Republican freeholder candidates take on Dems over Oury

Three Republican freeholder candidates in Bergen County are crossing their fingers in the hopes that a federal investigation of payments to Dennis Oury, the former counsel for the Bergen County Democratic Organization, foreshadows the downfall of some top local Democrats.

In a statement today, Paul Duggan, Chris Calbrese and Jeffrey Heller assailed the county's Democratic leadership, with Duggan claiming that the "Democratic organization is at its core morally corrupt and possibly a criminal enterprise" and has been for years.

The statement arrives in the wake of the United States Attorney's office issuing subpoenas for information about Oury to several municipalities around Bergen County and to the Bergen County Improvement Authority.  According to an article in The Record, Oury is the attorney for the Improvement Authority and has connections to all towns that received subpoenas except Bergenfield, where he was the borough attorney until January of this year.

Calabrese tried to draw other Democratic officials in the corruption probe as well, alleging that "the Dennis Ourys of the world could not exist if they were not supported by a vast network of elected officials on the county and local level of government."  Calabrese continued his attack stating that Democrats abused tax payer money "in order to feed a Democratic political machine."

Heller cites the county's expansive budget and recent tax increases as signs of widespread greed throughout the Democratic Party.

The GOP freeholder candidates are calling the investigation a "welcome sign that federal oversight has finally arrived in Bergen County."