Influence Peddlers, Political Payoffs Produce More Angst At Dover Planning Board As Stop N Shop Gets Approval For "The Most Hideous Driveway"

River City: "It's one of the most expensive public relations nightmares we've seen, the action by Stop N Shop to redesign its commodious Batchelor Street parking lot and anger its neighbors and endanger its patrons in the process," said the Observer editorial.

Planners Left Telephone Pole In The Middle Of The Entrance

"Residents of East Earl Court stand and watch as cars try to navigate into the parking lot. We stand and wonder how the planning board allowed Stop N Shop to leave a telephone pole in the middle of this entrance, just begging to be hit by either a truck or a car as they come out of McDonalds or Stop N Shop," complained East Earl resident Diane M. Farrell in a letter to the Observer published January 9th.

Brush And McGuckin Won't Return Phone Calls

Gregory McGuckin Esq.

Every member of the Planning Board responsible for "the most hideous driveway" was appointed last January by Mayor Paul Brush and approved by Council President Gregory McGuckin, but McGuckin and Brush won't return E-Mails or telephone calls from irate neighborhood residents.

"Appointed To Protect Our Quality Of
Life," But They Won't Answer Their Mail

"The members were appointed to plan for our safety and quality of life. but letters to the mayor, E-Mails to council members, and correspondence to the Planning Board have gone unanswered," Mrs. Farrell said in her letter.

Included in the board majority voting for the Stop N Shop entrance abortion was builder-developer Robert D'Anton, who was the most controversial of Brush's planning board appointments as the new government reorganized last January.

Planning Board Member D'Anton Made
Illegal $6500 Contribution To Brush Campaign

D'Anton was identified as the source of an illegal $6500 contribution to Brush's mayoral campaign, and has given more than $100,000 to campaigns associated with former governor Jim McGreevey.

D'Anton Gets No-Bid Contracts

D'Anton has also been the recipient of numerous no-bid construction management contracts from McGreevey intimates and Democratic political connections in Monmouth and Middlesex counties.

D'Anton Screened Brush
"Professional Appointments"

D'Anton heads a "construction management company based in Lavallette, AST Development Company and, ironically, was appointed by Brush to his transition committee in charge of, get this, "screening professional appointments."

D'Anton Screened Board Attorney Becht
Who Gave $4000 Illegal Contribution

One of the professional appointments who was "screened" by D'Anton was pay-to-play lawyer Daniel Becht, who illegally contributed $4000 to the Brush mayoral campaign, but was nevertheless appointed as Planning Board Attorney, and is now happily sending in payment vouchers every month to the township treasurer's office.

Becht did not object to the telephone pole in the middle of the Stop N Shop entrance, but we all have the right to hope in the future.

McGuckin Is Partner In Second Largest
Pay-To-Pay Law Firm In Ocean County

Council President McGuckin, also a lawyer, is a partner in the second largest pay-to-play law firm in Ocean County.

McGuckin's partner, Jerry R. Dasti, is the chairman of the Ocean County Republican Finance Committee, which processes more than $1 Million every year in political contributions from "professionals" getting no-bid contracts from municipal governments, school systems, county government and other public agencies.

Attorney McGuckin Is Ward IV Councilman

Attorney McGuckin is the council member who represents Ward IV, of which the Stop N Shop neighborhood is a constituent part, in Election District #4 where the constituency of the unanswered E-Mails, unreturned telephone calls and unanswered correspondence is located.

"How Can We Get A Level Playing Field??"

"In the face of all this political power and money and patronage and wheeling and dealing and duplicity, how can the public possibly get an even playing field," asked one neighborhood resident who declined to pose for the cameras for fear of retaliation and retribution?

More on these issues in the fullness and majesty of time on OCP.

For More On Builder/Developer/Planning Board Member Robert D'Anton, Click Here For State Police Cell Phone Saga

For More About D'Anton And Brush:
Good News And Bad News, Click Here

For Even More About The Brush/D'Anton
Connection, Click Here

This article prepared for publication on January 14, 2005.

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