LACEY, NJ – Regina Discenza and Gavin Rozzi announce that the School Ethics Commission (SEC) has released its final decision on a complaint lodged by Regina Discenza against former Lacey Township Board of Education member, Shawn Giordano, affirming that Giordano violated New Jersey School Ethics Act, N.J.S.A. 18A:12-24(b), N.J.S.A. 18A:12-24.1(e) and N.J.S.A. 18A:12-24.1(f).

The complaint, captioned In the Matter of Shawn Giordano, SEC Docket No. C04-20 was filed by Discenza and alleged that Giordano used his official position to secure unwarranted privileges, and conducted unauthorized activities which compromised the Board’s integrity and accountability. The SEC decision vindicates the belief of Discenza and Gavin Rozzi that public officials should be held accountable for unethical actions that misuse their official positions and misappropriate public resources.

The SEC found that Giordano, acting out of personal animosity against Discenza, improperly directed the Board’s then-attorney, Christopher Supsie, to conduct almost 34 hours of research on Discenza’s conduct on the day after he lost the 2019 election, costing the District’s taxpayers over $5,000. In doing so, Giordano was found to have compromised the integrity of the Board and misused school resources for personal reasons.

“Giordano’s actions display a clear and deliberate disregard for ethical standards and fiduciary duties,” Rozzi said. “He manipulated school resources as if they were his personal assets, squandering them on his private vendettas against a political opponent.”

“The severity of his misconduct is not only measured by the financial loss to the school district, but also by the betrayal of public trust and the damage to the school board’s reputation,” Rozzi added. “Giordano’s conduct has eroded the faith of students, parents, staff, and the broader community in the Lacey Township Board of Education’s leadership.”

“We are committed to ensuring transparency and ethical governance within the Lacey Township Board of Education,” said Discenza. “No decisions for expenditures should be made behind closed doors without proper approvals.”

The Commission has upgraded Administrative Law Judge Elia A. Pelios’ recommended penalty from reprimand to censure, noting the severity of Giordano’s misconduct.

“This private action, by its very nature, compromises the integrity and accountability of the Board and its proper use of school resources,” Pelios wrote in an initial summary decision.

Discenza and Rozzi note that this case is only the first of four arising from the 2019 election, and this initial decision sets a strong precedent because of the similarity of the related cases. Rozzi and his running mate Sonia Marchitello filed separate ethics complaints against Girodano alleging that they were also investigated as private citizens/board candidates. The pursuit of accountability continues with an Open Public Meetings Act lawsuit against the Lacey Board of Education scheduled to be heard on August 18th before Ocean County Superior Court Judge Valter H. Must. The suit pertains to the certifications signed by other board members during the same period, in which they admitted to holding secret meetings/texts/phone calls convened by Giordano to authorize the taxpayer-funded investigations of their political opponents outside of a legally constituted public meeting.

Christopher Supsie, the attorney who performed the investigations, has since lost his position as Board Attorney. A related attorney ethics grievance filed by Discenza arising from this case was heard before the Disciplinary Review Board (DRB) of the New Jersey Supreme Court on June 20th, 2023 and their decision is still pending.

The full School Ethics Commission decision can be read here: https://www.nj.gov/education/legal/ethics/2023/docs/C04-20%20-%207-28-23.pdf

About Regina Discenza and Gavin Rozzi:

Regina Discenza and Gavin Rozzi are active community members dedicated to fostering accountability and transparency within the Lacey Township School Board. Discenza is a former 2-term board member, while Rozzi is a former board candidate and founder of the public records platform OPRAmachine.com.