To the editor:

When we believed erroneously that Council President Gregory McGuckin “abstained” from conflict situations involving $80,000 in taxpayers money for Republican Chairman Gilmore, at least we were also able to believe that Mr. McGuckin did the right thing in disqualifying himself, that his failure to explain his conflicts was the principal problem.

Gilmore & McGuckin's Partner Raised $1.3 Million In 2004

Mr. Gilmore is connected with McGuckin in Republican fundraising activities, and between Mr. Gilmore (GOP Chairman’s PAC - $322,217) and Mr. Dasti, Mr. McGuckin’s pay-to-play law partner (Chairman GOP Finance Committee - $937,210), they raised a total of $1,259,427 in 2004 alone, according to papers filed with NJ Election Law Enforcement Commission.

Nearly all of the $1,259,427 was from prospective pay-to-play vendors who are associated on a share-the-wealth basis with Mr. Gilmore, Mr. McGuckin and Mr. Dasti in obtaining no-bid contracts for the purpose of sending in vouchers to be paid with funds belonging to taxpayers all over Ocean County.

The bi-partisan roster of 40 pay-to-play lawyers appointed in Dover Township by Mayor Brush and the Republican Council headed by Mr. McGuckin reads like a Who’s Who in political collusion and vested self interest.

Therefore, the pious disclosure by Mr. McGuckin that he voted YES on the two Gilmore payment schemes raises the clear inference that Mr. McGuckin does not recognize a serious conflict-of-interest, even when he is the one who is in serious conflict.

McGuckin, The Crown Prince Of Pay-To-Play

Dover taxpayers need to come to grips with the bad news that their Council President is a Crown Prince of the pay-to-play system, one who is telling them clearly he is accountable to no one except the millionaire attorneys whose greed is corrupting the political process.

If, as Mr. McGuckin claims, there is no conflict for him in the Gilmore-Dasti fundraising self interest system, then there are no conflicts anywhere; we may as well turn the whole government over to the 40 lawyers hired with public funds by Mr. McGuckin and Mr. Brush which, in effect, in the absence of effective full disclosure rules, we already have.

More Bad News: The Gilmore-Dasti-McGuckin
Scam Ordinance Is Infecting Other Communities

More bad news: The Gilmore-Dasti pay-to-play $400 scam ordinance is, according to news reports, now being touted in Barnegat (attorney Dasti), Little Egg Harbor (attorney Gilmore) and Jackson (Gilmore looking to return), so thousands of taxpayers are being lathered as we speak with hokum similar to that currently being peddled in Toms River by Mr. McGuckin; this is apparently not a road show that is limited to Dover Township.

It’s important for the public to attend the Council meeting on March 8th when these issues can be addressed by citizens concerned with real accountability and pay-to-play reform.

                                            Frank Kenny

This article prepared for publication March 8th, 2005.