Pulling back the curtain

Many municipal government operations occur out of the public eye. In Warren Township, an anonymous party or parties are bringing otherwise unseen information into the open.

Police training records, fire department suppression rating and zoning litigation have been brought into the public arena in recent months by Open Public Records Act (OPRA) filers who have remained unknown. 

A February inquiry sought master plan invoices submitted by the township planner. Not long before, questions were posed about a Township Committeewoman’s podcasts and whether taxpayers had foot the bill.

All of it is being posted for online viewing on the opramachine.com website. That site allows for the filing of anonymous OPRA requests, then posts the released material, as well as correspondence that travels back and forth between the filer and municipal staff.

In a few instances, the anonymous filers have used the correspondence to comment on the released material or lack of it.

While the filers remain unknown, the nature of the requests and the occasional commentary suggest he, she or they are not anyone who is satisfied with the local government status quo.

It’s unclear if there are actually multiple anonymous OPRA filers. Some of the requests have been submitted under the name “Anonymous Citizen.” Others have been tagged “NJ Anonymous.” One other came from “New Jersey OPRA Services.”

The bills submitted for master plan work by Township Planner John Chadwick over a period of months were the target of an OPRA filing by NJ Anonymous in early February. The award of a $125,000 contract to Chadwick for the work came under question at a public meeting last year.

The OPRA response shows Chadwick billed the township $13,105 for the period covering August to year-end 2023.

Only weeks before the Chadwick filing, NJ Anonymous sought any expense records related to “At the Table with Lisa,” a podcast begun by Committeewoman Lisa Lontai in late 2023.

November’s podcast topic was Warren Township sewer system history. The following month, then-Township Attorney Jeff Lehrer discussed Warren’s township committee form of government.

In January, Lontai met with Jess Weiss, proprietor of The Jess Effect. Noting that Valentine’s Day was on the way, Lontai said, “We wanted to do something to help those looking for love to find their someone.”

According to the company’s web site, The Jess Effect is a dating coach and singles event planning business.

NJ Anonymous didn’t find an emotional attachment to the content, however. The OPRA filer asked for all expenses and income related to Lontai’s podcasts to that point. 

Township Clerk Cathy Reese responded:

“Deputy Mayor Lontai paid for all the equipment with her own money, she purchased the flash drive with her own money,” Reese wrote. “She interviews people on her own time, and it takes our Social Media Director approximately 30 minutes to post to all outlets, which are free. And there is no income.”

“Thank you for confirming that no financial records exist and that businesses are potentially taking advantage of free advertising facilitated by elected and paid township employees,” NJ Anonymous wrote in response. “We will bring our questions to the township committee regarding the manner in which the concession granted to the featured business was considered and whether this practice conforms with the township’s social media policy.”

The unknown filer suggested that Lontai’s podcasts, which are posted on YouTube, might be contrary to the municipal social media policy. 

NJ Anonymous noted that Warren Township shares notices about municipal government and its activities on social media. The policy, the filer added, gives the township the right to delete submissions that promote particular services, products or organizations.

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