County Democratic party boss takes jab at GOP leader

Newton - After accusing local election officials of backroom “shenanigans,” the county’s Democratic Party boss has stepped into the ring against his Republican counterpart. Howard Burrell, the Sussex County Democratic Party chairman, said GOP Party leader Rich Zeoli is creating a “diversionary sideshow” to deflect public attention away from allegations that the Sussex County Board of Elections created a part-time administrative position to keep a pension active. The allegations of “behind-the-scenes” misconduct included both Republicans and Democrats on the four-member elections panel. “Recent allegations of improper - and maybe illegal - tampering with our county’s board of elections process dealt a major blow to Sussex County’s confidence in the fairness of our county’s election board,” said Burrell. “That confidence took an even greater, more public and embarrassing blow when Republican Chairman Zeoli dragged out an honorable Sussex County citizen and used him as a prop to his ongoing effort to take complete control of our county’s election board.” Burrell was referring to Greg Kresge, the Hamburg chief of police, whom Zeoli introduced at a press conference last week as his choice to fill an upcoming vacancy on the elections board. The board is made up of four members, two Republicans and two Democrats, and is charged with supervising elections in the county. “This person is Rich Zeoli’s hand-picked candidate,” said Burrell of Kresge. “Mr. Zeoli has no legal authority to bring forth a candidate to the board of elections. It’s like having an athletic director bring a candidate for superintendent before the board of education.” Kresge, a former U.S. Marine and substitute teacher, will retire as chief of police on March 30. He is fully vested in the state’s police and fire pension system and will not accept the county’s health benefits. Burrell’s allegations go beyond the appointment of a new board member. He also questions whether the election board is guilty of misconduct because it made what he calls a questionable deal to create a part-time position to groom a successor to the current administrator, Joann Williams. In December, the elections board asked the county freeholders to create the part-time administrative position and name Stanhope Mayor Brian McNeilly, a Republican, to fill it, with the understanding that he would groom the eventual new election board administrator. Audio tapes of the meeting reveal that the commissioners believed it was important for McNeilly to take on his new role by the end of 2005, so that his participation in the state pension program would not expire. The discussion raised a red flag with Burrell, who began to believe the job was being created solely for pension purposes. “To create a position purely for the purposes of making a person eligible to draw a pension from the taxpayers of New Jersey is illegal,” said Burrell. “There have been quite a few calls and letters from voters in Sussex County who are appalled at this.” Burrell also said one of the election board commissioners, Democrat Joe Kelso, told him that he and incoming elections board commissioner David Mortimer made a deal to hire McNeilly. He said Zeoli took part in those discussions. “Rich Zeoli has been called an intelligent, but very arrogant young man,” said Burrell, who has been trying painstakingly to make inroads for his party in the Republican dominated county. “It’s another example of what can happen when one group controls the entire show. There are no check and balances.” Zeoli said he never supported creating a position to save a pension or “pension padding,” a practice used to promote a government official before retirement. McNeilly, 40, who decided to decline the job last month, has denied any wrongdoing. Burrell is asking the offices of the state and U.S. attorneys to investigate the matter. “Official misconduct is the unauthorized exercise of official functions to obtain a benefit,” said Burrell, who has asked Megan Ward, the Byram Township attorney and Democratic Party vice chair, to look into the matter. “We will provide the appropriate authorities with evidence gathered to date and request their investigation of this conduct and action to protect the functions of the Sussex County Board of Elections and the election process in our county.” Burrell said he also wants authorities to look into the redistricting of portions of Sussex County by local Republicans and their appointees. He said the investigation has the support of the all-Republican Board of Freeholders. “We have to encourage people to step out and do the right thing,” said Burrell. “Your allies don’t always have to have the same political designation that you have.”