‘Vote the DeMarzo Team Back in Office’

To the Editor,
During the Troiano Era, our taxes were increased by 159 percent, the highest of the 16 municipalities in Cape May County. Troiano bonded the most money to the taxpayers in the history of the City of Wildwood. From April 2005 to March 2006 bonding was done to the tune of $14,422,200 for mostly water/sewer, a recreation center and band shell. In June 2007, bonding in one month totaled $9,857,320 mostly for water/sewer infrastructure. In a Washington Post article dated April 6, 2007, it was stated that our city received $13 million from the USDA, which is given so that the taxpayers are not burdened with the debt, again mostly for water/sewer infrastructure. There were more bonds passed by Troiano that are listed in the clerk’s office.
At a time when most municipalities and large cities are tightening their budgets and renegotiating contracts to affordable levels, contracts were negotiated in the Wildwood police and public works departments, which included step and longevity resulting in 20-40 percent increases. These salaries came with no medical benefits contribution, and before the 2007 election, six supervisors were promoted. Troiano increased the work force by approximately 30 percent to 254 year-round employees, not including seasonal. Troiano is responsible for hiring too many employees, and it is his responsibility for them losing those jobs.
Troiano ignored studies such as the 2002 NJ Department of Treasury, which gave our government a comprehensive management review and consulting service provided by the state at no cost to our town with recommendations such as privatizing trash and recycling; videotaping meetings; reduction in sick leave to 11 days; implement time clocks, etc. DCA Emergency Management Advisors of Fair Lawn did a study with recommendations to merge the fire department with the North Wildwood Department and closing one volunteer department in each town making the town safer, and would save the towns $1.1 million in its first year.
The “Back Bay” deal left our town with a deficit of $2.7 million in the 2009 budget. The JCOW debacle under Troiano’s watch, which cost the taxpayers millions of dollars from lawsuits, resulted in thousands of condos being built that were later cited for insufficient fire codes, etc. Some of these condos had decks that collapsed. I believe that the Uniform Construction Code states that the contractor must abate the violation, but instead our town sued the innocent homeowners, who received occupancy certificates from JCOW, to correct the violation then to come back and sue the city for repayment. DCA’s letter of May 2007 requested Troiano to step down from chairman of JCOW per his conflict of interest status, which was not relayed to the public until months later.
Besides being one of the most conflicted mayors as a contractor and once head of Public Works; volunteer battalion chief negotiating and signing contracts with his son who is a City of Wildwood fireman and president of the FMBA Local 50.
Our city’s governing officials have worked hard to lower our local tax levy (LTL), the money the taxpayers pay. In 16 months in office, our present administration has lowered our LTL from Troiano’s $20.4 million budget to DeMarzo’s $17.1 million decrease of $3.3 million together with implementing the above studies, a solar bay project and working on a road to a financially sound town that has its budget in on time the first of many years. The taxpayers now have the freedom to speak without being intimidated. Vote the DeMarzo team back in office on May 10.
KATHLEEN McCULLOUGH
Wildwood