As Soon as Lodi’s State Senator Joseph Lagana Joined the Matthew Giacobbe Firm, He Was Used to Sell Access to Other State Senators….

An email chain released by “opramachine” for the period beginning 2020 shows that Joseph Lagana and the principal partners in his firm were spending their time arranging for their client, Stephen Sacco of the Monmouth JIF, to meet with State Senator Vin Gopal.  The chain begins:

The chain ends:

Link to an online OPRA response:

RE Monmouth JIF.pdf

You would hope that law firms receiving public contracts would spend their time providing legal services to benefit the taxpayers footing the bill.  Unfortunately, this firm appears to be receiving public contracts to sell access and peddle influence.  The email chain  speaks for itself.

Matthew Giacobbe spent a lot of time at a Lodi BOE meeting whining about these posts:

Lodi By The Numbers: This was terribly disappointing to read today…

Lodi By The Numbers: Once Again, Lodi was Deceived and Taken Advantage by a Politician Run Law Firm (Post Date: September 18, 2019)…

Time has shown my posts to be very accurate.

 

Denis F. Driscoll, Who Represented Vinny Martin with His Legal Troubles at AJ’s, is Now a Partner at Cleary Giacobbe…

Denis F. Driscoll represented Vinny Martin as the State was revoking Vinny Martin’s “plenary retail license”.

Lodi By The Numbers: Lodi Deputy Mayor Vincent Martin Has Not Been Honest with the Residents of Lodi About His Involvement with the Charges Listed Below. These Proceedings Were All Taking Place While He was Lodi Deputy Mayor. He Was Never Mentioned in One News Story and No State Agency Informed the Residents of Lodi. If the State Was Revoking His License, He Was Not Fit to Serve on Our Council.

Cleary Giacobbe is making a lot of money from the Lodi Board of Education and the Lodi Mayor and Council.

Being Vinny Martin votes to approve all the legal bills for Cleary Giacobbe, he should disclose any conflicts of interest he has with Denis F. Driscoll.

How did Vinny Martin select Denis Driscoll to represent him with his legal woes? 

Is Vinny Martin still using Denis Driscoll for any personal legal work?

Who paid Denis Driscoll to represent Vinny Martin?

Can Vinny Martin produce any evidence that he paid for his representation?

During the same time that Vinny Martin was using Denis Driscoll to represent him against the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Vinny Martin had a different attorney, Thomas Brogan, send me a letter regarding blog posts:

Lodi By The Numbers: "Open Response to the Threatening Letter I Just Received from Lodi Deputy Mayor Vincent Martin and His Attorney Thomas Brogan"…

Attorneys are very expensive.  How did Vinny Martin afford to have different attorneys at different firms at his disposal during the same time period?  Lodi taxpayers have a right to know if someone other than Vinny Martin was paying for his attorneys. 

 

The Berkeley Heights Board of Education Terminated "Cleary Giaccobe". It Was Long Overdue and Much Deserved.

Link to post containing many interesting links:

https://www.reddit.com/r/newjersey/comments/1iwnxnb/if_your_town_uses_cleary_giacobbe_alfieri_jacobs/

It's a Very Unusual Time for the Lodi Mayor and Council to Be Holding a Special Meeting the Day after Labor Day to Adopt its Municipal Budget...

The filing deadline to run for an open council in November was August 22.  Now that the deadline has passed, the Lodi mayor and council is holding a special meeting for its budget.

Also take notice how the Lodi Mayor and Council withheld the new revaluation numbers until after that filing deadline.

The Lodi mayor and council have created a financial mess.  They are only buying time.

Joseph Lagana Must Be Delivering a Real Lot of New Jersey Tax Dollars to Matthew Giacobbe to Have Been Made a "Principal Partner"...

 

Matthew Giaccobe is riding Joe Lagana's influence just like he rode Joe Ferriero's.

A New School Position Was Created for Fran Santos (Nancy Cardone’s Sister-in-Law and Former LEA President) to Appease Her for Not Being Made Principal. There Clearly Was No Serious Selection Process. Everyone Involved Should Be Ashamed.

Link to job description for “Pre-K Instructional Coach”:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14NuLQxO-Eup87c26BclMNZ3s3s1REB8p/view?usp=sharing

This clearly was not a serious job search.  It was an internal posting at the end of the school year with a small 7-day window.  School was already out of session during some of that 7-day window to apply.

This position did not exist when the current LEA contract was approved.  Below is the wording for job postings in the current LEA contract.  It is poorly worded, not very clear, and outdated.

Link to current LEA contract:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OfJf0oKYcMJqBmSbZcmSL11zuzNAC1VW/view?usp=sharing

Did any Board member that voted to approve Fan Santos ever inquire about the need for the new position?  Did the BOE even vote on creating the new position and amending the LEA contract before it went to Nancy Cardone’s sister-in-law?  Did they ever inquire about the hiring process?  How many resumes were submitted?  Was the former LEA president the only applicant?  Would Nancy Pelosi Cardone allow her puppets to answer these questions without retribution?

