Donations to opponent of Christ Church fall Voices of Rockaway Township expenses exceed income in '04
BY ROB JENNINGS DAILY RECORD
Donations to the non-profit group opposing Christ Church of Montclair's building plan in Rockaway Township slipped in 2004, when the group reported expenses exceeding contributions by $2,569.
The imbalance came after an initial surge in the three months leading up to the first planning board hearing on the proposed mega-church on Dec. 15, 2003.
Voices of Rockaway Township, or VORT, raised $4,701 and spent $7,270 in 2004.
It had raised $5,389 and spent $2,991 in the latter part of 2003, according to registration statements provided this week by the state Division of Consumer Affairs.
The financial forms didn't specify how the money was spent. They didn't show, for example, how much was paid to Michael Edelson, a lawyer hired by VORT who questioned church pastor David Ireland and other witnesses in 2003 and 2004.
Edelson hasn't appeared before the board since it rejected his request in May to suspend the hearings because of Christ Church's federal lawsuit. He did not return a phone call on Wednesday.
Information on donations and expenses for 2005 was not available.
Kim and John Jenkins, listed on the financial forms as VORT's treasurer and vice president, respectively, could not be reached on Wednesday evening.
Mission goals
Charles Mueller, a Rockaway Township resident who updates the group's Internet site, acknowledged on Wednesday that donations had slipped. But said that VORT already had fulfilled much of what it set out to accomplish.
Mueller said VORT promoted awareness of the building plan in Rockaway Township, informed people about the potential environmental impact and gathered hundreds of signatures on a petition to rezone the proposed church site.
The council in March did exactly that -- a step precipitating the church's lawsuit one month later naming Mayor Louis Sceusi, the planning board, council and environmental commission as defendants.
"How much more can you do at this point? The word is out there," Mueller said.
Church spokesman Marc Weinstein took a different view, charging that VORT had misrepresented the church's plan and "lost all credibility with the vast majority of residents."
Group history
VORT was founded by two married couples -- Kim and John Jenkins and Lisa and Adam Salberg, all of Rockaway Township -- some time after the 5,000-member church agreed to buy the 107-acre Agilent Technologies site on Green Pond Road in June 2003.
By that fall, VORT was holding meetings and soliciting donations. A high point came on Nov. 3, 2003, when more than 700 people attended a VORT rally at the Copeland Middle School.
"If everybody in the township gave $20, and got their neighbor to give $20, we could give this a really good fight," Lisa Salberg said at that meeting.
Salberg did not return a phone call on Wednesday.
VORT's fundraiser in October 2004 boomeranged after the environmental commission's chairman, Pat Matarazzo, arrived to lend a copy of the church's plan to the group.
Matarazzo agreed to step aside from future hearings and Christ Church included the incident in its lawsuit.
Use of funds
According to the VORT Internet site, donations help offset "legal fees, professional report evaluations, (the) website, printed materials, posters, and various fees associated with running meetings and informing the public on the status of the planning process."
Any funds remaining when the mega-church battle finally ends will donated to Rockaway Township, according to VORT.
Christ Church's building plan includes a 2,512-seat sanctuary, private K-5 school and recreation facilities.
The church recently acquired the Agilent site for an undisclosed sum and received board approval last month to move its administrative offices there.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rob Jennings can be reached at (973) 428-6667 or rjenning@gannett.com.
You folks wanted an article. So, what exactly did you expect to get? CC pays and RT prays. Too bad that we can not pay someone to look into CC's finances. Of course, since ireland is a church, his books are not open to scrutiny. This a$$hole, ireland, does not even have to file with the IRS. Imagine that. Still thinking of converting my own business into a real church. We worship the holy Electron at my engineering consulting firm.
If VORT had had any intelligence about how to deal with this mess, it would have spent its money on a good pr guy and not Edelson.
Hey Rob, why don't you grow a set of balls and be a real reporter. There is shaky business going on over their (at CC). Why not call them to the carpet on their numerous lies to our community, or get them to open their books. Do you have any idea what it is costing the 5000 shareholders (oops members) to run that building......taxes (for now), insurance, utilities, maintenance, and don't forget the security guard (imagine a "church" with a security guard). I guess if I set up camp in middle of enemy territory, I would have security too.
How about the salaries of 50 employees. That’s 1 employee per 100 members, and they are still hiring (accountants no less). Ask them how much they pay Ireland and his top brass.
