Essex Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. in State of the County affirms government role as safety net
By Philip Read/The Star-Ledger
February 16, 2010, 9:30PM
ESSEX
COUNTY -- Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. tonight gave his seventh "State of the
County" address as Essex County’s chief executive, using the platform to affirm
government’s role as a safety net at a time when one out of every five of its
citizens are on public assistance.
"Imagine that — one out of five," DiVincenzo said of those from city to suburb coming to Essex County’s welfare division for everything from food stamps to temporary assistance for needy families.
In a well-orchestrated event before hundreds of his political faithful at the Essex County Hospital Center in Cedar Grove, DiVincenzo talked up his administration’s early belt-tightening and ability to tap new revenue streams in lean economic times.
"Due to our foresight, we were able to present a budget ... that, unlike almost every other government, included no layoffs, no furloughs and no elimination of programs," DiVincenzo said.
The 7-page address — at 4,716 words — left no stone unturned as DiVincenzo embarks on his campaign for an unprecedented third term.
"It turns out to be 40 minutes without applause," county spokesman Anthony Puglisi said before the event of the time it would take to deliver the speech. "And we expect plenty of applause."
The applause did come, but did not mask the sacrifice from Essex’s 3,500 "dedicated employees," as DiVincenzo described them, amid salary freezes and stalemates over union contracts.
David Weiner, president of Communications Workers of America Local 1081, said the state of the county is one of misplaced priorities.
"While the county’s jobless and homeless stand on line out in the cold for assistance, Joe D spends millions on the county’s parks and golf courses," Weiner said. "While hundreds of homeowners face foreclosure, Joe D spends $2 million to house two Gibbons apes in the zoo."
The months leading up to today’s speech, too, were not without some upsets. He took heat for bringing on — amid a hiring freeze — a newly minted, $105,000-a-year superintendent for Essex County’s three golf courses, defending the move by saying it was crucial to bring in new revenue. Protesters carried "Stop-Wait-Inoculate" signs, asserting that Essex had turned its back on a non-lethal alternative as it expanded a deer hunt to more parks.
And a widening election fraud investigation engulfed Freeholder Samuel Gonzalez, husband of DiVincenzo’s deputy chief of staff, as well as Superintendent of Elections Carmine Casciano, a fixture at the Hall of Records.
The speech comes as DiVincenzo is embarking on a re-election campaign with a handsome warchest of $1.04 million. That money is likely to spread much the same message as outlined in tonight’s speech:
• A revenue gain of $20.3 million, including $16.7 million for housing federal inmates and immigration detainees and $2 million from housing juvenile detainees from Passaic County.
• The arrival of appellate judges at the new Leroy Smith Jr. Public Safety Building, a one-time jail whose new tenants will generate $1.7 million in rent and savings.
• The creation of the 2.7-acre Veterans Memorial Park by the government complex in Newark and the acquisition of the financially struggling Presby Memorial Iris Gardens in Montclair via state grants and county open-space funds.
There were mentions of the county’s A-1 bond rating, academic kudos for the vo-tech system and record-setting attendance at the money-making Turtle Back Zoo.
There was also talk of negotiations to acquire 12 acres for a park along the Passaic River in Newark’s Ironbound and the arrival of federal stimulus money to stabilize neighborhoods struck by foreclosures.
"We will continue to reach out to our communities, provide help, educate our children and remain a caring workforce," he said.