Joseph Lagana Recently Gave $10,000 to the Losing Labrosse Team in Hackensack, Furthering to Expose His Campaign Account as a Pay-to-Play Scheme for Matthew Giacobbe’s Politician Run Law Firm…

Hackensack is not in Lagana’s district. The team opposing Labrosse had strong ties to the County Democrats.  What could have motivated Joseph Lagana to contribute $10,000 to the Labrosse Team?

Labrosse and his team made “Cleary Giacobbe” its City Attorney and Special Litigation Counsel.

Joseph Lagana used his campaign account in Hackensack just like he used it in East Brunswick, as a pay-to-play scheme where a law firm partner is making campaign contributions in return for public contracts without using his personal information and personal money. Linked below is a past post about Joseph Lagana and East Brunswick campaign contributions:

Lodi By The Numbers: The Politician Run Law Firm “Cleary Giacobbe” Has Been Using Joseph Lagana’s Campaign Account to Funnel Money into Political Campaigns Throughout New Jersey in Return for Public Contracts. These Campaign Contributions are Not Showing on the ELEC Website When People Search by Contributors. (Post Date: September 5, 2022)

Linked below is a recent ELEC filing for Joseph Lagana.  Almost all of his campaign contributions are from outside his legislative district and from special interest groups and not individuals:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14pF1lwgTzEsHnADZLUxVxiD5L8KhqTBD/view?usp=sharing

Joseph Lagana has used his campaign account to pay for contracts with both the Lodi Board of Education and the Lodi Mayor and Council.  

Mark Delmonaco was Appointed to the Lodi Council Months Ago. Why Hasn’t He Filed a Financial Disclosure Statement?

 As of today, you can see below that Mark Delmonaco has not filed a financial disclosure statement which is required by law for every council member.

Link to site to view financial disclosure statements:

https://fds.dca.nj.gov/njdca_prod/fdssearch.aspx

How Public "Employees" With No-Show and Low-Show Jobs Spend Their "Workdays"...

Roads are for cars, not politicians. These celebrations of self take valuable space and time from travelers.

The Lodi Board of Education Created a New Position for Nancy Cardone's Sister-in-Law Francine Santos...

P5 Be It Resolved, that the Lodi Board of Education, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, approves the transfer of the following certificated and non-certificated staff for the 2025-2026 school year: 

1. Francine Santos, Pre-K Teacher at Washington School to Preschool Instructional Coach, effective September 1, 2025, no change in salary:

Anyone that has ever seen or listened to Francine Santos speak at a Lodi Board of Education meeting or teacher union event can tell you that she is unfit to coach anyone in anything.  What she lacks in talent and professionalism, she makes up with Nancy Nepotism.

The following OPRA request was just submitted to help the public better understand how Nancy Cardone is functioning as BOE President:

July 2025 Payroll for the Lodi Board of Education...

 

Link to July Payroll:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VDiKIchi9QLtXD6s2FYQXuXz3_UDQwYo/view?usp=sharing

July 2025 Payroll for Lodi Borough Hall...

 

Link to July 15^th Payroll:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1huB6WRsuK8lIsVG4aLn1oyuPQa3n31e5/view?usp=sharing

Link to July 30^th Payroll:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p4kKmDTMNcExxY8bMQt1E9GQ2eViLRAs/view?usp=sharing

More Donald Scorzetti Nepotism: July Payroll Shows that One of Scorzetti's Daughters is Now Listed as a Full-time Employee in Lodi's Municipal Court.

 

July 2025 Bills for the Lodi Mayor and Council...

 Link to July Bills:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q3GIwvZEKq41z0wMK8QEtW5uUFL7i0YJ/view?usp=sharing

July 2025 Resolutions for the Lodi Mayor and Council...

 Please download these attachments from the links below:

• 5af1369b-8Resolution_No_25_183_Appointments_and_or_Salary_Modifications_20250804121010.pdf
• 5af1369b-8Resolution_No_25_184_Overpayment_of_Tax_Refund_Borgognone_20250804121013.pdf
• 5af1369b-8Resolution_No_25_182_July_2025_Bills__2_of_2__20250804121013.pdf
• 5af1369b-8Resolution_No_25_185_Garfield_Harrison_Ave_Shared_Service_20250804121013.pdf

There Was a Big Spike in Pageviews During the Month of July. Vinny Martin and Donald Scorzetti Drew a Lot of Attention with Their Nepotism Violations and Dishonest Payments. The Top 10 Most Viewed Posts for July in Order.

