Reader says the Christie camp said they did not ask for them to be invited, and did not invite the Council
This is actually a funny report. Aronsohn and Pucc will not be able to participate in any Planning Board activities that involve Saraceno.
Entirely unnecessary for our entire council and village manager to personally roll out the red carpet for the governor, whom many cannot stand. It’s embarrassing and probably pushes the law. Since others had to pay, this was a gift at best, a bribe at worst. Saraceno showed poor judgment in inviting them but they should not have accepted.
The Record article quotes Gabbert as saying that it would have been inappropriate for local dignitaries not to have appeared at this “function.” Excuse me, but it was a fundraiser for the governor’s reelection, pure and simple, entirely and unshamefacedly political. It was highly inappropriate for them all to suggest by their attendance that they approved of the reelection. Mayor Aronsohn has written negatively about Christie; wearing a bright blue tie and attending with his wife in a bright blue dress did not dampen his apparent approval of the governor. The appearance by the governor in the parade was surely a quid pro quo. The whole thing reeks.
You should have seen Aronsohn trying to end the discussion last night, it was hilarious. We were watching at home and cracking up at the tv. Pucciarelli was staring at his lap, Aronsohn was sweating bullets.
The article online in The Record says that Saraceno claimed that Christie asked him to invite the Village Council. NOT!!!!!
The Christie camp said they did not ask for them to be invited, did not invite them, and the guy goes on to say that event hosts (in this case Saraceno) commonly invite some of their own guests, and that is what happened here.
Someone said Saraceno came to the councilmeeting last night, but he did not speak at the mike.
Its highly unusual to invite the Democratic Mayor to a Republican Fundraiser. Its probably never done in other towns. Its is really really odd for the former US Dem. Congressional Candidate/Mayor to goto a Chrisite fundraiser.
The concern is that the big time developer is clearly trying to engage in some type of pay to play with the elected officials and its clear this Council knows how the rules are…. like the large campaign contributions that Honorable Walsh has given to the pay to play machine of scandalized Republican County Exe. Kathy Donovan
Also include that even Mitt Romney only last year had a huge fundraiser at Councilmember Puch—– own law firm…
This type of pay to play and corruption has to stop.
maybe she gave a large donation to governor Christie too?
Since our local government is organized under the Faulkner Act, it is non-partisan and our Mayor is not first and foremost identified as a Democrat. I would think it comports with the spirit of our non-partisan form of government for all members of the Village Council to attend the event.
#2 I agree with you post that our local govt. is managed under the Faulkner act but that has nothing to do with non partisan politics, it merely delineates the council manager relationship, and insulates the workers from the council by preventing the council from giving direct orders to the workers without going through the village manager. The village has practiced non partisan politics for decades even when it had a commissioner style of govt.