$30,000 for Media Services, Armies of Attorneys and Lobbyists funded by the Families of Berkeley Heights

Arik Samson is a Resident of Berkeley Heights and was a candidate for the Berkeley Heights BOE during the 2024 elections.

The Town Council has voted to extend the deadline for submitting the 2025 budget, even as it swiftly approved multiple executive orders immediately following the reorganization meeting.

Curiously, not a single executive order issued since June 2024 is available on the township website—so why the urgency?

Meanwhile, what’s the total cost of salary increases, plus the additional lump-sum payments of $7,000 to $10,000, on the overall budget?

The township unanimously approved an 8% penalty for late payment on property taxes—but what are the consequences for the delayed submission of the budget? Shouldn’t accountability apply both ways?

The resolutions also include $30,000 to a media firm.

That’s right.

A municipal government for a township of 13,000 people needs to pay $30,000 for a media firm.

They already control the local “news” tabloid, why in the world are they spending more tax dollars on this?

Let’s not forget: all Town Council members and the Mayor receive annual payments that they self-approve.

Lastly, I asked that NJ21st reach out to the Township to inquire as to why the Bill Lists for October and November were missing from the Township Site. This was around the same time NJ21st blew the door open on significant pay to play concerns in connection to both local parties.

The townships response to NJ21st?

Good morning. We were in-between Deputy Clerk’s then, so it didn’t get done. December’s should be up. We will resume doing it, even though it’s not required by law; we prefer the transparency. We will get them posted next week.

It’s so curious as to why there is always a reason for information not being available to the public yet a mad rush to push through ordinances and executive orders.

This single agenda includes resolutions for at least 10 different law firms, a resolution for Harbor Associates—an entity that has funneled nearly $90,000 into Union County political campaigns over the past decade—and a resolution for Neglia, which has contributed over $78,000 to political campaigns in five years.

Why does our small community need:

• An OPRA Attorney
• A Conflict Resolution Attorney
• A Water and Wastewater Attorney
• A Redevelopment Attorney
• A Labor/Personnel Attorney

To name a few.

What exactly is our municipal government planning that requires such an extensive lineup of legal counsel? What are they getting us into?

At a time when the township should be focusing on audit findings—especially after losing a CFO—shouldn’t leadership be prioritizing course correction and ensuring a timely, responsible budget?

Instead, multiple ordinances were rushed through to appoint a long list of attorneys—from conflict resolution to wastewater specialists. Why does a small township need public relations firms, lobbyists, and an army of lawyers? We’ll be taking deep dives into these questions soon.

Meanwhile, the township has been fixated on grabbing school property, using biased and poorly written referendums to justify its actions.

And what about Connell? Has anyone asked why the township isn’t demanding that Connell deliver the long-promised dog park or offer land for a turf field?

Why do TapInto and its writers—funded by and connected to local political committees—obsess over mischaracterizing the BOE’s proper oversight of these decisions while consistently pushing factually inaccurate narratives -now thinly disguised as “observations” as their bias becomes more transparent?

Their first article on the Town Council was little more than a reprint of the Mayor’s speech.

Their latest piece consisted almost entirely of quotes from Board of Education members aligned with Devanney and the Town Administrator. While three public comments were made regarding SLEOs, TAPINTO only published the Town Administrator’s remarks.

And why is this same “news” outlet so conspicuously silent on the blatant abuse of power by the Mayor and the county-appointed puppet she installed as board president?

It’s time for answers—and accountability from our government and the local press that benefits from their access, funding and writers.

Arik Samson

NJ21st does not profit from its content, does not accept money for campaign or business advertisements and is not run by a corporation. We welcome content from ALL residents, regardless of political affiliation as long as they work or reside in the 21st District and abide by our terms.

Read More about the Berkeley Heights Town Council

Subscribe to NJ21st For Free