Monmouth County Library System in Trouble?

According to an article posted on NJ.Com, it looks like Monmouth County Freeholder John Curley wants to do to the Monmouth County Library system what Tony Fiore and the cronies here in Middletown have done to our library, which is to systematically disparage and cripple it to the point where a few individuals speak out and confront its leadership about the extravagant cost in tax dollars it takes to operate the library and then accusing its administrators of neglect and mismanagement of funds. All of which then leads to the threat of to defund the library, take its surpluses and get rid of (fire or lay-off) those that oppose them, all in the name of budgetary austerity.

From NJ.Com:

The Monmouth County Library system continues to modernize and expand, but the cost is alarming some residents and officials.

The Board of Chosen Freeholders approved a $13.6 million tax levy to help fund the libraries’ $19.2 million budget, but not without protest from one member.

“I am very much concerned over these expenditures and how the library needs to reign itself in,” Freeholder John Curley said.

Curley said the library was on the path to fiscal insolvency.

“There has to be a drastic overhaul of the library system,” Curley said. “It can’t sustain itself. In 2014 at this rate the library’s bankrupt. I hope this plan can be incorporated.”

Monmouth County Libraries Director Ken Sheinbaum demurred, arguing that the system is a paragon of how to do more with less.

"Our library is among NJ's large public library systems and by a substantial measure the most efficient," Sheinbaum said. "Based on the number of circulations that each full time employee is responsible for, our employees are doing twice as much work as some of our sister institutions, and that was before we had a cut. It presents an exciting challenge for us to see how long we can maintain services on the level... while at this point losing eight percent of our staff over the past eight months."

Though the library's budget has decreased around $650,000 from 2012 levels, the gap between the library’s budget and its tax levy has increased. That shortfall been filled over recent years by Monmouth County’s surplus funds – this year, almost $6 million will be spent keeping the library solvent.

Sheinbaum said the money will come out of the system's fund balance.

"It is a library surplus, the library operates on a dedicated tax," Sheinbaum said. "We don't rely on the county to make a contribution, we take that from our own reserve." ...Continue reading.

I suppose if you're a Middletown Library supporter and advocate the good news is the Middletown Library won't be changing hands anytime soon no matter how much Fiore wants to destroy it.

Burnham Quits As Brookdale College President

I know I'm a little late on this so I won't spend a lot of time here discussing it, but by now everyone knows that Brookdale College President Peter Burnham resigned from his position Tuesday with a black cloud hovering over his head.

There is a lot of finger pointing going around between the the Monmouth County Freeholders and Brookdale's Board of Trustees as to who was responsible for overseeing the reimbursement of Burnham college expenses and his generous perks.

Freeholder Lillian Burry before Tuesday was quite on Burnham's plight, until she was quoted as saying, "He disgraced himself in the eyes of his students, in the eyes of his peers, in the eyes of everyone who believed in his vision for Brookdale and every Monmouth County taxpayer, he has to be held accountable for his actions.''

And Freeholder John Curley, who's job it is as a Freeholder to oversee the goings on at the college and who exposed Burnham's contract to the public after Burnham called out the Freeholders for being responsible for a proposed 8% hike in tuition and fees last month, chimed in as well according to the Asbury Park Press:

...Freeholder John P. Curley said he was pleased that Burnham resigned. Now it's time for the college board and its attorney to step down as well, he said, adding that the public does not have faith in the college leadership anymore.

"They are policing themselves at this point and that's unacceptable,'' Curley said....

What I find unacceptable in that quote is that fact that it has been Curley's job and others, who have been the liaison between the the college board and the Freeholders, to police and oversee what the college board does on behalf of tax payers. Curley and others should have been acting as the police, watching over and policing the college's board of trustees instead of maintaining a hands off policy expecting the board of trustees to do what was right for students and county tax payers.

The only Freeholder that has come out of this situation unscathed seems to be Freeholder Amy Mallet, who when she heard of Burnham's extravagant contract and perks called for the immediate resignation of the college board's President Howard Birdsall.

What's The Big Deal At Brookdale ?

Evidently it is the salary and perks that the community college of Monmouth County is giving it's School President Peter Burnham.

Burnham's total compensation package for leading Brookdale over the past 20 years is roughly $300K a year. He currently receives a $1,500 monthly housing allowance, drives a 2010 Ford Expedition that the college purchased for $42,815,is provided with a membership to the Navisink Country Club, and can be reimbursed $20K per year to send his kids to private colleges on top of a $216K base salary.

That's not to shabby if you ask me, but am I surprised or outraged at hearing the news? No, not really. His compensation doesn't seem that far off from what other college presidents receive throughout the state or country.

College Presidents, like school district superintendents, are a special breed that are highly sort after. Someone like Peter Burnham, who has presided over an institution for 20 years and has oversaw it's large expansion during that time while maintaining it's academic level, which by the way, is considered far more superior than many other colleges in the state, probably deserves much of what he receives in compensation.

The only reason why Burnham's compensation has come to light and has now been scrutinized is because he had the gaul to blame the Monmouth County Freeholders for a 8% hike in tuition which was planned for, but now rescinded under pressure, for the coming year.

Burnham embarrassed the Freeholder Board with his comments, so in retaliation Freeholder John Curly released information on Burnham's salary and perks to embarrass Peter Burnham and Brookdale's Board of Directors in return so that he could cover his ass and those of his colleagues on the Freeholder Board. After all, it is the Freeholder Board that appoints
Brookdale's trustees and should have been overseeing/approving contracts for Burnham over the years. If his compensation wasn't considered outrageous previously, why is it now? Politics, that's why.

This was an underhanded and despicable move by Curly, to score political points and encourage others to voice outrage against Brookdale and Burnham, which it has. News out today is that Governor Christie will now be focusing his attention on Burnham's employment contract and those of other public college presidents around the state.

Now, before anyone jumps to the conclusion that I am writing this because I support tuition hikes on students or think that it is appropriate that Peter Burnham receives such generous perks, I do not. I feel that before any costs are passed on to students in the form of tuition or fee hikes, all attempts to reduce costs should be made first.

I'm a big believer in honoring contracts that were negotiated in good faith, as it seems that Burnham's was. If John Curly or other members of the Freeholder Board had a problem with Burnham's contract previously they should have spoken before now, to claim ignorance of it is skirting their own responsiblity over it.

That said, it seems that regardless of the method used to achieve the means, it happens to be good news for those who attend Brookdale, the cost of their continuing education will not be rising next year.