Watching YOUR Taxpayer $$$$ - NOBODY!

First, daTruthSquad would like to congratulate da Queen who daTruthSquad hears will be voted mayor in Manalapan on January 2, and da recently-named-in-da-land-deal-lawsuit Andy Boy as Deputy Mayor – that is – if da backroom deal is still in effect.

Now, to YOUR money -

Recently someone left a comment on this blog, asking how was it possible the Manalapan Township Committee didn’t know what their own hired lawyers, da Manalapan Legal Dream Team, were doing and da role of Township attorney Carolina MachoGrande and if there was a “cover-up?”

DaTruthSquad embarked on an investigation, and while a “cover-up” is a broad statement, da question of “who is watching da store” kept on popping up, as well as da implications & ramifications of some individual’s actions.

What daTruthSquad’s investigation uncovered was a Township Attorney who is “not paid” to monitor the case da Township is bringing, a Township Committee that gets its info on the case “from newspapers and the Internet,” a lawyer hired by Manalapan Township’s government who “could not even tell him (the Judge) the names of all the people who are on the governing body,” despite da fact of the evidence of da Township Committee that voted specifically for him!

Here are da possible hypothetical scenarios…

Scenario 1: Da Manalapan Legal Dream Team never kept da Township Committee informed.

During daTruthSquad’s 3-month legal battle with Manalapan, daTruthSquad was constantly informed, almost on a daily basis of every iota of this case from legal correspondence between lawyers to briefs entered into court by Matthew Zimmerman, da attorney for da Electronic Frontier Foundation handling this case. I would theorize from daTruthSquad’s experience that an attorney, whether paid by da hour, contingency fee, or pro bono, should be keeping their client or clients informed.

This scenario was confirmed by Dream team attorney David Weeks in court on December 21. Da Snoozepaper writes, “Weeks, who is working on the case on a contingency basis, responded by telling the judge that he took on the case based on what he said were the merits of the initial malpractice claim. Weeks said he is not involved in any Manalapan politics and told the judge he could not even tell him the names of all the people who are on the governing body.”

He takes da case, works on it for 6 months, yet does not know da name of even 1 of da five people who voted to pursue da case and pay his bills?

A look back in time to May 23 shows da Snoozepaper reported that da Manalapan Township Committee specifically voted to have Weeks and his law firm involved in da case!

"A Township Committee resolution hiring Ruprecht, Hart, Weeks states that the firm was retained to represent Manalapan "... with respect to the client's claim for damages suffered as a result of professional negligence in connection with real estate purchases by the township in 2005."

Chris Christie, are you getting this?

Scenario 2: Da Manalapan Township Committee have no clue as to da events of a lawsuit that da mayor says is “costing in excess of $100,000."

In da case of “Da Township of Manalapan vs Da Mosked Man,” serious questions have emerged regarding da members of da Manalapan Township Committee being informed of da case they voted on.

Why did Mr. Anthony Gennaro claim on November 28 during a meeting that he had to get his information about this case from “newspapers and the internet?”

His response to a statement by Township Attorney Carolina MachoGrande clearly creates speculation that either all da members of da Manalapan Township Committee were being kept in da dark, or he was specifically not being given information about this case.

Either way, it gives a clear impression there was no internal discussions regarding this case taking place by all members of da Manalapan Township Committee, and since they signed off on all bills to da Dream Team and voted to pursue this lawsuit, one could potentially raise da “ethical” red flag, and if so, then who is responsible?

Scenario 3: Da Manalapan Township Attorney did not keep da politicians updated.

Evidence in her own words shows in da November 28 meeting, Township attorney and soon-to-be Assemblywoman Carolina MachoGrande’s Shock Quote #6, “You don’t pay me to monitor this case.” Here she clearly admits since she is not “paid” to monitor the case, which one can assume means it was not her job to inform da Township leaders of the direction of da case, which as we all know skewed violently from a land-deal-gone-bad to a landmark First Amendment case.

This scenario is likely, because in da same meeting, Township Committeeman Mr. Anthony Gennaro is quoted as saying, “I can’t contact Mr. Weeks (Manalapan Legal Dream Team member) because when I contact Mr. Weeks he wouldn’t take my phone call.”

Why would Mr. Gennaro have to contact da Dream Team’s Weeks if he was actually being informed? That begs da question, if it wasn’t da job of da township attorney to inform da township committee – then who’s job is it?

I’m sure a forensic accounting of MachoGrande’s legal bills to Manalapan would shed some light on this. If, as any good or ethical lawyer she itemizes her billing, it will be extremely easy to determine.

