SURRENCY TEAM: WARDEN, COUNTY MISLED PUBLIC ON COVID, TESTING

 Say County Misappropriated $386K

(BRIDGETON, NJ) – Cumberland County Freeholder Jack Surrency and running mates Donna M. Pearson and Tracy Wells-Huggins today criticized Warden Richard Smith and the county for misleading the public on their handling of COVID, in addition to misappropriating county funds.

“First, Warden Smith and the county told us that no correctional police officers or staff had been infected,” said Freeholder Jack Surrency (D-Bridgeton). “Then, all of a sudden, he announced that 14 had been infected. Second, Warden Smith told us that no inmates had tested positive. Now, instantly, we have one – but we have zero answers on how many others because the county refuses to test everyone.”

According to an article in The Daily Journal on June 12, 2020, an inmate at the Cumberland County Jail tested positive for COVID-19 and was in isolation.

“For the past seven weeks we have been calling for COVID reforms at the county jail,” said Donna M. Pearson, a former freeholder director. “There remain too many unanswered questions to the public and frontline staff.”

In a story run by The Press of Atlantic City on June 13, 2020, it was revealed that “invoices showing the county has spent more than $386,000 on disinfecting services at the jail in March, April and June.”

“Infection control in the midst of this pandemic has been one of the major areas of concern for many of us in healthcare; the other has been the need for proper and liberal access to testing for the virus, especially within institutional settings,” said Tracey Wells-Huggins, a Registered Nurse.  “Not having a solid baseline of possible COVID cases presents a risk of unintentional, yet negligent exposure for both staff and detainees.”

Freeholder Surrency discovered that the appropriation of $386,000 in county funds to an outside cleaning service was never approved by the Cumberland County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

“An expenditure of this size should have come before the board for approval,” said Surrency. “This is a clear abuse of power.”