Belmar Mayor “Lawless Matt” Doherty had a bad couple of days in Court last week.
After hearings on Thursday and Friday, Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Katie A. Gummer Ordered that a referendum on Matt’s Law, the Pay to Play ordinance that Doherty and the Belmar Council passed earlier this year that would allow the mayor to hide the identity of donors to his campaign for Monmouth County Freeholder, be held in the Borough on September 27, 2016.
Judge Gummer reiterated her earlier ruling that Belmar’s current Pay to Play ordinance which requires the disclosure of all donations and requires Belmar officials who accept donations from borough venders, developers and liquor licensees to recuse themselves from decisions involving those donors’ applications and business with the town is “the law of the land.”
Matt’s Law “is suspended and has never been in effect,” Judge Gummer said from the bench on Thursday.
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Posted: July 18th, 2016 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Belmar, Matt Doherty, Monmouth County News, Pay-to-play | Tags: Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty, Dirty Doherty, Dirty Doherty's Magic Show, Judge Katie Gummer, Ken Pringle, Lawless Matt, Lawless Matt Doherty, Matt Doherty, Matt's Law, Monmouth County News, Monmouth County Superior Court, Pay-to-play, Ramon Rivera | 2 Comments »
Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty, left, is preparing to face off with Freeholder Director Tom Arnone, right, in the November election. Doherty said the relaxed pay to play law he is set to pass in Belmar has nothing to do with his Freeholder campaign.
The Mayor and Council of Belmar has introduced an ordinance that would remove the current restrictions on the Borough’s liquor license holders, real estate developers, professionals and vendors from contributing to the campaigns of Borough elected officials seeking higher office.
Mayor Matt Doherty told MoreMonmouthMusings that the ordinance has nothing to do with his candidacy for Monmouth County Freeholder.
Doherty announced that he is seeking the Democrat nomination for Freeholder on January 15. The ordinance was introduced on January 19 and is on the agenda for a public hearing and final vote at the Borough Council meeting tonight. Doherty said it will be tabled and another version will be introduced at tonight’s meeting.
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Posted: February 2nd, 2016 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Belmar, Matt Doherty, Monmouth County, Monmouth County News, Pay-to-play | Tags: Belmar, Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty, ethics, Ken Pringle, Lawless Matt Doherty, Matt Doherty, Matt's Law, Monmouth County News, Pay-to-play | 5 Comments »
State Senator Sam Thompson, as Chairman of the Middlesex GOP, files an ethics complaint against US Senator Bob Menendez
Media ignores the whole affair
In case you missed it while the lights were out, Senator Bob Menendez has been accused of accepting luxury travel to and lodging in the Dominican Republic where he participated in sex parties with prostitutes and short changed his concubines from their agreed upon fees.
Menendez responded by calling the accusations, which were first reported by the conservative website Daily Caller, “a product of the right wing smear machine.”
However, the far left wing website, Gawker, followed Daily Caller’s story with a report from “someone who was unfortunate enough to live in the unit below Menendez’s Washington, DC apartment,” who said “he would bring home a different young, attractive lady almost every night, put on a little jazz, and f**k loudly until 3 a.m.”
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Posted: November 13th, 2012 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Bob Menendez, Media, Menendez Ethics Complaint, Menendez Sex Scandal, NJ Media, Pay-to-play | Tags: Bob Menendez, Daily Caller, Gawker, Media, Menendez sex scandal, Pay for play, Senator Robert Menendez sex scandal, Star Ledger | 12 Comments »
The State Attorney General’s office executed search warrants on Birdsall Services Group’s Eatontown office yesterday, according to reports in Politickernj and The Asbury Park Press.
Politickernj cites a source saying that the investigation is into campaign contributions, including the Middlesex County PACS first exposed by Harold Kane writing for MMM in September of 2011. Politickernj is erroneously claiming credit for first exposing the activities of the Middlesex County PACs and their donors.
Birdsall Services is cooperating with the investigation, according to The Asbury Park Press account.
Posted: May 3rd, 2012 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Harold V. Kane, Pay-to-play, Public Corruption | Tags: Asbury Park Press, Birdsall Services Group, Harold Kane, Politickernj, State Attorney General, The Star Ledger | Comments Off on Pay to pay investigation probes Birdsall Engineering
Marlboro and Neptune Township held school board elections yesterday. Of the 45,035 registered voters in the the two townships, 2,618 voted.
By far most of those voters were from Marlboro, where over 2000 people came out. In Neptune, less than 600 of aproximately 16,000 registered voters came out.
As of February 18, there was 24,926 registered voters in Marlboro and 15,865 in Neptune Township, according to Labels and Lists. The county website says there were 45, 035 eligible voters in yesterday’s election. Where those 4,244 new voters came from since February could be the subject of a future column. In the meantime GOP leaders should take note that someone seems to be having a voter registration drive in Democratic towns.
