Rumson’s Virginia Bauer Named As “Acting” State Lottery “Director”

It Took Governor McGreevey Nearly 18 Months To Replace Former “Deputy” Director Carole Hedinger Of Toms River, Who Filled In As “Acting” Director For Her Neighbor, Former “Director” Virginia Haines, Of Trip And Travel Fame, Who Retired On A $56,000 Pension Early In 2002

"Deputy” Lottery Director’s Job May Be Eliminated, Say Statehouse Insiders

The Democratic Party Reimbursed New Jersey Taxpayers $57,000 For McGreevey’s Irish Trip; But Nobody Will Reimburse Taxpayers $103,000 For 405 Days Of Taxpayer Funded Lottery Vacation Junkets Taken At  Public Expense By Haines And Hedinger

Trenton: Virginia Bauer of Rumson has been named by State Treasurer John McCormac as “Acting” Executive Director of the New Jersey Lottery.

Ms. Bauer, the widow of a New Jersey victim of the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, is an activist on behalf of families of 9/11 victims.

Ms. Bauer is a former financial planning and account management executive with Merrill Lynch. She serves as board member for the Family and Children’s Services, the largest and oldest social service agency in Monmouth County.

She is a graduate of Rosemont College of Pennsylvania, and is listed in Who’s Who Among Executives for 2002. Ms. Bauer’s photo will be published by OCP as soon as it appears on the Lottery website.

Governor McGreevey is expected to formally nominate Bauer as Lottery Director within a short time.

Replaces Hedinger Who Replaced Haines

She replaces “Acting” Lottery Director Carole Hedinger of Toms River, who took the place of her neighbor, former Lottery “Director” Virginia Haines, also of Toms River, when Haines retired early in 2002 to replace former “Mayor” Clarence Aldrich on the Dover Township Committee.

Aldrich resigned from the township committee to take a “superintendent” job with the DMUA.

Haines also resigned in 2002 from the Dover Municipal Utilities Authority where she served as Chairman.

Haines Was Replaced As DMUA Chairman By Hedinger’s Husband

Haines was replaced as DMUA Chairman by Ms. Hedinger’s husband, Leonard Hedinger, who achieved prominence for double dipping on expensive health benefits at the authority and from his wife’s policy with the Lottery Commission, a practice started at the authority by Haines in the 1980's.

It is not known if Ms. Bauer will make any changes in the trip and travel policy at the Lottery, where Haines and Ms. Hedinger made news by spending more than $103,000 on 405 days of taxpayer funded vacation travel junkets over six years.

Governor Jim McGreevey was also in the trip and travel news last year when it was announced the Democratic Party would reimburse more than $57,000 spent on a trade delegation trip to Ireland last summer for the governor, his wife and about a dozen state officials.

No Funds For $103,000 Lottery Junket Reimbursement

The “lavish” Irish trade mission trip drew drew criticism from several legislators, including Monmouth County Senator Joseph M. Kyrillos, who said “these are tough economic times for the people of New Jersey”, but did not volunteer any funds to reimburse state taxpayers for the Haines-Hedinger lottery vacation junkets.

More than 80 out-of-state vacation junket trips for Haines and Hedinger included a “lavish” eight day taxpayer funded $6200 vacation junket to Scotland by Haines.

Haines spent 330 days out of state on the vacation junkets and then, in a related matter, put in a voucher (and was paid) an extra $9787 in “unused vacation time” when she retired in February 2002 at the age of 55 with a state employees pension valued at an estimated $1.9 million.

Political insiders in Trenton have speculated that the political plum “Deputy” Directors job will not be filled by McGreevey, whose advisors are thought to regard the job as an unnecessary expense.

But, time will tell.                  (5/03/03)

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