Vote for Baratta and Trawinski - Fair Lawn Council
on Nov. 8 - Column 1
We can't afford four more years of Ganz & Caan!
With David Ganz calling the shots in Fair Lawn:
- Taxes have increased by 66% (triple the rate of inflation).
- Spending has skyrocketed by over $10 million.
- Borrowing has ballooned - violating the state mandated cap.
- Development is out of control and our parks are threatened by still more development.
- Political campaign donors have walked away with millions of your tax dollars - simply because they finance David Ganz's political war chest.
Character Matters
Mayor David Ganz is a self-proclaimed coin expert. He boasts that he invented the state quarters and helped the U.S. Treasury earn billions from "his" idea.
But Ganz has used his expertise to help National Collector's Mint (NCM) deceive the public for profit - until the scam was stopped by New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.
Fact: Ganz was the lawyer and spokesman for a company, NCM, headed by a former pornographer, Avram Freedberg. NCM was found guilty of engaging in misleading marketing practices involving the sale of The Freedom Tower coin commemorating the terrorist attacks of September 11. In published articles Ganz defended those despicable marketing practices.
"This company(NCM) capitalized on the emotional and historical significance of the events of September 11th through the use of false and misleading claims." — Eliot Spitzer, November 2004
Fact: On November 9, 2004 New York Supreme Court Judge Joseph Caanizzaro ruled that Ganz's client (NCM) engaged in fraud, false advertising and deceptive business practices. He ordered that consumers be refunded $2.2 million dollars. On October 19, 2005, NCM was fined $370,000. As a coin expert, David Ganz knew the Freedom Tower coin was worthless. He had the opportunity to walk away from NCM, but he didn't. Instead Ganz defended the unlawful and misleading marketing practices of NCM.
Ganz never apologized for his ethical lapse and even took $2,500 in campaign donations from the company.
"Exploiting the National tragedy of 9/11 for profit is sleazy enough, but doing so through misleading advertising is even worse ... one would expect that a mayor and freeholder (Ganz) would have enough concern for people to steer clear of such a slick scheme to profit from a national tragedy/"
—The Record, October 15, 2004.
David Ganz is now asking for your vote. He claims to have instituted tough new ethics laws. Do you believe him? Do you want this man representing Fair Lawn?
Send a message to David Ganz "Character Matters"
Vote Baratta & Trawinski on November 8
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Obscuring the Facts under a Mountain of Trash
As we predicted, Mayor David Ganz and Councilman Allan Caan have distorted the truth, misled you, and hurled insults at their opponents.
WHY? Because they are desperate politicians.
They know the only way they can get you to vote for them is hide their record. But no matter how much political garbage Ganz and Caan throw at you, they can't change the facts.
Fact: Ganz and Caan have failed to do anything to preserve vital open space in Radburn. They let the Sept. 30 deadline pass without applying to the county open space trust fund for the miney to preserve Daly Field, Archery Plaza and the Hayward Tract.
Fact: Ganz and Caan have allowed overdevelopment and McMansions to destroy our neighborhoods.
Fact: They engineered a financing scheme for the borough recreation center that paid huge fees to their political donors at a cost to taxpayers of $800,000 a year for 25 years!
Fact: They have misled senior citizens by trying to take credit for a senior citizen drug program created by the Garden State Pharmaceutical Owners Association.
Fact: They tried to shake down the former borough prosecutor for a larger campaign donation (The Record Oct. 7. 2005). And they have created dozens of patronage lobs for their friends and failed to institute any ethics reforms whatsoever.
No matter how much political garbage David Ganz and Allan Caan throw at you,
they can't cover up the facts ...
Fair Lawn taxes rose 66% under Ganz and Caan
It's Time to Get Rid of the Garbage in Fair Lawn
Vote Baratta & Trawinski on November 8
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Allan Caan – Making Government Work for HIMSELF!
By pledging loyalty to Mayor and Freeholder David Ganz — Caan has tapped into the benefits of the Bergen County political machine run by Democrat Party Boss Joe Ferriero.
In need of a job several years ago, Councilman Caan was given a county position as a Freeholder aide to Ganz. The part time job included taxpayer financed health benefits worth $15,000. And councilman Caan collects a salary and benefits from Fair Lawn too!
The ethical conflict of having a councilman dependant on the mayor for his salary and health benefits didn't seem to bother Caan at all — as long as he was getting paid.
Before this year's election — to avoid the obvious conflict of interest between the mayor and the councilman — Freeholder Ganz got Caan a new county job. Now Caan works part time in the Division of Veterans Services — where he is paid $32,000 a year plus benefits. To make room for Caan — who never served in the military — some better qualified veterans were displaced.
Caan has never cast a dissenting vote against any of Mayor Ganz's tax hikes
— even as municipal taxes soared by 66%.
Caan was voting with Ganz and against the taxpayers of Fair Lawn. Why? Because Allan Caan is beholden to Mayor Ganz and the Ferriero machine
Fair Lawn deserves an independent councilman who will protect your interests
— Not a "Yes" man to Mayor Ganz.
Vote Baratta & Trawinski on November 8
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Anatomy of an NJ Political Deal
How a $500,000 improvement turned into a $25 MILLION dollar political deal that sent $200,000 of YOUR tax dollars to political insiders and donors who support Mayor David Ganz and the corrupt party of Bergen County Political Boss - Joe Ferriero.
It started as a simple plan to improve recreation in Fair Lawn… It ended up as a taxpayer rip off and a big payday for a handful of politically connected lawyers, architects and accountants.
Mayor David Ganz engineered the entire scam.
The Fair Lawn recreation department wanted $500,000 to improve the recreation center on Kipp Street. Ganz said no. He had bigger plans in mind.
Ganz decided to demolish the recreation building and erect a new one in a quiet residential area. Initially the cost was supposed to be $6.5 million. Without public debate the cost jumped to $13 million as the size of the building grew to exceed the borough's height restrictions.
Ganz then devised a financing scheme that would deliver $200,000 in payoffs to his political donors - while raising the overall cost of the building to $25 million!
Here's how he did it.
Instead of following usual borrowing procedures, Ganz engineered a borrowing scheme through the Bergen County Improvement Authority. The BCIA is an out-of-control, independent authority run by political appointees of Bergen County political Boss Joe Ferriero.
The BCIA arranged a no-bid, 25 year finance plan that will cost taxpayers nearly $25 million. The plan includes $207.000 in consultant fees paid for by taxpayers. Those fees ended up in the hands of firms and individuals who donated to Ganz, Ferriero and connected political organizations.
The recreation project that started out as $500,000 improvement will now cost Fair Lawn taxpayers more than $800,000 A YEAR in debt service.
The Fair Lawn Taxpayers LOSE in this political deal - Gans and his political pals WIN!
Put an end to Ganz's political corruption that is costing YOU millions of dollars each year.
End the practice of rewarding the political donors with taxpayer money.
Vote Baratta & Trawinski on November 8
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