To the editor:
My opponents for Town Council — the incumbents — ignored corruption concerns that Mr. Steve Uccio (my running mate) and I raised at a recent Town Council meeting.
Our concerns relate to a contract awarded to the law firm Parker McCay. They have been accused by the former state comptroller of New Jersey — A. Matthew Boxer — (in a report entitled “An Analysis of Legal Fees Paid By New Jersey Local Governments” published June 25, 2013) of improper billing practices over multiple years.
This is not the only stain on the law firm’s reputation. Jersey City terminated their contract with Parker McCay without explanation. The firm was also fired by Medford Township because of double billing and charging excessive fees. Parker McCay is also being sued for malpractice by Solarworks NJ in regards to a proposed solar energy installation. The council said that’s okay because East Windsor isn’t Medford and the council looks at its bills very closely. They continued and said that Parker McCay is a big law firm, they are hiring a specific individual from the firm, not the firm itself, and that this attorney has a lot of knowledge.
But why does the mayor and council think it’s okay to hire from a firm with ethically questionable billing practices as long as those practices occur only in other townships? How does the size of the firm magically make questionable billing practices okay? What assurances do we have that East Windsor won’t end up being billed excessively? If the mayor and council don’t even have the courtesy to think twice about the firm’s poor reputation, why should we trust that they’ll keep an eye on their billing? This decision on the part of the mayor and council to award Parker McCay a contract was extremely careless and irresponsible and should put a lot of questions in the minds of East Windsor residents about whose interests are really being represented.
Sean O’Connor
Republican candidate for East Windsor Town Council
