Residents to Ask for Pay-to-Play Ban Tonight

Two residents will push for Gloucester Township to adopt pay-to-play reforms at tonight’s Council meeting, and are prepared to take the measure directly to voters should Council refuse to act.

Tom Crone and Joshua Berry, who are both involved in conservative advocacy group South Jersey Citizens, plan to make the pitch during the public comment portion of tonight’s meeting. The goal, they said, is bringing “financial sanity” to Gloucester Township.

"Pay to play" is the label given to awarding campaign contributors with municipal positions or contracts. Gloucester Township currently has no ban on the practice. Thirteen other Camden County towns do, according to the New Jersey Department of State. 

“We’re approaching the Council as citizens to tell them we don’t think it’s right to give contracts to vendors who donate to political campaigns,” Crone said. “You shouldn’t be able to give money and then get a job from the people who benefit. That’s an 'old boys' system.

"Contributions or township positions—pick one. You shouldn’t have both.”

There are both moral and legal reasons the township should enact a ban, Berry said. Conflict of interest is a moral argument, he said, but practicality also comes into play. 

Other area towns, such as Cherry Hill, have already banned pay to play. As Gloucester Township looks to regionalize certain services, such as trash disposal, a vendor who donates to Gloucester Township could be violating Cherry Hill’s ban because Gloucester Township is a decision-maker in the regional contract.

Berry and Crone’s proposed ordinance comes from the Citizens’ Campaign, which says nearly 100 New Jersey towns have adopted its suggested play-to-play ban. The group encourages residents to lobby municipalities to adopt similar pay-to-play bans as part of a package of other transparency and shared-services reforms.

“This must be a holistic approach. It’s not just one or two silver bullets,” Berry said. “A number of reforms must dovetail if we want to dramatically improve the system.”

South Jersey Citizens has a 14-point reform plan on its website, with the status of each listed. Berry said the group would not blindside Council at any point with its efforts. The group informed Mayor David Mayer and Council Thursday of its plans to talk about the pay-to-play ban.

“Tom and I happen to be registered as Republicans, but we don’t care which party accomplishes these reforms,” Berry said. “Whoever is willing to work with us has our support.”

Crone, however, is skeptical of the reception they’ll receive tonight.

“The mayor already told me he doesn’t agree with pay-to-play reform. He said it would be impossible to raise campaign funds” with a ban, Crone said.

The mayor made that assertion in informal talks with Crone in recent months, Crone added.

Mayer could not be reached for comment Sunday.

Berry credited the mayor with instituting some cost-saving measures, such as shared services, but said the total reform package is needed to realize the maximum savings.

South Jersey Citizens members are prepared to launch a citizens’ initiative in the event that Council will not pass pay-to-play reforms. As a town governed under the Faulkner Act, citizens can petition Council to vote directly on an ordinance. If Council votes no, the issue becomes a referendum question during the next general election.

Berry said South Jersey Citizens will launch a petition drive if Council “stalls” as well. He wants to see the town government put the issue on its June 6 workshop agenda and pass the ban by the end of June. 

Failing that, the group will begin collecting signatures. They need about 1,750, amounting to 10 percent of the total votes in the last odd-numbered year general election. They'll have no problem collecting that and more, Crone vowed.

“I hope it doesn’t come to that,” Berry said. “That makes this more adversarial. But we’ll do what we have to do.”

Tonight's Township Council meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. at the .