JACKSON TOWNSHIP, N.J. – A pair of appointments to the Jackson Municipal Utilities Authority has sparked controversy over potential conflicts of interest after one of Mayor Jennifer L. Kuhn’s appointees were identified as the wife of sitting planning board members.
Chavie Heller, the wife of Planning Board Member Shimshi Heller, was appointed to the board. Karen Bressi, the wife of Councilman Ken Bressi, who also serves on the Planning Board was previously appointed the MUA.
The decision drew sharp criticism from several residents and a divided response from members of the township council. The council voted to approve the mayoral appointments.
Community watchdog Elenor Hannum raised concerns about what she described as a troubling overlap between township boards.
“The appointments for the MUA — the fact that we have two families, two husbands serving on the planning board, one being Mr. Heler and one being Mr. Bressi. Now Mr. Heller’s wife is being appointed to the MUA, and Mr. Brassy’s wife is already serving on the MUA. My big concern with this is that it really has an appearance of impropriety. It’s very difficult to ascertain whether there will be any type of impartiality because one is making the decision for an application for developing and the other is sitting on a board that helps drive the water and the sewer to it. Which brings me to the other appointment, Josh Vann. This is a significant conflict of interest for me. He is an architect. He has a lot of projects currently active in Jackson Township, and actually projects that have been approved. One project in particular is on Farmingdale Road, where many of the properties were recently approved for affordable housing to be developed. That’s most concerning when it comes to an architect serving on the MUA,” Hannum said.
One resident questioned whether the appointments were based on qualifications or personal connections.
“That is being transparent to see that the proper professionals are being appointed, not just because of who they are. I want to know how do you get appointed to the MUA? Do you put in a resume? Do you provide qualifications? Do people have knowledge of water treatment and what goes on? Or is it just friends and family? That’s kind of ridiculous. You should have knowledge if you’re sitting on a board. I think that’s all my questions,” the resident said during public comment.
Council President Mordechai Burnstein responded by describing the process used to fill the seats.
“With regard to your last question about the MUA, you have a citizens leadership form for any board that the council or the mayor appoints. We didn’t receive too many resumes for the MUA. One resume was actually pulled because it was a sitting MUA member who assumed their seat was up, but it wasn’t. The members who were moved to regular members are doing a great job. The MUA is running very well, and I’m very happy with the members who put in. They weren’t just family and friends; they were actually people who have served in the past,” Burnstein said.
He added that the township typically advertises openings through public postings, though specific outreach details were not discussed during the meeting.
Councilman Nino Borrelli said he had no objection to the qualifications of the nominees but stood by his prior opposition to the creation of an alternate seat on the authority.
“I have no problem at all with the three residents who are up for appointments to the Jackson MUA or their qualifications. I’m thankful for them as my council colleagues are and for others who put themselves out there with their time and talents and want to serve fellow residents of our town. The issue I have is with the alternate two position. I voted against the creation of this position a few years back on the council. So, I’m staying consistent on the matter and not supporting it. From what I’ve read, New Jersey law doesn’t require alternates to MUAs or an alternate. I still don’t think the position is necessary as the MUA appears to run well. Regular voting members are,” Borrelli said.
The debate over the appointments has fueled wider discussions about transparency and ethical boundaries in local government as Jackson officials move ahead with confirming the new members.