HAMILTON — At least one serious crime in Hamilton has missed the publicly disclosed log of police activity.

Captain Remo DiPaolo, spokesman for the Hamilton Police Department, said police were dispatched to the 100 block of Miry Brook Road in Hamilton for a disturbance before 5 p.m. on Feb. 18. The incident was not listed on the department’s blotter on its website.

Lisa Konopka, 40, of 134 Miry Brook Rd, was arrested for aggravated assault after she pointed a gun at someone else involved in the altercation, DiPaolo said. He said no injuries were involved in the incident and he did not know the current status of the case.

DiPaolo said the department had not filed any other charges in the case and the gun had been taken as evidence. He said he would not give out any information about other people involved in the altercation, citing department policy not to give the identities of victims.

You can read the full story here.

From the Times' Alex Zdan:

HAMILTON -- A recovery effort is underway today to pull a body from the Delaware River near Duck Island in Hamilton, authorities said.

You can read their story here.

The Hamilton Township school district won’t raise taxes after passing its budget last night, and it will still manage to increase spending in its technology, professional development and facilities.

The board passed its budget after its public hearing Wednesday night, and rejecting a proposal that would have raised taxes by $50 for the average household worth $133,000. The $184 million budget includes a $100 million tax levy counting the district’s debt service.

Parla presented two possible budgets to the board, one with the $50 tax increase and one without any increase, but also without some of the purchases, such as six of the teaching aides, two dump trucks and a chipper. The option without an increase would also take $500,000 out of the capital reserve fund.

“I don’t have a rabbit in a hat. I don’t have smoke and mirrors here. Whatever it is it is,” he said. “There are going to be advantages and disadvantages here but we are going to talk about it.”

You can read the full story here.

HAMILTON — Hamilton Township has busted a second employee in a month over missing money in a department already under scrutiny.

Police arrested Coleen Sides, a senior clerk in the township’s Department of Health, Recreation, Seniors and Veterans, was arrested on charges of theft Wednesday. Sides resigned after being charged, a release from the township said.

Sides, whose job included scheduling and processing facilities rentals at the Sayen House, was charged with taking the money meant for the rentals there, according to the release.

“Theft of public monies is never acceptable and will always be dealt with in the most severe fashion permitted by law,” Mayor Kelly Yaede said in the release.

You can read the full story here.

Former Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo has filed an appeal by himself of his conviction and sentence on five federal corruption charges, according to court documents.

The appeal, filed last week, claims Bencivengo is financially indigent and unable to pay for a lawyer or the $400 appeal filing fee. He’s asking to be assigned an attorney under the Criminal Justice Act to represent him.

Earlier this month, District Judge Anne Thompson sentenced him to 38 months in prison with two years of supervised release, a $3,000 fine and $7,400 forfeiture.

A jury convicted Bencivengo in November of extortion under color of official right, attempted extortion under color of official right, two violations of the travel act and one charge of money laundering. He resigned shortly thereafter, and Council Vice President Kelly Yaede was selected to step into the office until a special election this fall.

You can read the full story here.

Hamilton Township could save close to $2 million on its debt after Standard & Poor’s upgraded its credit rating, township officials said Tuesday.

The agency, citing the township’s “improved finances and management practices...and low debt with a rapid debt amortization schedule,” upgraded the town to a AA- rating, which could allow the district to get lower rates on its debt. The town also has a “solid employment base” and “strong and stable economic indicators,” but said the administration also has long-term costs from retirees and health benefits.

“The stable outlook reflects Standard & Poor's opinion of Hamilton Township's improved finances and management practices. We expect the township to maintain, what we consider, its good finances due to, what we regard as, its conservative budgeting practices,” the agency’s report said.

John Barrett, the town’s Chief Financial Officer, said he was not certain the rating change would affect the proposed 2013 budget, partially because of its timing. But, he said, any money saved when the district refinances could roll over to the next year.

“Depending on the result of the financing and on the schedule, we might not have enough opportunity to reduce our debt service payments this year,” he said.

The savings would come from a lower interest rates on new bonds the township could go out for with its improved rating, he said.

Hamilton Mayor Kelly Yaede, in a press release announcing the change, said it was a sign her administration was on the right track.

“This very positive assessment from a credible, independent rating service like Standard and Poor’s confirms the strong financial management and controls that my administration works every day to ensure for the taxpayers of Hamilton Township,”

Hamilton Township Public Works Director Frank Ragazzo will retire this week, and Mayor Kelly Yaede will name David Carothers to fill his post.

The announcement, made in a press release this afternoon, is the first director appointment Yaede has made in her tenure as mayor. Ragazzo ran the department for about two years before his retirement.

“Having served in several capacities in the Department of Public Works, Dave Carothers intimately knows the department and the township. I have no doubt that he can step right in and take the helm of the department,” Yaede said in the release.

Carothers, according to the release, started as a laborer in the township before working his way up through the ranks. He has served as the township's Emergency Management Coordinator. The appointment will have to go to council.

