James Grenafege

September 2, 2008
Press Conference

    My name is Jim Grenafege. I am running for a seat on the Middletown Township committee because I want the people of Middletown to have the quality government they deserve. Middletown’s governing majority has mismanaged this township’s financial and governmental affairs for too long. My running mate, Patricia Walsh and I, intend on joining fellow Democrats Patrick Short and Sean Byrnes on the Committee to make this township as financially stable and well run as it can be.

    Anyone who is a candidate, or an elected official, should have a business background to be most effective. As a recently retired professional consultant and human resources manager, I have the necessary business experience to help bring fiscal responsibility back to this governing body, and most importantly leadership that the governing majority lacks.

    Mismanagement is symptomatic of poor leadership. As a whole, the employees of Middletown are one of its greatest assets. These people are there to be hands-on; and, if there aren’t leaders providing a vision and giving direction to their work, short sighted action is taken and inefficiencies occur.

    A perfect example of this leadership gap is the real estate revaluation project. Township Tax Assessor Charlie Heck was tasked to manage this project for this township last year. And, at the last minute, it appears the project fell apart. He decided on his own not to submit the required data. The governing body said they did not know anything about it; making it perfectly clear that no one provided direction, or gave oversight to this project while it was going on. There was no communication; there was no leadership; there was no accountability in this revaluation. Rather than a reprimand following this fiasco, Mr. Heck was rewarded by keeping his job. Mr. Heck is either incompetent or insubordinate, and definitely not worthy of positive reinforcement from the township’s administration. The governing majority of the township committee took no accountability for their lack of leadership on the project.

    As it stands now there is tacit approval for Mr. Heck’s unilateral action. As a matter of record our Deputy Mayor, at a township meeting, voiced approval for Mr. Hecht’s actions. This sends a message to other township employees that it is OK to act on your own and not finish projects; that it is OK to make million dollar decisions without informing those directly above you and without informing the township’s elected officials. That it is OK for the governing majority to be completely out-of-touch on a major project that affects every one in the township. Essentially, that it is OK not to be accountable for the consequences of your actions. Well it isn’t OK. Convenient accountability, convenient integrity and convenient leadership are totally unacceptable.

    Every professional, including the administrator, on the Township payroll must be led and managed and understand how they fit into the vision and goals for the Township, and be able to perform and act accordingly.

    When my running mate and I are elected to the Committee, there will be stronger leadership; and there will be accountability, integrity, clearer goals and measureable results.

    No one likes to pay taxes and no one likes to pay more than they should. The whole idea of the revaluation was to ensure that everyone was paying his or her fair share. And as a result of Mr. Heck’s actions this didn’t happen and inequities still exist.

    This revaluation was not just a suggestion from the state: It is the law and the law was not obeyed. Nothing has been done to ensure that the vital function of government does not fall apart again. If anything, the approval of unilateral action on the part of a manager without regard for the consequences has been reinforced by a few in the governing majority.

    It is time to elect leadership that is accountable, and able to do what is legal and right for this township. Middletown’s lack of leadership has failed us as a community, and has put the municipality in a position where it is not in full legal compliance. Middletown’s current committee has failed in its most primary function of ensuring that the township is legally compliant at all times.

    Along with my running mate Patricia Walsh and current committeemen Sean Byrnes and Patrick Short, I am committed to bring the leadership to the governing body that the citizens of Middletown deserve.