PoliticsNJ post by Wally Edge recovered

Below is a reconstruction of the 'disappeared' Wally Edge item from PoliticsNJ that was put up and taken down on August 22nd, as captured by a reader.

Read it over and see if you can figure out why it should have been yanked. My only question is the headline, which kind of infers that D'Elia is feeding from a trough -- something I have not said.

-- Dan Damon.

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Oink, Oink Sebastian D'Elia

By Wally Edge

- August 22, 2007 - 9:10am
Tags: Sebastian D'Elia , CHARLOTTE DEFILIPPO

The County Watchers, a blog that monitors Union County government, makes an interesting case of an appearance of a conflict concerning Sebastian D'Elia, the Union County Public Information Officer and a member of the Union County Improvement Authority. It seems that the UCIA is building a 63-unit senior citizen housing project in Plainfield and signed up Century 21 Atlantic Realty Inc. to sell the units. The problem, as the blog sees it, is that D'Elia is a licensed realtor who works for the same firm. Just to make things more interesting: the UCIA Executive Director is Union County Democratic Chairman Charlotte DeFilippo.

COMMENTS

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This Is Getting Out of Hand

FormerlyAnonymous

Real estate offices have tons of real estate agents listed with them. Many, many people in this day and age have real estate licenses in order to supplement their income. The PIO is allowed to have outside employment. Unless there is some evidence that D'Elia had something to do with the UCIA project, was involved in the awarding of the contract, or will benefit from the sale of the units there is no conflict. It's just more efforts to make insinuations and create doubt without evidence and for political gain. I don't know D'Elia, or the development in question. For all I know there is something here, but the website and this post don't provide any evidence of the fact other than some real tenuous connection. Rooting out corruption is important, but just throwing everything against the wall and hoping something sticks is creating so much cynicism and public doubt of government that good people are no longer interested in public service. And then the media, including PNJ, trumpets the baseless accusations to draw readers. When there is EVIDENCE, nail the corrupt. But let's stop the constant attacks that have no basis in fact.

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08/22/07 9:33 am

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a real conflict?

Mr. Democrat

did D'Elia vote on the contract giving Century 21 the listings? If he recused himself....what else would you like him to do? Do we know if he'll personally be selling any of these units?

08/22/07 10:43 am

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It should also be noted

StephenYellin

That the County Watchers blog is far from impartial; the two women who run it are Tina Renna and Patricia Quattrocchi. Ms. Renna's husband, Joe Renna has run twice for Freeholder, once as a Republican (in 2004); Ms. Quattrocchi is making her 4th consecutive run for Freeholder this year as a Republican candidate. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that as Republicans (and in Ms. Quattrocchi's case as a frequent GOP candidate), they would be eager to paint their opponents in the most negative ways possible. My advice for the editor is to stop paying attention to "County Watchers" - because their eyes need examination, and perhaps new pairs of glasses.

08/22/07 11:11 am

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Sebastian the Spinner

FrankJBartello

It is so obvious that Sebastian D'Elia is getting people to spin for him today. How pathetic. Wally says there is an APPEARANCE of conflict and he is right. Of course there APPEARS to be a conflict when some realtor gets a lucrative listing from a government agency that one of their own guys serves on. Good job to the Republicans for finally getting the word out. Someone tell Sebastian D'Elia to give us all a break!

08/22/07 12:28 pm

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FrankJBartello -- HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

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FormerlyAnonymous

You're right. Any time someone says something in defense of a Democrat it is because we were paid off. When anyone attacks a Democrat it is because they are pure of heart and have only the benefit of the public in mind. What a load of crap. I have a problem with ALL the innuendo and slanted partisan attacks made in the guise of fighting corruption. It's been done against Republicans -- see Don DiFrancesco -- and Democrats. It's just that this one was bout a Democrat.

08/22/07 1:22 pm