What happens when You Don't have the Political Courage to do it Yourself when you were Council Vice-President

You need others to do your bidding: 

Who on the Council is going to do his bidding and let him tarnish the Council too?

Anyhoo, what do I know - I still can't figure out why he never mentioned raising the current Mayoral Salary of $49k when he was running for Mayor but now Wants to in his $158.1 million Ridiculous Spending 2022 Muni-Budget - and you thought he only Flip-flopped on Wards after he got elected.

JPS Hall of Honor Class of 2022 - an arguably tainted process

Well, when I saw, with disbelief, that the JPS Hall of Honor inducted local politicians Mayor Sam 'Mr. Shrink-flation' Joshi and Council Vice-President Joyce 'She's on the Council?' Ship-Freeman into their Hall of Honor, I just had to try and understand what was going on here.

Now, I recognize that the Edison Board of Ed has more pressing challenges (like justifying a $300 million School Budget and an Overcrowding Plan) to deal with these days but after these selections, I would be remiss if I didn't question this process and ask for better transparency by the Board.

While I recognize that the JPS Hall of Fame is separate from the school, it is still connected and under the Board's purview. Seems this is somewhat of a clandestine process. Further, seems they have a habit of picking Local Dem-party political people in this town but geez, these two are the best we can find out there in the world today? Was bad enough when Local pols like Spadoro, Tomaro and Karabinchak were picked over the years, to name a few.

So, thought it was important to know and for the Board to be more transparent and inform the Public about this process. Specifically, who picks this selection committee, who is on the selection committee and what was the criteria used for these recent selections.

Certainly, if these candidates were chosen through this process in place, then those involved in the process should be willing to stand by and justify their choices. Now, irrespective of my belief about these recent choices, it's important that this selection process be transparent and the justification provided by the selection committee for their choices.

You really can't have a secret  committee picking candidates and without providing any support or justification for their selections to boot. It tends to lead to devaluing the intended purpose and this year's Local politician selections seem to carry with it a stench of pandering.

Toward that end, I asked Board Vice-President Shivi Madhukar who appoints this selection committee, and to provide a listing of selection committee members and the criteria used in this process.

Board Vice-President Madhukar provided the following response:

'JPS Hall of Honor is managed at the school level. It does not go through the board. However, this video will give you some insight into the selection process. This was created especially for the 2022 awardees.'

Well, that was nice but didn't answer my questions. Apparently, she doesn't understand that this process is conducted by a handful of teachers and staff under the leadership of the Superintendent who is responsible to the Board - and is under the Board's purview.

Without a proper response, I made an OPRA Request - 'With respect to the JPS Hall of Fame and their 2022 selections, I request the following documents - (1) A listing of those who appointed the selection committee, (2) A listing of the selection committee members, (3) the criteria used for selection, and (4) A listing of those nominated and who nominated them.'

And here's the response I received: 

You can now see the response includes the 10 member selection committee, chaired by Sheri Brandstetter and Kylie Lasko. Also, you can see their criteria rubric. Further, you can see that there were 32 candidates nominated (and who nominated them) and the 14 that were selected.

Now, it's their committee and they can select whichever candidates they want and you can agree or disagree with them, and that's fine. However, when they select certain candidates where it's hard pressed to see how it meets their own criteria and sure seems to stray from their intended purpose, you have to wonder what they're doing.

Sorry, but don't see how Mayor Sam 'Mr. Shrink-flation' Joshi was selected. What achievements and accomplishments can this guy possibly point to and anyone who lives in this town and pays attention would believe? Unfortunately, his selection carries with it a stench of pandering and takes a spot away from the other 18 on their list of candidates.

Seriously, based upon what achievements or accomplishments did they look at that would justify his selection? Here's a guy who sold out the People of Edison for a chance to climb up the politically corrupt Dem-party ladder. A life-long Dem-party parasite, if you will, who has an anomoly with the truth.

A young Malleable Marionette of the Dem-party who couldn't even win the support of his own local committee people and dropped out of the screening process for mayor because he was going to lose who comes with a Nothing record with his term on the Edison Council and his only achievement there was demonstrating his lack of trust and credibility in the public forum.

He gets nominated by a Board Member's son because he is the youngest Mayor in Edison's History? He's the youngest Mayor in Edison's history only because the Powers that be in the Dem-party from outside of town hand-picked him to do their bidding.

By that reasoning, they should put the County Chair of the Dem-party in the JPS Hall of Honor.

Not for nothing, but if you look at that list of nominees and see who else didn't get selected because of him, you really have to shake your head. Take the obviously blatant one, Sapana Shah - an accomplished attorney, former Board of Ed Member and Edison Council Member is trumped by Joshi? And, what's with one sponsor nominating 4 different candidates and they all get selected over other sponsors.

Seems that the Board needs to pay more attention or at least show an interest in these type committees in their fold. Sure seems like they're letting the process be tainted with certain selections at the expense of both those who deservedly got in and those who were undeservedly left out. Kind of defeats the Hall of Honor's intended purpose. That's just Not right.

Anyhoo, at least we're comforted in the knowledge that politics knows no boundaries in the Edison school system.

Board of Mythomania's $300.5m Bloated, Out of Control $pending Pot of Money, aka School Budget for 2022-23

 Well, looks like the County Super approved the Preliminary $300.5m School budget for 2022-23 since it's now up on the School District's website. Well, what's up there isn't really a school budget - it's just a Big, Fat Pot of Money that can be moved around line by line anytime they want, so you don't really know what their true intentions are or if they'll actually $pend the money this way just by looking at this.

Pay attention to the $14.9m (5.2%) in additional $pending and what's going on with the capital and reserve accounts. They didn't reduce any of their Out of Control $pending in this school budget.

