MIDDLESEX COUNTY

Why did Perth Amboy mayor have cop drive her to Brooklyn wedding?

Sergio Bichao
@sbichao
  • The mayor, police chief and a third official were driven to a wedding in Brooklyn by a police officer.
  • A critic of the mayor says using a police chauffeur was an abuse of power and a waste of money.
  • The police chief is facing unrelated criminal charges for theft and official misconduct.

PERTH AMBOY – As the city's suspended police chief faces criminal charges accusing him of using a municipal mechanic for his personal benefit, the mayor's own use of city resources is being called into question.

Mayor Wilda Diaz had an internal affairs sergeant earning a six-figure salary drive her to a wedding in Brooklyn, according to an October 2013 police record obtained recently by MyCentralJersey.com.

Police Chief Benjamin Ruiz and mayoral Chief of Staff Lissette Martinez also went along on the ride.

The wedding, held on a Wednesday, was of Rabbi Shabsi Ganzweig, a Perth Amboy volunteer police chaplain since 2011. Ganzweig lives in Lakewood, where his Congregation Meoros Nosson also is located.

A record of this trip exists because the sergeant who drove the trio, Miguel Pellot, requested five hours off the following day as a result of the travel.

EARLIER:Perth Amboy police chief charged with theft, suspended

"It's a misuse of police power," said retired police officer Ken Balut, a former councilman and a frequent critic of the Diaz administration. "The mayor, as police director, and the chief of police should know that there is no reason for the two of them to have someone from internal affairs take off to drive them to Brooklyn."

Internal affairs officers are tasked with investigating complaints against officers in their department. In 2013, Pellot made a salary of $112,000. Last month he was promoted to lieutenant.

Diaz on Tuesday defended her use of a police chauffeur, saying that she considered her attendance at the wedding to be city business.

Diaz said the chaplain, one of more than 90 who volunteer their time as part of the Police Department's Chaplain Corps, has been involved with numerous community events in the city over the years.

"We wanted to be there to support him," she said.

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Diaz said she drives herself "90 percent of the time" to events around the city and state but that "this is going into the city and I didn't know my way around there." She also called attending the wedding a "once-in-a-lifetime" event.

Perth Amboy suspended Police Chief Benjamin Ruiz after he was charged with theft. He has been accused of using a municipal mechanic to fix two of his personal cars and the car of a friend.

"It's uncommon as Christians to get invited to an orthodox Jewish ceremony. We wanted to go and show support to someone who's shown support to us."

Diaz says there is no need to review or change any policy regarding the mayor's use of a police chauffeur.

"I haven't done anything that any previous mayors haven't done. I have done the same thing they have."

But Balut called the use of a chauffeur "a waste of taxpayer money" and says the Police Department may have tried to cover up the trip.

Balut submitted a public records request on Feb. 20, 2014, asking for documents "reflecting travel costs and copies of payroll records" relating to Pellot driving the mayor to Brooklyn between Sept. 31 and Oct. 7, 2013.

The department responded to that request: "No wall time or overtime incurred for Sgt. Pellot." Wall time is department jargon for certain time-off requests.

RELATED:Middlesex prosecutor part of Perth Amboy political 'conspiracy'?

But when Balut submitted the records request again four months later, the city provided the document, which is dated Oct. 3, 2013, the day after the wedding. Balut said he submitted his second request when he knew Ruiz would be on vacation.

An attorney for the city who was asked on Wednesday about Balut's records requests said she'd look into it but did not provide a response by Thursday afternoon.

Acting Deputy Chief Larry Cattano did not return a call for comment.

Ruiz last week pleaded not guilty to charges of theft, official misconduct and witness tampering. His lawyer told NJ Advance Media that the charges, which are being handled by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, are politically motivated.

CLICK HEREfor more Perth Amboy police news from MyCentralJersey.com

Staff Writer Sergio Bichao: 908-243-6615; sbichao@mycentraljersey.com