(Alan
Spiniello is a part-time borough attorney for Lodi. He has his own private practice and does work
for other towns.)
I asked if Mr.
Spiniello received a $10,000 raise this year.
The conversation went all over the place.
1) Alan
Spiniello said he is making $160,000 now instead of the $150,000 because he now
does some appellate work. I asked him to
name one appellate case he worked on this year.
He couldn’t name one.
2) Bruce Masopust
encouraged Spiniello to justify his big pay raise by comparing it to Paul
Barbire’s outrageous bills.
I responded: Paul Barbire’s bills were terrible and so
are Spiniello’s. I also pointed out that
Lodi paid the Florio firm $52,000 last year.
3) Alan
Spiniello said that five attorneys told him he could have billed Lodi $300,000
for his work on Passaic Valley litigation. (Alan
Spiniello didn’t handle the appeal for that case).
I told them that Lodi's contract with Passaic Valley was clear, the violation was in black and white, and this
administration took no action for two whole years. They cannot use this to justify Spiniello’s
high pay.
This administration did
nothing for two whole when the violation was so clear to everyone else in town:
“Judge Conte ruled in January 2012 that
the Passaic Valley Water Commission violated their lease agreement when
they increased Lodi’s rates 25% in 2009 and 29% in 2010. Their agreement with Lodi allowed them to
increase rates 3.5% or the Consumer Price Index plus half a percent.”
