How Much Are These Commissions Costing Monmouth County?
Are they all necesarry? What can be privatized?
The thing that I found most disturbing about the Middletown Library story is that Randall Gabrielan, in addition to being president of the Middletown Library, is a employee of Monmouth County.
In his role as Executive Director of the Monmouth County Historical Commission, Gabrielan is paid almost $36,000 per year and earns pension credits. I wonder if Executive Director of the Historical Commission is one of the jobs that you can retire from, start collecting a pension, and go back to work the next day.
I don’t mean to minimize the seriousness of the Middletown Library situation. It is serious. It’s bad enough that Gabrielan sold his own books and signed his own purchase orders. Even though the sales did not amount to a great deal of money, what stinks about what he did in Middletown in addition to the obvious, is that the library could have gotten Gabrielan’s books cheaper from Barnes and Noble or really cheap from Abebooks, Middletown Mike’s favorite book seller, for the library’s shelves.
I suppose we should be grateful that Mayor Fiore and the Township Committee got wind of Gabrielan’s practice, that has been going on for many years, before he bought Middletown Mike’s newsletter, beautifully bound in brown cloth with gold lettering for $59.00 per copy from Abebooks.
I wonder if the Monmouth County Historical Commission has also been buying Gabrielan’s books.
But I digress.
Why does the Monmouth County Historical Commission have a paid executive director? How many of the other 25 volunteer county commissions have paid staff?
The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders are taking their budget meetings on the road this month. Let’s ask them if there are savings to be had in these 26 commissions.
More from my site
Fiore Playing Hardball With Middletown Library President- Middletown Library President Resigns
No Impropriety Found With Gabrielan’s County Job
Middletown Library Director and Democratic Committee Candidate Worked Together To Undermine Oversight, Raise Funds For Democratic Campaign
Middletown Library Will Consider Part Time Executive Director
Winners and Losers of 2013, Part 3
Escort procedures are secret
Leadership We Can Depend On
Job Fair At Brookdale on Friday
The Arnone Report: In Monmouth County, We Keep Our Promises
Bayshore Outfall Authority is paid… look at the names and connect the dots there…
Can you connect those dots for me? The only names I recognize from that authority are Mayor Smith, which seems to make sense, and former Congressional Candidate Alan Bateman, which is only interesting because I thought he moved out of Holmdel.
If an ananymous comment is too risky for you, write the info on a paper, hide it somewhere and call me from a payphone to let me k now where to go get said secret note that will connect the dots. Curious. Thanks.
Per link to Commissions there are 9 members
APP data universe
NJ Public Employees 2010
Monmouth County Bayshore Outfall Auth, 3 of members are “in the system” and show 2010 base salaries
Sachs $4776
Schoeffling $4236
Smith $4332
Freeholders should be looking at everything Just search around at data universe and start wondering…not volunteer but things like the Monmouth County Mosquito Extermination Commission. 2010 info shows 23 employees in this section and only 6 less than $40,000 5 are in the $40,000s, 3 in $50,000s, 5 in $60,000s, 1 each in 70, 80 and $90,000 and I guess the “top dog” comes in at $117,084 Wonder what the credentials of these people are and what they all do year round about mosquitoes??? Would make me puke so haven’t taken the time to add up total 2010 salaries of all 23.
Art,
Did you even look at the cost of the books listed on the Barns and Noble website?
The cost of Gabrielan’s book are not cheaper than what he sold them directly to the library for. It seems to me that they are they same or equivalent price. Possible more expensive if you buy through Barnes and Noble once shipping and handling are factored in.
Art,
Did you even look at the cost of the books listed on the Barns and Noble website?
Yes I did. Do you look at their cost on Abebooks?
What are you doing in Switzerland?
Eating Chocolate
And BTW,
The price books listed by Abebooks are not for new books, they are for used books. You can’t compare the two.
Unless of course you just want to play “gotcha” and distort the truth.
Eating Chocolate
I hear they have some very good perfume there.
Actually the Mosquito control commision provides a valuable public health function.
That being said there are a few commisions that seem to be window dressing or perhaps there functions could be rolled into another department.
that MOST of the county’s Boards and commissions are all-volunteer, with the exception of the outfall authority( there are several of them throughout the state, and they are made up of reps from the user towns), and the tax board, which I believe has a small stipend,state-paid.. if you recall,as a campaign plank, the Dems made an issue of the length of time people can serve, and they called for “term limits” on volunteers!.. however one feels about that, the fact remains is, many regular citizens have always, and still do, give up their time and talents/expertise, to spend their own money on gas, to come out to the varous meetings, and participate in an area of interest, to help guide the governing body or department, as to the conduct of their business.. having served on some county boards in the past, I assure you it was at my time and expense..it seems to be getting to the point, that some are not only attacking those who happen to work at their main job for government, now those who sincerely show interest for the best of reasons, and seek these volunteer positions, are all somehow “bad” people..looks like yet another sad commentary on our jealous, self-agendized, “gotcha”culture of today!
Good point my understanding. We should not attack the unpaid volunteers. That being said the fact that the members are volunteers does not mean these commisions don’t cost us money.. I know many of them have paid staff members in addition to the volunteer commisioners.