Adler camp hits Myers on terrorism task force attendance

State Sen. John Adler’s (D-Cherry Hill) camp said today that, despite his opponent’s frequent burnishing of his national security credentials on the campaign trial, Medford Mayor Chris Myers hasn’t attended a single meeting of an anti-terrorism task force he was appointed to in five years. 

At issue is Myers’ position on the Burlington County Anti-terrorism task force.  Although he’s still a member, he hasn’t attended any of the group’s meetings since 2003.

"Chris Myers seems to think that once he's elected he can just mail it in," Adler Campaign Manager Mark Warren. "The voters deserve more than that, but it's pretty clear that their interests are far from his top priority. Just think about it: He doesn't even show up in his own home county. And he wants to go to Congress?"

But Burlington County Sheriff Jean Stanfield, a fellow Republican who appointed him to the position, said that Myers was never expected to come to the meetings, but was tapped to play more of an on-call advisory role.

“We have a number of people in the same situation as Chris Myers,” she said.  “He’s a resource for us, but he’s not part of the core group that we would expect to attend the meetings. We have our emergency management people who really do the day-to-day stuff, but we have other people who are resources for us.”

Stanfield said Myers picked because of his military experience and security background working for defense giant Lockheed Martin, where he’s a president.   She said that he put together a training exercise for the group on the company’s Moorestown campus, and that he received the minutes from all the meetings. 

“When it comes to national security and military affairs, John Adler can’t hold a candle to Chris Myers,” said Myers Campaign Manager Chris Russell. "Another baseless charge from an increasingly bankrupt campaign.  After voting for 43 tax increases since 2002 that have destroyed our economy, and directing taxpayer dollars from a slush fund to his wife's employer and wealthy campaign contributors, I would argue that the taxpayers of New Jersey would be better off if John Adler never showed up for work in the Senate."

Warren, the campaign manager for Adler, didn’t think Stanfield’s explanation was good enough.

“Mayor Myers was too important to be at anti-terrorism task force meetings that took place within minutes of his home.  What makes you think he is going to show up for sessions of Congress over 2 hours away in Washington?,” he said.  “Obviously national security is a cheap campaign slogan to Mayor Myers, not a priority…and this proves it.”

The Adler Campaign also brought up a charge first heard in Myers’ primary against Ocean County Freeholder Jack Kelly: that he was absent from a number of government meetings during his time in Medford government.  Russell said Myers was present at just under 90% of the meetings.