Hamilton Township and Trenton City schools have closed early this snowy Monday afternoon, and also cancelled all evening activities.

Hamilton Superintendent James Parla said the district made the decision after receiving the weather report and news that the county's technical and special education programs had closed early.

"With close to 13,000 students, we couldn't take a chance," he said.

Hamilton also cancelled a budget meeting tonight for its board. The body is having another meeting on the budget this Wednesday night. Parla said cancelling Monday's meeting does not affect the district's budget timeline.

According to the National Weather Service, the mix of snow and rain will continue through much of the afternoon and evening, with several inches of snow possible.

Two other nearby districts, Ewing and Lawrence, are on spring break.

It seems like the Times was busy over the weekend. Below you'll find links to a couple of stories that were pretty interesting.

State Sen. Richard Codey to speak at campaign kick-off for Hamilton council candidate

Supporters of Democratic Hamilton council candidate Dan Keelan will hold a fundraiser for him on April 1. State Sen. and former acting governor Richard Codey will give a keynote speech.

Photos: Robbinsville's 4th annual St. Patrick's Day Parade

The fourth annual Robbinsville St. Patrick's Day Parade was held today under sunny skies in the township.
The parade kicked off at 1 p.m. at the Foxmoor Shopping Center.

Princeton cop to get $87,500 in whistleblower suit settlement

Princeton has agreed to pay out $87,500 to a veteran police officer who alleged he was fired by the former Princeton Borough police department for investing allegations of wrongdoing against another officer in 2008.

Princeton Superintendent Judith Wilson is eligible for up to $60K payout at retirement

Superintendent Judith Wilson will retire in December, allowing her to avoid a salary cut required by the state cap on superintendent pay, and could take home a benefits package worth nearly $60,000 in unused sick and vacation time in addition to an annual pension of about $144,000 a year.

This week on the show we had Jeff Hewitson, the president of the Hamilton Township Board of Education, about the district’s facilities problems.

The district closed a portion of one high school two weeks ago after testing found mold, bacteria and lead-based paint in the building. After years of neglect and one-time fixes, the district’s 23 schools need more than $100 million in renovations.

At the bottom of the hour, we had Tahirih Smith from Sustainable Lawrence, a community group advocating for a greener community in the township.

Her group is holding a Living Local Expo at Lawrence High School from noon to 4 p.m. The event will have speakers, cooking demonstrations and showings from vendors at the high school.

You can find a link to the show below:

Robert Warney, the admitted middleman in the Bencivengo case, has been sentenced to more than a year in jail, with two months supervised release, after a hearing this morning.

The judge, Anne Thompson, went beyond the recommendations from the defense and the prosecution, who had asked for a "significant period" of community service and home confinement. She said the fact that Warney admitted to accepting bribes while a member of the Hamilton Board of Education weighed in the sentence. Warney will report to prison on May 3.

"Mr. Warney was not an innocent dupe in this (case). The facts simply don’t support the notion that he was," Thompson said. 

William Hughes, Warney's attorney, said he was disappointed in the sentence, which was considerably longer than his request and, he said, different from the pattern for cooperating defendants in other cases.

"I did not feel it reflected his cooperation in this case," he said.

Warney, the town’s former director of Community Planning and Compliance, plead guilty to one charge of money laundering last year, which carries up to 20 years in jail and a $250,000 fine. Warney resigned his post in June before pleading guilty to the charge.

Former Mayor John Bencivengo was sentenced to 38 months in prison last week after a jury convicted him of five felony counts last year. Warney testified against Bencivengo at trial and was also featured on tapes recorded by the prosecution’s cooperating witness, Marliese Ljuba.

Warney testified that in 2011 he was given a $5,000 check for a “cherry bedroom set” from the husband of Ljuba. The check, made out to Warney’s wife was then cashed without her knowledge.

Rob Warney said he then took out that cash in increments and paid them to Bencivengo. Warney was recorded on tapes made by both Ljuba and Bencivengo for the FBI where they are talking about the check.

From the Times' Christina Izzo:

Police have arrested three Trenton men believed responsible for multiple burglaries over the last several weeks, but police say a fourth suspect is still at large.

Jozef Field, Javier Hernandez and Fabian Guzman-Suarez were all arrested earlier this month and charged with 13 counts of burglary and two counts of attempted burglary, police said.

You can read the full story here.

The second man charged in the scandal that brought down the mayor of Hamilton will go before a judge for sentencing today.

Rob Warney, the town’s former director of Community Planning and Compliance, plead guilty to one charge of money laundering last year, which carries up to 20 years in jail and a $250,000 fine. Warney resigned his post in June before pleading guilty to the charge.

Former Mayor John Bencivengo was sentenced to 38 months in prison last week after a jury convicted him of five felony counts last year. Warney testified against Bencivengo at trial and was also featured on tapes recorded by the prosecution’s cooperating witness, Marliese Ljuba.

