By Stewart Resmer
In a town of 54,000 residents it certainly should be a wake up call to the mayor (and everyone else) when the mayor surprised everyone at the most recent regularly scheduled council meeting who are already paying attention to the $169 million dollar school referendum, when he announced his opposition to the initiative that addresses the much needed and already deferred repairs, upgrades, and maintenance of the school district, when at last nights BOE presentation on the question, the district announced that 45,000 people had visited the districts newly introduced referendum web site.
The mayors indiscreet, and ill conceived and executed flat rejection of the question came without prior warning, advise and consent, deliberations, discussion, or even courtesy notice on the council agenda.
A move that came as a surprise to council caper watchers, and city hall insiders, alike as well as those with a genuine need to know about the mayor’s intentions to attempt to scuttle the ballot question. Is it a possible ethics violation for election tampering on Mayor Verganos part?
This is not the first time that the long time favorite son elected official has attempted an end run around the voters.
The last time he tried something like this was when he introduced his Agenda Item #1 , 647% pay raise with full retroactive public benefits and perks (and a claimed 30 police car motorcade) a package to be shouldered by the taxpayers estimated to have been worth $2 1/2 million dollars in the mayors attempted Golden parachute that failed a second vote by the compliant council majority by the time the public became aware of what was going on.
When 45,000 people in a town of 54,000 swing about in a weeks time to inform themselves about what’s going on because of the mayor’s dubious unilaterally questionable ambush tactics and initiatives is remarkable and worthy of note as a cautionary warning to those who would attempt to run Wayne Township as a private club.
And you know who you are.
Stewart Resmer served in the US Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and he currently resides in Wayne.