Jersey City Council Members Lavarro, Fulop, Lopez, and Donnelly call for investigation and intervention of JCIA contract
Will Also Re-Introduce Consolidation Plan as Contract Highlights need for oversight


July 26, 2012- (Jersey City) - One day after the Jersey City Incinerator Authority (JCIA) Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to award a new, five-year contract extension with a 5% salary hike to JCIA?s Chief Executive Officer Oren K. Dabney, Ward E Councilman Fulop, Councilman-at-Large Lavarro, Councilwoman Lopez, and Councilman Donnelly are asking for an immediate investigation from the Attorney General, the resignation of the board members that voted for the contract, and will reintroduce the consolidation ordinance to put the JCIA into city oversight within the Department of Public Works. They will ask the council and mayor to support the appropriate resolutions and ordinances to be added to the next council agenda.

The seven-member JCIA Board voted to approve this contract extension, including a pay increase, despite the fact that Dabney?s current contract is not set to expire until 2014. Despite commissioners and the public never seeing the contract vote was supported by unanimously including a ?yes? vote from Kevin Lyons who works within the mayor?s office in city hall.

?From a basic public policy perspective, there are so many things wrong with what the JCIA Board did last night,? said Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop.

?First, Mr. Dabney?s current contract doesn?t end for another two years and there was no logical reason for this board to vote to give him a 5 year extension at this time, let alone one that carries with it a pay increase. Second, just a few months ago we proposed merging the JCIA and the DPW as an efficiency and cost-saving measure and now we see the reason that the mayor and director opposed it which is pure patronage. We intend to reintroduce that consolidation plan at the next meeting as oversight and accountability is clearly needed? Fulop said.

Councilman Donnelly added, ?This lacks basic leadership when you give yourself a raise while laying off low level employees and not paying basic bills which the tax payers will be carrying for years as the JCIA has been doing. This is just wrong?

?I don?t know how the mayor can say he didn?t know when his own employees sit on the JCIA board. Either he is not engaged in city government or is not being forthright. Either way it?s bad for the city, taxpayers and the average worker at the JCIA .? said Councilman Lavarro.

"Given the scrutiny the agency is under for its mountain of debt, this action by the JCIA board makes absolutely no sense." said Ward C Councilwoman Nidia Lopez.

Lavarro, Lopez, Donnelly and Fulop are going to introduce the ordinances and resolutions at the August 1st City Council Meeting

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