Dumont’s supposed unpaid bills to PSE&G were such a marked topic in many press articles while casting political blame and responsibility.  Subsequent to the town meeting with PSE&G, why was it that when Borough Administrator, Frank DeRosa, responded to a resident’s question at the April 19, 2005 meeting of the Dumont Council on our status with PSE&G, there was absolutely no mention in the press that he said that "PSE&G had corrected their errors". 

How did most, if not all, of Dumont’s payments during 2004 somehow fail to be properly accounted for by PSE&G and why did PSE&G send letters to Dumont making it appear that Dumont did not send any payments?  Those  PSE&G letters were the very ones that ended up being politically touted in the press.  Now, we have come to learn that these letters contained statements that were blatantly and clearly wrong, as subsequently alluded to by the Borough Administrator.  He did report, however reluctantly and evasively, that “errors” have been corrected and payments have now been properly credited to the Borough account.  Even the Council’s Finance Chairman, McQuade, who used these PSE&G letters as so-called justification that our town has been totally mismanaged for the past 10 years, was quoted in the Twin-Boro saying “things are not that bad”.   

At this point, serious questions arise as to whether that whole PSE&G fiasco was nothing more than a “smoke and mirrors” farce to make us believe that there had been mismanagement to justify the hiring and appointing of political contributors?  One would be hard pressed to argue that it wasn’t when you see the personal and political relationships among those involved.  

Although highly doubtful, it is possible for all of the following to be coincidence.  You are free to draw your own conclusions. 

First, the PSE&G letters arrived just days after the 2004 elections wherein Democrats took full control of the Dumont Council.  As reported in the press, Democrat Councilman McHale received a faxed resume from his Democratic County boss, Joe Ferriero, for the person who he, in fact, did hire as Borough Administrator.  When this fax was exposed in the press, McHale was quoted saying, “he is his own man”.  To ward off criticism and not be perceived as taking orders from his county boss, McHale is then quoted “Frank DeRosa was referred by Paramus Mayor James Tedesco”. 

Dumont’s Borough Administrator, Frank DeRosa, publicly said that he is related to the Democrat Mayor of Paramus, James Tedesco.  During the meeting held to discuss cleared checks and payment accounting errors with PSE&G on February 4, 2005, the PSE&G representatives were asked who they reported to.  The PSE&G representatives responded that they all reported to a James Tedesco.  According to Frank DeRosa, this James Tedesco is the very same person. 

Dumont's Auditor, Steve Wielkotz, was also the auditor for Paramus.  From the Bergen Record, on June 22, 2005, "Paramus Auditor is Urged To Resign".

"Wielkotz said no one on the Paramus Council ever had any problems with him until an article in The Record last week detailed the Dumont allegations."  Apparently, they saw the connection. 

"It's strictly unadulterated politics," Wielkotz said. "I find it interesting that the day after some ridiculous article is produced in the newspaper that these people (Paramus Council) would try to latch onto it immediately and use it for their own political purposes."

Paramus Mayor James Tedesco, a Democrat, said the Republicans are engaging in nothing more than a political stunt at the beginning of the campaign season.

"There's no grounds to support any action by Paramus," Tedesco said. "All this is pure political posturing by a desperate Republican."

Wielkotz said it is just one particular Dumont council member who is attacking him and that his clients "stand behind me 1,000 percent and that's both Democrats and Republicans."

 If the Dumont Democrats wanted to hire a Borough Administrator, they should have just done so.  They had full control of the Council.  If this was part of their political game plan, they should be ashamed of themselves for orchestrating such a farce at the expense and embarrassment of our community.  If so, the question remains, who owes the Dumont community the bigger apology - our Democratic Mayor and Council or PSE&G?