Workforce Board Draws Gabor’s Ire, Fears Future Job Fund Ramifications

CREST HAVEN – One in name only, Atlantic Cape Workforce Investment Board (WIB), is not working for Cape May County as it should, freeholders believe.
Cape May County freeholders are dissatisfied with the executive director; and concerned that inaction awarding vendor contracts may cost the county state employment training funds.
In light of those concerns, freeholders agreed to have Freeholder Kristine Gabor write to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Atlantic County officials about the board.
At the Sept. 22 meeting Gabor, who volunteered to be WIB liaison since June when the bi-county agency reorganized, reported on “issues we are currently having with the Workforce Investment Board.”
That agency funnels state employment training dollars to vendors who train persons on welfare, and others, in order that they can become employed and off welfare rolls.
Such a contract for $130,900 was approved by Atlantic County Board of Chosen Freeholders June 16. It was to start July 1 and continue through June 30, 2016 with Jersey Cape Diagnostic Training and Opportunity Center, a not-for-profit entity in the Crest Haven Complex. Atlantic County’s freeholders control funding that is channeled to Cape May County.
The contract was never awarded. Thus, persons in need of training to join the workforce are receiving welfare money, but the all-important facet, training, is absent.
Gabor fears that will hurt the county when state officials look over the program’s numbers. They may wonder what’s been done with funding meant for training, or why large sums remain unspent.
Gabor and Sara Maloney, department head, Cape May County Department of Social Services, attended the June 25 WIB reorganization at Stockton University.
According to minutes of that meeting, “Ms. Maloney asked if the contract was with the WIB or Atlantic County and the answer was the WIB. She also asked why funds are appropriated to Cape May County but not allocated. (Chairman Riaz) Rajput then asked that a discussion take place after the meeting to resolve the matter.”
“Sara Maloney stated that her agency as well as providers will be negatively impacted if WFNJ (Work First New Jersey) contracts are funded in Cape May County. She commented that her agency has not received information about who will provide said services in Cape May County. She also stated that it will impact provider’s ability to collect on a performance based contract if the program starts late. Maloney suggested the fax poll is vague with short time frames for procurement and noted she is uncomfortable with voting in that fashion.
“She would like to be giving more information prior to voting so intelligent and informed decisions can be made.” She was informed that those fax polls were approved by the board, since it meets quarterly.
Issues in that county’s purchasing department “which negatively impacted the release and due dates…the contract administrator did her best under the circumstances to secure reviewers, evaluate and submit recommendations to the (Atlantic County) freeholder board in a short time frame in an attempt to have programs started July 1.”
At the Sept. 22 Cape May County freeholders’ meeting, Gabor said, “The Atlantic Cape May WIB has failed to submit the RFP (request for proposal) in order for us to have service providers in Cape May County which caused a severe problem with us being able to fulfill responsibilities to people in the county.
“This is an overall failure of the director of WIB (Rhonda Lowery); there is no other way to put it. Things were supposed to be done, they were not. We asked for a response. We received none. This has been a continual, historical problem with the WIB and why we are having so many difficulties that are continuing.”
Lowery’s Position
Executive Director Rhonda Lowery stated:
“Beginning with the competitive bid process. The process was completed in June and there was a WFNJ provider that was to get the contract to provide services in Cape May as of July 1, 2015. When Jersey Cape Diagnostics, Inc. received the rejection letter, for failure to bid on all activities, the agency submitted an appeal letter. Upon receiving this letter, the intended provider was then notified that we would not be able to move forward with their contract as scheduled.
“Then, Jerry Delrosso, Atlantic County administrator, received a request for a meeting. He then scheduled the meeting with George Plewa, Jersey Cape Diagnostic Inc.; Patricia Devaney, director of Human Services; Freeholder Gabor, Sara Maloney, WFNJ and me.
“At this meeting the county listened to their concerns and had a discussion about how to address their issues. We agreed that Patricia Devaney would send us their recommendations for the type of hybrid contract that they would like to see. Also, Sara Maloney was to meet to discuss the transition of the “To Work” case management activity to the Atlantic Cape May Workforce Development Board.
“We then scheduled a follow up meeting with everyone. This meeting was attended by everyone except Sara Maloney. At this meeting we agreed to the hybrid terms of the competitive bid that would be released in Cape May County for both WFNJ and Out-of-school Youth.
“By the way, since there was no provider for out-of-school youth services and the new Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act law requires that 75 percent of my youth funding be spent on out-of-school youth, The WDB begun a new out-of-school program in both Counties called the R.E.A.L. Program. So there were services for the out-of-school youth available in Cape May County. At this meeting, a request was made to have the draft competitive bids sent to Patricia Devaney for review and approval of the competitive bid language before it was released. Hence, we have just gotten final approval of the language for the out-of-school youth competitive bid from Cape May County and we sent it to our purchasing department for release Sept. 24, 2015.
“We have completed the draft of the WFNJ competitive bid for Cape May County and have forwarded it to Sara Maloney for review and approval of the competitive bid language. And as of today, I have not heard anything from Sara Maloney about the transition of the To Work case management component of WFNJ to the Atlantic Cape May Workforce Development Board.
“I have also hired a coordinator, Alicia Oatman, who is at the Cape May County One Stop Career Center (Wildwood) full time since March 31, 2015. I have informed everyone at the meeting, as well as the full WDB meeting, that she is available to speak and work with them to address any concerns in Cape May.
