Dr. Tom Paterniti, chairman of the local Democratic Party, which is called the Edison Democratic Organization, and a former Mayor of Edison, released a statement publicly lambasting Mayor Jun Choi, another Democrat, for what he said are the mayor’s failures at enacting positive reforms in the township.
The statement drew sharp rebuke from both the mayor and his supporters within the party.
The statement, sent to the Sentinel on Nov. 14, focused mainly on critiques of Choi’s fiscal policies within Edison, paying specific attention to the tax rate and the structure of the municipal government. The party chair heavily condemned the mayor’s recent 53 percent salary increase from $49,000 to $75,000, as well as his enrollment in the same health plan as municipal employees.
The chairman also raised concerns with what Paterniti said is Choi’s “practice” of hiring assistant and deputy directors, such as in the police and fire departments, as well as the salaries and benefits given to them, including the use of hybrid vehicles for commuting purposes, some of which, he said, travel 160 miles a day. He said that these new employees are “costing Edison taxpayers a quarter of a million dollars in unneeded costs.” This, he said, has led to a top-heavy municipal government, requiring what he said was a 40 percent tax increase since Choi took office, which he noted the township does not need.
“Municipal government is basically a service industry where residents’ concerns and needs are addressed first, in a timely and efficient manner under strict fiscal restraint,” wrote Paterniti.
Choi, however, shrugged off these complaints, saying they were baseless attacks.
“I think it’s very unfortunate that, in these hard economic times, that Chairman Paterniti would hurl these baseless attacks. What we need in Edison is everyone working together to help those in need and to build a better community,” said Choi in a phone interview.
Donald Hansen, a Democratic committeeman and a supporter of the mayor, fired back a statement of his own in support of Choi, saying that Paterniti’s attacks are for political show. He called the statement an “embarrassment” and noted that not everyone in the party agrees with it, despite Paterniti’s assertions otherwise.
“Unfortunately, the EDO chair is using his position to launch a partisan attack from one faction of a divided party. But one thing is consistent about his leadership — this, like everything else, has nothing to do with making Edison Township better,” wrote Hansen.
He pointed out that Paterniti and Choi have a history of opposition, with the chair- man supporting the former mayor, George Spadoro, against Choi during the primaries in 2005 as well as during the council races in 2007.
The Democratic committeeman defended Choi’s administration, saying that the mayor has “downsized Edison’s government by approximately 10 percent,” which he said has saved millions of taxpayer dollars. To achieve this downsizing, said Hansen, the administration hired quality managers, which, in some cases, required salary increases.
He also defended the mayor’s salary, saying that Choi is a full-time mayor, with no outside income.
“He’s not a dentist [Paterniti’s profession]. He is not a partner in a law firm [Spadoro’s]. He is 100 percent committed to this great community,” said Hansen before pointing out that Choi’s $75,000 salary is in the lowest income of the top 10 municipalities in the state.
Paterniti, in his statement, said that the managers Choi has hired are taking on responsibilities that the mayor used to have, reasoning that this means Choi is actually doing less work.
During a later phone interview, on Nov. 17, Paterniti elaborated on this point, saying that many of the people the mayor has brought into the administration fulfill functions that used to be accomplished by the mayors themselves. As examples, he mentioned the communications director, noting that mayors have been able to write their own press releases in the past, as well as the grant writer, saying that he, himself, aggressively pursued grants when he was mayor, first in the 1970s and then in the early ’90s. Also mentioned were the constituent relations manager and the assessment assistant.
“The guy, he’s got these new people on payroll doing the jobs he should be doing,” said Paterniti. “He shouldn’t be hiring all these people.”
Choi, a relative newcomer to the local political scene, has had multiple clashes with the local Democratic Party, which has been in power in Edison since at least the last three administrations. The party leadership opposed Choi during the 2005 primary and endorsed Spadoro. After winning the Democratic primary, Democrat and former council member Bill Stephens ran as an independent, along with several GOP members, on a fusion ticket, but narrowly lost to Choi that November.
In 2007, candidates for council backed by Choi were victorious in the Democratic primary, unseating four incumbent council members before going on to defeat their Republican opponents later that year.
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