Matey Charges Council ‘Conflict’

(Reprinted from Amboy Beacon, Feb. 2, 2011)

PERTH AMBOY — Local businesswoman Wilma Matey, who was on-vacation recently

when no member of the City Council voted in-favor of awarding a three-year,

$293,356 contract last week for animal-control services offered by Happy

Home Shelter Inc., which she serves as Acting Director, last week accused two

of the Councilmen who voted against it of a conflict-of-interest.

Under advice of City Law Director Mark Blunda, Councilmen William Petrick

and Kenneth Gonzalez — who moved and seconded the measure for discussion

purposes — abstained from voting on it to avoid “the appearance of a potential

conflict-of-interest.”

The Council’s three other members — Councilmen Fernando Gonzalez and Joel

Pabon and Council President Kenneth Balut — all voted “no.”

The “appearance of a potential conflict-of-interest” arose because of a

backyard barbecue held at Matey’s Water Street home.

Matey had contended that the event was a Cinco de Mayo celebration, but

resident Alan Silber countered that the party was identified as a “campaign

rally” on the website of Moving Forward Together, a campaign ticket in the May

2010 election consisting of Council candidates Petrick, Kenneth Gonzalez and

Maria Garcia.

The city’s strict “pay-to-play” regulations are now applicable to Petrick

and Gonzalez as Council members.

Last week, Matey contended that Balut and Fernando Gonzalez “have a

conflict-of-interest” and should abstain from voting on a multiplicity of issues,

including matters dealing with the Police Department, taxi-drivers and

liquor-licenses because of campaign-contributions they had received in the May

2008 election.

“You guys had pig-roasts and everything-else,” she said. “It’s not fair

that I be singled-out.”

“I don’t see any conflict whatsoever,” Blunda said.

Neither Fernando Gonzalez nor Balut went-into-detail about why they cast

negative votes, but Pabon said he voted to reject the proposal because of

“unanswered questions.”

The Happy Home proposal was submitted by Matey almost a year ago after the

Council rejected an earlier proposal by Woodbridge Township to take-over the

city’s animal-control services, as it had done for Carteret and South Amboy.