FENTON AGAIN FAILS FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY TEST

(Mount Holly):            Chris Brown and Mary Anne Reinhart today demanded that Freeholder Director Fenton and Freeholder Jordan come clean and tell the residents how they are paying for their advertising buy on Philadelphia network TV. According to reports the Fenton campaign has gone to Philadelphia airwaves with a malicious, negative TV ad, which is already the subject of a pending lawsuit.

As of their last ELEC filing the Burlington County Republicans had less than $44,000 cash on hand. That would mean they would have raised a lot of money in just two weeks to afford advertising on network television. That is an effort that would impress even Barack Obama or John McCain.

In the past several years, the Burlington County Republicans have been the only political party in the State of New Jersey to use an intricate loan scheme secured from 20 individuals to fund their campaigns and often a last minute network TV buy. These same individuals have made $30 million in government contracts, salaries and pension credits since 2006. The group, since dubbed the “Paulsen’s 20,” has likely been summoned once again.

“Republican State Senator Diane Allen has already informed the residents of Burlington County that she was pressured in the past to sign loans to the Republicans,” said Reinhart. “Senator Allen has also said she knows that others were pressured. The residents of Burlington County deserve to know who these loaners are and why, during a time when small businesses cannot get loans, homes are being foreclosed at a record pace, and the credit market is on life support these individuals feel it is a wise decision to personally loan money to a political campaign.”

Brown and Reinhart visited the campaign headquarters, owned in part by Glenn Paulsen, of the Burlington County Republicans and delivered a letter with 10 questions regarding their massive television buy.

Among the questions Jordan was asked was whether she thought it was appropriate for her to vote on contracts to vendors who donate to a committee that ultimately pays her father’s loans.

Fenton was asked why any investor would loan him money when he has been sued for failing to pay his own property taxes and student loans.

“These are tough economic times,” said Brown. “Small business owners are being forced to shut down due to a massive credit crunch. While Fenton and Jordan are raising our property taxes, and have failed miserably at economic development it is reprehensible they are accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans from County vendors who make their living on the backs of Burlington County taxpayers.”