D'Amico makes case for in-house county counsel

In an Op-Ed piece published in the Atlantic Highlands Herald, Democratic Monmouth County Freeholder John D'Amico makes a good argument for revamping how the county conducts its legal affairs. Look for D'Amico's piece to be published in the Asbury Park Press. The APP has already editorialized on the issue.

County Counsel Malcolm Carton exceeded his 2007 budget by 30%, or $600,000.

D'Amico sites his experience in the private and public sectors as a manager who reduced legal expenses and argues for hiring an in-house counsel and para-legals as a way to save money and improve service. He blows wholes in a 2006 study that called for maintaining the current system.

We've entered the time of the political year, from April through September, in Monmouth County that I call Bonehead season. For the last few years, since Operation Bid Rig, The Asbury Park Press sets out to make the public aware that the GOP Freeholders are Boneheads, and the GOP cooperates.

This has been working pretty well for the Monmouth Democrats. In 2005, Republicans Bill Barham and Lillian Burry did not secure the majority of the votes, but won office because the APP, in a bonehead move of its own called for a bullet vote for an independent candidate. In 2006 and 2007, the voters split their Freeholder votes, despite voting Republican on the top of the ticket. Tom Kean, Jr. won Monmouth County in his 2006 bid for U.S Senate and the GOP swept the state legislative races in Monmouth in 2007.

With control at stake in this November's election, the GOP Freeholders need to change their ways now, not in August or September. They have to stop feeding the APP Bondhead material. Rather than agree with D'Amico, Freeholder Director Lillian Burry needs to take the lead in reforming the legal department and in generating other cost savings for Monmouth County taxpayers. Take D'Amico off the front page.

Pointing to the flat budget passed this year is not enough. The Democrats, and the APP will convincingly argue that a flat budget would not have been passed had there not been 2 Democrats on the Freeholder board for the first time in 20 years.

Between now and September, the Monmouth Freeholder race is a contest for postive press between Director Burry and Freeholder D'Amico. D'Amico will continue to seek postive press in calling for cost savings and reforms, and then argue during the fall campaign that he needs a majority to implement his plans. So far, D'Amico is winning. By simply agreeing with D'Amico, as she has done so far, Burry loses.

Republicans will be fool hearty, and defeated, if they count on John McCain's coat tails to carry the county races. Monmouth voters have shown that they are very willing to switch columns in the ballot box.

Like Trenton Democrats, the GOP Freeholders know where there is money to save and reforms to be made. The question is, will they do it? If they fail to do so, the voters will hold their noses and give the Democrats a chance.