GOP: We'll be board's 'badly needed conscience'
Geoffrey Champion, Andrew Tidd seek freeholder seats
BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer

Geoffrey Champion

The Republican candidates for Middlesex County freeholder are looking to restore a system of checks and balances to the board with their election Tuesday.

Candidates Geoffrey Champion and Andrew Tidd say the first focus of their campaign is to eliminate the abuse of taxpayer money and the continued wasteful spending by the county.

Tidd, the chairman of the Helmetta Republican organization, said the $7.6 million being used to deepen the Raritan River in New Brunswick is a Democratic push to enhance the property along the riverbanks in favor of private developers who can dock their boats and walk to the theater district. The New Brunswick Landing project, which received approval last year, will deepen the river 8 feet in a 60-foot-wide section of the channel from the Albany Street bridge to Boyd Park.

"Our tax money is building a marina to enhance property for private developers," he said.

This abuse of taxpayer money is also evident, according to Tidd, in the construction of a $1.2 million police firing range in Woodbridge that is being built at a cost more expensive than need be. Tidd described the Crows Mills Road range as a "sand berm." Although the only other bid came in at $1.5 million, the price seems too high since Woodbridge already owns the parcel. He said a request for a monetary breakdown and cost analysis still has not been provided after an initial request three months ago.

Andrew Tidd

Another instance is the "privatization debacle" of the Roosevelt Care Center in Edison. Although the freeholders take pride in the state-of-the-art, 180-bed nursing home, Tidd said the facility has gone from county to private to county control again, thereby costing taxpayers millions.

An additional case is the Runyon Watershed in Old Bridge, off Route 516, in which a diversion of county funds has been given to Mayor Joseph Vas of Perth Amboy. The Republicans allege that the $11 million sale of the Perth Amboy-owned land to Old Bridge is nothing more than Democratic freeholders helping out a Democratic mayor, since the area is protected by wetlands and is not suitable for development, again at the expense of the taxpayers.

Champion, a former candidate for the South Plainfield Borough Council, added that the largest component of the property tax bill is school taxes, of which line items must be significantly reduced to save money all around.

"If we purchase items at a reduced amount in larger bulk, maybe we can save the individual school systems money," he said.

The two are also highly concerned with the lack of ethics throughout the campaigns, citing that most candidates get elected not based on their merit but based on the size of their bank accounts.

"It is not fair to the residents of Middlesex County," Tidd said. "The contributions for no-bid contracts are fraught with loopholes, and this needs to stop."

Champion agreed, saying that the Democratic machine in the state is beholden to names like former state Senate President John Lynch, developer Jack Morris and political boss George Norcross.

"Corruption is illegal and it should be stopped. It's costing us money," he said. "We can't do this if contractors or people who put up money continue this statewide."

Thus, open space versus development becomes a focus of the governing body, since the Republicans believe the Democrats accept money with the understanding they will provide bonuses to developers. He said the exchange "is not money from the kindness of their hearts."

"If someone gives you money, what would they expect in return?" Champion asked, noting that developers find ways to circumvent the system.

Champion also said that funds need to be spent appropriately for open space without burdening taxpayers. He said that "eminent domain is at the top of the list as inappropriate unless under extreme circumstances."

Another issue of concern is having more stringent handling of vacant factories that pose dangers to residents. Tidd is concerned with children playing in the dangerous areas at night, and of chemicals blowing around sites near playgrounds.

"There has to be some county oversight of old factories, keeping people out and loitering while they are being rehabilitated," he said.

Champion earned a business administration degree from the University of Miami and has over six years of financial services management experience and over 20 years in sales. The former functional manager for MetLife is a 16-year county resident and has volunteered with the Edison Buddy Ball program, the J.P. Stevens High School band, Meals on Wheels and the South Plainfield Republican Organization.

"I want to be a voice for the people, to make sure things are done appropriately and ethically. Really, we can help out and make a difference," Champion said. "By being the opposition party, two out of seven is a healthy thing."

Tidd entered politics in 1999 because he didn't like how Helmetta was being run and because taxes were escalating, and he has run for county freeholder the past two years. He received a telecommunications degree from Mercer County College but decided to start his own contracting business and become a commercial real estate investor.

He is a former volunteer with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and a former softball and basketball coach. The 30-year Helmetta resident also holds a patent for the TempBrella, a disposable umbrella with a unibody construction that he hopes one day will be sold from vending machines.

"I will be the conscience on that board, a badly needed conscience," Tidd said. "Right now they are all rubber-stamped - a yes across the board, no discussion, no dissension."