Warney testified that in 2011 he was given a $5,000 check for a “cherry bedroom set” from the husband of Ljuba. The check, made out to Warney’s wife was then cashed without her knowledge.

Rob Warney said he then took out that cash in increments and paid them to Bencivengo. Warney was recorded on tapes made by both Ljuba and Bencivengo for the FBI where they are talking about the check.

Prosecutors said that Warney had reached a deal with them in exchange for his testimony in the case.

Bencivengo was convicted of taking $12,400 in total, $5,000 check included, from Ljuba in exchange for his influence with two Hamilton Township Board of Education members in their votes on her lucrative health insurance brokerage there.

I'll be tweeting the sentencing from the courtroom. You can find more updates here or @awisefool.

Today on This Week in Mercer, you’ll hear from Jeff Hewitson, the president of the Hamilton Township Board of Education, about the district’s facilities problems.

The district closed a portion of one high school two weeks ago after testing found mold, bacteria and lead-based paint in the building. After years of neglect and one-time fixes, the district’s 23 schools need more than $100 million in renovations.

At the bottom of the hour, Tahirih Smith from Sustainable Lawrence, a community group advocating for a greener community in the township.

Her group is holding a Living Local Expo at Lawrence High School from noon to 4 p.m. The event will have speakers, cooking demonstrations and showings from vendors at the high school.

So make sure to join host Michael Macagnone on 1490 WBCB at 4 p.m., or check out the show later at hamiltoninfocus.blogspot.com.

HAMILTON — Hamilton’s school district could face another six-figure cost to cleaning up the mess caused by frequent sewage backups at one high school, the board detailed Wednesday night and could finalize its budget next week.

The agenda meeting, held at Steinert High School, was ostensibly to go through portions of the proposed $196 million budget for next year. The board could approve the spending plan at its meeting next Wednesday, with some changes to the plan presented last month.

An average homeowner’s tax rate could go up about $50, and the district also added junior varsity lacrosse and winter track programs and changed its technology package. Instead of putting SmartBoards in 75 percent of the district’s classrooms, they will concentrate on the elementary schools. The district will also purchase 900 laptops and peripherals instead of 600 iPads in the original plan.

The budget will also add more money for facilities improvement and equipment.

“... and a partridge in a pear tree,” Superintendent James Parla joked.

You can find the rest of the story here.

The Google-based map form the Bergen County Record documents damage to homes throughout the Garden State:

The most severe damage was sustained along the central New Jersey coastline, and in the North Jersey towns of Moonachie and Little Ferry, where massive flooding inundated thousands of homes.

Inland towns were hit by severe winds, knocking out power lines and downing many trees, some landing directly onto adjacent homes.

Some information on Mercer County towns from their map:
495 homes damaged in Trenton
144 homes damaged in Hamilton
32 homes damaged in Ewing
11 homes damaged in Lawrence
25 homes damaged in Robbinsville
4 homes damaged in Princeton

The map also shows townships with more than 1,000 homes damaged in shore towns.

You'll find their map here.

From the Times' Erin Duffy:

Police and fire companies are battling a smoky fire near the intersection of Ewing Street and Terhune Road after a road crew hit a gas main this morning, igniting a milling machine.

PSE&G spokeswoman Kristine Snodgrass said utility crews were out on the scene ready to repair the nicked main after a contractor making road repairs in the 500 block of Ewing struck the line and started the vehicle fire.

You can read the full story, with photos, here.

Robbinsville has been left holding the bag after Roma Bank pulled out on plans to develop a three-story building that would house the township’s municipal offices as well as retail space.

The township would have paid $3 million for the building’s third floor, which broke ground last October. Construction has stopped, leaving the building’s footprint as a fence-enclosed dirt lot on Route 33 in Town Center.

“It is difficult when you can’t trust one of the town’s financial institutions to uphold their end of the bargain. It really makes you wonder who you can trust,” said Robbinsville Mayor Dave Fried.

Robbinsville’s new municipal home had been up in the air since Roma Bank announced its sale to Investors Bank on Dec. 19, Fried said.

You can read the full story here.

From the Trentonian's own Brian Dzenis:

HAMILTON — Eloy Sanchez, who escaped from the Jones Farm Correctional Facility in Ewing this week, was recaptured by corrections officials on Tuesday.

At 3:45 p.m. Sanchez, 27, was found by the Department of Corrections’ Special Investigations Unit in Hamilton, spokeswoman Deidre Fedkenheuer said. Corrections officials have not released the exact circumstances of Sanchez’ capture or what led them to Hamilton.

Sanchez’ escape was discovered by Jones Farm officials when he was missing at the 6:30 p.m. roll call. Jones Farm is considered to be a minimum security facility where inmates are often allowed to go outside on the grounds to do farm work. He was serving a one-year sentence on a robbery conviction at the time of his escape. Spokesman Matt Schuman said Sanchez was seven months from parole when he escaped. As of his capture, he will be facing another three to five years in a more secure prison.

