April 2, 2008
Contact: Bill Murray / (609) 292-5199Senator Jennifer Beck (R-12), Senator Joe Kyrillos (R-13)
In response to comments in yesterday’s remarks in the Bergen Record by BPU President Jeanne Fox that patronage is not rampant at BPU, Senators Beck and Kyrillos made it known they would question Jeanne Fox at her confirmation hearing about widely reported patronage abuses.
Beck stated, “Every time someone in New Jersey struggles to pay a gas or electric bill, they are paying for the cost of employees at the Board of Public Utilities who are there with a serious mission to keep our energy capacity strong and to protect protect ratepayers. Patronage hiring at BPU has a double impact on ratepayers. Ratepayers pay the salary of the patronage employee and they are left with a BPU without experienced utility professionals who can hold down rates.”
Kyrillos added, “Everyone hired at BPU should be ready and able on day one of the job to keep our electric and gas rates down. Hiring decisions at BPU may have been based on more of a concern for politics than ratepayers in the past six years. Residents and businesses that pay expensive utility bills deserve better than that.”
Jeanne Fox’ patronage hires have been widely reported in the press and include the following, some of whom have left the BPU.
1. Eliot Mizrachi – Title Unknown — $51,450 (Cousin of former McGreevey aide Golan Cipel.)
2. P. Brian Loos — Government Representative 2 — $61,000 (Former aide to McGreevey Chief of Staff Jamie Fox and later aide to Jim McGreevey, where he was responsible for “planning and coordination of all events hosted at the Governor’s Box at Continental Airlines Arena and Giants Stadium.”)
3. Jay Hutchins – Title Unknown — $36,000 (Former Democrat candidate for General Assembly & employee of Democrat State/National Committees.)
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Similar Posts:
- Fox, Like First Boss McGreevey, Plays Politics At Taxpayer Expense
March 6, 2008 - Fox’s Record on Power Prices Nearly Impossible to Defend
March 10, 2008 - Beck: Dump Jeanne Fox Now
May 20, 2008 - Fox Re-Appointment Shows That Corzine Just Doesn’t Get It
February 27, 2008 - Beck Calls for Two Sets of Hearings on BPU President Jeanne Fox
September 2, 2008
