FENTON AND FREEHOLDERS USING PROSECUTORS OFFICE TO PROTECT PATRONAGE

(Mount Laurel):           Democrats for Freeholder Chris Brown and Mary Anne Reinhart are demanding that Freeholder Director Fenton immediately cease and desist using the power of the Freeholder Board to protect one of Burlington County's most lucrative patronage pits. 

Both Brown and Reinhart find it reprehensible that the Burlington County Republican Freeholder Board is pressuring the Prosecutors Office to interfere in a local Cinnaminson election.

"Cinnaminson government has long been a lucrative business for Republican donors and insiders," said Chris Brown.  "Instead of allowing Cinnaminson residents a voice, the Freeholder Board is using Gestapo tactics to protect their local elected officials from being held accountable.  The decision of the Cinnaminson Committee to disband the local dispatch is an issue that deserves lively debate - no matter which side of the fence you are on.  Fenton and the Freeholders are trying to crush that debate."

"This is the same Freeholder Board that remained silent, even as one of their top donors stole $2.7 million from the taxpayers' pockets," said Reinhart.  "It took the US Attorney to finally bring Bob Stears to justice, meanwhile the Freeholder Board sat silent."

Burlington County Democratic Chairman Rick Perr said the sudden interest in a local election is puzzling, especially considering the Republicans long history of silence.

"Never once has the County Dispatch been questioned or attacked, everyone knows the men and women who operate our 9-11 call centers are dedicated employees," said Perr.  "The issue in Cinnaminson is simple; was the decision made by the Township Committee to disband local dispatch instead of cutting the millions of dollars the Township pays to political donors a wise decision."  

"This is not a public safety issue or a County issue.  This is an issue about two Committeemen who went against the will of the voters.  They made the decision and they now need to own it.  They should stand up to the voters and explain their decision, not hide behind a politically motivated prosecutor."

Perr, who was the first to uncover Bob Stears' plot to rip off the bridge commission, said the code of silence is what has exacerbated the crisis of corruption in Burlington County.

"State Senator Diane Allen tells the newspapers she was pressured to loan money to finance Burlington County campaigns and yet the Freeholder Board sat silent.

"Senator Allen's Chief of Staff states that she feels that Chris Baxter,  a lawyer who donates to the Burlington County Republicans,  has provided poor work product to the Board of Social Services yet still makes tens of thousands of dollars, and the Freeholders came out and supported Baxter - without investigating those claims."

Perr also pointed out that there are a lot of close ties between Cinnaminson and the Paulsen's 20 - a group of 20 individuals who loan hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to fund Burlington County Republican campaigns.  These same individuals have been rewarded with tens of millions of dollars in government contracts, salaries and pension credits.

Richard Stroebel and Jim Bristow are both from Cinnaminson. Bristow has even been referred to as the uber boss of Cinnaminson politics.

The engineering  firm Remington and Vernick, who was accused earlier this month by the Burlington County Times of using a political action committee to increase the amount of money they donate to Freeholder candidates, has made over $2 million dollars from Cinnaminson government in just the last two years.

Capehart and Scatchard, the law firm of former Republican Chairman Glenn Paulsen, has also made tens of thousands of dollars from the Cinnaminson government.

"The politicization of the Prosecutor's office by the Freeholders is reminiscent of George Bush's and Karl Rove's use of the Justice Department to promote their political agenda.  We've seen it happen in Washington, now we are seeing it happen in Burlington County.  One has to wonder what it is that they are trying to protect.  Past experience dictates that protecting the residents' pocketbooks is not their number one goal."

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