Ask Ireland where he lives that is 15 minutes away....Green Pond?, Fleetwood?, they are 15 minutes away. Ask if he knows where Green Pond and Fleetwood are.
But no, instead you pick on the poor residents who have donated their personal funds to bring awareness to the injustice David Ireland and his cult are bringing to OUR TOWN - in the form of lost tax revenue, traffic, impact on the environment and burden on township resources. And the kicker is, our taxes will go up to fund his business.
By the way, how much did Spring O’Brien pay you for today's hack job.
Rational wrote: If VORT had had any intelligence about how to deal with this mess, it would have spent its money on a good pr guy and not Edelson.
Foolish and very sad, indeed!
Craig -
I have been reading this board since its enactment to stay informed with real information, not from the biased press. I have never felt the need to put my two cents in until now...
How dare you question the intelligence of VORT and what they should have done? What have you contributed to further the cause, other than belittling people with your rants and rhetoric?
Granted, at times, you have made some excellent points and observations, and even offered contact information as well as your own interesting personal history, and first hand knowledge, but lately your rants and end all-be all attitude is reminescent of Ted.
If you are moving, please stop insulting those who are staying and fighting (whether or not you agree with their methods). Put your tail between your legs and be gone. OR if you care so much, than how about you organize a group to fight this project the way you see fit! At least VORT has taken the time to try. Will they succeed? Only time will tell, but your pessimistic, holier-than-thou, would have-should have comments are in no way productive and aren't helping matters at all.
Go ahead and attack me if you must. I just finally felt the need to speak up against your constant disparaging comments to VORT, people who have a difference of opinion, the Township, et al.
Never confuse activity with progress! RT is truely screwed, and VORT has had no effect at all in RT's campaign against a church. They know not what they do.
There were two things that could have been done:
Persuit of ED
Hiring of a Professional PR outfit.
But nope. VORT felt that they were competitent enough to act as a PR firm. Well, ya get what ya pay for.
And, ED is now completely out of the question.
So, what do you think is left?
Answer: Nadda.
So, shoot the messenger. Yeah, that's the ticket. Shoot the messenger.
Anyway, the problem hopefully will no longer be ours to have to deal with in the near future.
Hiring a PR firm would only have someone else speak for you. I would like to speak for myself and give out the information to the residents of Rockaway Twp. We felt it necessary to hire experts that could evaluate the project and a lawyer who could handle the hearings.
A PR firm would make comments that attack the other side (proof positive) and give their opinion on a subject or group they nothing about.
I would like to state for the public to know that Mr. Jennings did not call me or my husband as he has claimed in his article. I have caller ID and there is no call from the Daily Record or from any other number that I can not ID as a recongnized caller to my home. I have no messages on my cell phone voicemail or at my office. Further,if Mr. Jennings or any other member of the press or public for that matter would like to see our financial records all they need to do is ask, unlike Chirst Church we are happy to share our financial information. If Voice of Rockaway Twp had a public audience weekly with residents and could suggest such outragous things as 'giving the greater amount of money brings you closer to God' - or if the 4 of us were not hard working, parents giving every last minute to our community - then may we could spend our time attempting to raise more money. His 'article' was a joke and his reporting methods are morally bankrupt.
Craig, I am aware of your opinion of using a PR firm and I nor the rest of Voices agree with you on that one. In fact we think it does bring us down to their level in this situation. PR firms have a role but the truth speaks louder then anything else. Our goals and objectives are clear. Should you seek something different by all means step up to the plate and join in - the more help the better.
To the rest, I have been a bit quite lately for several reasons. First of all while it is nice to share information with you here- it is also a monitored site and there are things happening that are not in our collective best interest to discuss with the otherside watching. Christ Church does not publicly lay out its plan for us to evaluate in advance and we do not wish to give them information in advance. There have been some very significant moves in the past few weeks that are all in our favor - some are public and some are not as of yet. We have many people who back our point of view and are fighting to protect our land, water and community from over burdening traffic and demands. I have had some family matters to attend to that have also left me with little free time to post here. I am also heading out of town to a medical conference for a few days.
Have a good day, Lisa
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The truth wins out over slick PR and personal attacks.
The Christ Church Plan for the redevelopment of 140 Green Pond Rd is just too big for the area.
