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Community Corner

OPINION: Toms River Compensatory-Time Controversy Costing Taxpayers

I came on to Patch hoping to find some follow up to the report on overtime corruption in Toms River which has been rooted out by the Republican Christie appointed Office of the State Comptroller. The report begins: “Toms River awarded four department heads — including Business Administrator Paul J. Shives — hundreds of hours of compensatory time over the last two years, violating the township’s own policies, according to a report released Wednesday by the Office of the State Comptroller.

Toms River Mayor Thomas F. Kelaher strongly disputed the report, issuing a statement that called it “replete with factual and legal inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and exaggerations,” and claiming “the report has no more legitimacy than a supermarket tabloid.” The entire article can be found at: http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2014304090054

Once again, Kelaher has been caught with his incompetent hand in the cookie jar and once again it is we the taxpayers who are paying for what is at best his incompetence and at worse his corruption.

Find out what's happening in Toms Riverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Rather than address the issues brought out by the Republican State Comptroller, Kelaher, Gilmore ally that he is, would rather call names and provide no answer that included any substance at all.

These department heads are each already pulling in six-figure salaries and all the perks that Tom could load them up with. The report went on to state that in “Toms River, the investigation found that Toms River Business Administrator Paul J. “Shives and three other unnamed department heads were awarded hundreds of hours of comp time during the 2010 and 2011 years.

Find out what's happening in Toms Riverwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There was no ordinance in Toms River during the time period (the Republican Comptroller) reviewed that specifically allows executive employees to earn compensatory time,” the report states. Department heads who were receiving comp time were “doing so in a manner that is not transparent to the public.” All the better for Tom. He certainly doesn't want the tax payers who are footing the bill to know just how much his “special friends” are costing us.

Better start worrying, Tom. Hopefully, Gilmore and the rest of his stooges won't be far behind. 

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