I’ve placed the audio of the Borough Commission’s February 18, 2015 meeting on-line here.  It’s a big file, so it may take some time to download.

I’ve listened to the tape and have listed below the times (MM:SS) where some of the more interesting comments begin.

07:18 Open floor to public comment

07:25 Michael Hawthorne speaks.

07:53 Hawthorne “Uncovered . . . many serious crimes . . . all fell on deaf ears.”

08:30 Hawthorne “I knew I was a dead man . . . my career was over.”

09:00 Hawthorne “So called Brady letter is a crime in itself [I received it] because I reported that my superiors were stealing.”

09:55 Hawthorne “I got to the prosecutor’s office and somebody calls here and warns the chief . . . for the next two months I was harassed . . .”

10:12 Hawthorne “Went to Solicitor Corino . . . told her that whistleblower rights were being violated, nothing.”

10:19 Borough Solicitor Doreen Corino interrupts–argument between Corino and Hawthorne runs until 12:37

12:41 Corino “I’m going to caution you about one other thing . . [about] Judge Johnson’s decision.  Certain things that you are saying you may be saying in violation of his order . . . that nothing is to be disclosed to the public regarding certain aspects of this case . . .”

13:41 Corino “There’s a whole lot in this Borough that I wish would come out. Believe me, more than most of you sitting in here would think.”

14:32 Hawthorne “Let me tell you about settlement agreements.  What they do is they suspend you without pay and hold your pay hostage until you sign it.  That’s a settlement agreement in this town.”

15:33 Hawthorne “The person who deserves a ‘Brady Letter’ is Prosecutor Taylor himself for running a cover-up instead of an investigation.”

15:48 Hawthorne “Mayor Groon had the discretion to suspend me with pay and allow me to fight the charges.  It’s dirty pool.”

22:50 Hawthorne “So you bring in a friend of the Chief’s [to conduct investigation].  Very smart.”

23:40 Hawthorne “Here’s the deal I’m make you . . . I will be at every meeting . . . for the rest of your political careers because I want you to look at me every time . . . you ended my career, needlessly.”

23:51 Corino “Mike, you ended your own career.  Stop blaming everyone else and accept responsibility for what you did.”

24:16 Corino “When Judge Johnson orders that information, particularly the charges, can be released to the public I will be happy to tell the people. I’m not at liberty to do it tonight, and you know that.  If you want to violate his order, you can, but I’m an officer of the court.”

24:42 Hawthorne “I’m not sure there is a court order.”

24:45 Corino “Well, I’m aware that there’s a court order and I’m sure Michelle Douglass is aware that the judge issued a ruling that day.”

24:52 Michelle Douglass: “I’m not aware of a court order but I’m aware that the judge made a ruling.”

29:32 Corino “You calling me a liar? Then I’m telling you what–you’re a liar.”

30:00 Hawthorne “Mayor . . . you hit the iceberg, the ship is sinking, I’m seeing employees jumping off right and left.  All three administrators from the police department are gone.  What’s going on?

31:10 Hawthorne “the thousands of prints I found on the printer for his personal business.”

31:20 Corino “Mr. Hawthorne, I am objecting on the record, you just violated Judge Johnson’s ruling and I cannot and I will not involve this Board in a violation of a court ruling.

32:28 Hawthorne “I was thrown to the wolves . . . they harassed the hell out of me.  I got locked out of my office, locked out of my e-mail . . . I’m riding around town as a lieutenant of the police with nothing to do.”

36:26 Hawthorne “I drank the Kool-Aid from the man named DePaul.”

37:10 Diana Gant Brunell speaks.

43:47 Corino “I don’t control this meeting, Diane!”

45:21 Hawthorne “Mayor . . . I truly believe that this snowballed . . . because of your legal counsel. That is your biggest problem, right there.

45:44 Hawthorne “I think you [referring to Corino] shared it with the accused.

45:50 Corino “I take offense to that.”

45:54 Hawthorne “I take offense to you.”

45:47 Corino “I probably now will be pursing an action . . . for that comment alone.”

48:12 Tom Hunt speaks.

50:15 Hunt “When you have a bully in the room, which was Tom DePaul . . . it is very very hard to stand up to that bully because the bully will keep punching you in the face . . .”

Chairman of the New Jersey Libertarian Party's Open Government Advocacy Project. Please send all comments to [email protected]