The recently released 2021 audit of Delran Township’s finances shows that township officials were not in compliance with N.J.S.A 40A: 11-7 (Contracts not to be divided), when the Township “paid $61,500 to two vendors that were related to a Township celebratory event held in October 2021”. The audit states that “The Township paid two vendors for the performance of services, that in the aggregate exceeded the bid threshold.”.

The planning of the Carli Lloyd retirement party will now cost the taxpayers even more money as Delran needs to hire three new lawyers to represent those Officials involved in the planning of the “biggest (retirement) party ever“.

The Agenda for tomorrow night’s council meeting includes “Resolution 2022-174 Approving the Corrective Action Plan Based on the Recommendations in the 2021 Audit Report”, with three separate resolutions to hire “special counsel” for three unnamed Delran officials.

The “cause” stated in the audit claims “The Township officials, including the Recreation Advisory Committee, were under the advice that these were two separate contracts for different services and were not subject to bid. However, Local Public Contract Law states that goods or services in connection with the same immediate purpose or task should be considered together. If these contracts were aggregated, they would have exceeded the bid threshold and therefore, could have been bid, depending on the timing of providing the service.”.

That advice came from Delran’s former Solicitor Sal Siciliano, who resigned earlier this year after Council President Tyler Burrell publicly demanded his resignation due to Siciliano’s poor legal advice on several controversial issues. In that same meeting, Council President Burrell expressed his frustration with Mayor Gary Catrambone, saying that he would ask Catrambone to resign, but the Mayor wouldn’t listen anyway.

Council President Burrell minced no words though at last months council meeting, where he directly asked for the Mayor’s resignation in a long and emotional statement that was read into the record, asking for “accountability” from the Mayor. The request for the Mayor’s resignation last month was due to a blog that was created by Delran’s former Communications director, Wendy Mitchell, who was the right hand gal to the Mayor. Mitchell created a blog about activist, and CEO of Rabble Rouser Media, Patrick Duff, claiming Duff faked his very real cancer to profit by ripping off unsuspecting cancer patients.

The Mayor not only refused to resign, but he also refused to even acknowledge Mitchell’s obvious involvement, claiming that he didn’t believe Mitchell was involved, and insinuated that she was set up in some type of way.

The Mayor strongly claimed that nothing illegal or unethical was done during the planning of the Carli Lloyd event, but now that the township’s own auditors have confirmed that illegal activity did take place, what will the Mayor’s new claim be at tomorrow nights council meeting?