HAMMONTON BLOG

Date: 08:22 AM Feb 17, 2010

Is the guarantee of no new taxes in jeopardy?

Date: 10:01 AM Feb 17, 2010

Don't we have a supposed $11 million dollar surplus we can tap into. Or was this just more propaganda and the Town is really broke.

Mayor Steve should just lay it all out, admit to the lies of the last 4 years and just start a clean slate. He may actually earn some respect out of this mess.

While he's at it, reform HF. Get rid of the "I'm better than you" crown and their deep pockets.

He will be more popular than his brother ever was.

Date: 10:16 AM Feb 17, 2010

I like Steve because he always keeps his promises. No new taxes! Yeah!

Date: 10:37 AM Feb 17, 2010

he did not say "no new taxes" in either article. Actually, he expressed concern over the potential reduction in state aid. All that Sam Rodio said was that the budget will be balanced. That does not sound like no new taxes.

Plus, they are not getting 500K from the water/sewer this year like they did last year. Has the long-term debt even been issued for the Town Hall yet?

People would like steve more if he just faced the fact that Hammonton is not immune from economic reality and even well-run towns eventually have to pay the bills.

Date: 10:44 AM Feb 17, 2010

I think HF will use the snow as an excuse to raise taxes but that's not the real issue. They claim to have cut spending but they did the exact opposite. While other towns furloughed employees instead of laying off and put a temporary hold on all city projects instead of cutting services and raised taxes to keep a balance so that when taxes did need to go up it wouldn't be unaffordable HF did the opposite. Our public schools are faced with the same cuts but notice they are functioning as business as usual - no cuts in anything. Makes you wonder if their claim of debt down surplus up is the truth doesnt' seem that way. While these business people might be good at managing their money they are very wreckless and careless with ours. Another question we need to ponder is that if HF is doing so great with the finances then why do they only serve one term and leave office? Why not continue what they started instead of having new inexperienced people run every year?

Date: 10:49 AM Feb 17, 2010

It seems as though all New Jersey cities and towns who are being audited they are finding all kinds of mistakes, wasteful spending, money disappearing etc. Maybe that's what this town needs for the truth to be revealed since we can't get a straight answer from HF and the documents are kept sealed. Where are the figures on the new town hall why is this such a secret?

Date: 10:54 AM Feb 17, 2010

Anonymous wrote:

I like Steve because he always keeps his promises. No new taxes! Yeah!

Steve and his running mates made a promise that if all were elected there would be NO tax increase for the 5th year in a row. I think many people saved that ad to make sure he would never raise taxes and if he did that means he lied to the people.

Date: 10:59 AM Feb 17, 2010

I don't think that it is such a big secret what poor shape the town is in. The audits prove it...

if someone read the audit reports from 2006-2008 (2009 has not been done yet) that under Note 17 in the Capital Debt section our total issued debt was
31 million in 2004
35 million in 2005
37 million in 2006
39.6 million in 2007
43 million in 2008
(This does not include the 1 million borrowed for Boyer Ave fields)

The reader may also find the following information in Exhibit A-1 of each audit
in 2006 our excess revenue (operating surplus) was 2.7 million and of that we spent 1.7 million
in 2007 our excess revenue was 2.4 million and we spent 2.8 million
in 2008 our excess was 1.7 million and we spent 2.3 million

So in 2007 and 2008, we not only spent all of our operating surplus, actually dipped into savings.

I think people just don't want to believe it out of fear of what it really means...financial disaster. HF has always been willing to indulge this fantasy.

We will have to see if Steve is different and if he really believes what he says about open government.

Date: 11:00 AM Feb 17, 2010

If HF did anything shady with the finances is the Financial Oversight Committee liable?

Date: 11:54 AM Feb 17, 2010

Anonymous wrote:

If HF did anything shady with the finances is the Financial Oversight Committee liable?

Aren't their family members the ones who made up the Financial Oversight Committee? This town has a huge burden of debt. You can't keep borrowing so you can keep spending - it doesn't work in the private sector, it doesn't work in small business, corporate business or in local, county, state and federal governments. They can't blame Trenton and the Federal governments for how Hammonton is being run because you can never count on money from them and they should have known this before starting all these unnecessary projects that do not help the struggling taxpayers. The Canoe Club is never in use what a waste. ALL OF THIS WASTEFUL SPENDING AT EVERY LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT HAS TO STOP IT'S OUT OF CONTROL!!!!

