Old Bridge GOP Takes Middlesex County to Court

You know election season is truly upon us when the lawsuits are as numerous as the lawn signs, Save Jerseyans.

Morris County’s primary drama reached its climax last week.

Now it’s Middlesex’s turn. Republicans in Assmeblyman Sam Thompson’s home base of Old Bridge are taking Middlesex County to Superior Court. This press release came across the wire from their attorney, Jordan Rickards, at about 11:45 pm. They’ve filed an emergency application, the judge apparently signed it, and that means a return date is pending for October 24th.

The release:

A Middlesex County Superior Court Judge has issued an order compelling
the Township of Old Bridge, the Old Bridge Township Clerk, the County
of Middlesex, and Middlesex County Clerk Elaine Flynn, to appear in
court and show cause why a referendum petition circulated by the Old
Bridge Republicans should not be placed on the November ballot.

The Old Bridge Republicans had filed a petition with the Township of
Old Bridge to have a public question placed on the November ballot,
seeking to repeal an ordinance amending Chapter 351 and Section 351-11
of the Code of Old Bridge. The controversial ordinance, passed in May
by the council Democrats on a party-line vote, allows persons employed
by the Township for a period of 15 years or more to combine years of
service credit from another state or locally administered retirement
system in order to retire after 25 years or more at the expense of the
Township of Old Bridge, and consequently the taxpayers of the Township
Old Bridge. Democrat Councilman Robert Volkert cast the deciding vote
to pass this bill, despite an obvious conflict of interest being
present which should have precluded him from voting; more
specifically, his son, Michael Volkert, works for the Township and the
Ordinance allows him to combine his years of service credit and retire
significantly earlier than he would have been able to before the
amendment.

The Old Bridge Republicans submitted 3038 signatures to the township
clerk in support of their referendum petition, of which 2,239 were
immediately accepted, while others are expected to be accepted once
newly registered voters are factored in. Because only 1670 signatures
were required, the ordinance was expected to appear on the November
ballot.

Nonetheless, the Old Bridge and Middlesex County clerks refused to
certify the referendum petition, prompting Anita Greenberg,
Chairperson of the Old Bridge Township Republicans, to seek the
above-mentioned court order. The civil action was filed by the Law
Office of Jordan B. Rickards, Esq., LLC., and is docket no.
MID-L-6736-11 (Greenberg v. Township of Old Bridge, et al). The
action seeks to compel the placement of the referendum on the
November, 2011, ballot. The parties are ordered to appear in court on
October 13, 2011, in front of Judge Heidi Willis Currier, J.S.C., at
1:30 pm.

In addition, the Old Bridge Republicans have filed a separate lawsuit
through the Law Office of Jordan B. Rickards, Esq., LLC, in the
Superior Court of New Jersey (originally filed in Middlesex, but
administratively transferred by the Court to Monmouth County to avoid
a potential conflict of interest), seeking an order declaring the
ordinance void due to the obvious conflict of interest that occurred
when Councilman Volkert cast the deciding vote. Judge Lawrence Lawson
of the Monmouth County Superior Court will conduct a conference on
Monday, October 24, 2011, at 10:00am. It is open to the public. The
judge has requested position papers from both sides be submitted no
later than seven days in advance of that hearing. The Township
Democrats have voted to defend against this lawsuit by paying $5000.00
to the DeCotis lawfirm.”

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