Who wants Camp Sussex?

Who wants Camp Sussex? Let me get straight to the point. The only person who has been pushing for this acquisition is Vernon’s mayor, Vic Marotta. In 2012, he tried to get Vernon’s Environmental Commission, under the leadership of Craig Williams, to endorse the idea. The commission had a full roster of environmentalists on board at that time and would not endorse the use of the Open Space Trust Fund money for Camp Sussex without due diligence, especially in the face of suspected environmental concerns. There was a lot of public opposition. The mayor promised he would bring information to the council and perform due diligence. Two years passed and no due diligence was done or information presented.

After Craig Williams resigned, Marotta appointed Beverly Budz to chair the Commission. Ms. Budz’s campaign for the purchase, on behalf of the mayor, played out at the council meetings and in the press. Environmental Commission meeting minutes, dated May 13, 2014, clearly indicate the mayor coaching her to solicit the public and sell the idea, while he was telling the council and public the purchase was her idea. Obliging the mayor, her overzealous efforts to sell the idea to the public resulted in some serious misrepresentations about the camp. As the Environmental commission chairperson, she had no environmental questions or concerns.

Many residents spoke against the acquisition of the camp again, and no information or due diligence was presented to the council by Marotta or the Environmental Commission. On June 9, 2014, the Environmental Commission chairperson recommended purchasing Camp Sussex to the Council and Councilmen Lynch, Rizutto, and Wetzel voted to grant the mayor’s request to enter into purchase negotiations. There are two fundamental problems with this issue. Firstly, Camp Sussex is not open space. It is a property with more than 70 buildings in disrepair and needing demolition. There are environmental concerns, such as; asbestos, buried and abandoned fuel tanks, abandoned septic fields, and possibly lead paint. Most residents do not want the cost and burden of building a new park. Secondly, this is the last large trust fund left, approximately $900,000, which has not yet been pilfered by the mayor to balance Vernon’s budget. It is my belief that this project is nothing more than another slush fund for the mayor to use at his discretion. And when the funds run out, he will solicit the same three councilmen to approve emergency bonding to finish the project, citing the environmental concerns at the camp. The state will mandate Vernon to remediate.

Remember Irene and the storms of 2012? The mayor borrowed $1 million for emergency repairs. He used that money at his whim. Not all of the funds were spent on emergency repairs. No bid contracts are allowed when using emergency money. And yes we, the taxpayers, are still paying for that.

The petition to stop the purchase of Camp Sussex, accomplished by members of the Vernon Taxpayers’ Association, was done so the taxpayers could decide on the use of their money. It was necessary because the effort by the mayor and three councilmen was nothing short of a runaway train with no plan, no information, no due diligence, and no cost estimates. He needs that money and is not beyond putting the taxpayers at risk. They would not chance a vote from the public on using the publics’ funds so they challenged the petition in court. The Judge ruled the petition was not applicable for the November 2014 ballot because it had no end time frame on preventing the Open Space Funds from being used. I disagree with that ruling because our form of government, which allows for Initiative and Referendum ballot questions, has a built-in time limit of three years once voted in by the voters.

The mayor and his three council allies, using taxpayers’ dollars for legal fees, prevented a public vote. On Oct. 27, 2014, at the council meeting, the same three councilmen voted to allow the mayor to spend the first money out of the Open Space Fund for two appraisals in anticipation of purchasing of Camp Sussex. However, in a letter dated May 5, 2014, sent by Marotta to Larry Fink of NJDEP, Marotta stated he had already negotiated a purchase price of $510,000 with the owners of Camp Sussex. Currently, the owners owe Vernon over $200,000 in back taxes and $1.95 million dollars in violations. Why is this mayor, with the blessings of Councilmen Lynch, Rizutto, and Wetzel trying so hard to make such a bad deal?

Sally Rinker
President, Vernon Taxpayers Association

Former Mayor, Vernon Township