“The Atlantic Cape May Workforce Development Board as well as Atlantic County government has been trying to work cooperatively with Cape May County to provide the best services that we can. If they, feel as though we have not done so, they should have contacted us ‘again’ to schedule a meeting or have a conversation with us rather than expressing their concerns at public meetings.”
Thornton: “Going on For Years”
“This has been going on literally for years,” said Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton, who once was liaison to the Department of Human Services and former Board of Social Services.
“I have fought this battle so many times with WIB. I never thought we were treated fairly as far as Cape May County,’ he continued. “Many years ago, I made a formal complaint to the feds and the state. I remember the situation with Job Connections in Rio Grande which was a very good organization.
“It had the second or third most successful rate with jobs programs in the state, and they just arbitrarily decided they weren’t going to fund it anymore, and said the funding wasn’t available. I kept asking for audits, probably over six months and was never given the courtesy of an audit,” Thornton continued.
He then went to George Plewa, of Jersey Cape Diagnostic Training and Opportunity Center, a long-time WIB executive board member, for assistance. Thornton said, “He did an audit and found they shorted us out of $500,000 that was supposed to be for Job Connection. That was a major issue and it continues. We have never gotten our fair share. Initially I thought the problem was me being somewhat jaundiced, so I asked Will Morey to take it (WIB liaison). He did, and came back and said “This isn’t working very well. Then I asked Kristine (Gabor).”
“We have the people who have the need,” added Gabor. “We have a board that is inept and incapable of providing services to Cape May County because they strictly pay attention to Atlantic County, and Cape May County is not receiving its fair share that we need and are forced by law to be combined with Atlantic County due to our (population) numbers. But we are severely ignored.”
Gabor added that the local “representative” in the Wildwood One Stop Jobs program office, “is an Atlantic County resident. Our residents are never considered in line for a dollar for the Atlantic County WIB.”
“We used to have our own WIB,” Gabor told the Herald. “And were forced to combine with Atlantic County due to our population being under 100,000. I am already proceeding with a letter to the state Department of Labor and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, as well as a personal phone call.
“I would certainly be interested if we have the opportunity to change that rule since it is obvious that the only people who have the best interest of Cape May County at heart are those of us in Cape May County,” she said.
Gabor was unable, due to a schedule conflict, to attend the WIB Sept. 24 meeting, which Maloney attended.
At that meeting, Maloney told the Herald, when she asked questions about the subject she was told by Lowery it was “not the appropriate forum” in which to ask such questions.
“There is no other forum for discussion since Sara’s requests to Ms. Lowery go unanswered,” said Gabor. “The board, as well as taxpayers, has a right to know what public funded entities are doing, or in this case not doing, to serve the needs of their community. We want to fulfill our obligations to our residents and are only asking for the ability to do so,” she concluded.
Maloney’s Perspective
“There is a lack of communication. It’s difficult to receive responses,” Maloney told the Herald.
The clients affected by the WIB’s inaction are those on General Assistance, (single individuals) and TANF (Temporary Aid to Needy Families) those with children, and youths and adolescents (in and out-of-school) who need skill training to become employed.
In short, her department evaluates a client. If they are able to work, they are referred to a vendor to “get into a work activity.” Those vendors are contracted by the WIB.  Vendors make application to WIB to provide services.
“Currently we are working without a vendor,” Maloney said.
“Typically what happened in Cape May County, that contract was awarded to Jersey Cape Diagnostic Training and Opportunity Center,” she said.
The contract should have begun July 1, it did not happen.
As a result, clients are getting cash assistance, are being assessed, but there is nowhere to refer those individuals for training.
Further impacts of the inaction are those clients with children whose child care is paid by Quality Care. Without a training place for the adult, there is no need for paid child care, so those child care providers also are impacted.
“My fear is WIB receives money to do Work First New Jersey. The money is not getting spent. If it’s not spent entirely would our appropriation go down (in the future?),” Maloney said.
“I got no answer from the director. I reached out in August and didn’t receive an answer. I attended the WIB meeting this morning (Sept. 24) and when I raised my concerns I was told it was not the appropriate forum to discuss them, that the director would speak to me at a time after the meeting.
“I asked what was the appropriate forum, since it was my understanding WIB approves contracts,” she continued.
“She (Lowery) stopped for a minute and said, ‘Well, it is the appropriate forum, I just don’t think it needs to take up time with all the other WIB members,” Maloney said.
“If I don’t receive a response, it’s difficult to navigate or know how to move forward,” she said. “She replied I would meet with her tomorrow (Sept. 25). I said OK,” said Maloney.
Plewa’s Perspective
“Cape May County is working with WIB to design contracts that are more reflective of this county’s needs,” said Plewa in a telephone interview Sept. 25.
“One size doesn’t fit all. Cape May County officials say we need changes made,” he said after citing the population difference between the two counties.
Atlantic County’s population is “three to four times more than here. They are geared to a higher volume of people than our programs,” Plewa said.
“Cape May County is taking an affirmative stance on saying ‘We think contracts and programs could be more effective if we made them more Cape May County friendly. That is the goal,” said Plewa.
His center, which still has no WIB contract, provides training for Welfare to Work and out-of-school youths.
“We are not operating because these contracts have not been concluded,” he continued.
According to his April 30 figures, the latest available, there were 88 enrolled in four youth programs and 154 individuals in Welfare to Work programs for a total of 373 Cape May County persons served by his agency funded by WIB.
He said between 1,500 and 1,800 persons are served by WIB program partners. Locally, “We are a majority,” he said.