File this one under “why we can’t have nice things,” Save Jerseyans.
On Tuesday, the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller announced that Irvington, New Jersey had spent $632,000 in opioid settlement funds by throwing two separate “Opioid Awareness” concerts out of $1 million received which is supposed to be used by municipalities to combat the opioid epidemic which has ravaged the Garden State and other areas of the country.
This is from the press release:
The Mayor and his department heads decided to spend opioid funds on a 2023 awareness concert after a single meeting. The event ended up costing more than $350,000.
Irvington’s then-Director of Health and Senior Services said she and her staff only learned about the June 10, 2023 event after seeing a flyer. She decided on her own to set up an information table at the event. In 2024, the Township opted to hold a second “awareness” concert without tracking metrics or evaluating outcomes of the first event, the report said, noting that the final tab on that event was nearly $280,000.
Although the concerts were billed as “opioid awareness” events, the promotional materials Irvington provided to OSC had no information about addiction or how to obtain treatment—they only promoted the artists, the Mayor, and the concerts. Irvington officials claimed that thousands attended and the Mayor and others delivered substantive public health speeches at both concerts, but Irvington provided little evidence to support these claims.
Irvington also claimed that Narcan—a life-saving drug—was distributed at both events. OSC found no evidence that it was distributed at the 2023 event. And in 2024, just five days before the concert, the Township asked a nonprofit to donate 50 Narcan kits. The Township did not use any of its opioid funds to purchase Narcan. While the Township invited service providers to set up tables and interact with members of the public at the 2024 event, OSC’s report said, “these were afterthoughts and could have happened at any community event,” without wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars on musical guests, luxury trailers, and popcorn machines.
The Comptroller is also alleging that procurement and bidding regulations were violated and has referred its findings for possible additional action.
“OSC also uncovered that Irvington violated procurement law by awarding six-figure contracts to businesses tied to Antoine Richardson, a DJ who was put on Irvington’s payroll after [Mayor Tony] Vauss was first elected mayor in 2014. Richardson, known as DJ Qua, holds the title of ‘Keyboarding Clerk 1,’ but has no set hours or office and said he works ‘as needed.’ His only duties are DJing Township events and providing audio services. “
“These funds are supposed to be lifelines for communities overwhelmed by the opioid epidemic – not a slush fund to host concerts and throw parties,” said Acting State Comptroller Kevin Walsh. “Irvington wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars that should have been used to save lives and help people recover from addiction.”
Essex County alone saw 459 overdose deaths in 2023, the year of the first concert, according to data made available through the state.
You can click here to read the full report.