Date: 12:28 PM Feb 17, 2010

Off the subject: why does Hammonton First have a citizen of the month? What is there motive? Remember before the last election the mayor was giving out awards to the fire dept. etc? This reminds me so much of what Kessler Hospital used to do, honor their board members every months with plaques. LOL

Date: 01:00 PM Feb 17, 2010

Anonymous wrote:

Off the subject: why does Hammonton First have a citizen of the month? What is there motive? Remember before the last election the mayor was giving out awards to the fire dept. etc? This reminds me so much of what Kessler Hospital used to do, honor their board members every months with plaques. LOL

Who were the chosen? Family members? People whose votes they bought? Then there is your answer. They will just find new ways of telling each other how great they are and using their political office to do so. A waste of time and resources.

To the victors goes the spoils.

Date: 02:03 PM Feb 17, 2010

If Steve were smart, he would turn HF into a civic group. It has such a bad reputation as a political party. There are a lot rumors around Hammonton and the rest of the towns and county laugh at us.

The people that stay in the civic group can work with the two major parties.

Steve has a golden opportunity to restart the clock on the mess that the Town is in and the local political scene.

No one will laugh at him again.

Date: 02:06 PM Feb 17, 2010

Wait a minute Steve can't raise taxes.....

Steve, Jerry, Tom, and Mickey have worked closely with the current Mayor and Council and are guaranteeing that taxes will not increase for a fifth straight year under their leadership, in 2010.

Date: 03:35 PM Feb 17, 2010

Anonymous wrote:

If Steve were smart, he would turn HF into a civic group. It has such a bad reputation as a political party. There are a lot rumors around Hammonton and the rest of the towns and county laugh at us.

The people that stay in the civic group can work with the two major parties.

Steve has a golden opportunity to restart the clock on the mess that the Town is in and the local political scene.

No one will laugh at him again.

My guess is that the people they vote for person of the month are the people they want to run on their ticket - they are just using these people and they are dumb enough to accept that title of which means nothing.
Steve needs to fix the mess his stuck up brother made and the most important thing he can do is to break away from the washed up puppet master before he takes Steve down with him. It's amazing how all these wealthy business men allow a half of a women boss them around!

Date: 11:15 PM Feb 17, 2010

If the state and federal governments want to cut our funding someone from Hammonton First needs to call Trenton and Washington and say "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?" Then they won't cut our funding. Opps forgot that only works in Hammonton anywhere outside of Hammonton no one gives a flying rats ass who you are or what your last name is or how much money you have. Oh well I guess we're screwed then!

Date: 09:23 AM Feb 18, 2010

Our town does nothing to recoup money or save money. First of all Stockton should pay rent to use our public high school. Second we have town codes that should be enforced just driving around there are many violators with junk cars in peoples yards, farm animals in residential areas, people not keeping their property clean, 15 people living in a 3 bedroom house etc etc. we are starting to look like little Camden. Third during the Red, White and Blueberry festival they should charge for parking and use that money to pay for the police that day same goes for other events such as Cruisin Main St. and the Carnival. Why should the taxpayers have to pay for these events? Fourth the third floor of the new town hall is mostly vacant - waste of space and money. Fifth maybe they should put parking meters downtown since the taxpayers had to pay to renovate the privately owned properties to attract customers we need to recoup that money. The taxpayers are paying for things that are only benefiting a certain few and it's uncalled for. Stop criticizing Trenton for wasteful spending when you're guilty of it yourself!

Date: 05:05 PM Feb 18, 2010

Steve D acted like a buffoon at the ACUA hearing. Like a fat dumb goodfella he will sign anything. Hey Steve this isn't goodfella's and your aren't fat Clamenza you are fatter and possibly dumber. Steve everyone is laughing at you because you are a joke and embarrassment to the town of Hammonton.
Hey stupid what will happen when Cumberland looses all the debris from Atl. Co. they will raise rates. So our rates will "mirror" that increases. Steve you are a fool and you will be the end of HF>

Date: 10:40 AM Feb 19, 2010

Did anyone ever notice that when politicians screw up it's always the taxpayers and employees who have to take the hit. Politicians never take the hit in fact they are the ones who benefit from their bad decisions. Example: we had plenty of money to build poor quality town hall, we had plenty of money to build a senior center that had more change orders because they didn't know what they were doing. Then we had plenty of money to run water and sewer to the bowling alley but told everyone it was for the Boyer Ave fields. No wonder why King Eddie bailed! Notice too that our mayor and council still collect a paycheck from the town why? Aren't they making enough money off of us that they have to take a salary too? Some of them already have county and state jobs which means taxpayers are already giving them a salary, health benefits and a big fat pension. When is it enough? The taking never ends! Oh and don't forget about the airport dirt!