Watchdog Group to Hold Rally in Support of Pay-to-Play Ban

A conservative activist group is organizing a rally to be held at Lt. Col. Samuel M. Siler Veterans Memorial Park on July 9 to support its efforts to have a pay-to-play ban enacted here.

South Jersey Citizens (SJC), a watchdog group headed by township resident Tom Crone, will have petitions on hand for anyone who supports a pay-to-play ban.

Pay to play refers to the practice of awarding government contracts to campaign donors.

SJC members plan to talk to community members about pay to play and their proposal.

"We will also be collecting signatures to prove to Mayor (David Mayer) and Council that the people of GT are not happy and want a change," Crone said in an email blast promoting the rally.

The rally is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

SJC political director Joshua Berry presented the proposed ordinance, crafted by a group calling itself Citizens' Campaign, in mid-May. He has since discussed the ordinance with Council on several occasions—the latest instance being June 13, when he presented an amendment to allay some members' previously expressed concerns it could hamper shared-services deals.

The Citizens' Campaign pay-to-play ordinance has been adopted by roughly 100 New Jersey towns, including Cherry Hill.

Berry and Crone left the June 13 meeting vowing to start a petition drive. SJC plans to gather signatures from registered township voters equal to 15 percent of the number of residents who went to the polls for the 2009 general election (about 17,500 voted that year), allowing them to put the proposed ban to the people, if necessary.