Authorities investigating Foody's claims

| 29 Sep 2011 | 09:08

    To the editor: Your story “You voted for it, you paid for it — what happened?” (7/21) was guilty of a glaring error of omission. As a result, your readers were deprived of information that would have shed more light on James Foody’s charges that the school district may have been derelict in the way that it has spent public funds. As you know, Foody distributed his impressive material widely, including sending copies of it to Governor Jon Corzine and Senator Robert J. Martin, who represents West Milford in the state legislature. As you also know, both the governor and senator responded to Foody and each sent his material to other offices to be investigated. Indeed, Senator Martin thought that Foody’s material had so much merit that he considered sending it to the Passaic County prosecutor. He didn’t do that, though, because Foody already had beaten him to the punch. “After reviewing your information and under normal circumstances,” Senator Martin wrote in his reply to Foody, “I would have suggested that you contact the Prosecutor in Passaic County, but you have already done that. Thus, as you will see from the enclosed letter, I have forwarded your letter and information to the Chairman of the New Jersey School Construction Corporation, Barry L. Zubrow, and requested his review and direct response to you.” Robert Martin, who will not seek re-election after his term ends, is a professor of law at Seton Hall University and he has had a distinguished career in the state legislature. The fact that a person of his stature thinks that Foody’s material is worth investigating by the Passaic County prosecutor or the state’s school construction corporation is information you should have provided your readers. Senator Martin’s opinion about the material also adds credibility to Foody’s allegations which shouldn’t be cheapened by people who attack him because he’s not a person who goes along to get along. Rather, James Foody is a person who believes he has uncovered wrong-doing and he is attempting to do something about it on behalf of the township’s taxpayers. Martin O’Shea West Milford