• 

  Delmonaco, Masopust, Carafa, and Luna Voted to Hire Vinny Martin's Son Without Ever Passing a Required Anti-Nepotism Resolution/Ordinance for the Lodi Police Department. Calling Him a "Transfer" is Not a Substitute for Their Noncompliance and Does Not Change Their Nepotism Violation. (Post Date: July 13, 2025)
• 

  OPRA Response from the Lodi Police Department Shows that the Lodi Mayor and Council Violated N.J.S.A. 11A: 4-1.3 by Not Passing an Anti-Nepotism Resolution or Ordinance for Police Hiring. Donald Scorzetti Had a Clear Conflict of Interest with His Weak "General Orders". (Post Date: July 7, 2025)

  Below is the Anti-Nepotism document I received today.  It does not meet the requirements set forth by Statute.  With that said, Lodi Deputy ...
• 

  Lodi Deputy Mayor Vincent Martin Has Not Been Honest with the Residents of Lodi About His Involvement with the Charges Listed Below. These Proceedings Were All Taking Place While He was Lodi Deputy Mayor. He Was Never Mentioned in One News Story and No State Agency Informed the Residents of Lodi. If the State Was Revoking His License, He Was Not Fit to Serve on Our Council.

  Link to document that the above screenshots were taken: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dARLs_lIV8H5co1tX0hr9ILyKyzT8tq9/view?usp=sharing D...
• 

  Scott Luna is Employed by Bergen County. ELEC Shows that He and "LODI PRIDE" Continue Making Campaign Contributions to the Bergen County Democrat Committee and James Tedesco Without Lodi Pride Filing any Reports and the Required Employer Information.

  On-line public payroll sites are a year or two behind.  Scott Luna is making more for 2025. Last month, the Democratic Committee of Bergen C...
• 

  Being the Lodi Mayor & Council Pay their Political Police Chiefs HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of Lodi Tax Dollars at Retirement, These Special Payments to Donald Scorzetti on May 30th Must be Investigated (Post Date: June 6, 2021)

  Just for one two week period in May, Donald Scorzetti was paid $41,018.17 .   Vacation pay: $16,883.20 . Sick pay: $12,175.20 . Retro pay:...
• 

  It is a Misuse of Public Funds for any Board of Education to Use Local Tax Dollars on a Public Relations Firm to Promotes Themselves, Their Administration, Referendums or any Other Election Matters.

  Laura Bishop Communication is appearing on the Lodi BOE’s monthly bills. For years, good government advocates throughout New Jersey have bee...
• 

  Public Notice for Lodi Board of Education Vacancy: August 11, 2025 Deadline to Apply.

   
• 

  The Lodi Mayor and Council's Developer's Agreement for the Alesso Funeral Home Property: 23 Two Bedroom Units.

  Link to Developer’s Agreement: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14qKmc8hr8DXaax9XhygYKA0Mqq09pufo/view?usp=sharing
• 

  Why Did I Have to Submit an OPRA Request to Dominic Miller for the Lodi Police Department's Required Anti-Nepotism and Conflict of Interest Policies When that Information is Readily Available On-Line for Other Towns Hiring Without a Competitive Civil Service Exam? Just More Unchecked Power and Authority for Donald Scorzetti Who Has Violated All Public Trust.

  Wood-Ridge:  Ordinance-2025-2-Police-Hiring-Policy-Draft-Ord-2025-3-First-Read.pdf Lincoln Park:  2-22-Ordinance-Amending-Chapter-99-Police-...
• 

  OPRA Response Shows that Donald Scorzetti is Being Paid Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars for "Sick Days" and "Vacation Days" with No Attendance Records, No Defined Workday or Workweek, No Vouchers, No Signatures, No Boss, No Audit, etc. This Calls for An Immediate Investigation. Those Involved Must be Held Accountable. Public Funds Must Be Recouped. (Post Date: June 12, 2025)

  Lodi Police Thief Donald Scorzetti  Clear Takeaways from Today’s OPRA Response Donald Scorzetti is being paid hundreds of thousands of dol...

Alan Spiniello Self-Disclosed that He Holds a Financial Interest in Multiple Properties in Lodi (Properties Worth Many Millions). He is Lodi's “Special Tax Counsel” Where Serious Conflicts of Interest are Sure to Exist.

Link to Alan Spiniello’s most recent financial disclosure statement:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JRwH8Rab8HFcexm_yU_FkkVOVAK0hNCS/view?usp=sharing

You can read more information about Alan Spiniello’s properties in the links below.