Sanchez is currently being held at Trenton State Prison.

HAMILTON — The township will not have an ethics board once the proposal finalized at last night’s council meeting gets the mayor’s signature.

Mayor Kelly Yaede’s proposal, which has quickly become a “political football” between candidates in the fall election, was put forward last month as part of a larger ethics reform in the township. The ordinance also made the local ethics ordinance mirror the state’s and abolished several unused or underused boards.

Dan Keelan, one candidate for council, said he was “disappointed” in the move to a state board. Keelan has asked the township to fund the local board since last year.

“It’s a shame, it’s a tragedy. You’re turning your back on the citizens of the township if you pass this,” he said. “Why can’t you get out in front of everyone else in front of everyone else in terms of local ethics?”

The lone “no” vote on council, Councilman Kevin Meara, said he did not feel comfortable with the proposal. The other four members of council voted for the measure. Meara and others have made the case the township could find people “capable and competent” for the board.

“I’m just not comfortable with this direction in discussing the local ethics board and I’m less comfortable with the Local Finance Board,” he said.

Yaede’s other parts of the ethics plan, expanded ethics training and bringing the township’s boards and commissions under the gifts policy, did not need to go before the council.

You can read that story here.

From the Times' Mike Davis:

Roma Bank and Investors Bank have called off plans for construction of a new retail building that would have housed Robbinsville’s municipal offices, sending the township back to the drawing board in its search for a permanent town hall, officials said yesterday.

Roma broke ground in October on the planned three-story building adjacent to the bank’s headquarters on Route 33 in Town Center. The township was to purchase rights to the 8,930-square-foot third floor for $3 million, and Roma was going to lease the lower floors as retail and office space.

But in December, after Roma announced it was being purchased by Investors Bank of Short Hills, the project’s future became uncertain, Mayor Dave Fried said. The building site remains ringed by fencing hung with banners, but construction does not appear to have progressed beyond some digging.

You can read the full story here. I'll update once I find out more.

Hamilton School District has carried through on a promise to schedule tours of its facilities for its board.

By mid-May, officials will show off all 23 schools amid concerns over backlogged facilities maintenance and one-off emergency repairs throughout the district. The first such tour, scheduled this Saturday according to the district website, will go through several schools, including Steinert High School, where an emergency boiler repair was made earlier this year.

The last tour of a school facility by the board resulted in a shutdown of athletic areas in Hamilton High School West after the board passed a resolution for the administration to act.

Superintendent James Parla asked the environmental firm Karl and Associates to test the areas of the building after closing them earlier this month. Obtained by the Trentonian through an Open Public Records Act request last week, the report found evidence of mold spores, coliform, E. Coli, Legionella and other bacteria as well as lead-based paint in the closed-off areas of the school.

He said last week the district will start some remediation work immediately, but the bulk of it will have to wait until after school lets out and work on more than $100,000 in renovations can begin. He said the board has approved work to replace the pipes causing the flooding problem, and that will start once summer hits.

“It doesn’t make sense to do anything until the root of the problem is fixed,” he said.

The report recommended the school remove all porous surfaces, including wooden lockers, cabinets floor and baseboards and removing all dripping pipes. It also recommended ensuring that any standing water and other leaking problems are addressed or prevented before the areas are reopened.

Parla said the athletes on the teams that would normally use those locker rooms will likely be moved to the other locker rooms in the school in the meantime.

The lead paint problem likely comes from decades without repainting, and will require an abatement to fix, Parla said. He said it was part of the problems with the district’s facilities that have been brewing for more than a decade as budget cuts on routine maintenance have taken their toll.

A preliminary estimate of the needed repairs would cost about $134 million, Parla said as part of his budget address last month.

Part of the point of the visits, the release said, was to “ensure that members ofthe Board have a full understanding of the District’s facilities needs.”

Drivers on Route 609 in Hamilton will have to follow detours for much of the year while state contractors reconstruct the bridge over Route 130.

In a Monday press release, the New Jersey Department of Transportation announced the bridge will be closed in both directions starting March 22. Contractors might also have to close one lane of 130 during off-peak hours as part of the construction. The project is expected to finish by fall this year, according to the release.

Northbound drivers on 609 can use Main Street to South Broad Street and then Route 156 to bypass the bridge. Southbound drivers can take the reverse route: 156 to South Broad Street to Main Street.

Route 130 northbound drivers trying to take 609 can take South Broad Street to Main Street, as the exit to 609 will be closed during the construction.

Contractors will replace the bridge’ structurally deficient superstructure, make some substructure repairs and resurface the road at either end of the bridge as part of the $1.78 million federally funded project.

The timing of the work and the entire project is subject to weather and “other factors” according to the release.

On the show last week we had Robbinsville Mayor Dave Fried and Ben Dworkin, director of the Rebovitch Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University.

