UPDATE - WALLACE's ILLEGAL WASTE MOUNTAIN

Mayor Burrell’s Comments at the 5.24.21 Town Council Meeting

“All of my education, training, and experiences tell me that the best predictor of an individual’s future performance, is their past behavior.

And in spite of the fact that this statement has been repeatedly proven to be true throughout the decades, the teachings of my faith, plus some rare experiences, have demonstrated to me that when the desire is strong and the will is determined, people can change.

It was this thought process that gave me hope that Mr. Joe Wallace and his Facebook collaborators would have a change of heart and mind; that they would do the civically responsible thing and follow the town’s example - - as demonstrated by our quick, thorough and complete cleanup of the decades-old debris field on a piece of town property, to which Mr. Wallace and his Facebook collaborators so eagerly and joyfully directed the DEP - -

It was my hope that Mr. Wallace and his Facebook collaborators would follow the town’s example and focus their time and efforts on cleaning up the illegal waste mountain that Mr. Wallace has created in the Silver Spruce Drive area of our town.

However, that has not been the case.

And so on tonight I provide you 4 brief points, as a way of updating you as to the town’s efforts to get this illegal waste mountain cleaned up.

POINT 1: The State of New Jersey, specifically the Department of Environmental Protection, has filed a suit against Mr. Wallace compelling him to not only cease the illegal dumping on his property, but also requiring him to clean-up the illegal waste mountain that he created.

The Department of Environmental Protection is managing this case through the Office of the Attorney General. And because the Attorney General’s Office is the legal authority that is currently in control of the Wallace case, this dictates the extent and speed at which Vernon Township can make forward movement on getting this illegal waste mountain cleaned up.

POINT 2: Your governing body team, through the Mayor’s Office, is in frequent contact with the specific Deputy Attorney General who is in charge of the Wallace case.

Mr. Wallace’s case, like so many other court cases, has been repeatedly postponed because of COVID-19 restrictions. The Deputy Attorney General handling this case recently advised that his office has been, and continues to be, actively involved in searching for Mr. Wallace’s funds that can be used for this illegal waste mountain cleanup.

The Deputy Attorney General also recently informed us that as part of their efforts to locate the large sum of funds that it is assumed Mr. Wallace made from his illegal dumping operation, the Attorney General’s Office was scheduled to question a relative of Mr. Wallace in a legal setting on April 20; however, her legal counsel requested and received a last-minute delay.

In response, the Attorney General’s Office has filed a motion with the court to compel this relative to appear for this legal questioning without additional delay.

POINT 3: Also, as part of the process of obtaining funds that can be used for the cleanup of this illegal waste mountain, the Honorable James Rothschild, the retired Superior Court Judge who has been appointed receiver of Mr. Wallace’s estate, has sold some of Mr. Wallace’s assets.

The town has not yet been advised as to the specific amount of funds that have been raised through Judge Rothschild’s efforts. And …

POINT 4: As our way of doing everything that we can to prevent our town’s local taxpayers from having to foot any portion of the bill to clean-up Mr. Wallace’s waste mountain, and to heal the civic black eye that Mr. Wallace has given our town, the Mayor and Council have been in active pursuit of any state and/or federal funds that we could possibly obtain for this cleanup purpose.

The Mayor and Council will continue to keep close tabs on this Wallace matter, and we will do everything that we can to keep you appropriately informed.

Howard L. Burrell, Mayor

Never Let Important Things Get In The Way Of Necessary Things”

NJ.Com story detailing the illegal dumping site: