BURLCO DEMS PROPOSE INSPECTOR GENERAL

(Mount Laurel):           Chris Brown and Mary Anne Reinhart, Democratic candidates for Burlington County Freeholder, announced today they would create a County Inspector General to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in County government.

The Straight A's for Change Team was joined at an afternoon press conference by Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes.  Hughes inherited a government plagued with taxpayer abuse, corruption and criminal indictments.  His success in cleaning up government and instituting a County Inspector General has been widely hailed as an overwhelming success.

Under Freeholder Director Fenton and the incumbent Republicans, Burlington County government has failed the taxpayers - saddling them with higher taxes, increased spending, rampant pay to play and intricate campaign financing schemes.  It has also been reported that there are ongoing state and federal criminal investigations. 

"Burlington County spending has increased by more than $27 million since Freeholder Fenton was elected in 2005, including a nearly $3 million increase just this year," said Brown.  "Yet we are getting less in return for our money.  Since Freeholder Fenton refuses to address the serious issues of higher spending, rampant corruption and multiple newspaper stories of no-show County jobs drastic steps are now required."

Fenton has turned a partisan eye to Bob Stears stealing over $2 million; has rewarded 7 Republican donors with jobs at the Board of Social Services while cutting crucial transportation services to seniors; gave a vote of confidence to Bridge Commissioner Comegno following his DUI and allowed Chris Baxter to collect hundreds of thousands in taxpayer dollars for a publicly questioned work product.

Brian Hughes discussed some examples of the successes in Mercer County.  Among them: An investigation that resulted in $500,000 in fines and court ordered restitution payments to the Mercer County Improvement Authority; missing documents in the Mercer County Clerk's office; over $600,000 in court ordered restitution payments to Mercer County for criminal proceedings; comprehensive ethics training for all government Boards, commissions and independent authorities; sweeping pay to play legislation.

"Clearly, the office of the Inspector General is subtraction by addition," said Reinhart.  "This one position alone will lead to a subtraction in waste, government inefficiency, fraud, and spending.  More importantly, the savings found by the Inspector General will result in real tax relief for Burlington County residents.  By appointing an Inspector General, we will be able to reduce the size of government in Burlington County.

Under our plan, every entity of government that receives funding from the County will be under the auspices of the Inspector General.  The Inspector will be required to provide regular reports to the Freeholder Board.  These reports will be posted online and made available to the news media."

"If Burlington County had a watchdog to safeguard the public trust in government, it's fair to say we would never have had to pay the consequences of Martha Bark's $250,000 in no-show jobs, Bob Stears stealing over $2 million dollars and Chris Baxter's hundreds of thousands of taxpayer funded dollars for a highly questioned work product.  Fenton and the GOP have failed the taxpayers of Burlington County.  The Straight A's for Change team will restore the public trust by rooting out the corruption that has led to higher taxes, higher spending, rampant pay to play and intricate financing schemes that only occur within the Burlington GOP," said Tyler.

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