You can listen to the show or download a copy below.

ROBBINSVILLE — The budget plan for Robbinsville Township for the coming year has started taking shape, after the first of several meetings on the 2013-14 spending plan Thursday night.

The proposed $21.9 million budget would include a four percent tax cut, or about $76 for the average homeowner. That cut primarily comes from the introduction of a payment plan from the Amazon warehouse coming in. At the council meeting, the public heard testimony from the public works, engineering, finance, police and fire departments on their plans.

The police department which blew through its overtime budget due to Superstorm Sandy, will be purchasing three new vehicles. Chief Martin Masseroni said the township had held off for years replacing the older cars of its fleet and the township was paying more in repairs.

The township attorney’s office would also add another attorney two days a week to handle affordable housing issues and other problems, such as one “disgruntled resident” who has been filing Open Public Records Act requests on an almost-daily basis and making staff feel uncomfortable, Roselli said.

Witt said the township was losing out from that resident, who has filed two losing suits against the township.

“This is a pervasive problem that affects the township as a whole,” he said. Township employees and taxpayers are affected he said, because “they can’t do what they are supposed to do because of this crusade.”

You can read the full story here.

Next year’s budget in Hamilton would keep property taxes flat and reduce the town’s spending, should the mayor’s proposed plan go through.

At a press conference Thursday, Mayor Kelly Yaede presented her budget, which would keep the tax rate at $1.20 per $100 of property value and cut spending by $1.1 million to $98 million. Many of those savings come from eliminating 17 full-time positions through retirements.

“We are doing much more with less,” she said. “Let’s look at how we can work smarter and not harder.”

She said the staffing reductions bring the township about $570,000 in savings from the salaries and benefits from those employees. The township also saw spending reductions in utilities, garbage disposal and solid waste that added up to more than $750,000.

The budget also includes a $46,000 outlay for cameras in council chambers, an issue council members asked for late last year.

Michael Angarone, director of the township’s Department of Economic Development and Technology, said the township would put together specifications and put the project out for public bid. He said they intended the system to allow for live broadcasting and Internet streaming of council meetings.

Yaede said the town will also pave another 28 streets under the proposed budget, with 13 done by private contractors.

Business Administrator John Ricci said the police force will replace one police officer with a civilian to run the township’s evidence room.

He said the township will also have increased spending on its insurance plans, driven by larger costs for insurance plans overall.

Councilman Dave Kenny praised the budget at the press conference. He said he was glad the township was proposing a budget with a flat tax rate.

“This is really an achievement in good government,” Kenny said.

The budget will now go to council, where it will go through several hearings and requires a majority approval to become official.

TRENTON — Former Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo was sentenced to more than three years in jail Wednesday following his conviction on federal corruption charges last year.

At a two-hour hearing Wednesday, Judge Anne Thompson weighed a number of factors, including Bencivengo’s lack of a criminal history, severe depression, the five counts against him and recommendations from the prosecution before coming down with the 38-month sentence. He will have to report to federal prison in 45 days.

“It seems like he was a neophyte, kind of an amateur who became the mayor without the foundation of integrity, character and strong principles that he needed to hold that high office,” she said. “He has thrown away so much for $12,400.”

You can read the full story here.

From Trentonian reporter Sherrina Navani:

TRENTON — “The depression made him do it,” was the mitigating circumstance former Hamilton Township Mayor Bencivengo’s defense attorney offered, in the hopes of reducing the disgraced leader’s sentencing at a hearing held on Wednesday.

Defense lawyer, Jerome Ballarotto, initiated an importune examination of a criminal forensic psychologist, whose research into Bencivengo’s psyche deduced that the mayor was clinically depressed years before and severely depressed during his reign at the head of the township. “He was so severely depressed he was distracted and could not comprehend the ramifications of his actions,” said Criminal Forensic Psychologist Dr. Gerard Cooke while on the stand during the sentencing hearing.

The fallen politician, who was found guilty in November of accepting $12,400 worth of bribes in exchange for his official influence, was painted by his attorney as a victim who suffered from a debilitating disease.

According to the doctor’s testimony, Bencivengo was diagnosed by his primary care physician, in 2001, as depressed. His deep despair and symptoms worsened when he began to incur marital problems with his wife of over 30 years. The depression became even more severe when he began dating and then consequently broke up with a woman 30 years his junior.

You can read the full story here.

Former Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo has been sentenced to 38 months in prison with three years probation.

He will also be required to pay a $3,000 fine and pay back the $12,400 in bribes he was convicted of taking. The judge also said he will have to report to jail in 45 days.

You can check here later for more updates or @awisefool.

Former Hamilton mayor John Bencivengo will go before a judge Wednesday morning to hear his sentence.

The former mayor, convicted on five felonies related to a federal corruption case against him, could face a maximum of 20 years in jail when he goes before Federal Court Judge Ann Thompson. A jury convicted him last year of taking $12,400 in bribes from a cooperating witness, Marliese Ljuba.

