COMMISSIONER UDALOVAS TELLS ALL

 At the February 16th commission meeting, Commissioner Udalovas opened up about what is going on

behind the closed doors of Team Santiago. She discussed that it was time for Team Santiago to do their

job and stop the campaigning. She commented how Parent is not doing his job as director of revenue of

finance.


From Commissioner Udalovas' comments, the CFO was never consulted regarding the recent police

contracts:

          "......when I stated it during the meeting did not prevent Vice Mayor Parent who is the Director

            of Revenue and Finance from voting to approve even though it did not appropriately follow

            the channels of his own department for which he should require all Commissioners."

and

         "Commissioner Pepitone, Commissioner Cooper and Vice Mayor Parent did not express the

          reality of the City's finances and what agreement to a 4 year contract with 3% increases across 

          the Board would create for the City in the 2021 budget."


Commissioner Udalovas went on to state:

          "......Its second consecutive year of a decrease in ratables in the amount of a decrease of

          $8,785,661.00."


The decrease of over 8 million dollars in ratables along with the misuse of funds for the past three

years have the citizens of Millville once again looking at a tax increase.


According to Commissioner Udalovas:

            "Vice Mayor (Parent) had specified to the CFO that an increase of 3 cents would be 

             acceptable."


Are Cooper, Pepitone, and Parent so out of touch with Millville? The citizens of Millville are

struggling. What will another tax increase do to the already tight budgets of the citizens of this town?

Of course to the public, Cooper, Pepitone, and Parent stated they are working hard to balance the 

budget but is is now obvious that they are not.


Team Santiago should have had a plan instead of the payback hiring of out of town consultants,

arbitrary raises and hirings, the numerous new bonds, and the $2 million dollar demolition that was

never bid. Did they think that the city had a never ending amount of money? The continued 

mismanagement of money by Team Santiago has finally caught up with them. The city is facing a 

serious deficit. A deficit so bad that Commissioner Udalovas stated this about a conversation with 

the CFO:

            "......consisted of learning the City's impending deficit to begin preparing for 2021, and 

            included discussions of eliminating the addition of any new positions in 2021 and even 

            drafting a plan to submit to the Civil Service Commission to be approved and obtain

            approval to produce notices for layoffs that would be subsequently provided to employees 

            in specific positions to create substantial reductions."


Yes, that is right LAYOFFS! The mismanagement of taxpayer funds by Team Santiago now affects 

city employees at a time when families are struggling. It is quite clear that Parent is not fit to be

the Director of Revenue and Finance. Cooper and Santiago have consistently voted yes to cause 

the deficit without question or explanation. Everyone already knew Pepitone cannot manage money 

as he cannot pay his own taxes on time, but yet according to Commissioner Udalovas:


            "Pepitone sought to negotiate on his own and have documents forwarded to legal counsel 

            for contractual approval and had the same items added to the February 2 meeting of the

            Commission on the morning of the meeting without significant discussion being documented

            with Revenue and Finance."


Team Santiago did not question this. Thank you to Commissioner Udalovas for speaking out

and standing up for the citizens. As for the other members of Team Santiago - shame on you. You

are not thinking of the citizens of Millville, following protocol, or keeping the promises you made

to get elected. Cooper, Pepitone, Parent, and Santiago do not deserve to govern Millville.

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