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Community Corner

It Is a Real Mess in Union County

As the Union County all Democrat Freeholder board turns, it takes a new turn of direction. Current Freeholder incumbent Daniel Sullivan, has resigned his position on the Board to head the Union County Improvement Authority. This is a total waste of money; we don’t need this agency. Union County needs more assistance with Weather Disaster, Employment and Property Tax assistance. As a Freeholder, I am in favor of eliminating this agency as it is spending money on a hopeless cause in Union County.

During his term as both a Freeholder and Chairman of the Board of Chosen Freeholders, Daniel Sullivan has been more of a Bully than a Public Official that supposed to serve the residents of Union County. During his time as Chairman he had people that disagreed with him thrown out of the Freeholder Meeting and calling them losers in the process.

To me if you are suppose to represent people as a Public Official you don’t refer to them as losers. People in this County are fed up with the disrespect and wasteful spending of the current Board of Union County Freeholders. As a result of this, people are moving out of Union County because it too expensive to live here and they see it as a “fat cat” don’t care culture that is Created in Union County. In addition, Berkeley Heights one of the 21 municipalities in Union County is threatening to concede from this County to go to Morris County with other municipalities considering similar moves to other counties as well.

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As a Freeholder, I would presume to make County Government more transparent to residents in Union County. I intend to represent everybody not a select few as who are doing back door dealing as result. The current board doesn’t support redistricting the County Freeholders. I support this great idea. Everyone, who lives in various parts of Union County will receive fair representation instead of the current representation that represents only 11 of the 21 municipalities. I believe that the decision should go to the people to decide their own path not have some people or individuals that so call represent us.

Sullivan, who has been a freeholder since 1995, said today that county lawyers advised him that he could not remain on the freeholder board while overseeing the improvement authority. To fill Sullivan's freeholder seat, the Union County Democratic Committee will submit a list of candidates to the freeholders. All signs have indicated that the Democrats would appoint Sergio Granados, 25, of Elizabeth, who was nominated in the June primary as one of the candidates along with incumbents Linda Carter of Plainfield and Bette Jane Kowalski of Cranford to the Freeholder seat.

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The problem with that is he hasn’t served on the Board or been elected to this position alone severed any type of Public Service. The questions my running mates and I pose to Sergio are, “What qualification do you have to serve on this board”, “Have you been to other parts of Union County to listen to residents with legitimate concerns they have”, and “Are you going to be an independent voice in the Board or a yes vote for the rest of the Freeholders”.

Ira Geiger

GOP Candidate for Union County Freeholder


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