The five counts were as follows: extortion under color of official right, attempted extortion under color of official right, two violations of the travel act and one charge of money laundering. The tribulations and trial of Bencivengo rocked Hamilton government and school district, taking two department directors and the school district’s business administrator with him.

Next week, Thompson will sentence Robert Warney, the admitted middleman for a $5,000 payment to Bencivengo. Warney testified that in 2011 he was given a $5,000 check for a “cherry bedroom set” from the husband of the prosecution’s chief witness in the case, Marliese Ljuba. The check, made out to Warney’s wife was then cashed without her knowledge.

Rob Warney said he then took out that cash in increments and paid them to Bencivengo. Warney was recorded on tapes made by both Ljuba and Bencivengo for the FBI where they are talking about the check.

Prosecutors said that Warney had reached a deal with them in exchange for his testimony in the case.

The scandal first surfaced with an arrest and charge against the mayor in April. Then, he was indicted and Warney resigned and plead guilty to money laundering in June. Numerous politicians — all the way up to Gov. Chris Christie — called for him to step down. He didn’t, professing his innocence up until the jury found him guilty two days before Thanksgiving.

Colorful testimony at trial brought to light cocaine parties, infidelity, party infighting and years-long efforts to ensure and conceal huge profits that Ljuba raked in through her health insurance brokerage.

I'll be tweeting live from the courtroom, you can find updates @awisefool or check here as the day goes on.

HAMILTON — Parts of Hamilton High School West will likely remain closed for the rest of the school year after a report found bacteria, lead-based paint and mold in some athletic areas.

Superintendent James Parla asked the environmental firm Karl and Associates to test the areas of the building after closing them last week. Obtained by the Trentonian through an Open Public Records Act request, the report found evidence of mold spores, coliform, E. Coli, Legionella and other bacteria as well as lead-based paint in the closed-off areas of the school.

“These areas will not be used until they are properly remediated,” he said.

You can read the full story here.

From Trentonian reporter David Foster:

The Hamilton Republican candidates know they have an uphill battle in the November election. The incumbents also believe the Democrats will have only one platform: former Mayor John Bencivengo.

“We’re not going to let them put John Bencivengo’s basket out there and wrap us all in with it,” Councilman Dennis Pone said. “When people don’t have a platform, they slander.”

Bencivengo is scheduled Wednesday to be sentenced for his conviction of five federal corruption charges, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.

Bencivengo was found guilty in November of taking $12,400 in bribes from the government’s cooperating witness, Marliese Ljuba, in exchange for his influence with the Hamilton Board of Education, so that she could keep her lucrative health insurance brokerage for her employer, Allen Associates.

You can read the full story here.

PRINCETON — The Princeton police department continues to face further public troubles, as a former chief spoke out while the current chief faces workplace harassment allegations.

Former township police chief Anthony David spoke for about five minutes at the council meeting Monday night on the state of the department, the dialogue about the police, the prosecutor’s office and misinformation about his record. He served as chief for the department from 1993 to 2007.

“I believe Princeton Township Police Department was one of the finest, smallest police departments in the county and throughout the state,” he said. “It broke my heart to see what happened to the department after I retired.”

News of the allegations against Princeton chief David Dudeck broke two weeks ago in The Trentonian and PlanetPrinceton.com.

You can read the full story here.

Hamilton to improve road conditions for pedestrians following serious injuries

HAMILTON — On the second day of summer last year, Donald Feliciano was crossing Nottingham Way with his dog, Bailey, when a truck roared into his range of vision.

“I glance and think I see a truck. That’s the last thing I remember,” Feliciano, 60, said. “I get hit on the left side and I go flying. One witness said he heard a big cracking noise, and that was my head hitting the ground.”

You can read Emily Brill's story here.

In Hamilton, tough task of school redistricting looms

The school board is slowly preparing to begin the delicate process of redrawing the boundary lines that determine which schools children attend.

Redistricting is still at least one year away, but board members are looking at the balance the process may bring to the district’s 23 schools and nearly 13,000 students.

You can read Mike Davis' story here.

HAMILTON — The school board hopes the 2013-14 budget includes funding for security.

Board president Jeff Hewitson and board member Patricia DelGiudice, during a meeting Wednesday night, expressed an immediate concern for safety and security, calling for funding to update security cameras and install swipe-card entrance systems at the district’s 23 schools.

You can read Mike Davis' story here.

Thursday on This Week in Mercer we had Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes on to talk about his budget and public education advocate Julia Rubin to talk about the impact of Gov. Chris Christie's proposed budget.

You will also hear an interview with John Hartmann, the author of "Jacket: The Trials of a New Jersey Criminal Defense Attorney."

You can listen to the full show below or download it:

Robbinsville residents and township administration have worked together to put the town on the right track, the mayor said in his State of the Township speech Thursday.

