Middletown Democrats

IS NEWARK LAW FIRM MAKING IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS
TO THE MIDDLETOWN REPUBLICAN ORGANIZATION?

MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP (MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ): According to Middletown Democratic Chairman Joe Caliendo, he has serious concerns that the Newark law firm of Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger and Vecchione is making in-kind contributions to the Middletown Republican Party.PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION

August 26, 2006

POC: Joe Caliendo
Chairman, Middletown Democrats
Tel: (732) 299-6470
Email: joe_caliendo@yahoo.com
Blog: www.democratscalling.blogspot.com

IS NEWARK LAW FIRM MAKING IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS
TO THE MIDDLETOWN REPUBLICAN ORGANIZATION?

MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP (MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ): According to Middletown Democratic Chairman Joe Caliendo, he has serious concerns that the Newark law firm of Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger and Vecchione is making in-kind contributions to the Middletown Republican Party.

"Brian M. Nelson is a Middletown Sewer Authority commissioner, who earns pay, pension and benefits from Middletown. He is also employed full-time by the legal firm of Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger and Vecchione in Newark, the law firm that holds all the bonding work in Middletown. Nelson has put out press releases on behalf of the Middletown GOP," Caliendo said. "The Middletown Democratic Party wants to know if Nelson's public relations work is a contribution to the Middletown GOP by the firm."

"Mr. Nelson is a lobbyist among other things, used to working in the public relations arena," Caliendo said. "If this work on behalf of the Republican Party is on the company's time, then that means this is an in-kind contribution by his firm."

"Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger and Vecchione are one of the largest Democratic law firms in the state of New Jersey," Caliendo said. "I do not understand why they have hired Middletown Republican Chairman Peter Carton and allowed him to behave this way in public office."

Caliendo said that Carton has worked against the two-party system throughout the county. "Carton has worked to ensure that only one-party rule is in place in Middletown most especially. The law firm gets all the bonding work, and as chairman of the Republican Party, Carton selects all of the candidates for office, all of the people who sit on boards, and the committee with all of the politicians he creates bonds at nearly every meeting of the governing body," Caliendo said.

"Peter Carton has made sure that Brian Nelson gets a soft appointment on the Sewer Authority and gets his pension," Caliendo said. "So, Carton is a political boss, a political appointee, a vendor and who knows what else in this township."

"This is corruption, pure and simple, and the heart of it is right here in Middletown Township," Caliendo said. "It has to end, but right now I want to find out if this law firm authorized this Brian Nelson to do public relations for the local Republican Party here."

Caliendo said he would be following up with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission with regard to this.