Regionalization: The Wool Pulled Over My Eyes

When I got an e-mail from an attorney back in February,  an attorney from a Springfield firm, I didn’t think anything of it.  As a long time writer, and one who was born and raised in Union, right next door to Springfield, it did not even seem unusual.

Every day because of my blog, I get dozens of phone calls or e-mails, occasionally letters and texts, from people who have read my blog, researched me and had something they wanted to either tell me, ask me, or have me write. So this one was no different from so many.

It was certainly nice and friendly.

“Hi Muriel,

     My name is Christine Magee, and I have seen your articles on the Highlands school district regionalization on various news sites. I found your contact information on your blog site and was wondering if you have heard any further updates regarding whether the Highlands or Sea Bright have submitted their petition to the Commissioner of Education for authorization to hold the referendum on the creation of the all-purpose school district. It is a story we are interested in following. Please feel free to give me a call at 973-232-5291 if you like.  Thanks so much for your time!

Sincerely, 

Christine Magee,

Associate, Machado Law Group

I had no way of knowing, and there was no indication in this very friendly letter, that the attorney who was reaching out for me, a reporter, actually is employed the Machado Law Group, the  reported attorney for the Oceanport Board of Education. That’s the very same Board of Education from which Sea Bright wants to leave so it can become a part of a new, revitalized, and all-inclusive K-12 regional school district.

As I pointed out in a previous story, the minutes available on the Oceanport Board of Education webpage include the reorganization meeting of January 2022, when no attorney was named for the reorganized board.

After three attempts to obtain what should be information readily at hand in a board office, I OPRA’d the board. That’s when I learned the last time the Machado group was retained as attorney  for Oceanport was for one year starting January 2021. Still my OPRA revealed the law group has been paid every month until July of this year, including $11,725.50 June 30 for ”Sea Bright legal services.”

Yet Christine Magee, the attorney in the Law Group, didn’t think it was important enough when asking me questions about the regionalization issue, to inform me, a reporter, she is a member of the firm representing an involved party?
Without any further knowledge about to whom I was now e-mailing, but being a reporter always willing to share information, we continued conversations over the next four months right up to two weeks before that “Sea Bright Legal Services”  posted payment.

Never, in the course of all of these e-mails, did Ms Magee think it important enough to let me know she represents a  law firm involved in the regionalization issue.

I responded to this e-mail highlighting everything I knew and promising I would give more information as I learned it …  Not unusual for a reporter to do for anyone who asks.

The next e-mail came Feb. 23, minutes after my response in which I shared the information I knew and also gave my new e-mail friend the assurance I’d get back when I learned anything else. The response to that was “Great, thank you so much Muriel!”

But again, no mention her firm represents Oceanport.

In the next e-mail, in my attempts to be helpful to interested parties who might not be able to attend meetings, I asked Ms Magee, if she had copies of the resolutions she was asking about.

Her response to that was  “Yes, I have the same for Highlands and Sea Bright. I have also been checking regularly to see if Atlantic Highlands posted any resolution on the same but, as you noted, there is nothing so far.”

I still did not know, and even had I thought about it, had no way of knowing she was in the law group representing Oceanport in what is a major question not only in Oceanport and Sea Bright, but Highlands and Atlantic Highlands as well.

Our e-mails continued.  I was certainly helpful, typical for a reporter to tell anyone who asks any information she has.

In my next e-mail I shared more information and an opinion: “I just learned that all three resolutions have to go in together to the Dept. of Education, since the director won’t do anything unless there’s agreement first. Which to me seems like too much power to give to one group, rather than a majority.  And I’m not sure AH will recuse. Tonight is a council meeting, so I suspect it will at least come up during the public portion. The delay rests on the fact the local board of education doesn’t want regionalization in my humble opinion!”

And that prompted a response from Ms. Magee  “Interesting. I didn’t realize AH could have two potential recusals as well. I wonder if the delay in AH rests in part on their spouse’s commenting on the same. “

And in another e-mail, Ms. Magee wrote: “Wow, you are right, that is a lot of power to give to one group. Interesting to see how these proceed.”

Cynical though I may be as a reporter, I also have a high regard for attorneys. It would never occur to me that a professional, especially a women in the legal field since they have worked so hard to achieve equality there, would continue a conversation about some legal matters in which her law firm was involved without letting me know that indeed, that is why our friendly conversations started in the first place.

April was the first time I could have had some indication but even then, I never thought a professional attorney would not identify herself as a contractor with a board involved in the regionalization question.

The April 6 e-mail from my new VeniVidiScripto friend informed me that Ms. Magee “was at the Highlands town hall meeting last night. I thought your question was great, but it seems odd that they were not able to answer such a simple question as the timeline. It will be interesting to see how this matter progresses.”

To which I responded: “Ah, wish you had introduced yourself to me.  Do you live here?  I thought they answered the timeline question, saying 3 months is enough time to get it on the ballot. I did not know all the info that has to be included in the actual question though …  interesting stuff.”

I do no know whether the law firm was reimbursed for this attorney’s presence at a meeting. She did not identify herself during that meeting. Or even to me, whom she obviously could identify since I spoke and would have given my name and address.

Yet, still I did not get any indication I was talking to a paid professional involved in the regionalization issue.

The response to my question?  Christine Magee, a member of the Machado Law Firm which the Oceanport Board of Education says is its official board attorney, even without a resolution at reorganization saying that, responded “ I am from Plainsboro, but I work for an education law firm. So I am just interested  to see how this all plays out.”

Indeed!