For now I’d like to speculate about why there was a close to normal 10% turnout in Marlboro while only 3% turned out in Neptune.
One obvious reason could be competition. In Marlboro, there were 7 candidates for 3 seats on the school board. In Neptune, the 3 seats were not contested.
A not so obvious reason could be campaign spending. In Marlboro one of the candidates, Bonniesue Rosenwald, mailed out a professionally produced post card late last week which included an endorsement from Mayor Jon Hornick. Rosenwald, an incumbent, squeaked out a third place finish by 13 votes to retain her seat.
Some in Marlboro were upset that Rosenwald and Hornick politicised a school board election. I say politicisation increases participation.
With the recent and perennial hubbub about campaign spending and pay to play, few of the critics of the pay to play/PAC/wheeling system are offering alternatives. No one is talking about the public service campaign spending provides.
If not for campaign signs littering our roadways and lawns and mail boxes filled with glossy advertisements few people would know when to interrupt their routines to vote.
With the arguable exception of presidential and gubernatorial elections, the media, local and national, does a horrible job of covering campaigns. The media looks as electioneering as a revenue source, not a story to be covered as if democracy depends upon it.
Current campaign finance laws thwart participation by limiting contributions and making the process more complicated. The process is so complicated that only the most motivated and self interested contribute. Recently, pundits at The Star Ledger, The Asbury Park Press and even the usually smarter than that InTheLobby criticised the John Wisniewski/Middlesex County PAC practices for violating the spirit of campaign finance laws. Hogwash. The complex system that reduces transparency is the spirit of our campaign finance laws.
If our leaders really want to reform the system, rather than give lip service to ethics while voting for a bill with “loopholes” intentionally written in, the would create a simple system with full and immediate disclosure required.
Posted: April 18th, 2012 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Campaign Contributions, Campaign Finance, Elections, Pay-to-play | Tags: Board of Education Elections, John Wisniewski, Marlboro, Middlesex County PACs, Neptune Township, PACS, Pay-to-play | 8 Comments »
By Harold Kane and Art Gallagher
The legal money laundering of Assemblyman John Wisniewski in Middlesex County has been in the news this month as Politickernj and The Star Ledger brought to light the how Middlesex Democrats are circumventing state and local pay to pay laws by having government vendors, primarily the Middlesex based CME engineering firm, fund campaigns through PACs when the campaign finance laws prohibited contributions directly to the campaigns in jurisdictions where they were earning large fees.
Wisniewski, of Sayreville, is the Chairman of the State Democratic Party and the Assembly Transportation Committee.
Despite the fact that the PACs are run by his former staff members and fund campaigns in his district and county, Wisniewski says he has nothing to do with them. If that is true, the State Democratic Committee needs a new chairman. If it’s not true, the Democrats still should get a new chairman and the people of the 19th legislative district should elect a new Assemblyman.
Also in the news this month are the guilty pleas of insurance broker Frank Gartland of Federal Hill Risk Management. Gartland plead guilty to giving $2 million in bribes to Toms River School Superintendent Michael Ritacco, and to theft by deception and money laundering for bilking the Perth Amboy Board of Education, an Abbott district, out of more than $2 million.
Gartland also admitted to making illegal contributions to the campaigns of former Assemblyman and former Perth Amboy Mayor Joe Vas through “straw” contributors. Vas is now serving a 6 ½ year sentence for funneling illegal money from a real estate scheme into his unsuccessful 2006 congressional campaign. Vas was Wisniewski’s running mate and they represented the 19th district together in the Assembly from 2004-2009.
While all of this bribery, stealing and money laundering was going on, Gartland and his associates were also donating heavily to the Middlesex County PACS that Wisniewski says he has nothing to do with.
