Irvington Pushes Back Against Scathing ‘Opioid’ Report From NJ Comptroller

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Did Irvington “waste” more than $600,000 funds that were supposed to be put to work battling the opioid epidemic? Not according to township officials, who have filed a defamation lawsuit against the state agency that made the controversial claim.

Last year, the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) released a report about the town’s use of funds that were supposed to be put to work battling the opioid epidemic.

According to the comptroller’s office, Irvington is one of many towns and cities in New Jersey that have received funding from settlements the state has reached with pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors. However – instead of using the funds for prevention, treatment or recovery efforts – Irvington town officials decided to hold two “awareness concerts” in 2023 and 2024, the comptroller’s office said.

The cost? About $632,000, the OSC reported.

The comptroller’s office also accused Irvington officials of violating state procurement law by awarding a pair of contracts valued at $368,500 to businesses tied to a township employee, who was in charge of securing music talent for the concerts.

“Irvington wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars that should have been used to save lives and help people recover from addiction,” Walsh alleged.

Irvington Township officials previously told Patch that they are “vehemently denying” the allegations.

“With all due respect to the OSC, they know nothing about my community and the people within it,” Irvington Mayor Anthony Vauss said.

>> READ MORE: NJ Town 'Wasted' $632K Of Opioid Settlement Money On Concerts, Officials Allege

Irvington eventually launched a defamation case against the comptroller’s office, which continues to play out in state Superior Court. The suit claims that the OSC made false statements about the town and its officials, with the goal of “embarrassing Irvington before the state’s most powerful political officers,” NJ Advance Media reported.

Attorneys for the comptroller’s office sought dismissal of the defamation case in filings last month.

Irvington officials continue to press their case, however.

Last week, Irvington released the results of its own assessment, which was conducted by an outside law firm (view the report here, or see it below). The report was authored by Scott MacDougall, a former senior staffer with the comptroller’s office.

According to Irvington officials, the report found that the OSC acted “beyond its statutory authority, violated mandatory investigative standards, and disregarded due-process protections.

The town’s mayor said that Irvington cooperated fully and acted in good faith with the comptroller’s office before last year’s scathing report was released.

“This is not a disagreement over policy – it is a breakdown of law, process and fairness,” Vauss said.

“From a legal standpoint, the violations here are fundamental,” Township Attorney Ramon Rivera said. “The OSC exceeded its authority, invented standards, ignored statutory exceptions, withheld mandated assistance and imposed consequences without due process.”

“That is not lawful oversight,” Rivera charged.

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