with label board members. Show all posts
Showing posts with label board members. Show all posts
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Monday, December 19, 2011
MIDDLETOWN SEWERAGE AUTHORITY (TOMSA) BOARD MEMBER SOON TO JOIN THE LIBRARY BOARD ??
by guest blogger Linda Baum
TOMSA and the Library – two topics I write about often. The differences are innumerable. Now, though, they may have something in common.
In my 11-28-2011 post, “The $500,000 Raid on the Library Won’t Be the Last -- The Township Committee adds two additional Library Board members, sets the stage for majority control in 2012”, I speculated that the new members of the Library Board would be well-entrenched members of the Republican Party who are already serving on other boards or commissions.
Fast forward to the Library Board meeting on Wednesday, December 14th. I arrived late to find two other visitors in attendance. One was APP reporter Kevin Penton, who attended the November Board meeting as well. The other fellow, dressed to the nines in suit and tie, looked oddly familiar. He obviously recognized me as well and tried to hide his face. It dawned on me that I know him from the TOMSA Board meetings. I decided to try out a maneuver I learned from Pat Parkinson when I attended my first TOMSA Board meeting. I said, “Hi. I’m Linda Baum, and your name?” He had his guard up and replied dryly that it was nice to meet me but that he chose not to give his name, stating his right to privacy as a member of the public.
Putting TOMSA Board members’ names with their faces has been a struggle because there are no name plates at TOMSA Board meetings even though it’s typical practice by other boards, including the Library Board. So I’m not sure who the man is, or whether he is a TOMSA Board member or perhaps one of TOMSA’s professionals or high-level employees. However, I’m told he fits the description of TOMSA Board alternate member Emil Wrede, who is also a member of the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
The man, whoever he was, left early. So did Committeeman Settembrino. At the end of the meeting, I told the Board that they had probably just met one of their newest members. Wendy Latona, Library administrator, said she already suspected as much because he came in the day before to ask for a copy of a resolution. She didn’t say which one, but he obviously obtained it on the spot. In contrast, I have yet to receive even a phone call from TOMSA in response to my own information request.
I guess we will have to wait until Township Reorganization Day on Sunday, January 1st at noon to find out, with certainty, who the new appointees are. Another date to keep in mind is the Township Committee’s regular meeting at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, December 19th, when there will be a hearing on the Township ordinance increasing the membership on the Library Board. See you there.
TOMSA and the Library – two topics I write about often. The differences are innumerable. Now, though, they may have something in common.
In my 11-28-2011 post, “The $500,000 Raid on the Library Won’t Be the Last -- The Township Committee adds two additional Library Board members, sets the stage for majority control in 2012”, I speculated that the new members of the Library Board would be well-entrenched members of the Republican Party who are already serving on other boards or commissions.
Fast forward to the Library Board meeting on Wednesday, December 14th. I arrived late to find two other visitors in attendance. One was APP reporter Kevin Penton, who attended the November Board meeting as well. The other fellow, dressed to the nines in suit and tie, looked oddly familiar. He obviously recognized me as well and tried to hide his face. It dawned on me that I know him from the TOMSA Board meetings. I decided to try out a maneuver I learned from Pat Parkinson when I attended my first TOMSA Board meeting. I said, “Hi. I’m Linda Baum, and your name?” He had his guard up and replied dryly that it was nice to meet me but that he chose not to give his name, stating his right to privacy as a member of the public.
Putting TOMSA Board members’ names with their faces has been a struggle because there are no name plates at TOMSA Board meetings even though it’s typical practice by other boards, including the Library Board. So I’m not sure who the man is, or whether he is a TOMSA Board member or perhaps one of TOMSA’s professionals or high-level employees. However, I’m told he fits the description of TOMSA Board alternate member Emil Wrede, who is also a member of the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
The man, whoever he was, left early. So did Committeeman Settembrino. At the end of the meeting, I told the Board that they had probably just met one of their newest members. Wendy Latona, Library administrator, said she already suspected as much because he came in the day before to ask for a copy of a resolution. She didn’t say which one, but he obviously obtained it on the spot. In contrast, I have yet to receive even a phone call from TOMSA in response to my own information request.
I guess we will have to wait until Township Reorganization Day on Sunday, January 1st at noon to find out, with certainty, who the new appointees are. Another date to keep in mind is the Township Committee’s regular meeting at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, December 19th, when there will be a hearing on the Township ordinance increasing the membership on the Library Board. See you there.
Monday, June 13, 2011
I Wonder If This Affects Anyone Currently Sitting On Middletown's Board of Education or Applicants?
Seeing how there is a vacant seat currently on the Middletown Board of Education and that the Board is currently accepting application to fill that seat, I wonder how many applicants or current board members know about a bill recently signed into law by Governor Christie, creating tighter restrictions on eligibility requirements of those that serve on New Jersey school boards.
Journalist Mark Spivey recently wrote about this in a column that appeared on various news outlets around the area titled "Member might lose BOE seat; Faces disqualification from '68 drug charge"
I wonder how many current, past or future candidates for the BOE have long buried skeletons in their closets from their youthful indiscretions; Potentially there are many, but should it really preclude them from serving on the board now or in the future after so many years have past? After all, the same standard isn't applied to those seeking public office.
Journalist Mark Spivey recently wrote about this in a column that appeared on various news outlets around the area titled "Member might lose BOE seat; Faces disqualification from '68 drug charge"
...The bill “permanently disqualifies from employment or service” on those boards anyone who has been convicted of a wide range of crimes, including all first- and second-degree offenses (among them many drug-related offenses) but also more minor charges including criminal mischief, reckless endangerment or resisting arrest....
According to the bill, each of the nearly 5,000 members of New Jersey’s hundreds of boards of education is required to undergo a comprehensive criminal history and background check within 30 days. Board members are responsible for covering the cost of the background checks out of their own pockets.
Locally based Assemblyman Jerry Green, D-Union, explained that the bill mirrors existing state restrictions on public schools’ hiring practices.
“If we prohibit someone from teaching in a classroom because of past convictions, then they definitely should be prohibited from presiding over the education of an entire school district,” Green said. “It’s a commonsense change that is long overdue.”
I wonder how many current, past or future candidates for the BOE have long buried skeletons in their closets from their youthful indiscretions; Potentially there are many, but should it really preclude them from serving on the board now or in the future after so many years have past? After all, the same standard isn't applied to those seeking public office.
I'd like to see what happens if it is found that any current or past members of the Middletown Board of Education is affected by this new law. How will it be handle, will the public know about the real reason why a for current member's was removed or stepped down or why a past member seeking reappointment was past over or barred from running again?
Now don't jump to conclusions here on me, I am not making insinuations about anyone currently presiding on the BOE or who has stepped down recently. I am just pointing out the potential ramifications this new law will have on those that wish to serve on a local school boards, whether it is Middletown's or some other town.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)