Phil Haines

The ethics war continues in the Eighth District, where Democrats called a Republican attack from yesterday hypocritical, pointing to campaign cash the three Republican candidates received from firms since the 1990s.

The Eighth District Democrats issued a press release today that detailed $526,298 in campaign contributions from county vendors to candidates Dawn Addiego, Scott Rudder and Phil Haines and the county and municipal Republican committees that they served under. According to the press release, the firms that donated received over $26 million in county work.

"The pledge signed by Bodine and his running mates is not worth the paper it is printed on"

HAINES/ADDIEGO/RUDDER CALL FOR STATE TO WAIVE FEES FOR ANY PERMITS NEEDED TO REMOVE RIVER DEBRIS

Phil Haines, Dawn Marie Addiego and Scott Rudder, candidates for the 8th  Legislative District, today called on the state to revamp the way it handles homeland security funding in the wake of a thwarted terrorist plot against the Fort Dix military installation.

Phil Haines, Dawn Marie Addiego and Scott Rudder, candidates for the 8th Legislative District, today called on the state to revamp the way it handles homeland security funding in the wake of a thwarted terrorist plot against the Fort Dix military installation.

Evesham has more registered voters than any other municipality in Burlington County, and in 2006 cast the second highest number of votes in the county. It is one of the premier swing towns in the state, and in increasingly competitive Burlington County, it is the ultimate battleground in the fight for control of county government.

On Tuesday, Evesham rejected their longtime Mayor, Gus Tamburro, and replaced him with Tamburro's '03 campaign manager, ex-NFL Assistant Coach Randy Brown. While municipal elections in Evesham are nominally non-partisan, the influence of both parties loom large in these local elections. Tamburro and his unsuccessful Council candidates were strongly backed by the Burlington County Republican organization, while Brown (who will now take office with a Council majority) had the backing of powerful South Jersey Democratic leaders. Make no mistake: Evesham was a huge win for the Democrats.

Several of today's non-partisan municipal races may potentially effect the results of key races for the Legislature -- next month and in November.

In the eighth district, candidates backed by South Jersey Democrats swept local contests in Evesham, a swing town in increasingly competitive Burlington County.  With a massive -- and high tech -- grass roots campaign, former Philadelphia Eagles Assistant Coach Randy Brown upset the longtime incumbent, Republican Gus Tamburro.  Assemblyman Francis Bodine, who switched to the Democratic Party after Republicans dumped him from their ticket, backed the Brown slate, which won control of the Council as well.  Bodine is running for the State Senate against County Clerk Phil Haines.

Francis Bodine today became a candidate for the State Senate as a Democrat, declaring himself a fiscal conservative with an independent voice.  He will face County Clerk Philip Haines for the seat of retiring State Sen. Martha Bark.

Bodine, 71, changed parties this morning after spending thirty years in public office as a Republican.  He was elected to the State Assembly in 1993 and has served in the GOP leadership for the last seven years.

There is much speculation among Burlington County Republicans that the lineup of candidates for the eighth district could be changed over the next few weeks. County Clerk Philip Haines was expected to become the GOP Senate candidate for Martha Bark's seat, but now some insiders say that Freeholder William Haines, no relation to the Clerk, could emerge as a candidate for State Senator. Phil Haines would then run for Assembly on a ticket with incumbent Francis Bodine; Republicans are expected to drop the other incumbent, Larry Chatzidakis.

Former Medford Mayor Scott Rudder, who had been slated for the Chatzidakis Assembly seat, might wind up running for the open Freeholder seat now occupied by Vincent Farias; that would make Cinnaminson Township Committeeman Joseph Donnelly, who had been viewed as the leading candidate to replace Farias, as the loser in a GOP game of musical chairs.