If, however, bills were for some reason not itemized, then this will raise even more questions that not only MachoGrande, but Mayor Andy Boy and soon-to-be Mayor Roth must answer.

Scenario 4: Legal bills were paid despite any knowledge of how da money was being spent.

This could be a potential landmine of trouble for da Township Committee, Township attorney, and township administrator.

Earlier this year, soon-to-be Mayor Queen Michelle told da Snoozepaper she believed something wasn’t kosher with da Manalapan Symphony and da Recreation Department, and called for a forensic accounting because, in her own Snoozepaper words, “it is our responsibility to make sure taxpayer dollars are prudently spent.”

And, as da story stated, it was Roth herself who asked for this. I’m wondering why she hasn’t demanded da same on how, according to Mayor Andy Boy, Manalapan has spent “in excess of $100,000” on “Da Township of Manalapan vs Da Mosked Man.”

Remember, according to da now-famous Rosman editorial, which was never disputed and so important it became legal evidence in da Township of Manalapan vs da Mosked Man, he claims there are 4 lawyers, of which 3 are paid by-da-hour.

Da big question – Is it possible that members of da Manalapan Township Committee has been voting to pay legal bills to da 4 members of da Manalapan Legal Dream team on a case they have not been following, or haven’t been kept informed about, or didn’t even know was becoming a landmark First Amendment case?

If you didn’t know – if da Manalapan Legal Dream Team doesn’t tell you – if they don’t return your phone calls – if you don’t know what your own lawyers are doing - why pay for it?

Scenario 5: This situation gets da serious attention of da NJ Bar Association, Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office or da office of da NJ Attorney Genera, and this makes da Frank Abate affair seem like a jaywalking ticket.

DaTruth is, something’s rotten in da state of Manalapan - and there are a lot more questions here than answers.

* Did da members of da Township Committee vote to pay legal bills with no knowledge as to how da case of da bills they were approving was progressing and no contact with da lead attorney?

* Why did da Manalapan Township attorney utter that now-infamous Shock Quote, “You don’t pay me to monitor this case?” If da township attorney was not monitoring da case, then who’s informing da elected leaders who voted to bring da lawsuit of it’s progress – as well as da bills?

* Who hired 3 of da 4 attorneys making up da Manalapan Legal Dream Team? Why does da lead attorney not know any of da 5 Committee people paying his bills? Who approved da Dream Team hiring and what they’ve been doing over da last 6 months? If none of da members of da Manalapan Township Committee did, then why are they voting to pay them?

* Why did Dream Team attorney David Weeks, according to da Snoozepaper, telling da judge "he is not involved in any Manalapan politics and told the judge he could not even tell him the names of all the people who are on the governing body," but back in May - as a front page story - it was confirmend da Manalapan Township Committee specifically voted to have Weeks & his firm handle da case?

* Will da thousands of dollars of bills for da Dream Team’s McCarthy be paid, despite being da one making this a landmark First Amendment issue that da town lost in court?

* Why was Committeeman Gennaro only informed about this case “in newspapers and on the internet” and not by his own township attorney? Why was da township committeeman forced to say da Dream Team lawyer “wouldn’t take my call.”

* Since it has been proven by statements made by both MachoGrande and Mr. Gennaro there was an obvious lack of communication between da Dream Team and township committee, who is responsible for that?

* If da township committee voted to approve billing for da Dream Team with no knowledge of how da money was being spent, why was Queen Michelle so adamant to ask for a forensic accounting, according to da Snoozepaper, of da symphony but says nothing about a case that Mayor Andy Boy told da Snoozepaper cost “in excess of $100,000?”

* What is da Manalapan Legal Dream Team’s next step in da case of Da Township of Manalapan vs Da Mosked Man, now that da daTruthSquad subpoenas have been quashed?. Read Judge Flynn’s decision here.

DaTruth is, there are serious questions as to what da Manalapan Township Committee did and didn’t know regarding a case they voted 6 months ago to begin against da Mosked man. Why did they allow it to become a landmark First Amendment case which brought worldwide shame and ridicule to da town? How could they not be informed of da legal ramifications? How could they not know what was going on? Why are legal bills being approved without question? Why won’t da Dream Team’s Weeks return da phone calls of Committeeman Gennaro?

These are all serious questions. Every one of them deserves an answer. DaTruthSquad challenges da news media to demand these answers and report them for people to see!

Unfortunately for soon-to-be Deputy Mayor Andy Boy, soon-to-be Queen Mayor Roth and da other members of da Township Committee, they need to be giving da people some real answers – and soon.

And that’s daTruth.