Brickbat: Saturday in the Park

Irvington Township, New Jersey, misspent $632,000 in opioid settlement funds on two "Opioid Awareness" concerts in 2023 and 2024, according to an Office of the State Comptroller report, with $368,500 improperly awarded to businesses owned by the family of a township employee who was tasked with securing musical talent. The township held the events without consulting health experts or residents. It claimed Narcan was distributed at the events, but the report found no settlement funds were used to purchase Narcan, and the township provided no evidence of substantive opioid education. At the same time, officials spent money on luxury trailers and cotton candy machines, and more than $205,000 just on promotion. The comptroller criticized the lack of competitive bidding for contracts and noted the township's attempt to block the report's release through a defamation lawsuit, which was dismissed by the state Supreme Court.

Comments

[Chumby]

In the 2024 potus election, votes cast in Irvington Township, NJ were as such:
Third Party: 150
Trump: 1,459
Kamala: 14,000

[Fist of Etiquette]

The township's Graft Awareness concert is going to be lit.

[Longtobefree]

Corruption in New Jersey!?
Whodathunkit?

[Jerry B.]

"Forget it, Jake. It's New Jersey."

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

Meh, good call on their part. Money was going to be wasted by "health experts" no matter what, might as well throw a party for the town with it.

[Roberta]

That's what I thought too. A "settlement" for bogus "damages" winds up in the hands of public officers. Since nothing they'd be allowed to do with it would actually combat opioid abuse, might as well spend it in ways that does minimal further damage.