GOP Mayoral Candidate Charges that the Mayor is Looking Out for His Political Cronies Over the Common Working Man

Yesterday, upon learning that Hamilton Mayor Glen Gilmore was cutting seven temporary jobs from the Public Works department, Hamilton Republican mayoral candidate John Bencivengo expressed his outrage and called the job cuts “unforgivable.�

“Once again the Mayor has shown his true colors in deciding to keep his Director of Politics and the Mercer County Democratic Chairman on the taxpayer-funded payroll while telling seven hard-working temporary workers in the Public Works department that there is not enough money to pay them,� Bencivengo said. “The mayor claims that he is looking out for the common working man, but his actions prove that he is only looking out for himself and his political cronies,� he added.

“Does the Mayor really believe that he can justify eliminating these jobs while keeping his political spokesman on the payroll,� Bencivengo asked. “The Mayor claims to have saved $20,000 by eliminating these seven jobs, all the while paying his Director of Politics over $70,000. I’m concerned that even more hard-working township employees will lose their jobs just so that the Mayor can keep his political watchdog by his side on the taxpayer dime,� he continued.

“What is even more distressing about this entire situation is that the Mayor has been paying his Director of Politics out of the Public Works budget when he is not a Public Works employee. Not only is that improper, but it’s questionable whether it is even legal,� Bencivengo stated. “Accordingly, I will be asking the NJ Department of Community Affairs, Division of Local Government Services to investigate this practice,� he added.

“These job eliminations just go to show the lack of respect the Mayor has for township employees and the Township of Hamilton as a whole,� Bencivengo said. “Just a couple of months ago, the Mayor’s Business Administrator told the Council that he had identified additional cuts that could be made in the budget, but he would not share what those cuts were unless the Council promised not to eliminate four taxpayer-funded political positions. Now, seven hard-working township laborers have lost their jobs due to the Mayor’s blackmail,� he continued.

“These seven employees should not pay the price for the Mayor’s arrogance and record of fiscal mismanagement, all so that the Mayor can keep his political cronies on the payroll. This is unforgivable and the people of Hamilton deserve better,� Bencivengo concluded.