Nibot calls for investigation of Johnson

State Senate candidate Clara Nibot wants the Attorney General to investigate district 37 Assemblyman Gordon Johnson for soliciting campaign contributions at the Englewood police station.

Last month, Gordon received a letter from Englewood City Manager Robert Casey reprimanding him for accepting $40 in donations from four uniformed police officers at the station while he was a city council member.

"The entire notion that a person running for state office is possibly using his local office to strong arm people into donating to him is repugnant to the entire concept of what the Clean Election program is supposed to be about," said Nibot, a Republican who’s running at the top of a Republican slate against Johnson.

Nibot said that Gordon should give back the money he received from the Clean Elections Pilot Program and resign as an Englewood City Councilman. She also chastised Johnson’s running mate, State Senator Loretta Weinberg, for being silent on the issue.

Johnson admitted that he made a mistake in asking for donations at the police station, and said that he has since returned the money to the donors. He said that, having worked as a police officer in town for 24 years, he was conversing with his friends on the force and took donations from them.

“Some of my closest friends are in the police department, and when you’re an officer in the dept it’s like a family almost,” said Johnson. “I do admit that in the enthusiasm of being there, some donations were collected which have been returned to the individuals, so that’s it.”