O’SCANLON AND CASAGRANDE TO MALLET: WHEN WERE YOU PLANNING ON REPAYING THAT $117,000+ FROM 2003???

Days after campaign finance reports showed Mike Panter and Amy Mallet, taking almost $600,000  from PAC’s controlled by Assembly Speaker Joe Robets and Trenton Democrat leadership, 12th District Republican Assembly candidates Declan O’Scanlon and Caroline Casagrande today accused Mallet of failing to file a quarterly report on a four year old election account which contains a $117,000 debt to a political advertising firm tied to Roberts and South Jersey political boss George Norcross.

“Apparently Ellen Karcher isn’t the only 12th District Democrat candidate who conveniently forgets to file paperwork with embarrassing information on it”, said O’Scanlon. “Amy Mallet obviously doesn’t want anyone to know that there is a big IOU out there with Joe Roberts name all over it.”

ELEC reports filed August 24, 2007 show Friends of Gemma and Mallet, Mallet’s campaign account from the 2003 Democrat Assembly primary, owes $87,340.90 for printing and mailing campaign materials to Kennedy Communications, a Washington, D.C based consulting firm, and another $30,438.55 to Winning Connections for voter telephone contact services. The debt is dated June 5, 2003 The latest report was due October 15th, yet it is not posted on the ELEC website and calls to ELEC confirmed that the report has not yet been received.

“It’s been four years now”, said Casagrande. “Is she planning on ever paying it off? Is this a debt or an illegal in-kind contribution? Amy Mallet and Mike Panter have spent over a million dollars on this campaign already.  Before spending money sending out the attack mail pieces they promised they wouldn’t send out, she should pay that debt in full. Refusal to pay it is a violation of the spirit of New Jersey campaign finance law.”

Casagrande also added “With all the fiscal problems we have in this state, to have someone who can’t pay their own bills running for the Assembly is incredible. This campaign is all about fiscal responsibility and living within your means. If she cant even do that in a primary campaign, why should anyone believe she can do it with a 33 billion dollar budget?”

O’Scanlon pointed out that Mallet and her 2003 running mate took $43,200 dollars from PACs controlled by Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts and notorious South Jersey political boss George Norcross, including $14,400 wheeled through the Red Bank Democratic Committee to avoid state campaign finance laws and exceed contribution limits.. In addition, Panter and Mallet spent over $12,000 with Kennedy Communications just this year on mailings and phone calls. ( see attached)

“Is there some kind of deal here with Joe Roberts?”, asked O’Scanlon. “I don’t know too many firms of any size who can just ignore an outstanding bill of $117,000 for four years, much less do work with one of candidates before that bill was paid in full. Considering how much money he funneled into Mrs. Mallet’s campaign the last time, is it beyond the realm of possibility that there is a backroom agreement with Joe Roberts and the firms in question that Mrs. Mallet will never have to pay that bill? If so, then Amy Mallet owes Joe Roberts big time. Considering the way the Speaker spent money in Democrat districts while treating District 12 as an ATM machine, having another legislator from the 12th District in debt to Joe Roberts is not in anyone’s interest.”

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