Burlington County Democrats

BURLINGTON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE

7000 Atrium Way, Suite 2A

Mt. Laurel, New Jersey 08054

(856) 638-0620

www.burlcodems.com

For Immediate Release
Contact: Chris Fifis, (609) 206-1678
December 5, 2006

VASQUEZ: "WUJCIK BLOWING HOT SMOKE"

GOP IGNORED VASQUEZ'S VOW TO BRING ACCOUNTABILITY, CREDIBILITY, AND INTEGRITY TO THE BRIDGE COMMISSION

(Mt. Laurel, NJ) – Former Burlington County Freeholder and Bridge Commissioner candidate Amy Vasquez issued the following statement today in response to Freeholder Director James Wujcik's comments about corruption at the Burlington County Bridge Commission.

"In 2005 when I ran for Freeholder and Bridge Commissioner I called for a top-to-bottom review of all contracts and a comprehensive ethics reform at the Bridge Commission. I called for direct oversight by the Freeholder Board. I offered to serve as an unpaid watchdog on the Commission. In the face of report after report of scandals within the Bridge Commission, Jim Wujcik told me not to believe everything I read in the newspaper."

"My calls for reform and oversight went unanswered and ignored by Freeholder James Wujcik and his Republican colleagues, including Republican County Chairman Mike Warner. The Republicans refused to join my call for a full investigation into corruption at the Bridge Commission."

"The Republicans continue to refuse to investigate whether Republican Senator Martha Bark defrauded taxpayers of hundreds of thousands of dollars for no-show, no-work jobs. The Republicans refuse to investigate whether a pay-to-play scheme and no-bid contracts resulted in GOP State Chairman Tom Wilson's lobbying firm being awarded over $2.7 million."

"Even though there has been an admission by a Republican operative and business associate of GOP State Chairman Tom Wilson for cheating taxpayers of up to $1 million, the all-Republican Freeholder Board continues to stall the public cry for accountability."

"I believe the all-Republican Freeholder Board's failure to act makes them complicit in the defrauding of arguably millions of dollars of taxpayer money."

"The Burlington County Republican Party should stand up and take responsibility for creating the monster that is now the Bridge Commission. The burning question is – Why won't they? Did the all-Republican Freeholder Board refuse to provide the most basic oversight, thereby allowing unethical practices and a culture of corruption and cronyism to thrive at the Commission in exchange for hefty campaign contributions and promises?"

"My pledge to bring much needed credibility, integrity, and accountability to the Bridge Commission was completely ignored. My call to give the Freeholder Director authority to veto and reject minutes for suspicious dealings was ignored. My call for necessary oversight to prevent future Bark-like scandals was ignored."

"It is disingenuous for Freeholder Director Wujcik and the Burlington County GOP to issue statements of remorse, surprise, and astonishment. As corruption at the Bridge Commission begins to unravel in the form of a prison sentence for one of their party allies, all they should do now is step aside so reformers can do what they were unwilling to do-- stop the wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars and restore public trust in government."

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