Breaking
News: "Tuition Increases At Ocean
County College Are The Highest Of Any County College In NJ, UP An
Alarming 43% In Six Years" - Taxpayers & Students "Pay Dearly" For Bad
Management And Extravagance: Gilmore's Puppet Legislator Wolfe "Is A
Major Part Of The Problem"
OCC Critic Suzanne Penna In Letters
In Press & Observer
Suzanne Penna writes as follows:
The frustration level is very high getting public information
out of the administration at Ocean County College – and it is obvious
they have a lot to hide from the public.
I have attended several Trustees
meetings.
By the time they get to the public part
where questions can be asked, several trustees have already gone home.
Won't Share
Information; Resent Questions From The Public
The remaining administration members are
reluctant to share information and appear to resent my questions even
though I am an Ocean County College student.
One need look no further than the
spending and hiring policies of President Larson, the trustees and a
herd of “administrative” drones working there to know why tuition
increases at OCC are the highest of any county college in NJ, an
alarming 43% in six years.
Levin, Dasti, Leone
Are Trustees
Benefiting From Political Connections
Among the abuses of this board, which is
part of Who’s Who of prominent political patronage recipients
(politically-connected lawyers Harry Levin, Jerry Dasti and Stephen
Leone, to name three), is the creation of useless administrative
positions.
|
Gilmore |
The most visible example is Assemblyman
David Wolfe, one of the most reliable of Republican Chairman George
Gilmore’s political supplicants. In 2003, Assemblyman Wolfe was a
professor of social studies making $97,904.
Trustees Created
Useless Patronage Job For Assemblyman Wolfe, A "Major Part Of The
Problem"
The trustees created the “job” of
Government Relations/External Affairs Liaison for Assemblyman Wolfe in
2004 with a salary of $123,303. Then, without making a public
announcement, the trustees changed Wolfe’s “job” title again in 2005
to Senior Assistant to the President Of Ocean County College.
Assemblyman Wolfe is now one of the
highest paid public employees in New Jersey. His combined 2006
compensation including legislative salary ($49,500), OCC ($132,616)
and benefits ($25,000) is more than $207,000. (The governor’s salary
is $175,000)
Now One Of The Highest
Paid Public Employees In NJ, How Can Wolfe Provide Economical State Government?
|
Wolfe is now one of the highest paid
public employees in NJ |
It is reasonable to ask: How can
Assemblyman Wolfe meet his stated obligation to provide economical and
productive government for Ocean County and New Jersey when he is very
clearly a major part of the problem?
President Jon Larson and the
administration at Ocean County College waste a lot of taxpayers money,
and students, homeowners and other taxpayers pay dearly for their bad
management and extravagance.
This Concludes Observer Letter From Suzanne Penna of Bayville
* *
* * * *
General
Implications Of Waste And Mismanagement
In an earlier statement printed in the
Asbury Park Press, Mrs. Penna spoke to the general implications of the
waste and mismanagement at OCC: "While the state is cutting the
funding for the community college, the administrative 'team' earns
increases of up to 13%; and there were 24% and 26% increases for two
administrators who were said to be changing from 10 month to 12 month
jobs."
Administrators Don't
Pay Towards Their Pensions
Mrs. Penna also pointed out that some
OCC administrative employees, unlike nearly all other public
employees, "don't pay a cent towards their pension plans."
She suggested that "OCC administration
take a year off from salary increases, and start to take
responsibility for a portion of its pension payments, like the
professors or other support staff."
This article prepared for publication on January 15, 2007.
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