Dover Council Double-Crossed The Taxpayers When They Killed First Pay-To-Play Ordinance

Current "Negotiations Are A "Sham; They're All Pay-To-Play Graduates" Ortley Civic Leader Says

To The Editor Of OceanCountyPolitics•Com:

By their actions, the Dover Township Council double-crossed the taxpayers when they accepted their petitions and passed their ordinance, Then, when it was too late for the referendum, they turned on the public, reneged on their commitment, and passed their own ordinance designed to expand the power of the political bosses.

Their claims of Wheeling and Lowest Bidder are baloney. We just don’t accept them.

"They Are All Pay-To-Play Graduates" McGuckin "Should Have Recused Himself," Polifroni Says

They are all pay-to-play graduates. All with obligations to the bosses and the corrupted system. And the Council President with the worst connections of all. Mr. Council President, you should have recused yourself. Your law partner runs the biggest political slush fund in South Jersey, and your law firm is the second biggest recipient of no-bid contracts in Ocean County.

I have data from the Election Law Enforcement Commission filings: McGuckin’s law partner, Jerry Dasti, is the Chairman of the Ocean County Republican Finance Committee, the largest political slush fund in South Jersey. This PAC raised a total of $937,210 in 2004.

Gilmore And McGuckin Partner Raised $1,259,426

The Ocean County Republican Chairman, George Gilmore, raised $322,216 in 2004 from the Chairman’s PAC. Combined total for the two PAC’s $1,259,426.

The Gilmore and Dasti-McGuckin law firms received more than $2 million in lucrative no-bid pay-to-play legal services contracts from public agencies in 2004.

"You Mr. McGuckin Shouldn’t
Be On The Council"

You Mr. McGuckin shouldn’t be on the Council, much less be its president and the spokesman on pay-to-play issues and issues involving hiring lawyers for the local government.

And the rest of the council members and our elected mayor are all just as guilty of this betrayal of the public trust to accept this blatant corruption of bait and switch. Shame!

$2.5 Million Artificial Turf Rip-Off

A side note: On the $2.5 million artificial turf rip-off. Through my attorney I will demand proven data for all school activities showing maintenance costs to the fields and backing up your claim that the Pop Warner use is the main cost factor.

This is not acceptable with a $187 million school budget, especially after the school reneged on their $6.5 million pledge to open space in favor of a $25 million bond issue to let employees retire as much as fifteen years early. What a scandal!

Gilmore Found $25 Million For
Pension Scam Without Referendum

They couldn’t find the $6.5 million because they had to have a referendum to come up with it; but they found the $25 million WITHOUT a referendum. What a bunch of hypocrites!

Let me tell you something. You need a referendum on all of this! Remember the $11 million in Roseland. Nobody is guarding the chicken coop except the pay-to-play foxes!

Daniel Polifroni – Ortley Beach

This article prepared for publication on March 29, 2005.