Nutley, NJ – 36th District State Assembly candidate Carmen PioCosta says Passaic City Council President and Assemblyman Gary Schaer failure to make good on his pledge to rescind an expensive sweetheart health benefits deal that he and other members of the Council awarded themselves in May proves he lacks the leadership and the will to put the needs of taxpayers ahead of his own and those of his political allies.

“He just doesn’t get it,” said candidate for State Assembly Carmen PioCosta. “Schaer's conduct in this matter has been nothing short of negligent and incompetent.”

“First, he votes to give city-paid health benefits to City Council members 10 years earlier than they would for Passaic’s nearly 700 municipal employees. Then, when questions are raised about this sweetheart deal, he does an about-face and says his vote was ‘an egregious error’ and promises that the Council will rescind the special health benefits package. And then, after all his political posturing, he fails to deliver.”

On Wednesday, a motion to rescind the resolution that awarded generous post-retirement health benefits to the city’s eight elected officials was defeated when the vote deadlocked.

“Now Schaer says he won’t try to rescind the vote again unless Council members tell him they intend to change their minds,” said PioCosta. “Some leadership! He should be out there right now doing everything he can to change their minds.”

“Passaic has a mounting pile of financial problems, not the least of which is rising property taxes,” said PioCosta. “Taxpayers don’t need representatives who are content to line their pockets at their expense.”

PioCosta said an editorial in today’s edition of the Herald News put it perfectly: “Passaic needs elected officials who are looking out for the taxpayers, rather than fleecing them.”

PioCosta said the same holds true for all taxpayers in the 36th Legislative District. “It’s time for the voters to explain it to them.”