Mallet and Mason Pander to Union Employees. Will Spend Under "Any Circumstances"

Democratic Freeholder candidates Amy Mallet and Glenn Mason said they would keep the Monmouth County Juvenile Detention Center open "under any circumstances" at a candidates debate last night, according to a report in the Asbury Park Press.

A 2007 study shows that closing the Center would save taxpayers $2.4 million dollars. The Freeholder Board asked for further study prior to making a decision.

Mason and Mallet said the savings would be wiped out by transportation and prosecution costs. How do they know that if the study is not done yet?

Republican Freeholder candidates, Freeholer Director Lillian Burry and John Curley said they would make their decisions after reviewing the study. Burry said all interested parties would be heard from before a decision is made.

To date, only the union employees of the Center and Mallet and Mason have expressed opposition to closing the Center.

Mason is a retired member of a labor union. The Mallet and Mason campaign has been financed predominently by out of county labor unions. Mallet's previous campaign debt of over $100,000 has been taken over by the state Assembly Democrats, also heavily funded by unions.

"Under any circumstances" is quite an extreme position.

The Juvenile Detention Center currently has only 22 detainees and costs $250,000 per youth per year to run with over 40 employees. What if the number of young prisoners drops to 11? Mallet and Mason would keep the Center open.

If there was ever an indication that Democrats would run Monmouth County they same way Democrats run Trenton, this is it.

Does anyone know of a place in New Jersey where Democrats are doing a better job governing than Republicans are doing in Monmouth County?