Howell mayor berger cited in lawsuit for "vehemently opposing" proposed dump

HOWELL TOWNSHIP, NJ – Resource Engineering, LLC, a firm owned by the family of former Monmouth County Republican Party matriarch and former Monmouth County Clerk Claire French is now suing the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders. The lawsuit aims to push through the Randolph Road waste transfer station in Howell Township. Shore News Network broke this story back on July 17, 2017 after being tipped off by disgruntled GOP party insiders who didn’t want to see a dump built within Howell Township.

Prior to our publication of the then top-secret project, even the previous administration in Howell approved of the site. On March 6, 2017 the township of Howell gave its blessing for the project.

After that initial news story, opposition began to grow. Eventually, Republicans who stayed quiet about the SWAC meeting, that everyone at the county was well aware of even came on board. One elected official who has staunchly opposed the project from the start was Howell Township Mayor Theresa Berger.

In fact, Berger has been cited in the Resource Engineering lawsuit against Monmouth County as being the one who disrupted the entire plan, hatched and supported by the Howell and Monmouth County Republican establishment.

Berger fired off a scathing email to the SWAC objecting to the proposed transfer station. After the Shore News Network report and Berger’s opposition email, the Board of Chosen freeholders canceled the July 27th hearing and sent the project back to the SWAC. The plan was foiled and now, real community-based opposition to the project began.

French’s firm claims the all-Republican board of chosen freeholders, “Ran for cover.”

Of course, they all knew what was going on, but the project was being greased through government under the cover of darkness. They now had no choice but to rally behind Berger and the Howell community in opposition to the project.

“Upon information and belief, powerful political interests in Monmouth County and beyond coordinated with theh Board and SWAC to improperly interfere with, obstruct and hinder Resource Engineering’s proposal,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit seeks to push the project through and to force the government to issue approvals. Berger continues her fight against the dump. Although she now has bi-partisan support against the project, it wasn’t always that way. It all started with a single whistleblower that created a chain of events that leads us to where we are today.

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