To the editor:
As many readers know, the mayor and council are trying to bring a Stockton satellite campus to Hammonton. I have been searching for documents that reveal how the mayor will pay for this project, to no avail.
After all, the $250,000 that we may get from the Federal government is only one-sixteenth of the $4 million estimate the mayor gave to the newspapers.
At the most recent council meeting, the mayor and council seemed to dance around my direct questions regarding the project's total cost.
I've made two Open Public Records Act requests to obtain the grant applications, the project's budget and an understanding of the role of the downtown advocate. These requests have gone unanswered, despite the valiant efforts of the Town Clerk's office.
Such silence makes us wonder what is actually going on and if, perhaps, Hammontonians will be saddled with $3.75 million or more of new taxes, despite some promises to the contrary.
The next step was scouring the Internet for hidden information, and, not surprisingly, I found some interesting items. First, I found a letter signed by the mayor requesting funds in the amount of $650,000 on Congressman LoBiondo's Web site. The letter, dated Feb. 24, never mentioned Stockton. Instead, the letter discussed the project goals as the acquisition and renovation of blighted sites in the downtown. The letter goes on to state:
"This project will make the region a magnet for business development, higher education, arts and culture."
The letter also mentions an attached budget and appropriation request form. It indicates that an actual budget exists, yet, for some unknown reason, the mayor and council will not release it. I asked about how this letter evolved into a satellite campus, but the mayor would not answer.
So I continued my investigation. On the Stockton Web site, I found a joint press release issued by the mayor and the president of Stockton.
This press release states: "...according to the Federal Appropriations Request form submitted by the town to LoBiondo, Lautenberg and Menendez, 'Positive effects of rehabilitating these buildings and locating private business entities, along with a college campus (Stockton) and an arts museum in this area...'"
This has only led to a new host of questions. Where is this federal appropriation request and why won't the mayor and council release it? Why is this press release so different from the letter submitted to Congressman LoBiondo? Who are these private business entities mentioned and when did an arts museum become part of the project? Is the arts museum included in the $4 million estimate that the mayor gave? Are the mayor and council laying the foundation for a massive tax increase to pay for all of this?
I find it disturbing that the mayor and council hide behind a veil of secrecy. Even more disturbing is the deafening silence of my opponents. So, I reissue my challenge to three live, televised debates. Perhaps the public will finally hear their positions on Campus-gate and other financial issues like the removal of dirt from town projects for private development and the closing of Kessler Hospital.
This frivolous spending and backroom dealing must end. When elected, my running mates -- Mike Ammirato, Jim Scarpato and Carmen Villani -- and I will keep the public fully informed on project spending. We will encourage higher education by allowing colleges to use pre-existing classroom space. Most importantly, we will not expose the taxpayers to the financial risk posed by expensive vanity projects.
This November, let's make the right choice.
Joseph Ingemi
Democratic candidate for mayor
Hammonton
