Berkeley seniors won't mind paying the freight for the Republican gubernatorial candidate and his patron Carmen Amato in Berkeley schools because nearly all of them got a $39 monthly increase in their social security payments scheduled for 2006.

Berkeley GOP Chairman Carmen Amato appears to be the ringleader in handing a company owned by GOP gubernatorial candidate Douglas Forrester more than $6.4 million in no-bid contracts since 1998.

Forrester's company provides middleman services in for the purchase and distribution of prescription drugs for school employees under the insurance for health care provided by the schools.

Benecard And Amato, Perfect Together

Amato was elected to the Berkeley School Board in 1998 and Forrester, trading as Benecard Inc. got a contract that netted him $228,511 during the '98-'99 school year, according to records supplied by the school's business office in response to a public information request from OCP's crack research group.

The paltry '98-'99 Berkeley contribution to Forrester's sense of financial well-being grew to $1,432,000 for the current school year ('05-'06), and Amato's prosperity grew during the same period under the guiding hand of Chairman-Chairman George Gilmore.

Other Republican Club School Board Members
Include Askew, DePayola, Ciullo, Davis And Ray

Other officers involved as school board members in awarding the no-bid contracts to Forrester and Benecard are Republican Club Treasurer Kevin Askew, Republican Club President Anthony DePayola, Republican Club Vice President Richard Ciullo (winner of the 2004-2005 award for most degrading and obscene website operated by a NJ school board member) and Republican Trustees Karen Davis and Robert Ray.

Amato is a candidate for the local council in Berkeley Ward II; Davis is a candidate for the council in Berkeley Ward I.

Would Amato, Davis Push Benecard As Council Members?

It is not known if Amato and Davis would push for the appointment of Forrester and Benecard in the township if they are elected to the council, but numerous citizens have a right to hope.

During this period of unprecedented prosperity for Forrester and Benecard, the Republican leadership has not forgotten about Carmen Amato, who is employed by the county government as an errand boy for Republican County Chairman George Gilmore.

Gilmore Errand Boy Paid With Taxpayers Money

Carmen worked his way up at the Ocean County Board of Elections from a salary of under $20,000 in 1997 as a "voting machine mechanic" to $85,000, including benefits in 2004 as "Assistant Supervisor Board Of Elections" the primary job description for which is Errand Boy for County Chairman Gilmore, also the Chairman of the Election Board and Generalissimo for the Republican patronage distributed in the county.

"Overtime" At The Election Board Of All Places

Chairman-Chairman Gilmore was so delighted with Supervisor Amato's long and distinguished service to the party that he appropriated more than $5000, taxpayers money, of course, and presented it to Amato in the form of an "overtime bonus," a euphemism for more direct and colorful terminology.

Corzine Criticizes Forrester Contributions
In Burlington County, Dover Township

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jon Corzine recently criticized Forrester for giving $60,000 to the Burlington County Republicans after receiving $3.4 million in no-bid contracts in that county.

Corzine spokesman Frank Palone, a congressman from Long Branch, recently reported that Forrester received several million dollars from the Toms River School System as the Republican gubernatorial candidate gave $5000 to the 2003 council campaigns of pay-to-play lawyer Gregory McGuckin and OPRA scofflaw Maria Maruca.

$5000 Dover Campaign Payment Arranged By Gilmore

The $5000 Dover Township campaign contribution, arranged by Gilmore and accepted gratefully by GOP boss Richard C. Clement, was one of the few unlaundered contributions during the 2002-2003 change of government campaign season.

In the second year of the Amato-Benecard concord, in the 1999-2000 school year, Benecard got $280,563; in the school year (July 1 through June 30) of '00-'01, the Forrester company got $324,000.

In 2000, Amato ran for the Central Regional school board and was elected. Suddenly, Benecard began doing business with Central Regional as well as the Berkeley School Board and received no-bid contracts for Central of $433,173 in addition to the no-bid contract for Berkeley which reached $360,006 for a total in the two school districts for that year  ('01-'02) of $$793,179.

Just Keep Truckin', Carmen

In 2002-2003, Benecard and Forrester got $443,420 from Berkeley and $503,437 from Central Regional, for a total of $946,857.

In 2003-2004, the damage was $540,689 for Berkeley and $588,206 for Central Regional for a total of $1,128,894.

In 2004-2005, Forrester and Benecard received $668,630 from the Berkeley schools and $654,935 for a total of  $1,323,465.

For 2005-2006, Benecard's contracts provide for $760,000 for Berkeley schools and $672,000 for Central Regional, for a total of (are you ready for this, folks?) $1,432,000 for both school systems.

More on these issues as time marches on.

This article prepared for publication 10/26/05.