Pay-to-Play is Here to Stay!

Have you heard about the lonesome loser? He's a loser, but he still keeps on tryin'. (Little River Band)

Remember, “The King is dead, Long Live the King”? It makes me think the equivalent mantra in Gloucester Township should be, “Pay-to-Play is Here to Stay!”

Over 100 towns, to date, in New Jersey have passed Pay-to-Play Reform that is more restrictive than current New Jersey P-2-P laws; laws that many acknowledge are way too lenient. Most recently, Medford, which has passed ordinances limiting political contributions to $300, banned five professional firms from bidding township contracts for four years because each had violated Medford’s Pay-to-Play rules. The story was reported by the Courier Post and can be found here.

Some of these firms might sound familiar to you - Remington and Vernick (Haddonfield), Consulting Engineering Services (Sicklerville), and Bach Associates (Haddon Heights) - because each one of these firms does business in Gloucester Township and makes sizable contributions to Gloucester Township’s politicians.

Each of these firms contributed the state’s maximum allowable amount of $2,600 to an unsuccessful politician running in Medford’s 2013 primary election. Unfortunately, the maximum allowed by Medford is $300.00.

"(Medford) Township Manager Christopher Schultz said none of the firms has performed work for the township in recent years.” One wonders if they were looking for an opportunity to do business in Medford by contributing to a candidate who might have made promises in that vein.

Moorestown has also recently had some issues with Pay-to-Play. In August, 2012, the Moorestown Council, in the face of residents’ opposition, voted to raise the maximum amount that professional firms could contribute to local officeholders. This action launched a backlash from residents who went to the streets with a petition and gathered more than 1,100 signatures.

Moorestown Council had increased its contributions' limit from $300 to $7,200 but the residents ultimately prevailed and the law was finally rescinded. So, logic and reason prevail in Moorestown and Medford, but what about Gloucester Township?

Remington and Vernick, now banned from bidding in Medford for four years, is the township’s primary engineering firm in Gloucester Township. Would it surprise you if I told you that Remington and Vernick contributed $64,000 in the 2012-2013 election cycle to Mayor David Mayer and his running mates?

The fact is that Remington and Vernick contributed $10,400 in the primary election season and $10,400 in the regular election season to Team-Mayer. Additionally, Remington and Vernick contributed $7,200 each to GT Citizen’s for Gov. Reform (2012), GT Citizen’s for Gov. Reform (2013), GT Chairman’s Club (2013), Association of Former GT Democrat Mayors (2013), GT Parents for Educational Excellence (2013), and GT Citizens for Responsible Government (2013).

Each of these entities is a Democrat PAC, an veiled attempt to skirt the already too lenient NJ Pay-to-Play laws. With the exception of a few thousand dollars that was used for Democrat advertising, the full amount of these six contributions ($43,200) was ultimately contributed to Team-Mayer’s campaign prior to the November election. Added to the $20,800 of contributions given directly to Team-Mayer by Remington and Vernick, the addition of these PAC donations brought the sum total of Remington and Vernick contributions to Team-Mayer in the 2012-2013 election cycle to $64,000.

(This information is not opinion but is based on hard, cold data that was reported by the Team-Mayor campaign team and each of the named PACs. You can track the money from contributor to final recipient on the NJ ELEC site.) 

Can you think of any reason why an engineering firm that won appointment as primary township engineer and gets awarded who knows how many township contracts would want to contribute $64,000 to one political team?

The Mayor of Medford explained the reasoning of Medford’s ban on Remington and Vernick this way, “The (local) law is there for a reason — not to limit political campaign participation but to limit the ability for an organization to buy itself a contract or to give the appearance that is happening.” Are we concerned at all about appearances of impropriety in Gloucester Township? Dave Mayer said that contributions of this amount are not a problem; in fact, he went on to say that without such contributions it would be impossible to wage an election campaign. I am not making this up. I wonder what Dave Mayer thinks his opponents should do to raise campaign funds. Councilman Dan Hutchison, Mr. Mayer’s running mate, also thinks concerns over these large donations are overblown. He thought we should be more concerned with Super-PACs and so he was instrumental in quashing the attempts of concerned citizens to pass Pay-to-Play reform and put forward his own ideas which did nothing to stanch the flow of what looks like pay-off money. Hey, if it walks like a duck…

Remington and Vernick is now banned from bidding contracts in Medford for four years but the money still flows in Gloucester Township. One wonders what Remington and Vernick receives for its generosity to those who are instrumental in placing work with the engineering firm of record for GT. Dave Mayer informs us he needs the money and Dan Hutchison says the problem is Super-PACs while Remington and Vernick shovels $64,000 dollars their way with impunity. If such underhanded activity does not incense you and make you ask what kind of scam our mayor and council are trying to perpetrate on the good, tax-paying residents of Gloucester Township, I don’t know what will ever make you sit up and pay attention.

Hey, there's a council meeting on Monday night, the 24th; you could surprise council and show up so that they realize you do care how they spend your hard earned money. What a novel idea!