See How Ocean County Freeholders Created a New Job for Political Partygoer During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Shore News Network

TOMS RIVER, NJ –  Sometimes, you just don’t want to see how the sausage is made in local government, but emails released today by request from Ocean County show exactly how a Brick Township Democrat, Vera Fozman got herself a job that didn’t exist and wasn’t open to anyone else.  Fozman is the wife of Jim Fozman, a former Brick Township councilman who was on the verge of getting kicked out of the Brick Township Democrat Club, according to Democrat party officials.

In 2018, the Fozmans defected from the Democrat party after learning they would not get the party’s endorsement in Brick Township after a bitter feud between the couple and members of the party got heated.   With their defection, the Fozman’s brought a lot of political dirt and opposition research to the Republican party where they were reluctantly welcomed.   In Jackson Township, the Fozmans were vital to the re-election win of Jackson Township Mayor Michael Reina.

It was Vera Fozman who provided the Jackson Township Republican Club with the silver bullet that would eventually destroy their opponent, Democrat mayoral candidate Tracey Yostpille.  Fozman delivered to the Republican party, a photo of Yostpille wearing a “pink pussy hat” she wore at a women’s rights march in Washington, D.C.  Fozman’s photo of Yostpille allowed the Republican party to successfully damage Yostpile, branding her as a radical social justice warrior.

The photo turned the tide of the election, where just days before Reina was only ahead of his opponent by 5 points in party polls.  After the photo was released, Reina’s support soared and even Republicans who didn’t want to re-elect Reina joined his side, because when push came to shove, they also didn’t want a social justice warrior wearing that hat being their mayor.


The Fozmans were then made by Reina, into the GOP pay-to-play crime syndicate in Ocean County.  They began attending Republican functions all over the county, denouncing their former friends and allies in the Democrat party.   In 2019, Jim Fozman was given the blessing of the party to run for municipal council as a Republican, but he was rejected by township voters.  Over the next few months after the election loss, the Fozmans were essentially fixtures at every Republican fundraiser and party event, most of the time comped by party leaders.


In early August, Vera Fozman started sniffing around the Ocean County administration building for a job for herself but was told none exist.  The COVID-19 pandemic was still a major obstacle and most offices were still working remotely.   Fozman, at the recommendation of Ocean County GOP Chairman Frank B. Holman, III sent her resume to Ocean County Freeholder Gary Quinn.

On August 11th, after not being given a job instantly, Fozman reached out to Quinn to see what the hold up was.

“Hi Gary. I hope you, Linda and your family are enjoying the summer,” Fozman wrote to Quinn on August 11th.  “I’m touching base with you in regards to the application I submitted to you two weeks ago. Thank you in advance.”

Quinn told Fozman no jobs existed in the county for her. The next day, Quinn replied to Fozman via email.  Quinn said, he was pushing hard for Fozman to get a job in the county, which was under the order of Ocean County Freeholder Virginia Haines and Ocean County GOP Chairman Holman.

“Hi Vera: I have spoken to the other Freeholders and also Carl Block a few times and we are trying to find an opening. My Departments require very few hires and I don’t have anything open or anything where anyone is retiring In the near future,” Quinn wrote on August 12th.  “I’m pushing the others every day. I know we will find something.  I’ll give you a call as soon as we do.
Stay safe and say “hi” to Jim. GARY.”

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In early September, Shore News Network was informed by a county insider that Fozman’s name had been circulated far and wide through the county offices, but no job existed for her and no openings were on the horizon due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  County officers were closed, workloads were low and most workers were doing their jobs remotely. Demand for county employees had virtually vanished due to the pandemic.

“Hi Gary. Thank you very much for your help, and for getting back to me,” Fozman wrote back to Freeholder Quinn. “Hopefully a position will open soon. Hello to Linda, and stay safe.”

Fozman knew that Holman and Haines were putting pressure on the county to give her a job and it would only be a matter of time before one opened up…or in this case, one was created for her.  On September 16th, Fozman was granted her wish.  For all her hard work helping the Republican Party, she was now qualified for getting a job within the Ocean County Government…it’s just how things work around here.  The job was never publicized.  There was no interview process.  Nobody else was able to apply for the job.  Despite the Ocean County Connection office at the Ocean County mall being closed to visitors without appointments and the mall being a virtual walk-in ghost town, a job in the office had opened up…and given to Fozman. According to the meeting minutes from that meeting, it was Ocean County Clerk Scott Colabella, who is also running for election this year that granted Fozman her job.

Let’s not sugar coat this.  The Fozmans and Colabella have attended many political functions together this year as Colabella is running his own re-election campaign.  The three are seen regularly at political social functions in photos posted by the Republican party on social media.  It’s just how it works in Ocean County.  Do political favors. Get jobs. Go against the political powers, they hire perverted con men to try to harass you and your family.  It’s probably why the FBI has an open political corruption investigation going on here in Ocean County right now.

“At the request of the County Clerk, Vera E. Fozman is hereby given a regular appointment to the position of Clerk I, County Clerk, subject to a working test period, effective September 21, 2020, at an annual base salary of $31,027,” the meeting agenda for September 16th read.

Sure, it’s not a lot of money…in fact, barely above the poverty level, but it also grants the Fozmans access to the public pension system and a superb health benefits package that is worth much more than the salary itself. It will probably be a no-show job like all the political patronage jobs given before by the county Freeholders and political leaders, but we’ll have to wait and see on that. One thing is for sure, several high ranking officials in the Brick and Ocean County Republican Clubs were very unhappy about Fozman being the latest recipient of a public patronage job, but our two sources wish to remain anonymous, so they don’t lose their own public jobs!

We know how it all works.  When I first started our investigative reporting into political corruption in Ocean County, prior to Frank Holman commissioning a criminal hit man against us, an Ocean County Freeholder offered me a public job, adding, “We need to get you out of the news business.”    Of course, I said no and the rest is history…but this is how it works in Ocean County. Your tax dollars are being used to fund Frank Holman’s grip on local government as he collects $6,000,000 per year through his own pay-to-play empire.

 

Inside Corruption: Fozman to Get Patronage Job at County Connection

 

 

 

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