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April, 2008
LEAD Program Produces Eight More Graduates
Six
Freeholders, Two Business Execs Graduate 2008 Lead Program
TRENTON – Six county freeholders and two business executives
recently completed a five-week program for county officials during which they concentrated
on public finance, economic development, land-use planning and other subjects
that are central to public service.
The program, called LEAD, an
acronym for Learn, Excel and Deliver, is run by the New Jersey Association of
Counties in conjunction with The College of New Jersey. Designed to be a professional development
course for public officials, LEAD is the only such program in the country to be
accredited for graduate-level study.
“We are very proud of the
program,” said Celeste Carpiano, executive director of NJAC. “People don’t realize how difficult it is to
be a public official, and how much they have to learn in a very short
time. The LEAD program is designed to
give them a base of knowledge so that they can get a faster start.” Graduating from the program
were:
Julie Acton, Salem County
Freeholder; Jean DuBois, Gloucester County Freeholder; Frank DiMarco,
Gloucester County Freeholder; Patricia Walsh, Somerset County Freeholder;
Stacey Jordan, Burlington County Freeholder; James Murray, Morris County
Freeholder; Michele Wilson, Vice President, Bank of America; and John Cimino,
Vice President, PNC Bank.
www.njac.org
MERCER COUNTY, SAMARITAN HOSPICE OFFER SERIES OF PROGRAMS
April 10, 2008
TRENTON, N.J.—Mercer County and Samaritan Hospice are teaming up to offer a variety of programs this month that seek to educate the public about hospice, palliative care, grief support, volunteer opportunities and hospice care for veterans.
Samaritan Hospice, based in Marlton and serving Mercer County as well as Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Atlantic and Cape May counties, will lead various workshops this month at Mercer’s County Connection location in Hamilton.
The first program, “Five Wishes Advance Directive,” is a written document that allows you to express how you wish to be treated if you are seriously ill or unable to speak for yourself. It is unique among all other living will and health agent forms because it looks at all of the person’s needs: medical, personal, emotional and spiritual. The session will be April 16, 3 to 4 p.m.
On April 23 from 2 to 3 p.m., Samaritan will discuss “Veterans’ Hospice Services.’’ Veterans can hear about special benefits available to them through their Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits package.
On April 30, “The Rewards of Hospice Volunteering,’’ introduces prospective volunteers to ways they can support hospice programs. Volunteers are needed in various areas, including visiting hospice families and patients, offering spiritual and bereavement support, providing office assistance, coordinating events and fundraisers, or serving as a community ambassador. The session for volunteers will be from 2 to 3 p.m.
All three sessions are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. To reserve a spot, call County Connection at (609) 890-9800. County Connection is at Route 33 at Paxson Avenue in Hamilton, in the Acme Shopping Center.
April, 2008
NJAC WARNS JUSTICES OF RUNAWAY BUDGETS IF
BIGLEY DECISION IS UPHELD
The New Jersey Association of Counties today argued before the State Supreme Court that county prosecutors must demonstrate a clear need for additional money before it can be awarded in what is called a “Bigley” action.
The case centers on a lower court ruling involving Cape May County and the Cape May County Prosecutor. In that case, the court ruled that prosecutors have to demonstrate that the additional funding is merely “appropriate,” not necessary as the statute specifies. NJAC joined lawyers for Cape May County this afternoon in making the case against that ruling.
“That puts counties and property taxpayers at a terrible disadvantage because virtually every new expense could be defined as ‘appropriate,’” said Celeste Carpiano, Executive Director for NJAC.
Carpiano pointed out that this case has implications for all 21 counties.
“There have been only a handful of Bigley cases brought and counties have lost every one of them. The current law clearly favors prosecutors,” said Carpiano. “But if the lower court ruling is upheld county governments will have no way to control spending by prosecutors.”
Specifically at issue In the Cape May case is whether the Prosecutor could enforce the laws effectively without a nine-percent pay hike for his employees. In fact, county officials and the bargaining unit for assistant prosecutors in Cape May had previously agreed to a five-percent pay raise. But the Cape May County Prosecutor rejected that agreement in favor of a Bigley action.
“His employees were evidently satisfied with a five-percent pay raise,” said Carpiano. “So the suggestion that such a good-faith agreement between the parties would have prevented the Prosecutor from doing job doesn’t seem plausible.”
The Supreme Court will now deliberate the matter and render a decision sometime this year.
April, 2008
HOMELAND SECURITY DIRECTOR BRIEFS NJAC ON STATE’S
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
New Jersey is better prepared for a terrorist attack or a disaster than it was before 9-11, but the danger is still high that a major catastrophe would cause thousands of fatalities, according to New Jersey Homeland Security Director Richard Canes.
Canes briefed the NJAC Board of Directors in April on the steps that New Jersey has taken to prepare for the next disaster. He told board members that county governments are central to the state’s preparedness plan.
“They think that county governments are well suited to conduct regional security, rescue and evacuation operations, and they are going to invest a lot of money over the next few years training county officials,” said Celeste Carpiano, NJAC Executive Director.
One of the programs on which the state and county officials will be working in the future is a plan for identifying and then reaching residents who cannot evacuate themselves in the case of a widespread emergency.
“There are some people, because of their age or their physical condition, that will not be able to get out of harms way,” said Carpiano. “We need to know who they are, where they live, how they can be contacted and what to do in case of an emergency. That’s just one of the things that the Director discussed with our members.
“We were all struck by his testimony,” she continued. “The result will be a much more intense focus on security and disaster preparedness at the county level, and a much closer working relationship with the state and federal officials.”
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