Question: Who were the Burlington Dems Perr Sought to Help? Answer: Himself, His Wife, Meyer, Kersey, et al

Perr broke his own public pledge not to personally benefit from Chairmanship

“Perr pledged to avoid using political connections for personal gain, saying his focus is on winning elections.”  - Burlington County Times article, June 14, 2006 (available upon request) 

"While we tend to stay within our geography, this is one time that your assistance in another part of the state will help Burlington Democrats, I am asking you to donate  $300-$500 to Peter Cammarano for mayor in order to put into place other young, progressive Democratic leaders like our own in Burlington."   

- Rick Perr email to fellow Democrats and Party Donors, March 9, 2009 (Source: BCT)         

Mount Holly, August 10, 2009 – An email sent from Burlington County Democratic Committee Chairman Rick Perr to fellow Democrats and party donors seeking campaign contributions for ex-Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano was a thinly veiled attempt by the embattled Democrat leader to feather his own nest and those of his closest associates, said Burlington County Republican Spokesman Chris Russell today.          

Russell said Perr has failed to honor the pledge he took upon being named Chairman in June 2006 not to use political connections for personal gain, as reported in the Burlington County Times.  He cited the politically-connected law firm of Gluck Walrath, where Perr’s wife Cindy is a high-level attorney, having contracts with Democrat-controlled Pemberton Township and Burlington City.  He added that it’s no coincidence that Gluck Walrath has contracts in Hoboken, where Burlington County Democrats were investing heavily in the election of Peter Cammarano, who was arrested two weeks ago on federal corruption charges.          

“Rick Perr said contributing money to Peter Cammarano’s campaign for Mayor of Hoboken would ‘help Burlington Democrats;’ what he really meant to say was ‘help my wife and Gluck Walrath keep their work in Hoboken, help Freeholder candidate Kim Kersey and her engineering firm CMX keep their work in Hoboken, help Cammarano’s “buddy” Jeff Meyer and his engineering client Adams Rehmann Heggan get work in Hoboken, help Medford Democratic Committee Chairman Sean Kennedy and his engineering firm CME get work in Hoboken, and help ingratiate other high-ranking County Democrats who had a financial interest in Cammarano winning,” charged Russell.  “I challenge Rick Perr to explain to the rank and file members of his own party – the loyal Democrats who stuff envelopes, make phone calls and put together lawn signs at County Democrat Headquarters – how Peter Cammarano becoming Mayor of a one-square mile North Jersey city would have helped them one bit.”          

Russell said Perr’s about-face on profiting from his Chairmanship is part of a pattern of hypocrisy by Perr and County Democrats on pay-to-play and ethics.