The Essex County Executive, Joe DiVincenzo, and his Chief of Staff, Phil Alagia, don't seem to be taking the Jail Task Force ordinance, or their responsibilities, seriously. They seem intent on continuing their pattern of ignoring their constituents concerns. When they do issue responses they are written as though constituents haven’t read the ordinance or bothered to inform ourselves in the slightest. This is a pattern we’ve seen before, with questions around the Zoo Master Plan and the DHS Inspector General Report and it comes off as extremely condescending.

In the case of the Task Force, we have a responsibility for the well being of anyone we choose to hold in our jail. These are Joe D’s prisoners, the Freeholders prisoners, your prisoners, my prisoners. I want to thank Essex Freeholder President Brendan Gill for continuing to be an adult in the room with the Administration. He has been treating ideas and questions with respect and actually engaging with constituents, advocacy groups, and subject matter experts.

Join me in contacting Joe DiVincenzo to ask that he and his staff join his constituents in an actual conversation on the ordinance, on Task Force appointments, and on transparency in general