Brigantine Mayor, Phil Guenther, is OK with stuff like this. After 2 years (barely) of service…Brigantine Police Chief Reed & Fire Chief Weidner are reportedly retiring before mid-Summer. These reports are coming directly from trusted sources within Brigantine City Hall.
Why so hush hush?
Many suggest that these early exits are due to a ‘revolving door practice’ within the Brigantine Police & Fire Departments that provide for a quick run up of salaries.
Inflated Brigantine salaries are used for pension payout formulation.
It all makes sense now. Firefighter Union Chief Tiger Platt & other public employees went ballistic with the appointment of a professional….Public Safety Director… Dan Howard, 3 years ago. This public employee financial trickery would not have happened on Dan Howard’s watch.
Sadly, Howard was gone after a very short honeymoon. Non-stop harassment & threats forced him to exit.
Some Brigantine taxpayers are once again amazed. Some yawn and say, what else is new on ‘The Rock’?
Another Police Chief…and a Fire Chief are getting out……after just getting in…… to cash out BIG-TIME. That’s #11 & #12 you’ll be paying for. At the job for less than 2 years for both of these Brigantine public employees.
Can ya blame them? Brigantine’s REED & WEIDNER wanted their turn…. to inflate their final salary. This gives them a much richer pension….and a greater retirement payout.
We have seen evidence where some public employee compensation was inappropriately…possibly illegally… funneled into BASE PAY….to pump up those pensions even more. Feel free to audit those numbers. It’s right there in black and white.
Remember that $1,900 paid to a Brigantine fireman for ONE DAY of work? Crazy. But 100% true.
‘Why such disdain for 2nd homeowners….and the growing number of struggling Brig full-timers on a fixed income?’ says one local Brigantiner of 43 years.
Why does Mr. Phil Guenther of Brigantine let this scam keep going?
This tradition was started by former City Manager / Public Safety Director; Jim Barber.
Even Real Estate execs are starting to put pressure on 25+ yr Mayor Guenther. Both he, and the public employee unions….are catching much of the heat for the current Real Estate challenges on the island.’Why does he keep this kind of scam alive?’ asked a 30 year resident in the 1st ward. ‘Those who keep quiet about it…or deny it….are equally to blame’
Brigantine taxpayers will now take care of 12 ex-chiefs.
Police Chief involved in dishonorable activity. Walked away with big time payouts. Tim Reed from Smithville, NJ>
- Caught on video, providing false statements about city communication issues under his management
- Involved with deleting archived City Council meetings, that are considered legal public documents.
- Gave pass to Brigantine Fireman Eric Ireland after violently rear-ending stopped Police SUV. No ticket or DUI check. Brigantine taxpayers footed bill to fix rear-end of Police SUV.
- Most recently, Reed approved termination of reporting crime stats to the public.
Will ‘acting’ Chief Bennett be different? Will honorable transparency return to the Brig PD Chief dept? We hope so.
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Has anyone ever answered the question as to why taxpayers paid “out of pocket” for the Eric Ireland accident and not the insurance company?
I don’t think it was ever determined with certainty that the auto repair charge was from the accident.
I was contacted by member of pd..who told me charges for repair would be eventually handled by Ireland…even tho bill showed that city paid for repairs
.. Indirectly..they confirmed to me that those charges were for that rear-ended police suv.
There has to be more to this story than simply leaving after two years with the increased base pay in order to collect increased pension? Call me cynical.
What kind of annual pension are we talking about, why walk about from “money for nothing and the benefits are free”?
Unless the pension payments are “livable” for a Brig Muni Welfare’er it doesn’t make sense that either would give up $40k to $50K in annual Brig Muni Welfare payments along with “senator-like” benefits.
I’m saying there is more to it.
The exit of police chief frugoli was fraught with financial mischief and sexual harassment. Frugoli got big payday….victim got nothing but embarrassment and harassment. See press of Atlantic city article.
http://ogtf.lpcnj.org/2010304Ov//BrigantineLawsuit.pdf
another day in the “Old Boys Club” territory. Nothing will change. Brigantine will be “A Ghost Town” soon.
We have lived in Brigantine since 1955. We have noticed that over the past 25 years the police and firemen union salaries and pensions have soared. In many cases they are higher than in major cities like Philly..
Unless these police and fire union contract loopholes and corruptions are plugged, Iin the future only police and firemen will be able to afford to live in a home in Brigantine fulltime.
Fiscally sound budgets must be passed and union contract loopholes must be removed.
sickening “Corruption” rules the Island of Brigg … hehe- brigg . Fire should be volunteer. PD staff should be reduced “off-season”… compare with Large cities. THIS is lunacy
And WHERE are the volunteer firefighters going to come from? The year round population is too small to get the amount of people required
Want to save some money?
That’s nothing look at what we have paid Dispatchers. That can all be handled with a County 911 System.
What County dispatch system? It doesn’t exist in Atlanric County though it’s been looked into for 20 years. The majority of municipalities have been against it for all that time.
Powerball winner Jan 14 gets $1.5 billion, runner up numbers get choice – $2 million, or your kid gets a BFD job, only work 25 yrs, get a big sick leave $100,000+ payout and move to Key West with an $80 grand yearly pension, free cadillac health bennies for life. Christie was right yesterday in state of state address, public unions are killing NJ and raping middle class. #UNSUSTAINABLE !!!
Wow $80k pension? Why would anyone remain on the job?
Hashtags are for twittter.