Letter to the Editor: Toni Vardiman Writes on Roseland's Destructive Path to Chaos

Published 12:41am

Dear Editor,

The following is the destructive path created by a few people who paved the way to chaos in Roseland:

2010

• Claudia Reis, Esq. and her husband Scott Gorman, Esq. purchased a Roseland home through their realtor, Councilman Richard Leonard.  

2014-2015

• Reis and Gorman start Facebook page “Gross Mistake” involving the Principal and Superintendent in Lester C. Noecker and media gets involved with the chaos. 
  
  
• ​Unprofessional display of Claudia Reis and Roseland Board makes it to Youtube.  Roseland Police Department were present at Board Meetings.

• Was the Principal Laura DeCosta, whose contract was not renewed, USED as a catalyst for bullies to rise up and be heard setting the platform for a future run for the Board of Ed by Gorman??
  
  
• August
  Recall organized by Reis for Anna Gordon to be recalled from the Board of Education
  
  
• Again, was this setting the stage for a future run for Board of Education by Gorman? What was the impetus behind the recall? Was it disdain that Superintendent Gross and the Roseland School Board did not support the petition to renew Ms. DaCosta’s contract or was this setting the stage for Gorman’s  run for the Board of Education?  ​
  
  
• More chaos at the Board of Education meetings ensued with Roseland Police and media in attendance.  Roseland received negative press in the newspaper.
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• Recall of Anna Gordon not successful, as not enough signatures were obtained for a successful recall.
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• Gorman used recent notoriety as propulsion to rally support for his bid as a Board of Education board candidate.
  
  
• Were people that supported Laura DeCosta deceived, tricked and used by Gorman so he could get his name out there as a campaign stunt? 
  
  According to one resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, “Claudia Reis and Scott Gorman are bullies who used Principal DeCosta’s circumstances to endear parents in the school but then tried to bully me into signing a recall which I did not want to sign.  As a result, they have gone out of their way to ostracize not only me, but my young child.”
  
  
• November
  Gorman got elected to the board largely because he had a very popular running mate in Jean Perrotti, a well-known and respected resident in Roseland.

2016

• After only being on the Roseland School Board for a short period of time, Gorman filed an Allegation of Ethics charge on a fellow board member citing his wife, Claudia Reis, as a witness to the alleged violation
  
  
• This charge was dropped some months later, but NOT before costing Roseland taxpayers a substantial amount of money.
  
  
• Another futile attempt by Gorman/Reis to assert themselves into our community? Another EPIC fail at taxpayer’s expense?​


• The factions started by Scott and Claudia created a negative polarization that permeated the entire school environment including teachers, administration and parents.
  
  
• The atmosphere suffered as a result of all the chaos

2017

• Certain members of the Board of Education did not seek re-election, paving the way for Gorman’s bid to become President of the Board of Education.  Will the sitting members of the board vote him in as President after he’s accused one of the members of an alleged ethics violation and tried to recall the Board President in the past?
  
  
• February
  After Leonard, the current sitting councilman,  exposed a nine-months old text message to the media , which was intended to be a joke (albeit in poor taste), Gorman and Reis, once again, took to keyboard rampages by starting the “Roseland Unites” Facebook page in an attempt to incite chaos and unrest and cause further division. Similar to the “Gross Mistake” Facebook page, its posts personally attacked members of the council by calling them racists (even though the council members have already apologized for the poor judgment and choices of words they used in the text). 
  
  
• Summer
  Reis, Gorman and their factions went door to door with young children in tow to obtain the necessary signatures for the recall.​
  
  
• Despite their THIRD attempt to remove a person from their position, REIS AND GORMAN WERE UNSUCCESSFUL, ALBEIT RELENTLESS. Despite attending Council Meetings, walking door to door, starting another negative Facebook campaign and even attempting to assuage the Council campaign of Bardi and Freda, the recall was unsuccessful.
  
  
• Are Gorman and Reis now hijacking the Bardi and Freda platform for their own agenda? 
  
  
• Will the political candidates Bardi and Freda continue to let Gorman and Reis drag the town of Roseland in the dirt at the residents expense? Is this yet another platform to catapult Gorman and or Reis into a bigger political goal?
  
  
• Once again, the Gorman/Reis third attempt to unseat or recall an official in an elected position was UNSUCCESSFUL despite their “heroic and unscrupulous” efforts.  
  
  
• Gorman and Reis found the perfect platform in supporting Roger Freda and Chris Bardi.  They have factions running for Roseland school board and town council.  Will WE permit them to hijack and hold the town of Roseland hostage?
  
  
• ​Do you see a pattern like that of a petulant child?
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• Gorman filed a lawsuit because he did not get his OPRA documents in a timely manner, despite the overwhelming magnitude of the information he was requesting (which also cost the taxpayers more money) and another lawsuit citing an alleged violation of the Sunshine Law.​
  
  

• September
  A postcard was mailed to the residents of Roseland using the Boro address. In many resident’s minds, the postcard bordered the line of unethical as it was an attempt to mislead the residents into thinking that it came from the Boro. In fact, it was later exposed that Reis herself was responsible for this mailer. This episode caused yet more community division. 
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• Nasty and unfair political campaign flyers continue to be sent out. 
  
  
• So here we are today, at a Crossroads.  Although you see the signs bearing the name of Bardi and Freda, the actual parties are Gorman and Reis.  A win for Bardi and Freda who apparently cannot see that their campaign got hijacked will be detrimental for Roseland.  
  
  
• Don’t be misguided by these wolves in sheep clothing. This is not about PILOTs or COAH – this is about a SMALL group or faction of individuals whose egos are bigger than their legal expenses that we are footing the bill for.
  
  
• Don’t vote for Reis, Gorman, Bardi and Freda. They don’t have the experience, savvy, professionalism or winning record behind them, just look at the record.
  
  
• Plotted, Planned and Premeditated?  What say you? ​​

Thank you, 
Toni Vardiman

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