Background: Below is the public
comment I submitted via email in accordance with borough policy in use since
public meetings were closed to the public due to covid.
My email submission is in line with DCA guidelines. The borough clerk would NOT read my comment
during Hearing of Citizens, nor did she notify me before the meeting that my
submission would be denied. I am being
treated differently than other Lodi residents. The Luna administration has been changing
policies to directly limit my free speech in exposing its public corruption.
I have been viciously retaliated against and slandered for asking questions
at public meetings. Evidence I have
received shows that this council is misappropriating public funds to
financially benefit the mayor’s father, a former borough manager. My email below is more than fair, respectful,
and requires immediate answers. The
public can read the email below and determine for themselves if it should have
been censored by the Luna administration at tonight's public zoom meeting.
Date: 6/16/20 5:21 PM
(GMT-05:00)
Subject: Hearing of
Citizens, June 16, 2020 Meeting
I wanted to ask these
questions in person. Being tonight's meeting is closed to the public, I am
submitting my questions via email (following the guidelines of the DCA for
meetings during covid).
Public Comment:
I was informed last week
by the DCA that former Borough Manager Tony Luna was fined $1000 for violations
from hiring his daughter as borough treasurer and awarding a noncompetitive
contract to Charles Cuccia.
This administration was
not forthcoming at the May meeting when questioned about Tony Luna's legal
bills being paid with Lodi tax dollars. This administration has withheld public
records that were requested through the Open Public Records Act. The State
turned over records that you were required to turn over.
This administration has
spent tens of thousands of Lodi tax dollars to appeal a $1000 fine for a former
employee that clearly did something wrong.
Whose idea was it to use
public funds to appeal Tony Luna's personal fine? Can you cite any borough
policy that allows you to use unlimited Lodi tax dollars to appeal personal
fines of former employees after violations were already determined? If
there is a policy, why isn't insurance covering the costs? Why are Lodi
taxpayers paying two firms to work on Tony Luna's appeal? Do you have any
resolutions hiring the firms to work on Tony Luna's appeal? How were the firms
chosen? What is the running total for the amount of Lodi tax dollars spent so
far on legal bills for Tony Luna and Charles Cuccia?
How is this not a
misappropriation of public funds?
