Myers continues to assail Adler on legislative slush fund

Republican Medford Mayor Chris Myers today charged that his rival for the 3rd District Congressional seat, State Sen. John Adler (D-Cherry Hill), tried to direct $110,000 to a for-profit health care center owned by a campaign contributor in 2005, which the Treasury Department then discussed channeling through a non-profit entity.

The Myers campaign based its charge on several documents released yesterday as part of a large document dump relating to the Property Tax Assistance and Community Development Grants Program, known to insiders as the “MAC account" both because of then-state Treasurer John McCormac and the ease with which connected legislators would withdraw funds.

One document shows that Adler requested the money for the Silvercare Center, which is owned by Marc Silver.

Silver contributed $2,000 to Adler’s 2006 State Senate campaign, $2,300 to his congressional campaign, and $2,000 to his 2005 federal Adler for Senate committee.

Silver also contributed $1,000 to retiring Rep. Jim Saxton (R-Mount Holly) -- Myers' political mentor -- in 2000.

An internal Treasury Department email, noting that the money is meant to go to a for-profit institution to buy seven ventilator beds, asked whether instead it should be channeled through a non-profit entity.

“Grantee is a for-profit entity. Do we direct funds to a non-profit who can then contract with Silvercare to achieve the intent of the grant which per the data sheet is to acquire 7 new ventilator beds for Silvercare, or do we lapse the funds?,” read the email.

Myers called that money laundering, and peppered Adler with a series of questions.

“It’s time for Senator Adler to stop hiding and start talking. How many other campaign contributors did Adler direct taxpayer money to? Did Adler or his staff ever take part in discussions with Treasury Department bureaucrats about laundering this money through a non-profit to get the Senator’s campaign contributor his money? Was Silver Care ever a client of Adler’s law firm? These are questions that need to be answered, and this entire scandal is just more proof that John Adler is part of the mess in Trenton and is incapable of fixing the mess in Washington,” he said in a press release.

The Adler campaign responded by equating Myers with President Bush.

“Myers lockstep support of George Bush’s economic policies has caused his fundraising to dry up and he is behind in the polls," said Adler Campaign Mananger Mark Warren.This latest attack is just another desperate attempt by Myers to distract the voters from the choice they face on November 4th – the choice between continuing George Bush’s failed economic policies with Chris Myers or turning our country in a new direction with John Adler.”