Judge Throws Out Committee's Ruling Against Rumana

A judge has thrown out a four-month-old decision by the Joint Legislation Committee that dismisses a complaint against Assemblyman Scott Rumana because it did not follow proper attendance procedures.

Superior Court Judge Linda Feinberg ruled that members of the joint committee are required to be “available throughout the year to attend meetings.”

Committee member Daniel Mecca was unable to attend the meeting when the committee took a vote on the charges filed against Rumana by resident Bill Brennan. Mecca broke his knee and voted via telephone.

Brennan brought seven ethics charges against Rumana, stemming from his alleged role in advocating for a renewable energy project in Wayne before state agencies, while serving as a state legislator. Rumana is chairman of the non-profit Wayne Energy Corporation (WEC). The WEC was established to oversee a renewable energy project that would have provided power to several municipal and school buildings in the township.

The committee and the .

"It's unfortunate that a public project designed for the public benefit continues to be the political obsession of an individual unwilling to accept an esteemed body's dismissal of his frivolous complaint in its entirety," Rumana said in a statement.

Rumana was mayor of Wayne from 2002 to 2007 and on the from 1994 to 1997.

“The committee has to rehear these charges now,” Brennan said. “Everything so far has been an obstruction and delay. Any reasonable person who looks at what he did knows he did something wrong. You can’t be a lawmaker and a law-breaker at the same time.”

Brennan unsuccessfully ran against Rumana last year to represent the state’s 40th Legislative District. Brennan said these charges have nothing to do with not being elected.