Does anyone see how Ironic it is that these self proclaimed "animal lovers" got together over a PIG ROAST. Instead of being so worried about political nonsense, take a moment to stop and smell the burning pig flesh. It reminds me of the bumber sticker "I Love Animals...They Taste Great".
The below article was posted in www.mycentraljersey.com
Is this the new face of animal welfare?
Debate continues over who should run Perth Amboy animal shelter
STAFF REPORT· December 12, 2010
PERTH AMBOY - When is a pig roast considered a
Cinco de Mayo party and not a political event?
The answer to that question is one of several factors
that may determine whether the leader of a volunteer
nonprofit group will ever get the chance to run the
Perth Amboy Animal Shelter.
Questions have been raised about whether Wilma
Matey, leader of Perth Amboy Happy Home Animal
Shelter, held a pig-roast campaign fundraiser in
May for City Council candidate Maria Garcia, who
ran with Kenneth Gonzalez and William Petrick - or
whether it was simply a Cinco de Mayo party.
Matey maintains she had a holiday get-together at
her Water Street home. She said no money was
collected at the event.
If the event was a campaign fundraiser, and now
Matey is seeking to become a city vendor by
providing animal-control services, it would violate
the city's pay-to-play ordinance, city officials said.
"You're not supposed to get any benefit," said
council President Kenneth Balut.
If the council votes on whether to let Matey run the
shelter, Gonzalez and Petrick, who both now serve
on the council, would be pressured not to vote
because of potential conflicts of interest.
But Matey, who for months has been seeking the
city's permission to take over the shelter operation,
says Balut has conflicts, too, because he is a friend
of Richard Cielesz and his wife Michael, the city's
animal-control officers at the shelter.
The two animal-control officers receive a combined
salary of about $80,000, but no benefits, according
to Balut.
Like Balut, Cielesz is a retired Perth Amboy police
officer. They served on the force together and are
friends.
But Balut said he didn't hire Cielesz as an animal-
control officer and Cielesz didn't donate to his
campaign. He said Cielesz was recommended for the
job because he's an animal lover.
"I know he can do the job," said Balut, adding that
Cielesz is certified as an animal-control officer and
has experience on the job. "He's qualified to do the
job."
He said Matey has no experience running a shelter.
But Balut said he has no problem if she wants to
volunteer at the shelter.
"She was told if she wants to volunteer, she can
volunteer. She can't run it," he said.
But Matey, who plans to hire certified animal-control
officers, wants to know why. She said she has
answered every question posed by the city and
provided every document requested.
"Everything you've asked from me I've given to you,"
she said.
Matey also maintains the city deserves to have a
full-time shelter with full-time employees and full-
time volunteers. She said the shelter is only open
for limited hours, so people call her and other
volunteers if they have a problem with animals.
"We do so much on our own. We pick up hurt
animals," she said. "We're doing more than anybody
else."
Balut said the shelter hours have been extended. He
said he believes the shelter is now open from 10 a.
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