Clearly, while this School Budget comes with a zero school tax increase, there's ample room to reduce the school tax levy in this school budget and return some of those hoarded taxpayer funds back to the taxpayers.

Read it and weep as you get hosed again and continue to be treated as a Cash Cow by the Board of Mythomania and keep in mind that there's a Budget hearing on May 4th and Budget adoption on May 12th. 

Keep it in mind since that's about all the say you'll have - they already got County Super approval and they don't need yours.

Anyhoo, until you learn that we need to elect Board members who are concerned with all the stakeholders and have Board members at the decision-making table looking out for the often forgotten stakeholder, the taxpayer - you'll continue to be treated as the Cash Cow you are year after year.

Top 10 'Thingies' You Want to Know about Mayor Sam 'Mr. Shrink-flation' Joshi's 2022 Muni Budget

 10. Where is it? The Calendar Year is already four months over and how hard could it be to come up with a Muni Budget for only 8 months now?

9. Does 'Mr. Shrink-flation' give himself a raise from the current $49k mayoral salary just for getting elected, in this Budget?

8. Does he give the Council raises too so they will go along with his raise, in this Budget?

7. With all his new hirings in the first few months, doesn't anyone have to approve these big dollar hirings or should we just assume that his Administration Budget will just double or triple?

6. What does Chief of Staff Bob 'See No Conflict' Diehl do for $100,000 a year?

5. Did he spend all that money renovating the Mayor's office just so he could have a place to hang his JPS Hall of Fame plaque?

4. Who is paying for all those monogrammed shirts and jackets he's wearing just so he can walk around town so everybody can see that he's the Mayor?

3. How much money is being budgeted for publicity because he gets nothing but fluff stuff and that's got to be expensive?

2. How much are we paying for people to explain his Budget to him?

1. Do the County bosses have to approve his Muni Budget before the Council can adopt it?

Pay attention to what's going on over there on Mythomania Lane, at the crossroads of Dysfunction and WhatsApp Streets

 Well, while we all wait for the County to approve that $300.5 million Bloated and Out-of-Control $pending School Budget for 2022-23, which comes with a $14.9 million $pending increase or 5.2% - the only reduction we see in the school tax rate of 3-cents ($3.227 down to $3.197) is solely due to the $70 million increase in the Ratables and Not any reduction in $pending. 

Welcome to Hoarders Central.

A School Budget you can't see yet and won't be able to see until their May meeting when they approve it.

Now, not for nothing and like you have any say in these ridiculous School Budgets year after year but you can still see how they've become the Bloated mess that they are in the March 23, 2022 post.

However, in the meantime, you can get a good feel about what goes on over there on Mythomania Lane by looking at the minutes from the March 25, 2022 Budget Planning and Oversight Committee, chaired by Biral Patel along with Committee members  Jerry 'Referen-Dumb' Shi and Brian Rivera.

Seems they reviewed the details of the Preliminary School Budget for 2022-23 for presentation  to the Board at the March 22nd meeting. Details you can't see yet. Unlucky for you.

You can read their minutes below but just a few noteworthy observations. First, they're claiming that additional state aid allows them to come up with a zero tax increase school budget. Well, not for nothing, but we got basically the same state aid increase that we got last year and it was actually a smaller percentage increase than it was last year.

Second, Jerry 'Referen-Dumb' Shi reminds us that the prior year was also a zero percent tax increase. Well, unfortunately while that's true, it continues to be misleading. While the the Fiscal Year School Budget for 2021-22 came with a zero percent school tax increase, we're Not taxed on a Fiscal Year basis but rather a Calendar Year basis and why your tax bills came with 6.1-Cent or 1.9% School tax increase.

Finally, Mr. Patel says the State will allow a $3.0 million reduction in the School tax levy in this School Budget for 2022-23 and suggested they take it out of Capital but the Committee decided to Not give it back to You since there is a zero percent school tax increase.

Well, there you go. That should tell you everything you need to know about being truthful and transparent at Hoarders Central and highlights the ridiculous amount that must be in the Capital amount in this School Budget.

Here's the minutes:

Anyhoo, if you don't think you're getting played again with this $300.5 million School Budget for 2022-23 with a zero percent school tax increase, then wait until they try and convince you that their Plan for $pending $93.5 million in Capital improvements to address the Overcrowding, that bypasses Voter approval, comes with a zero school tax increase. Oh wait, they don't have to convince you - they can vote for it themselves and bypass you completely.

Wow - this is Embarrassing if you live here in the 'DemBadLands' of Downtown Edison

 Well, just saw that Mayor Sam 'Mr. Shrink-flation' Joshi and Council Vice-President Joyce 'She's on the Council?' Ship-Freeman were just inducted into the JPS Hall of Fame.

Makes you feel for all those who deservedly should be in the JPS Hall of Fame.

Really, 'Mr. Shrink-flation'? For what accomplishments other than being a malleable marionette of the Dem-party who sold out the People of Edison for a chance to climb up the politically corrupt Dem-party Ladder.

While I recognize it seems to be a habit to pick Local Dem-party political people in this town but geez, these two are the best we can find out there in the world? 

Was bad enough when they picked Spadoro, Tomaro and Karabinchak to name a few.

Not for nothing but who picks this Committee to make these selections, who is on this Committee and what are their criteria for making selections into the JPS Hall of Fame? You know, for something that's separate from the school but still connected - someone needs to explain what's going on here.

I would really like to know.

This clandestine nonsense is just that - Nonsense.

Anyhoo, at least we're comforted in the knowledge that the JPS Hall of Fame sure seems like it has strayed away from something of distinction.