Letter to the Editor: Morris Township mayor to candidate: ‘Time to move on’

Morris Township Mayor Dan Caffrey.
Morris Township Mayor Dan Caffrey.
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Editor’s note: This letter is a response to one submitted by former Morris Township Committee candidate Cathy Wilson. These opinions belong to the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of MorristownGreen.com. Our election coverage is here.

I have had a chance to review Ms. Wilson’s “letter” to MorristownGreen.com, and to the Newsbee.

Morris Township Mayor Dan Caffrey.
Morris Township Mayor Dan Caffrey.

Ms. Wilson neglects to mention that the only formal meeting held that evening with the County Clerk occurred between other members of the Democratic Party, including Chip Robinson, the Morris County Democratic Chair.

Notably, I was not invited to attend that meeting nor were Committeemen Sisler and Nunn – and, ironically, as per Ms. Wilson, neither was she!

Simply put, there was no “meeting” in Clerk Grossi’s office. It was social, with members of her staff and guests, walking in and out of her office. Accordingly, there is absolutely no reason to “apologize” or “acknowledge it created unintended problems”.

Ms. Wilson’s narrative is simply one final “bite” of the election apple and one last attempt in calendar year 2015 to keep this “election” going. This is rather unsurprising, of course, because when you have nothing else to campaign on, you turn to desperation.

Ms. Wilson, with this letter and her comments before the Committee last Wednesday, has attempted to try and point to a violation of OPMA (Open Public Meetings Act).

OPMA is very clear and it only applies to “meetings” at which official “public business” (voting on Morris Township business), and the spending of public money is conducted with a quorum of members present.

Stated differently, OPMA does not apply to gatherings at which Morris Township Committeemen and Committeewomen are present discussing things other than official business.

To reiterate, there was no Township business discussed and the only money I spent that evening was my own $10 on a beer!! If you would like to listen to the ENTIRE meeting, you can on our Township website, in the agenda section.

In regards to the Cablevision airing that Ms Wilson mentioned in her letter, she informed us after the meeting on Wednesday that the camera battery died midway through the broadcast… coincidence….I think not!

This is now the second time a broadcast will be cut short at a very opportune time for her in eight months.  It is time for Ms. Wilson to move on.

Dan Caffrey
Mayor, Morris Township

4 COMMENTS

  1. There is no better place in NJ to live and raise your family, thanks to decades of competent leadership and faithful service by dedicated volunteers.

    It’s the holidays…no better time to let go of the bitterness and give thanks. Life is good in Morris Township.

  2. it’s enough to make you want to move away from Morris Township… so, after all these years… I did.

    Good riddance.

  3. To be clear: the battery did not die “midway through the broadcast.” It died in the last two minutes. Basically the only omission is the closing gavel. Mr. Caffrey’s suggestion that I did this on purpose is ridiculous – and he knows that.

    Another point of clarification: my comments included no mention of the OPMA statute. Nor did they allege any violation of it. Mr. Caffrey’s extended defense on this matter is more revealing of his concerns than mine.

    The purpose of my comments was to encourage reciprocal understanding and respect for the obvious – and passionate – differences in how we perceive and interpret the significance of what happened on election night.

    The inability – and/or unwillingness – to see situations as they appear to others is unfortunate. And yes, that applies to all of us – not just one side or the other. Our community would benefit if we all worked to move in that direction.
    Cathy Wilson

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