Democratic Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer Calls on Christie to Return State Taxpayer Funds

Democratic Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer Calls on Christie to Return State Taxpayer Funds

"Put our taxpayer money where his mouth is."

Trenton – Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer (D-Essex) today called on Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie to return almost $250,000 to New Jersey's taxpayers.

"No-bid contracts cannot be given out in order to receive favors in return.  In this case, the recipients of the no-bid contract contributed the maximum campaign contributions and then threw a fundraiser to solicit contributions from others as well,” said Assemblywoman Spencer.  “This is pay-to-play.  It's the kind of practice Christie condemned and investigated as U.S. Attorney, and now he is engaged in the same sordid practice.  It's hypocritical, and it's corrupt."

According to ELEC reports, the Roseland-based law firm Stern and Kilcullen partners, Herbert Stern, Kevin Kilcullen and John Inglesino, and their wives, all contributed the maximum amount permitted by law: $3,400.  According to reports, Inglesino also contributed the maximum allowed, $3,400, from an election fund, totaling $23,800.  This followed the firm being appointed a no-bid contract by Christie that published reports placed at $8 million when he still U.S. Attorney.

Christie later had a press conference after reports came to light about the quid pro quo with this no-bid contract as well as one given to his onetime supervisor, former Bush Attorney General John Ashcroft, to monitor a medical-device company for as much as $52 million.  Christie also appointed David Kelley, the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to oversee a different medical-device company.  Kelley had investigated Christie's younger brother, Todd, in a stock fraud case and decided to spare him the same fate afforded fifteen of the other defendants in the same case.

Christie said at the time that he would not take any more campaign contributions from anyone who received a no-bid contract.  Eight days later he attended a fundraiser that had John Inglesino as one of its two co-chairs.  Inglesino's stated goal for the fundraiser was to raise $100,000.  When questioned about his attendance at the Inglesino fundraiser after pledging to not partake in that type of behavior any longer, the Christie campaign said it was already on his schedule.

"To add insult to injury, this whole gambit is being financed by the taxpayers of New Jersey.  First he awards a no-bid contract to the law firm, which is financed entirely by the state's University of Medicine and Dentistry, and then he gets taxpayer-financed matching funds for the contributions he receives from the same law firm,” said Spencer. “If Christie was still U.S. Attorney, he'd be rushing to the microphones to condemn this practice."

To date on the public record, Candidate Christie has raised almost $125,000 from people that received no-bid contracts while he was U.S. Attorney.  $100,000 of that came after he pledged not to do it any longer.  The value of these donations is increased by public financing, which matches them 2-1 with state taxpayer money.  This means that, to date on the public record, New Jersey taxpayers have financed the Christie campaign's pay to play as the result of no- bid contracts to the tune of almost $250,000.  

"We can't get the money back that was already paid to the law firm, but Christie can return the state matching funds.  Even if he won't return the ill-gotten quid pro quo contributions from his friends he can still return the state matching funds they generated,” added Spencer. “We are waiting for him to put our taxpayer money where his mouth is.  He's a big talker; let's see if he's a real doer."

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