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NEWS RECORD:
The campaign treasurer accused of stealing money from the election fund of a former state assemblyman was admitted into a pretrial intervention (PTI) program over the objections of the state Attorney General’s office.
Rosemary McClave, 66, of Hillside, was indicted on March 23 with one count of third-degree theft by deception and six counts of third-degree tampering with public records. MORE
STAR-LEDGER:
If McClave, who lives in Hillside, successfully completes the program, the charges against her will be dismissed.
[Peter Aseltine, a spokesman for Attorney General Anne Milgram] said it’s not an appropriate punishment for McClave, whose alleged crimes carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $15,000 fine. MORE
PREVIOUS ROSEMARY McCLAVE COVERAGE — CLICK
Posted in County Watchers, Township Hall | 12 Comments »
Hillside’s embattled political boss needs all the help she can get these days.
That’s why state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Elizabeth, and Assemblyman Joseph Cryan, D-Union, have reportedly set up a legal defense fund for her, according to PolitickerNJ.
Charlotte DeFilippo, the chairwoman of the Union County and Hillside Democratic committees has been under investigation by the State Attorney General’s Office.
(more…)
Posted in Mayor/Council '09, The Hillsider says... | 7 Comments »
Campaign treasurer Rosemary McClave, a Hillside resident, was indicted this week on charges she stole from former Assemblyman Neil Cohen’s campaign account. But this isn’t her first run-in with the law during her long career in handling campaign and public money.
In 1998, McClave was fired as Hillside’s chief financial officer, a position she had held since 1988, on charges of incompetence, negligence of duty and conduct unbecoming a public employee.
(more…)
Posted in Mayor/Council '09, Township Hall | 3 Comments »
PolitickerNJ reports:
“Rosemary [McClave] was replaced as treasurer of the Democratic Committee last night,” said [Jerome] Jewell campaign consultant Pat Politano. “She has stepped aside. Arthur Kobitz is the new treasurer for the Hillside Democratic Committee.”
McClave, who was indicted this week on charges she pilfered money from former Assemblyman Neil Cohen’s campaign account, was also serving as treasurer for mayoral candidate Jerome Jewell’s campaign.
Posted in Mayor/Council '09 | 1 Comment »
First Neil Cohen, the former Roselle assemblyman indicted on charges related to viewing child pornography in his office.
Now Rosemary McClave, indicted on charges she stole from Cohen’s campaign account.
What do the two have in common? Charlotte DeFilippo, Hillside’s political queen on King Street.
(more…)
Posted in News | No Comments »
A day after an indictment on theft charges was handed up against Rosemary McClave, it’s still not known whether the Hillside Democratic Committee or Jerome Jewell’s mayoral campaign will keep her on as treasurer.
(more…)
Posted in Mayor/Council '09, Police Blogger | No Comments »
The campaign treasurer for Hillside Democratic mayoral candidate Jerome Jewell was indicted today on charges she stole money from former Assemblyman Neil Cohen’s campaign account.
The grand jury indictment charges Rosemary McClave, 66, of Hillside, with one count of third-degree theft by deception and six counts of third-degree tampering with public records, which carry a maximum sentence of five years in state prison and a $15,000 fine, according the state Attorney General’s Office.
The indictment alleges that between March 2003 and November 2006, McClave, who was Cohen’s campaign treasurer, wrote 10 checks to herself from the election fund totaling $5,562.54.
(more…)
Posted in Mayor/Council '09, News | 2 Comments »
PolitickerNJ is wondering why the chief of staff to former Assemblyman Neil Cohen, who resigned this week amid a child porn investigation, “received so many extra payments.”
In addition to Gleisha Givens’ legislative salary, the aide received “eighteen separate payments totaling $23,400 from Cohen’s campaign.” Some of the payments included $500-$700 monthly cellphone reimbursements. (What a plan!)
As the Politicker notes, Cohen barely had any competition in the 2007 race, making Givens’ expenses just a tad little bit odd.
Of course, there must be a reasonable explanation. And the woman who might shed some light on this is campaign treasurer Rosemary McClave, a Virginia Street resident who is also the treasurer for the Democrats’ Hillside school board and council campaigns.
Unfortunately, McClave is on vacation.
Have a nice trip, Rosemary, and don’t forget to bring us back some answers.
Posted in News | No Comments »
The Hillside Township Council last night elected 3rd Ward Councilman John Kulish as its president and 1st Ward Councilman Edward Brewer as vice president.
KULISH |
Councilman-at-large Leonard Gilbert did not seek another term as council president, just as he had promised last week.
Neither Kulish — a registered Republican allied with the Democratic machine — nor Brewer are up for election next year. Could this be a plan to keep the at-large candidates, whose terms expire next spring, under low profile to avoid taking the blame for this year’s (and last’s) property tax increase?
As expected, the two independent council members, the 2nd Ward’s Shelley-Ann Bates and the 4th Ward’s Gerald “Pateesh” Freedman, were not appointed to any council committees.