Mayor Dave Fried addressed several dozen township officials, local business and community leaders at the Grainger facility in the Matrix business park Thursday afternoon. Fried highlighted a proposed tax cut, as well as the introduction of large businesses such as Amazon to the township, the community’s response to Superstorm Sandy, and efforts he has made to encourage local business development.

“I wanted to see if I could bring my approach to business to government to see if I could make a difference and I think it has,” he said.

A new project, based on encouraging residents to shop local, will launch this June, Fried said. It will allow patrons of businesses, at least 50 so far, to dedicate part of the proceeds from their purchases to local charities through an online portal.

He said charities such as the local Boy and GIrl Scout troops, soccer leagues and churches could see donations through the program. The township will also put up billboards and advertisements that include local business owners, he said.

“We want people to know who they are, not just what they sell,” he said.

You can read the full story here.

Today on This week in Mercer, the show will feature an expanded hour-long program, including County Executive Brian Hughes.

He will be on the show to talk about his initiatives as executive and the $295 million budget he proposed last week. That budget stays within the 2 percent property tax cap, but because of falling home values and other factors, residents could see their taxes jump significantly.

Listeners will also hear Julia Sass Rubin, from the organization Save Our Schools New Jersey talk about funding for schools in the state and the status of education funding in Governor Chris Christie’s proposed budget.

So make sure to join host Michael Macagnone on 1490 WBCB at 4 p.m., or check out the show later at hamiltoninfocus.blogspot.com.

The plan to get rid of Hamilton’s local ethics board has taken another step forward when the it was introduced to the town council Wednesday night.

The ordinance will get rid of the local ethics board as well as other boards that are out-of date or not functioning and also revise the town’s ethics code. The introduction vote, likely a preview of the final approval, passed 4-1.

Council Vice President Dave Kenny said the new ethics code will be more detailed and closer to state statute and that it will strengthen the ethics of the township’s employees and officials.

“This more detailed code of ethics will be more comprehensive and stricter,” he said. “The essence of the code of ethics has been you can’t serve your own interest over that of the public.”

Councilman Kevin Meara voted against the ordinance, saying he thought the local board would be better than the state’s Local Finance Board. He, the lone “no” vote, voiced early opposition to the plan, weeks before it hit the council.

“Earned or unearned, Hamilton Township has been labeled the poster child for ethical problems,” he said, referring to the scandal with the former mayor. “We have within our residency people who could serve within their capacity on the ethics board with ethics and integrity.”

You can read the rest of the story here.

HAMILTON — The middleman and former “best friend” of former Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo has had his sentencing hearing has been moved, again.

Rob Warney, the town’s former director of Community Planning and Compliance, was scheduled to be sentenced on one charge of money laundering, which carries up to 20 years in jail and a $250,000 fine, back in October. Warney resigned his post in June before pleading guilty to the charge.

But that was moved to December, then to January, then to March 7, then to March 15 and now to March 22 before Federal District Judge Anne Thompson, according to court documents.

The former mayor, found guilty of five charges related to a case involving the local school board, will be sentenced March 13. Bencivengo was scheduled to be sentenced in February, but the hearing was pushed back.

Warney’s attorney, William Hughes, said in January that cooperating witnesses, such as Warney, generally do not face their sentencing until after the “principal in the case:” Bencivengo.

Warney testified that in 2011 he was given a $5,000 check for a “cherry bedroom set” from the husband of the prosecution’s chief witness in the case, Marliese Ljuba. The check, made out to Warney’s wife was then cashed without her knowledge.

Rob Warney said he then took out that cash in increments and paid them to Bencivengo. Warney was recorded on tapes made by both Ljuba and Bencivengo for the FBI where they are talking about the check.

Prosecutors said that Warney had reached a deal with them in exchange for his testimony in the case.

Bencivengo was convicted of taking $12,400 in total, $5,000 check included, from Ljuba in exchange for his influence with two Hamilton Township Board of Education members in their votes on her lucrative health insurance brokerage there.

The complaints of workplace harassment against the Princeton police chief have been forwarded to the Mercer County Prosecutor.

Sources who asked to remain anonymous said the Princeton Police Benevolent Association filed a workplace harassment complaint on behalf of at least three officers against police chief David Dudeck. The chief, a 30-year veteran, allegedly made inappropriate comments to the officers both in private and in front of other officers. Because the allegations are against a chief, Princeton referred the case to the prosecutor’s office.

County prosecutor spokeswoman Casey DeBlasio said in an email Monday that “Attorney general guidelines require us to conduct all investigations where a police chief or director is implicated. It is in that capacity that the prosecutor’s office is currently reviewing allegations of administrative misconduct by Chief Dudeck.”

She said the office would have no further comment.

Dudeck has served on the Princeton police force since 1983 and was named the chief of the borough police department in 2009. Last year, he was named the chief of the consolidated Princeton. Dudeck, according to the old Princeton Borough website, is an alumnus and football coach at the Hun School of Princeton.

