Commissioner’s coat
source of controversy
Mayor criticizes GOP councilman’s election letter-writing campaign
KEYPORT — Remnants of election campaign accusations compelled Mayor Kevin Graham to question circumstances surrounding the purchase of a fire commissioner’s outfit.
Feeling slighted by what he deemed unsubstantiated smears attributing unpaid bills to council negligence, at last week’s Borough Council meeting, Graham called the matter into question.
Referring to signed purchase orders, bills and copies of letters sent to borough employees and firefighters, he confirmed the source of the rumor as a letter-writing election campaign with Republican Fire Commissioner John Merla’s signature affixed to the insinuations.
The Oct. 31 letters, made available by Graham, urged firefighters and employees to vote for Republicans Bob Hyer and Susan Ashmore, based on the fact that bills have not been paid. The letters also implied that the Republicans have been there for firefighters and employees.
The firefighter letter states that Keyport Fire Chief Anthony "Vecchio and myself [Merla] have received little to no cooperation from this current Democratic administration," and goes on to say that "Vecchio received phone calls from vendors notifying him that fire department bills were not being paid … some as far back as ‘five months.’ "
Graham pointed to these written accusations in particular and asked Merla, who, as fire commissioner, is responsible for timely submission of bills, why the requisition to pay one bill was not filed until months after the product was delivered.
The product he was referring to was a $589 fire commissioner’s turnout coat which Merla ordered. The bill from New Jersey Fire Equipment Co. indicated that the coat was ordered in February and delivered in April. Merla said he did not receive it until July. The requisition order to pay the voucher was not submitted until September.
Merla also ordered a special helmet that cost $278.80 and a badge, according to Graham, who asked why, when the borough is trying to maintain fiscal responsibility and minimize taxpayer burden, a coat, fully equipped for enduring full-scale fires, was needed by someone who wasn’t fighting fires in his capacity as commissioner.
Merla and Councilwoman June Atkins said that it has been past practice that the fire commissioner have his or her own outfit. They concurred that normally the outfit is passed down to each commissioner without incurring new expense, but the coat that Atkins previously wore did not fit Merla.
"But this outfit is equipped for fighting fires. As commissioner you’re not fighting fires," said Graham. "I don’t think that such an expense is a wise expenditure for the borough. And then, to say that this unwise expenditure that you authorized for yourself was not paid on time when proper channels weren’t pursued is just an outrage."
"That, mayor is just something we disagree on," said Merla. "The commissioner has always had his own outfit. Obviously, June’s [Atkins’] doesn’t fit me. It’s a matter of past practice."
Graham said that this newly ordered coat certainly couldn’t be passed on to the next commissioner as a matter of "past practice" since it was tailored for Merla and even had his name stitched onto it.
The mayor mentioned, too, that he’s never known an occasion in which Merla has worn the outfit. He pointed out that at the last parade, Merla did not wear the outfit as commissioner.
"It seems to me," said Councilman Joseph Wedick, "that not too long ago we were scurrying around here trying to find money to fund recreation for kids. Do you really need this coat?" he asked Merla. "I’m the police commissioner, and I don’t need a SWAT outfit," he added.
To his comments, Atkins replied, "Every councilman who’s been fire commissioner has had a hat and a coat."