It should be noted that if Darian Vitello had not won his OPRA cases last December he might never have had access to the evidence that the state found compelling enough to press charges against Palmisano and Huisman. (I am presuming the information he was able to obtain contributed to his perjury arguments.)
Vitello won all five of his OPRA complaints against Belmar at the state Government Records Council meeting held on December 20, 2013. It was the same meeting at which councilman Jim Bean won his OPRA complaint against Belmar. And Haley Behre of the Coast Star won her OPRA complaint against Belmar. And resident Ted Ehmann won his OPRA complaint against Belmar.
This would be an appropriate time to also note that if Councilman Bean had not won his OPRA complaint we would never have found out that nearly half of the $20,000 in Shop Rite gift cards have gone missing. The county prosecutor is now investigating.
The information Mr. Ehmann sought about unreported wire transfers to no-bid contractor Ferreira Brothers was given to him late, and without a lot of cooperation from the administration, but before the December 20th meeting. His complaint was about the tardiness of Belmar’s fulfillment of his request. The information about Belmar’s Sandy Relief Fund that Ms. Behre had to sue Belmar to get has thus far not produced any interesting revelations.
But the important thing you need to understand is that we paid the legal expenses for Belmar to try to hide information that when revealed resulted in two criminal investigations, and in one case so far, charges being brought.
One more thing I want to mention. I am not happy about all this. I don’t know Andrew Huisman real well but I know that he is loved in this town. I do know Chief Palmisano and I’ve always really liked the guy. For me, and I’m sure most of us, this has come totally out of left field and is just a terrible thing for the people involved and for the whole town. I wish this wasn’t going on.
But it is going on and the public should have been told about this much sooner. It shouldn’t have been left to me to let everyone know.
3 Comments
And who is going to pay for the parking meters these foods trucks are going to be blocking 4-5 spots EACH… they should have to feed the meters …how does this help the town to have ugly food trucks parked on Ocean ave all summer ..this is worse than last years summer trailers …
Maybe they’ll put them at the beach entrances where there are no meters. Personally I think lunch trucks are probably our best option for the 2014 season.
So a one way street on ocean ave? I like that Because there is not enough room otherwise, for cars and a food truck or two unless you want people getting killed trying blindly crossing in front or behind a food truck at an intersection as that is the only place where there are no meters.More room for bikes.
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