Committee Releases Brauckmann Investigation Report To Public

CINNAMINSON, NJ — Cinnaminson Committee approved a motion to make public the results of an internal investigation into the alleged misconduct by Committeeman Don Brauckmann during Monday night’s meeting.

The motion was approved with a 3-1 vote, with Brauckmann abstaining. Howard “Bud” Evans was the lone dissenting vote. In October, committee voted to send the matter to both the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office and the New Jersey Division of Community Affairs (DCA).

Citing this decision, Mayor Anthony Minniti said he felt the public should have access to the report, so it can make its own determination about Brauckmann’s actions, according to the Cinnaminson Sun. Brauckmann was critical of Minniti’s decision to wait until after public and committee comments to make the motion, as opposed to including it on the public agenda. He said Minniti’s prepared statement showed he was prepared to do so prior to the start of the meeting.

Brauckmann was the subject of an internal investigation into interactions he is alleged to have had with an employee in the Department of Public Works and an officer with the Cinnaminson Police Department concerning talks of restructuring the leadership of those two departments.

He is also accused of promising to vote to approve Young to the position of Director of Public Works in exchange for getting his wife a job at Rowan College at Burlington County. When she didn’t get the position, Brauckmann made it clear he wouldn’t support Young and Young withdrew himself from consideration, according to the report, which was obtained by Patch.

Current Township Administrator Michael P. King became Public Safety Director in 2011, saying at the time he would "lead the department in training and leadership skills over the next year or two to cultivate a police chief, a position the township expressed an interest in returning to."

Brauckmann is accused of trying to work to restore the position of police chief and pushed for a specific officer to take the position. The report documents Brauckmann meeting with employees using “cover stories” in an attempt to discuss his ambitions in secret. He is further accused of sharing information from executive session meetings with former Committeewoman Kathleen Fitzpatrick after she was out of office.

The investigation concluded that while there was no evidence that Brauckmann's communication with the employees had an adverse impact on their employment, he did so outside his chain of command and his actions open up the township to possible future litigation. Investigator Joseph F. Bentley concludes his report by cautioning the township committee.

“The Committee should move cautiously in its decision on a return to a Chief of Police and the filling of the Superintendent of Public Works position with full consideration of my report,” he wrote in the report. “I trust that my recommendations and opinions will be considered by all parties in a constructive manner in moving forward.”

A summary of the findings of the internal investigation was presented to committee in a limited way during its regular meeting on Sept. 25. Brauckmann has called the investigation a “trial by public lynching,” and that Minniti and Deputy Mayor William “Ben” Young have a vendetta against him. Brauckmann backed Ernest McGill and Ryan Horner in their Republican Primary victory over Minniti and running mate June Neumann.

Minniti has maintained that all five committeemen — including Brauckmann — approved the investigation in March, and said it was Brauckmann's conduct that necessitated the investigation.

Patch file photo