McClellan challenges Wesley on one-party rule

Mercer County Democratic Chairman Rich McClellan said today that Republicans' criticism of one party rule cuts both ways.  

If Mercer County Republican Chairman Roy Wesley is going to complain that unilateral Democratic control of Mercer has led to bloated, inefficient and corrupt government, he said, then Wesley should acknowledge as much for Hamilton, a large municipality with a Republican mayor and all-Republican council.  McClellan asked Wesley so support a Democrat for council there.   

“Roy Wesley has been trying to tell anyone that will listen that one party leadership at the County level is a bad thing.” said McClellan.  “All I’m asking him to do is to show some ethical honesty and oppose one party rule by Republicans in Hamilton Township also.  That seems reasonable to me.”

McClellan argued that Hamilton’s all Republican mayor and council have “raised taxes to record levels, they have condoned racism in township leadership, they promoted pay for play and they have lost the once proud bond rating that Hamilton boasted of under Democratic leadership.”

Two years ago, Hamilton had a Democratic mayor and a Democratic-majority council.  In a speech last night to Mercer County Republicans at their convention, Mayor John Bencivengo said that he inherited a fiscal mess from the prior government, led by former Mayor Glen Gilmore.  

“Number one, how do we compare 16 months of John Bencivengo with 16 years of rule of the freeholder board?," said Wesley.  “Number two, is there one spending bill that the freeholder board has not approved?  Just because all the Hamilton councilmen are Republicans doesn’t mean they vote in lock-step.”