It has long been a show of force by the majority party on the council and Board of Education to excluded opposition members from committees, although the practice seems a bit odd. First of all, being on a committee isn’t fun. It means extra work and extra meetings. Secondly, all final decisions are made by the full council or school board, not by a committee. And finally, not being on any committee sure makes it a lot easier to sit back and be the critic.
In any event, President Kulish told Freedman and Bates not to be concerned about the lack of assignments, promising them they’d be kept busy “up to their necks” in the upcoming year.
In other news:
Richard Bauch, of Democratic moneybag firm Schenck, Price, Smith & King, and Kathy Hatfield are in as Personnel Attorneys
Robert Renaud was reappointed as Special Tax Appeal Attorney
Steve Rogut is the Bond Attorney
Samuel Manigault is the Public Defender
Francis McIntyre is in a Special Township Attorney for the Board of Health
Harbor Consultants are still the Township Engineers
Ed Kologi and Michael Simitz are Special Township Attorneys
Daniel McCarthy is Special Township Attorney
Robert Varady, a resident of King Street, is the ABC attorney
Diane Rowe was reappointed as Deputy Township Clerk
Supee, Clooney and Co. are the auditors again
Anthony L. Acampora, M.D., who Kulish noted was his doctor, was appointed to complete all pre-employment physicals
Hugh Keffer is the night prosecutor and Lara DiFabrizio is the day prosecutor
Adam Samiec was brought on again as an engineering consultant.
Appointments to boards included the usual suspects:
Local Assistance Board: Rev. Nancy Ruckert and Ann Kaufman
Board of Health: Alan Zimmerman, Rosemary McClave, Debbie Stroud
Zoning Board of Adjustment: Joe Miskiewicz, Nagy Sileem, Chales Watts
Swimming Pool Commission: Paula Reico
Community Recreation Advisory Council: Frederick Bloomfield
Posted in Township Hall | 5 Comments »
Township employees and the political party machine that controls Hillside’s government depend on each other.
The politicians keep the employees in their plum jobs with full benefits and pension — and the employees, some of whom don’t live in town, help the politicians win their elections.
According to former members of the Hillside Democratic Committee, township workers are encouraged and informally expected to participate in the political process.
Party officials keep a list of all township workers who live in Hillside. Workers are called up and reminded to vote the party line and signs are placed on their front lawns, sometimes without permission.
Township workers can also be seen on election day serving as polling place challengers or passing out literature.
They also contributed some of their government salaries last year to the HDC’s $60,000 war chest.
Below is a list of township employees, where they live, their contributions to the HDC last year and their estimated 2007 salaries.
Police Chief Robert Quinlan, of Lebanon — Contribution: $75 — Salary: $159,686
John Baum, of Newton, a police officer — Contribution: $50 — Salary: $86,068
Township Clerk Janet Vlaisavljevic, of Fairbanks Street — Contribution: $150 — Salary: $121,507
Health Director Elizabeth Geminder, of Berkely Heights — Contribution: $150 — Salary: $107,777
Chief Financial Officer Marie Pardo, of Yale Avenue — Contribution: $100 — Salary $98,718, including $3,333 for preparing a monthly treasurer’s report for the Hillside Board of Education
UEZ Coordinator Yves Auborg, of Roselle — Contribution: $75 — Salary: $84,395
Gasper La Rocca, health inspector — Contribution: $75 — Salaries: $30,385 from Hillside and $68,172 from Union Township
Diane Rowe, deputy municipal clerk, of Salem Avenue — Contribution: $75 — Salary: $79,155
William McClave, a DPW supervisor, of Howell — Contribution: $75 — Salary: $74,758
Damiao Pinto, a DPW worker, of Silver Avenue — Contribution: $75 — Salary: $72,975
Barbara Pellettiere, a clerk typist, of Church Street — Contribution: $75 — Salary: $51,603
Recreation Director David Klurman, of Edison — Contribution: $75 — Salary: $77,548
Peter Krill, a code officer, of Purce Street — Contribution: $75 — Salary: $58,551
Grzegorz Basara, a maintenance worker, of Salem Avenue — Contribution: $75 — Salary: $59,160
Philip Amato, a maintenance worker, of Salem Avenue — Contribution: $75 — Salary: $53,083
Barbara Spann, a tax assessor’s clerk typist, of Highland Avenue — Contribution: $75
Brigitte Volaro, an account clerk, of Union — Contribution: $75
Other contributions to the HDC included $75 from Virginia Street resident Rosemary McClave, who earns over $101,000 as the CFO of Teterboro. McClave is also the HDC’s treasurer and has relatives employed by Hillside Township.
Arthur Kobitz, an HDC operative and resident of Trinity Place, donated $150. He earns about $68,000 at the Union County DPW.
Posted in Pay, Play & Tax, Township Hall | 5 Comments »
