In Bergen County, the Republican freeholder candidates’ opposition researchers have been in overdrive, accusing the Bergen County Improvement Authority of being a mere patronage arm of the Bergen County Democratic Organization, and blaming the incumbent freeholders of doing nothing to stop it.

The head of the BCIA, in turn, said that the Republicans are playing fast and loose with the facts by implying that the self-funding organization receives taxpayer money, and that grantees – not the authority – chooses bonding professionals. 

Dennis Oury was indicted yesterday on federal fraud chargesDennis Oury, the powerful Democratic attorney who was indicted on eight corruption counts yesterday, has resigned from his post as chief counsel of the Bergen County Improvement Authority, according to the agency’s chairman, Ron O’Malley.

Oury’s employment with the agency had been a point of contention among some factions of the Bergen County Democratic Party. State Sen. Loretta Weinberg mentioned it as a reason why she would not support O’Malley for county chair if and when Joe Ferriero, who was indicted along with Oury yesterday, resigns. Others, however, said that there was no reason to push Oury out before there was even a formally recognized investigation.

But O’Malley today took his name out of the mix, saying that, even if there is a vacancy, he won’t run. If he became chairman, he would have to step down from his position at the BCIA. O’Malley doesn’t believe this is an opportune time to do that.

“The BCIA is nothing more than a conduit for campaign donations to the Democrat Party in Bergen County and I have written to Freeholder Ganz twice asking him to release the fees the BCIA paid over the last three years,”

"I think what Dennis McNerney and the freeholder board are trying to do, is to strong arm communities that refuse the BCIA and to do it in such a public way that other communities will be reluctant to refuse the BCIA offer, even if it not the best financing plan for them,"

Many people have questioned the altruistic motives of a man who would spend $30 million of his private fortune to win the state’s top office, as Governor Corzine did. But why would he and his friends and former colleagues devote millions of dollars to influence local elections in Bergen County? An optometrist will tell you, “Hindsight is 20/20”, but in this case you have to see it to believe it, so let’s take a look.