That coaching experience played into his role as the chief, according to former borough police commissioner Kevin Wilkes. He joined Princeton borough council in 2008 and served as the borough’s police commissioner from 2010 until the borough’s consolidation this year.

He said his job was to “keep our fingers on the pulse of the personnel and police issues with relation to employees within the municipality.”

You can read the full story here.

The most controversial part of a package of ethics reforms in Hamilton Township will hit council tonight.

Hamilton Mayor Kelly Yaede proposed getting rid of the town’s defunct ethics board and switching to the state’s Local Finance Board, which handles ethics complaints, as part of a reform package she announced last month.

Council President Ed Gore said he would make sure the proposal was “not dead on arrival” in the chamber. Indeed, the proposed abolition of the local board has majority support on the council. Councilman Kevin Meara is the only member to voice opposition.

The issue grew to prominence after the conviction and subsequent resignation of former Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo.

Bencivengo was convicted last November of five federal charges related to the school board corruption case against him. Marliese Ljuba, the government’s cooperating witness in the case, testified she bribed him with $12,400 in exchange for his influence with members of the Hamilton Board of Education.

The discussion tonight comes on the heels of a pair of complaints against township officials, including Yaede. Last week, former councilman Vinnie Cappodano filed complaints that the council violated the Open Public Meetings Act before selecting Yaede to replace Bencivengo as mayor and that Councilman Dave Kenny violated conflict of interest rules when voting for Rich Watson as head of the department of Water Pollution Control.

You can read the full story here.

This letter was originally published by PlanetPrinceton.com, and I've been given permission by Roger Martindell to repost it. Martindell is an attorney and served as a Princeton Borough councilman for more than two decades.

Princeton’s Mayor and Council have reportedly “offered” resignation or investigation to Police Chief David Dudeck because certain officers within his department claim he engaged in inappropriate intra-departmental communications.

The public needs Mayor and Council to conduct an appropriate investigation of the allegations and the credibility of those who made them. Our elected representatives would shirk their statutory accountability for police management not to pursue such an investigation, regardless of a resignation by Chief Dudeck.

This is not to pre-judge the allegations against Chief Dudeck: who knows what truth lies in police precincts? But one thing is clear: fueled by management/union and Borough/Township tensions, the legacy of intra-departmental politics that plagued both the former Borough and Township police has degenerated to a new low in the newly consolidated department.

A few years ago, Borough Chief Anthony Federico led a poorly-executed effort to reorganize the department, resulting in the firing, suspension, or indictment of no less than one third of the Borough force. The Borough’s governing body took a hands-off approach to the near collapse of the department.

When the last three Township police chiefs each resigned following reports of mismanagement, improper conduct, or criminal charges, the Township governing body never brought the facts to light but, instead, granted the chiefs handsome retirement packages and buried any analysis of police dysfunction.

Successive failures by Princeton governing bodies to manage their police departments have resulted in millions of dollars – yes, millions – in unjustifiably high personnel costs, unnecessary lawsuit awards, settlements and legal fees, and bad police morale. Mismanagement wastes tax money and impairs public safety.

History will repeat if Mayor and Council fail to address the systemic problems underlying the allegations against Chief Dudeck simply by “offering” him resignation and an expensive retirement, and then reshuffling the deck of officers in the newly consolidated department.

Princeton’s new governing body must demonstrate that it has the mettle to deal with the intra-departmental tensions that are behind the pending allegations. It must pursue an appropriate investigation to assure Princetonians that it is their informed elected representatives, and not a cadre of over-politicized police officers, who control the public safety functions of the community.

Sincerely,

Roger Martindell

David Dudeck

The Mercer County Prosecutor’s office has confirmed that they are reviewing allegations of administrative misconduct by Princeton Police Chief David Dudeck.

County prosecutor spokeswoman Casey DeBlasio said in an email that “Attorney general guidelines require us to conduct all investigations where a police chief or director is implicated. It is in that capacity that the prosecutor’s office is currently reviewing allegations of administrative misconduct by Chief Dudeck.”

She said the office would have no further comment.

As first reported in The Trentonian Friday, sources said the Princeton Police Benevolent Association has filed a workplace harassment complaint on behalf of at least three officers this week against police chief David Dudeck.

The chief, a 30-year veteran, allegedly made inappropriate comments to the officers both in private and in front of other officers.

According to those sources, there was a meeting between Princeton officials and officials from the Mercer County prosecutor’s office earlier this week where they discussed the case. There, Dudeck was given the choice of resigning quietly and keeping his pension or the complaint would be pursued, the sources said.

Dudeck has served on the Princeton police force since 1983 and was named the chief of the borough police department in 2009. Last year, he was named the chief of the consolidated Princeton. Dudeck, according to the old Princeton Borough website, is an alumnus and football coach at the Hun School of Princeton.

Continue to check trentonian.com and hamiltoninfocus.blogspot.com for more updates