LINDA STENDER DODGING QUESTIONS CONCERNING SLUSH FUND SCANDAL

For Immediate Release: October 9, 2008
Contact: Amanda Woloshen, 908-267-1613

-- Stender Must Be More Forthcoming, Says Leonard Lance --

GREEN BROOK, NJ – Seventh Congressional District candidate Leonard Lance called on his opponent Assemblywoman Linda Stender to be more forthcoming with information regarding her participation in the so-called MAC program – a reportedly secret slush fund that gave key legislative leaders sole discretion over millions of taxpayer dollars in state money.

“Assemblywoman Stender just doesn’t get it,” said Leonard Lance. “It’s not the projects in question, it’s the process. Every legislator has a right to fight for projects in his or her district. And Linda Stender has that right to fight for projects in her district. But the projects should be fully vetted, fully transparent and never be directed to a legislator’s employer.”

According to PolitickerNJ.com, “[Linda] Stender didn't directly answer a question about how she was informed about the program,” saying only, “We knew that there was grant money available.”

Earlier in the week, Stender said, “I had no knowledge of how projects were funded through the Property Tax Fund, nor did I control the funds. Grants were approved by the Treasurer."

Stender’s statement contradicts reports that, “State Treasurer David Rousseau testified that the treasury department had little control or oversight over this slush fund. According to testimony….other recipients of the [grant] money, ‘applied’ for the grants after legislators submitted a list of who and what should get support.” (NJ.com, 10/9/08). Documents show that Linda Stender submitted via fax eight requests for funding totaling more than $300,000.

In light of her evasive and confusing statements, the Lance for Congress campaign called on Stender to be more forthcoming with information about the MAC program.

"Linda Stender won’t tell us how she came to learn about the MAC program, or provide a list of written criteria that were used to evaluate the grants requests,” said Lance for Congress campaign manager Amanda Woloshen. “Taxpayers deserve better than what Linda Stender is giving them. With our economy in a crisis, Central New Jersey voters cannot afford to elect to Congress someone who has a record of raising taxes while secretly taking taxpayer money from the state budget and funneling it to her employer and other projects. Linda Stender must come clean on this issue.”

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