‘Toxic’ culture

The Cultural & Heritage Committee should have its duties reassigned to the borough library’s Board of Trustees and the Recreation Committee.

That’s the recommendation of Middlesex Mayor Jack Mikolajczyk after he looked into the circumstances of five resignations from the committee last fall.

MIkolajczyk said the working relationship cannot be repaired between the C&H Committee’s members and Borough Council liaison Jeremiah Carnes. The mayor gave his suggestion at the council’s Tuesday, Jan. 23 meeting.

“The damaged relationship with the volunteers and the liaison is unsalvageable,” Mikolajczyk said. “We need to move on.”

Along with Mikolajczyk’s analysis, the session saw Carnes comment briefly in response and two former C&H Committee members speak. One bluntly addressed the behind-the-scenes turmoil involving the group that has boiled over into public.

Carnes said he recently consulted with Borough Attorney Chris Corsini before addressing the matter publicly. “There’s no real thing I wanted to say,” said Carnes. “A lot of gossip won and slander won,” he added, but did not elaborate.

Carnes also opined that friendship prevailed over government, an apparent reference to C&H Committee members. He acknowledged that, “Being new, I didn’t know how to handle it the right way.”

The C&H Committee was formed by ordinance in 2020, the same year Carnes joined the council. He is the only liaison from the governing body that the committee has had during its several-year existence.

During a brief exchange with Mikolajczyk, Carnes questioned the mayor’s investigation and recommendation. He asked why the C&H group’s current chair and vice char were not interviewed. Carnes also appeared to question if the mayor – not the council – has the ability to make the suggested changes.

“I’m throwing it out there,” Mikolajczyk concluded. “I think that’s the way we should go forward.” It remains to be seen when the council might consider a resolution to institute the changes the mayor recommended.

Bob Edwards, one of the former C&H members who spoke, resigned from the committee several years ago. Edwards ripped Carnes’ involvement with the group, referring to “toxic leaders” and describing the councilman as trying to control the committee and influence its votes.

“It was not a pleasure to be a member of the Cultural & Heritage Committee while Mr. Carnes was the councilmanic liaision,” Edwards said.

Emily DeScenza, one of the C&H members who resigned last fall, said she thought it would be “an honor” to serve on the group when she was asked to do so. DeScenza was appointed to the C&H Committee in January 2023 and served roughly 10 months of a three-year term before resigning.

DeScenza said she supports Mikolajczyk’s call to reassign the group’s duties. “I hope you go forward,” she told the mayor.

Mikolajczyk said he interviewed DeScenza and six other former C&H Committee members. The interviewees included those whose resignations were accepted by the council over a two-month period last fall.

Since that time, Mikolajczyk and other governing body members have awaited a public explanation from Carnes. However, this week’s meeting was only the second Carnes has attended since October. He was present at the Dec. 19 session which was primarily to a tribute to departing Mayor John Madden.

MIkolajczyk’s recommendation would see the library board handle projects related to Middlesex’s history. The Recreation Committee would oversee cultural matters. Current C&H Committee members would be contacted by the library board once it needs help with historical matters.

The mayor said he found there was clearly a clash of personalities between the C&H Committee and its council liaison.

Two of the seven interviewees said time constraints led to their C&H resignations, Mikolajczyk said. The others, he added, attributed it to frustration over leadership and their desires not being considered.

Edwards went further with his assessment of the group’s past woes.

In his description of toxic leaders, Edwards said they “speak but never listen,” ridicule others, take credit for their work and never admit they are wrong. It was an apparent reference to Carnes, who did not respond while sitting at the dais.

According to Edwards, at one of the C&H group’s initial meetings, Carnes stated, “This is my committee. I created it.”

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