The Claim:
Torpey's website
On Alex Torpey's personal/campaign website, he claims "Some of the ways that we have made South Orange more transparent and technology friendly". Below are each of his claims and the TRUTH.
- AlexTorpey.com
On Alex Torpey's personal/campaign website, he claims "Some of the ways that we have made South Orange more transparent and technology friendly". Below are each of his claims and the TRUTH.
- AlexTorpey.com
The TRUTH:
Added public comment periods before and after any action is taken at a governing body (instead of only after action was taken)
- TRUTH: A second comment period was periodically added to meeting agenda, yet was never actually used, rendering this pointless.
- TRUTH: All emails are subject to OPRA, rendering this pointless
- TRUTH: The Municipal Budget has been available online for YEARS
- TRUTH: Alex Torpey gave a no-bid contract for several thousand dollars to a vendor to create line graphs that are not used by anyone
- TRUTH: This is correct, although more often than not, the Facebook page was only used to promote Alex Torpey's PR stunts
- TRUTH: The Twitter account was created in 2009 and used well before Alex Torpey was in office
- TRUTH: Office hours are held, although initially they were scheduled for the middle of the afternoon when most people were working. Also, Alex Torpey is not "mayor" and he should know his own title.
- TRUTH: An Annual "State of the Village" is mandated by the South Orange Charter
- TRUTH: Public Information and Marketing Committee, Citizens Public Safety Committee and NJ Transit Advisory Committee went dormant immediately after Torpey took office. The Citizens Budget Advisory Committee is a long-standing committee which Torpey had nothing to do with.
- TRUTH: There is no public evidence of such lobbying and certainly not any results.
- TRUTH: The Governing body has discussed "goals and priorities" for many years, well before Alex Torpey was in office.
- TRUTH: Alex Torpey reduced time for the governing body to meet, so he could reduce the flow of information and so he could unilaterally decide on important issues without consultation from his Board.
- TRUTH: Nonexistent and never happened.
- TRUTH: Video updates were done from May 2011-September 2011 and discontinued for the remaining 3.5 years of Torpey's term
- TRUTH: Not done regularly and when it was done, it was so Alex Torpey could decide which agenda items to censor
- TRUTH: Alex Torpey stifled email communication among the governing body so he could reduce the flow of information and so he could unilaterally decide on important issues without consultation from his Board.
- TRUTH: This was an empty campaign promise, but never mentioned again.
- TRUTH: Failure to deliver a new municipal website in over 2.5 years became a symbol of Alex Torpey's failure.
- TRUTH: Alex Torpey awarded another no-bid contract for several thousand dollars per year to route emails
- TRUTH: Capability to geo-target was never utilized