Rae Realty Associates LLC:

https://taxrecords-nj.com/pub/cgi/m4.cgi?district=0231&l02=023100132____00001_________M

Burns Ave Associates LLC:

https://taxrecords-nj.com/pub/cgi/m4.cgi?district=0231&l02=023100061____00039_________M

Garibaldi Associates LLC:

https://taxrecords-nj.com/pub/cgi/m4.cgi?district=0231&l02=023100136____00029_________M

Pasadena Associates LLC: 

https://taxrecords-nj.com/pub/cgi/m4.cgi?district=0231&l02=023100238____00044_________M

https://taxrecords-nj.com/pub/cgi/m4.cgi?district=0231&l02=023100238____00049_________M

Westervelt Associates LLC:

https://taxrecords-nj.com/pub/cgi/m4.cgi?district=0231&l02=023100010____00009_________M

Alan Spiniello became super wealthy from the Lodi taxpayers and uses that money to fund the political campaigns of the Lodi mayor and council. It is unbelievable that Alan Spiniello continues to be paid hundreds of thousands of dollars each year as Borough Attorney/Special Tax Counsel when he is not an employee of Lodi and he doesn’t submit invoices for payment.  Most legal work for Lodi is sent out to the worst politician run firms in the State.

https://lodioverhaul.blogspot.com/2023/03/how-does-lodi-mayor-and-council-get.html

Alan Spiniello should answer to the residents of Lodi: What percentage does he hold in each property? Who else holds a financial interest in his long list of LLCs?

Has Alan Spiniello accumulated more Lodi properties (hold any financial interest) since becoming Borough Attorney/Special Tax Counsel without disclosing them on his annual financial disclosure statements?  

Gary Paparozzi doesn’t disclose his LLCs and he likely is not the only one. 

https://lodioverhaul.blogspot.com/2024/04/gary-paparozzi-did-not-disclose-of-any.html

 

 

Delmonaco, Masopust, Carafa, and Luna Voted to Hire Vinny Martin's Son Without Ever Passing a Required Anti-Nepotism Resolution/Ordinance for the Lodi Police Department. Calling Him a "Transfer" is Not a Substitute for Their Noncompliance and Does Not Change Their Nepotism Violation. (Post Date: July 13, 2025)

OPRA Response from the Lodi Police Department Shows that the Lodi Mayor and Council Violated N.J.S.A. 11A: 4-1.3 by Not Passing an Anti-Nepotism Resolution or Ordinance for Police Hiring. Donald Scorzetti Had a Clear Conflict of Interest with His Weak "General Orders". (Post Date: July 7, 2025)

Below is the Anti-Nepotism document I received today.  It does not meet the requirements set forth by Statute.  With that said, Lodi Deputy Mayor Vincent Martin violated this order with his son being hired by Lodi during his term.  Vinny Martin can say all he likes that his son is a transfer from Bergen County.  The Lodi Mayor and Council hired his son during his term and that is not disputable.  Vinny Martin should have resigned prior to the hiring.

As for the "Conflict of Interest" "General Order", it couldn't be more vague.

Scott Luna is Employed by Bergen County. ELEC Shows that He and "LODI PRIDE" Continue Making Campaign Contributions to the Bergen County Democrat Committee and James Tedesco Without Lodi Pride Filing any Reports and the Required Employer Information.

On-line public payroll sites are a year or two behind.  Scott Luna is making more for 2025.

Last month, the Democratic Committee of Bergen County shows it received $1,050 from “LODI PRIDE”.  No employer information/occupation is listed.  Scott Luna’s home address is listed.

Last month, James Tedesco shows he received $300 from “LODI PRIDE”.  No employer information/occupation is listed.  600 Hamilton Ave is listed as the contributor’s address. The address doesn't exist.

Scott Luna and “LODI PRIDE” are required to file reports for their active campaign account. They have not filed a report since May 9, 2023 where they only show money they took from Alan Spiniello and two others.

Scott Luna is employed by Bergen County.  He should be transparent with the public and follow the law when he contributes money to his boss and the political patronage committee responsible for his employment.

Public Notice for Lodi Board of Education Vacancy: August 11, 2025 Deadline to Apply.

 

Being the Lodi Mayor & Council Pay their Political Police Chiefs HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of Lodi Tax Dollars at Retirement, These Special Payments to Donald Scorzetti on May 30th Must be Investigated (Post Date: June 6, 2021)

Just for one two week period in May, Donald Scorzetti was paid $41,018.17.  Vacation pay: $16,883.20. Sick pay: $12,175.20. Retro pay: $3,165.84.

The Lodi mayor and council pay hundreds of thousands of Lodi tax dollars to their political chiefs at the time of their supposed retirements. 

You can look at years of borough payroll on this blog.  These types of payments to a chief prior to retirement are a new trend.  Why?  Vincent Caruso, Donald Scorzetti, the Lodi Mayor and Council need to explain themselves.

ProPublica has recently done reports on compensation for Lodi police chiefs.  This likely is an attempt by Caruso and Scorzetti to hide their outrageous compensation from government watchdogs.

Also, how can Scorzetti be compensated for vacation and sick days?  He has no defined workday or work week.  He is usually at his home in Toms River with the Borough’s expensive Chevy Tahoe.