PART I

Candidate Fails To File Election Disclosures; Can't Be Reached By Phone To Answer Questions On Mystery Mail For June 3rd GOP Primary

Mayoral Candidate Speirs, Who Spent Only $894 Through The Whole Campaign, Won’t Identify Funding Source For $12,000 In Last Minute Attack Mail Against Opponent Russo Jr.

GOP Leaders Immediately Speculate Smear Mail Was Funded By Democrat Bosses, Russo Haters “Doctor” Jack Moriarty And Election Disclosure Scofflaw Jeff T. Horn

Dover Township: Important disclosure provisions of the New Jersey election law may have been violated by Republican Primary election mayoral candidate Leland Vance “Van” Speirs.

The apparent violations are associated with Speirs’ failure to report the costs of last minute attack fliers aimed at Mayor John Russo Jr., Speirs’ opponent in the primary election.

Subject To Punishment If 48 Hour Disclosures Not Filed

Candidates are required to report all significant expenditures and contributions within 48 hours if the expenses or contributions are received or incurred within eleven days of the election.

According to papers filed with the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) on May 5th and May 22nd, Speirs raised a total of $1085 and spent $894 for “signs”. The papers were signed by Speirs’ wife Linda, the treasurer of the Speirs campaign.

48 Hour Disclosures Not Filed - Were Moriarty And Horn Involved?

According to available ELEC reports, Speirs has filed nothing since the disclosure for the sign expenditure, and there have been no 48 hour disclosures, which the commission regards as one of the most important disclosure requirements.

Local Republican leaders immediately began to speculate that the “mystery mail” was the work of local Democrat bosses, “Doctor” Jack Moriarty and Chairman Jeff T. Horn, both of whom have been identified with serious election law violations in previous election campaigns.

Two of the fliers, which are letter size two color cards, claim they are “paid for by Voters for Responsible Government, Jack Curran, Treasurer, Toms River, NJ”.

No Record Of Any Filings From "Voters For Responsible Government"

A check of ELEC filings turned up no record of any filings from “Voters for Responsible Government”, and nothing from a “Jack Curran” in Toms River or anywhere else in New Jersey.

The third flier, in the same format, does not identify the source of the mailing. All three fliers show they were mailed through “Permit #203" from the Toms River post office.

According to papers filed with the Election Law Enforcement Commission on May 5th and May 22nd, Speirs raised a total of $1085 and spent $894 for “signs”. The papers were filed and signed by Speirs’ wife Linda, the treasurer of the Speirs campaign.

Speirs May Have Spent $12,000 - But Filed
Sworn Statement “Not To Exceed $3000"

The ELEC “Candidate - Sworn Statement”, certifying that the total amount to be expended for his campaign would “not exceed $3000", was signed and submitted on May 5th.

The $3000 sworn statement has never been retracted even though it is clear that the Speirs campaign may have spent at least $12,000 or more since the $3000 certification was sworn and submitted.

"We’re Inundating The Town With Them"

Speirs said Friday regarding the first flier, but before the appearance of the second and third fliers, “we’re inundating the town with them”.

“Everybody was very surprised when we did it, but we had it planned since the beginning”, but did not comment on the cost or the source of the fliers.

Won’t Answer The Phone To Identify Source
Of $12,000 As Required By Election Law

It appears from a cursory survey by OceanCountyPolitics that the fliers were mailed to Republican households throughout the township.

The cost of a two color flier, including postage and labeling for 8000 households, would be about $4000. The cost of three mailings to 8000 Republican households would be about $12,000 total.

Subsequent phone calls to Speirs by OCP were not answered. Nobody home.

The GOP primary election is Tuesday, June 3rd. OceanCountyPolitics will continue chasing Speirs for additional information on the Russo smear mail, and the reason for withholding legally required disclosures from ELEC. We will have daily reports with more details through the primary election.

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