HIGHTSTOWN: Discontent on Borough Council

Council members trade jabs following Isabel McGinty’s criticism

   HIGHTSTOWN — The Borough Council meeting teetered on the verge of chaos Monday night with elected officials taking verbal jabs at each other and one resident leaving the council chambers with a hail of expletives as tensions rose in the aftermath of the police outsourcing issue.
   Mayor Bob Patten and Councilman Jeff Bond took several shots at Councilwoman Isabel McGinty throughout a heated meeting that stretched well over two hours. And what was originally expected to be a light agenda, based on what was released to the public prior to the meeting, turned into a session that was, at times, both tense and terse.
   There was much critical conversation during the night. Ms. McGinty challenged other members of the council when she first moved to amend the original agenda and introduced a resolution demanding a final report from the subcommittee responsible for negotiating a police outsourcing with neighboring East Windsor.
   That resolution was defeated, 4-3, but served as just the beginning of a public airing of concerns she has with the way the council and the borough conduct business. Ms. McGinty also called out her colleagues over matters dealing with the perceived lack of code enforcement and the rickety process of scheduling of special meetings.
   In speaking about the special meeting held on Oct. 13, Ms. McGinty said she learned official action would be taken that night from reading it in the newspaper. She also said public notice was also given about that meeting prior to the council confirming its availability.
   During the special meeting, the council ratified an agreement with the PBA ending discussion of police outsourcing issues with East Windsor.
   In a packet distributed to the public Monday night, Ms. McGinty included a chain of emails detailing the “arbitrary” scheduling of that meeting “without consulting council members as to their availability.”
   ”I expect that this a matter that will never happen again,” Ms. McGinty said Monday night.
   Ms. McGinty spoke at length on issues facing the council and the community, which was not received well by some of her colleagues, particularly Mr. Bond and Mayor Patten, who both pushed back with thorny remarks of their own at points throughout the meeting.
   ”With regard to keeping things quiet and the protocols of council that we don’t criticize, we don’t publicize, we don’t speak I think the gloves are off.” Ms. McGinty said in her closing remarks.
   Many residents in attendance showed their support with applause, which is behavior Ms. McGinty has scorned in the past. While residents may have appreciated Ms. McGinty’s words, at least one colleague clearly did not.
   ”I don’t know how to follow that,” Mr. Bond said. “Maybe I shouldn’t, because I’ll just get myself in trouble. Because you are an eloquent speaker. Your facts are a little skewed, but you are an excellent speaker.
   ”All I can say is I think, all of us, we don’t make enough money to have to put up with that every meeting.”
   Mr. Bond’s comment brought groans from the crowd of 22 residents in attendance, and brought one, Gene Sarafin, out of his seat in anger.
   Mr. Sarafin, a regular attendee of meetings who spoke twice earlier during the public comments session, stormed out of the council chambers shouting expletives at Mr. Bond and Councilman Walter Sikorski. Members of the council were more restrained, but the venom in their words was palpable.
   ”That’s 15 minutes and 35 seconds by the way,” Mayor Patten said to Ms. McGinty when she was finished speaking. “Very good. Do you need a glass of water?”
egrossman
@centraljersey.com