When I first filed an OPRA denial of access complaint last
March, attorneys as far away as Ocean County sent me letters seeking to take
this case (no charge) before the Superior Court. They argued against the Government Records Council (GRC). They stated that the Superior Court acted in
a timelier manner and the results were more favorable for those seeking
transparency in government. I did not want to tie up a court with this issue so I just e-mailed a complaint to the
GRC and decided the complaint would end there.
After reading Alan Spiniello’s response to the GRC,
I saw where he was going. In response, I
requested a specific property card belonging to an immediate family member of
Lodi’s Tax Appeal Attorney, Marcel Wurms, to shoot down the claim that a
specific card could provide the information I was seeking. I knew the taxes on the property were reduced “in
house” before I even requested the card.
The specific card showed a $34,000 assessment reduction (over a $1000
tax savings) without stating how. After I received the specific tax card (and
already knowing the answers to my own questions), this administration still
wouldn’t explain the process in which the reduction occurred until months
later. I sent this information to the
case manager last week. He never
responded or even acknowledged it. Because
of that, the GRC decision for tomorrow was expected:
Since
the Complainant’s OPRA request is for information and not a specific identifiable
record, and because a custodian is not required to conduct research in response
to an OPRA request, the Complainant’s OPRA request is invalid.
If George Reggo kept records, "research" would not be necessary. The GRC rewarded him for not keeping records. His monetary transactions are larger than those that take place in banks. Yet, the Lodi politicians require no monthly lists or receipts from him.
The Bergen County Tax Board has to keep a list of all decisions before the board. The State Tax Court has to keep a list of all judgments before the court. George Reggo doesn’t have to keep any lists for his reductions. This lack of oversight can open the door to unethical or even criminal behavior. A hypothetical: what if someone offered him $500 to lower their taxes $1000. He wouldn’t have to answer to anyone.
The truth of the matter is I no longer need the
information I requested. I conducted my
own research and have my own list of “in house” reductions for the politically
connected. I like some of the people
that benefitted from the Reggo reductions so I do not want to make this issue
about them.
The issue is about George Reggo, Marcel Wurms, Tony
Luna, and others that used their influence to lower the taxes for family and friends “in
house”. They took off thousands of dollars for some while passing that added cost onto the honest,
hard-working taxpayers of Lodi. My own complaint actually distracted from the bigger issue at
hand. The OPRA denial itself was trivial
in comparison to George Reggo’s actual tax fixing.
These individuals never had to answer for their
behavior when questioned at council meetings or when responding to OPRA
requests. All I was seeking was some
form of accountability.
I realized last August that I should not depend on
the State for anything. At that time, I had
four different e-mails from the State all listing a completely different reason
why Marc Schrieks was able to collect full health benefits paid for by the
taxpayers of Lodi when he was not enrolled or eligible on the date required to be “grand-fathered
in”. The State actually had to correct its
own responses when questioned each time.
I learned my lesson moving forward. True accountability will come from the people once they are informed and not from any government bureaucracy above Lodi.
