FREEHOLDERS SET TO APPROVE ANOTHER $20 MILLION SPENDING TONIGHT

BERGEN COUNTY REPUBLICANS

 CALABRESE HELLER & DUGGAN

Chairman: Bob Yudin

973-403-7836       

201-880-1646

  CONTRACTS TO DONORS INCLUDED    HACKENSACK –The Bergen County Freeholders will continue their spendthrift ways tonight as they  are set to approve more than $20 million in new spending  – including a $552,000 contract for the brother of state Sen. Paul Sarlo. “The all Democrat freeholder board is demonstrating no regard for the taxpayers or the economic times we live in,  says GOP candidate Chris Calabrese a Rutherford businessman, who is running with Paul Duggan of Bogota and Jeffrey Heller of Ramsey. 

Since April the freeholders have borrowed $113.8 million, pushing the county debt to more than $700 million. Currently, financing the debt costs taxpayers $46 million.  

County taxes were increased $23 million this year to help finance a $462 million county budget. Since the Democrats have taken total control of county government in 2003, county spending has increased by $133 million – county the open space and recreation tax, which raises millions more each year.  

Heller said the county is borrowing to pay for non-essential items such as new furniture, carpets and window treatments. 

“Many residents of Bergen County would like to go out and buy new carpet and new furniture, but they can’t – not in these economic times when people are forced to cut expenses,” said Heller. “Why don’t our freeholders recognize the economic times we live in and forego some of these expenses?"  

Duggan noted that “the freeholder board is being extravagant with OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY.” 

Duggan added that besides spending millions of dollars on unnecessary projects, the freeholder board is awarding big contracts to political donors.  

Sen. Sarlo’s brother’s firm DMR Architects  - a major democratic party donor -- will receive a $552,00 for work on a new communications building tonight and another major donor, Maser Consulting – will receive a $482,700 contract for work on the county juvenile detention center. 

“The freeholders are continuing spending vast amounts of taxpayer money to reward their donors,” said Duggan. “There is no financial discipline on the county level and no one is looking over these contracts to determine if the taxpayer are getting a fair deal,” said Duggan.