All information from NJ ELEC |
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Democracy in Motion PAC |
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12 Deerfield Road |
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Sayreville, NJ 08872 |
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democrat org |
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Christina Montorio – Treasurer |
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – Frank Gartland |
1/16/2009
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$3,200.00
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – Frank Gartland |
10/16/2008
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$4,000.00
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – Frank Gartland |
10/24/2008
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$3,200.00
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New Expectations PAC |
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2 Lincoln Highway, ste 511 |
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Edison, NJ 08820 |
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other ongoing cmte |
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Denise Anstett – Treasurer |
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AST Development – Robert D’Anton |
1/7/2009
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$5,000.00
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – Diana Gartland |
1/7/2009
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$4,666.00
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Cmte for Efficiency in Government PAC |
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11 Barton Road |
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Mountain Lakes, NJ 07046 |
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other ongoing |
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Michael Revolinsky – Treasurer |
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – Victor Bramble |
10/20/2008
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$1,300.00
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – Diana Gartland |
10/20/2008
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$2,400.00
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – John Hope |
10/20/2008
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$2,400.00
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – Victor Bramble |
8/15/2007
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$2,000.00
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Dynamic Claims Mngt |
8/15/2007
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$1,000.00
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E-Administrative Systems |
8/15/2007
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$1,000.00
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Dynamic Claims Mngt |
10/17/2007
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$2,000.00
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – Diana Gartland |
10/17/2007
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$2,000.00
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – Derek Johnson |
10/17/2007
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$3,000.00
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Women for Good Government PAC |
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PO Box 11434 |
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New Brunswick, NJ 08906 |
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idealogical pac |
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Deborah Celey – Treasurer |
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – Frank Gartland |
10/22/2008
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$2,600.00
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – Diana Gartland |
2/9/2009
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$4,666.00
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – Robert D’Anton |
2/9/2009
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$5,000.00
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – Diana Gartland |
10/30/2008
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$4,666.00
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AST Development – Robert D’Anton |
10/30/2008
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$5,000.00
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Raritan Bay Leadership Fund |
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251 Livingston Avenue |
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New Brunswick, NJ 08901 |
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idealogical pac |
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David Lonski – Treasurer |
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt |
1/19/2006
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$2,000.00
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – Diana Gartland |
1/28/2009
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$4,666.00
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – Frank Gartland |
1/17/2008
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$2,600.00
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – Diana Gartland |
10/30/2008
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$4,666.00
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Committee for Civic Responsibility |
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PO Box 184 |
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Kendall Park, NJ 08824 |
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68 Old Road, Princeton, NJ 08540 |
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civic association |
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Bharat Patel – Treasurer |
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – Derek Johnson |
6/9/2009
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$2,500.00
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19th District Democratic Leadership Fund |
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13 Zaleski Drive |
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Sayreville, NJ 08872 |
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Michael D’Addio – Treasurer |
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – Frank Gartland |
1/16/2009
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$3,200.00
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Federal Hill Risk Mngt – Frank Gartland |
10/16/2008
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$4,000.00
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$82,730.00
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Wisniewski and Port Authority Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni, a former Republican State Senator, got into it this week over the PACS and Wisniewski using his authority as chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee to issue subpoenas requiring that Port Authority executives appear before his committee. Baroni accused Wisniewski of a “shakedown” because CME did not receive preferential treatment while pitching their engineering services to Port Authority.
In response, Wisniewski said “the truth is an expendable commodity” for the “Christie character assassination team”
Let’s see some truth from Wisniewski regarding these PACS, including what quid pro quo Gartland received for his “contributions.”
Posted: April 15th, 2012 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Pay-to-play | Tags: Art Gallagher, Bill Baroni, CME Engineering, Federal Hill Risk Management, Frank Gartland, Harold Kane, John Wisniewski, Middlesex County, Middlesex County Democrats, NJ ELEC, Port Authority | 21 Comments »
Assembly Deputy Republican Leader Amy Handlin, R-Monmouth, said that she is committed to continuing her ongoing efforts to reform the pay-to-play laws that were the subject of a report issued by State Comptroller Matthew Boxer today. Boxer said current laws contain “fatal flaws” in the determination of who will receive local public contracts.
“I have always been a staunch supporter of reform to prevent campaign contributors from benefitting from their political patronage,” said Handlin, who is a member of the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee. “The comptroller’s report confirms that the ‘fair and open’ provision in pay-to-play is not only vague, but it is a license for crony capitalism. This is another wakeup call for the Democrat-controlled Legislature to finally address an issue that is costly to taxpayers and undermines their trust in government.
Handlin has been a leading advocate in the Legislature for banning the practice of trading public contracts for political contributions since she was elected in 2006.
“Establishing a uniform set of criteria that applies to all levels of government when a contract is awarded will end the charade of the ‘fair and open contract’ exceptions for businesses that take advantage of existing loopholes,” continued Handlin. “Now that an independent entity has exposed the continued weaknesses in these laws, I hope that we can make substantive reforms.”
In the current legislative session, Handlin is the sponsor of three bills that address pay-to-play issues, including:
A-520 (introduced 1/12/10) – This bill prohibits loans to a candidate, political party, or committee, by corporations which are already restricted from making political contributions. For example, insurance companies, financial institutions, certain utility companies, and casinos would fall under this legislation. It also extends existing restrictions on contributing to candidates, candidate committees and/or joint committees to political parties.
A-521 (introduced 1/12/10) – Provides that an individual or business that has made a campaign contribution would be prohibited for one year from performing a contract for a public entity at any level of government until one year after the contribution is made. The bill also prohibits an individual or business that has entered into a contract with a public entity from making a campaign contribution during the term of that contract and for one year thereafter.
A-527 (introduced 1/12/10 and initially introduced in the 2006 legislative session) – This legislation places limits on campaign contributions which may be made to candidates, office holders, and political committees by entities which do business with the State, local governments and interstate agencies. The bill also limits the amount which a county party can give per election per year to candidates and certain political committees.
Posted: September 15th, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Amy Handlin, Pay-to-play | Tags: Amy Handlin, Pay-to-play, Press Release | 4 Comments »