South Jersey Citizens Question Council About Solicitor's Wife PAC
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Monday October 24 South Jersey Citizens questioned the Gloucester Township council thoroughly regarding the relationship of the Township Solicitor and a political action committee run by his wife and legal assistant. This PAC funds the local democrat political machine and as you are aware we have been working diligently to pass a comprehensive pay to play ban in Gloucester Township. Among other prohibited activities PACs such as this would be illegal because of the familial connections as well as the municipal employee connection. The council receives advice fro Solicitor David Carlamere on this and all other matters and we wanted to know more about the relationship and the PAC itself.
GT Citizens for Government Reform was created by former GT council president Sam Siler to fund the democrat party in GT. Mr. Siler resigned as chairman in order to run for township council once again. His replacement was Cynthia Carlamere a Camden County Democratic Committee member and chair of the GT Housing Authority. The treasurer of the PAC is Marianne Coyle also a Camden County Democratic Committee member, GT school board member and legal assistant to township solicitor David Carlamere. This is but one of 4 PACs that the GT democrats use to fund the political machine. But it is the close relationship of the solicitor, his wife and employee that makes this one stand out among the others.
The time has come to root out the evil and corruption in our government. Not only is it egregious to have this person relationship with politics and government the PACs used by the GT democrats have solicited contributions totaling more than $250,000.00 since 2010 from no less than 54 vendor, service providers ans appointees. This is one of the most insidious breaches of the public trust yet it is looked at as business as usual in Gloucester Township, Camden County, New Jersey. The time to end this is upon us.
While it would be easy to say that this is how politics works and it will be difficult to change it we at SJC believe in taking a hard line on waste and abuse of the public trust and will work even harder to eradicate it at all levels of government. Our petition drive to force this council to enact pay to play reform has been a great success and we look forward to the battle at the ballot box where the People will have the ultimate say. In the mean time we will ask the touch questions and demand the requisite answers. Government is what we allow the politicians to make of it and we now say enough is enough.
Council President Glen Bianchini and Council Vice President Orlando Mercado seem blithely unaware of where the money for their re-election campaign is coming from, or is it that they are ashamed to admit it in a public forum? These men along with Mayor Dave Mayer appointed , advised and consented to solicitor Carlamere and need to take full responsibility for this decimation of the public trust.
We call on all parties in this matter to dig down deep and do the right thing for the citizens of Gloucester Township and be a shining example to others in their same shameful place.
Here is an article from Gloucester Township Patch regarding this issue along with video of the actual exchange in council chambers 10/24/2011.
http://youtu.be/UPe0lFkS_RY
http://gloucestertownship.patch.com/articles/watchdog-group-head-cites-pac-connections-calls-for-township-solicitor-to-step-down#comments
Good governmmnet is the hallmark of a great society, this is a clarion call to all who are dismayed and troubled by the business as usual mentality of today's politicians.
Be well,
Tom Crone
Executive Director