Bridge Commission

BURLINGTON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE

7000 Atrium Way, Suite 2A

Mt. Laurel, New Jersey 08054

(856) 638-0620

www.burlcodems.com

For Immediate Release

Contact: Chris Fifis , (609) 206-1678

December 5, 2006

FIFIS RENEWS CALL FOR REFORM AT BURLCO BRIDGE COMMISSION
CALLS ON COMMISSION MEMBERS TO SUE STATE GOP CHAIRMAN TOM WILSON'S FIRM TO RECOUP LOST DAMAGES

(Mt. Laurel , NJ) – Former Freeholder Candidate Chris Fifis released the following statement today regarding corruption, fraud and abuse of taxpayer money at the Burlington County Bridge Commission.

"The Burlington County Bridge Commission has been a cesspool for corruption, political patronage and cronyism for decades. In light of the guilty plea from Bob Stears for bilking the Bridge Commission of millions of dollars, I am calling on the Bridge Commissioners and Freeholders to sue The Strategy Group to recoup the illegal profits reaped by them at the direction of Stears. I am also renewing my call for comprehensive reform at the bridge commission.

1. Provide direct oversight from the elected Freeholders by mandating that a Freeholder serve as an unpaid member with authority to reject minutes and be responsible for all Bridge Commission activities.

2. Increase the number of commissioners from three to five – two Democrats, two Republicans and a member of the Freeholder Board, all unpaid.

3. Regain the public's trust by getting to the bottom of the Martha Bark "no-show" job and ensuring the necessary oversight to prevent similar scandals in the future. The allegations raised against Bark are almost identical to those raised against The Strategy Group and Bob Stears. The Commission needs to be pro-active, and must stop taking the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" approach.

4. Initiate a lawsuit to recoup the stolen money collected by The Strategy Group.

5. Remove Garfield DeMarco from the Bridge Commission.

6. Request the resignations of the executive leadership of the Bridge Commission under whose watch these scandals have gone undetected.

"I am calling on the all-Republican Freeholder Board to hold itself accountable, provide oversight, recoup the $2.5 million in lost revenues, and adopt my recommendations to clean up the Bridge Commission and regain our public's trust."

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BURLINGTON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE

7000 Atrium Way, Suite 2A

Mt. Laurel, New Jersey 08054

(856) 638-0620

www.burlcodems.com

For Immediate Release
Contact: Chris Fifis, (609) 206-1678
December 5, 2006

VASQUEZ: "WUJCIK BLOWING HOT SMOKE"

GOP IGNORED VASQUEZ'S VOW TO BRING ACCOUNTABILITY, CREDIBILITY, AND INTEGRITY TO THE BRIDGE COMMISSION

(Mt. Laurel, NJ) – Former Burlington County Freeholder and Bridge Commissioner candidate Amy Vasquez issued the following statement today in response to Freeholder Director James Wujcik's comments about corruption at the Burlington County Bridge Commission.

"In 2005 when I ran for Freeholder and Bridge Commissioner I called for a top-to-bottom review of all contracts and a comprehensive ethics reform at the Bridge Commission. I called for direct oversight by the Freeholder Board. I offered to serve as an unpaid watchdog on the Commission. In the face of report after report of scandals within the Bridge Commission, Jim Wujcik told me not to believe everything I read in the newspaper."

"My calls for reform and oversight went unanswered and ignored by Freeholder James Wujcik and his Republican colleagues, including Republican County Chairman Mike Warner. The Republicans refused to join my call for a full investigation into corruption at the Bridge Commission."

"The Republicans continue to refuse to investigate whether Republican Senator Martha Bark defrauded taxpayers of hundreds of thousands of dollars for no-show, no-work jobs. The Republicans refuse to investigate whether a pay-to-play scheme and no-bid contracts resulted in GOP State Chairman Tom Wilson's lobbying firm being awarded over $2.7 million."

"Even though there has been an admission by a Republican operative and business associate of GOP State Chairman Tom Wilson for cheating taxpayers of up to $1 million, the all-Republican Freeholder Board continues to stall the public cry for accountability."

"I believe the all-Republican Freeholder Board's failure to act makes them complicit in the defrauding of arguably millions of dollars of taxpayer money."

"The Burlington County Republican Party should stand up and take responsibility for creating the monster that is now the Bridge Commission. The burning question is – Why won't they? Did the all-Republican Freeholder Board refuse to provide the most basic oversight, thereby allowing unethical practices and a culture of corruption and cronyism to thrive at the Commission in exchange for hefty campaign contributions and promises?"

"My pledge to bring much needed credibility, integrity, and accountability to the Bridge Commission was completely ignored. My call to give the Freeholder Director authority to veto and reject minutes for suspicious dealings was ignored. My call for necessary oversight to prevent future Bark-like scandals was ignored."

"It is disingenuous for Freeholder Director Wujcik and the Burlington County GOP to issue statements of remorse, surprise, and astonishment. As corruption at the Bridge Commission begins to unravel in the form of a prison sentence for one of their party allies, all they should do now is step aside so reformers can do what they were unwilling to do-- stop the wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars and restore public trust in government."

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DAWN DOESN'T KNOW
FREEHOLDERS HAVE POLICY-MAKING POWERS
GOP MACHINE IS ONLY A SPENDING MACHINE!

Last night at a spirited debate between Democratic Freeholder candidates Amy Vasquez and Dean Buono and the GOP candidates at Medford Leas, Dawn Marie Addiego said that Freeholders do not have policy-making powers. The absurd answer came in response to a question regarding eminent domain. On issues where the party line conflicts with the best interests of the people, Dawn and the all-Republican freeholder board claim they have no power. They seem to only have the power to do something when the directive comes from Boss Paulsen.

A Vision for a Better Burlington County

A plan to make Burlington County government accessible, accountable, and an asset for all citizens

Democratic candidates for Freeholder Amy Vasquez and Dean Buono today release their plan for a better Burlington County. Their detailed plan full of new and exciting ideas that will better serve the residents of Burlington County include:

1. Reducing taxes by cutting wasteful spending;