PAC Profile: GT Chairman's Club

Political Action Committees (PACs) exist essentially as a vehicle to take contributions from engineering firms, insurance brokers and other contractors; and then make donations to elected officials who award the contracts. There are eight PACs in Gloucester Township. One of these PACs, the Gloucester Twp Parents for Educational Excellence, was profiled in an earlier article at this webpape: http://patch.com/new-jersey/gloucestertownship/article-nothing-facts#.VDLn_BbLIlI

This article profiles another Gloucester Township PAC - the GT Chairman’s Club*.

PAC THUMBNAIL SUMMARY

PAC Name: GT Chairman’s Club
PAC Chairperson: Robert Richards
PAC Treasurer: Dorothy Bradley
Stated Party Affiliation: None
Apparent Actual Party Affiliation**: Democrat
TOP 3 CONTRIBUTORS:
1. Remington & Vernick - an engineering firm who, for years, and without the need for competitive bidding, has been appointed GT’s street engineer
2. Consulting Engineering Services - an engineering firm who, for years, and without the need for competitive bidding, has been appointed GT’s drainage engineer
3. Inverso & Stewart - a CPA firm who was GT’s financial auditor through 2012.
TOP 3 EXPENDITURE PAYEES:
1. 2009 Election Campaign for Mayer, Hutchison, Gentek, Schmidt ($38K)
2. 2011 Election Campaign for Bianchini, Mercado, Trotto, Siler ($35K)
3. Gloucester Township Democrat County Committee ($31K)

This PAC has been one of the GT’s most lucrative, collecting $228,000 since it first began receiving contributions in 2008. It’s stated purpose is “To promote the election of and/or support of good government candidates and/or initiatives in the southern New Jersey area”.

Other notable expenditures by this PAC, besides the top 3 shown above: This PAC has donated more than $25K to other Gloucester Township PACs with ties to Team Mayer; and has contributed $14K to the 2013 election campaign for Mayer, Hutchison, Winters, Schmidt. In 2008, the PAC spent $16K to produce a TV ad.

The other contributors (besides the top 3 shown above) to this PAC include many of the same entities that also contribute to other Gloucester Township PACs with ties to Team Mayer; e.g., Acacia Financial, Archer Greiner, Wade Long Wood and Kennedy, Pettit Associates, Blue Sky Power, and so on; all of which have contracts with GT government.

One interesting note. Number 3 on this PAC’s contributor list, Inverso & Stewart, used to be GT’s auditor, but no longer is. Over many years, they made multiple contributions totaling more than $10K per year to various Team Mayer-tied PACs and campaigns. Inverso & Stewart conducted the 2012 GT audit which was completed April 2013. They made their final contribution to a Team Mayer-tied PAC in March 2013. Shortly thereafter, Inverso & Stewart was dismissed as GT’s auditor, and was replaced.

* Information for this article was collected from PAC reports posted at the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission website. http://www.elec.state.nj.us/

** An ‘Apparent Actual Party Affiliation’ is assigned when, upon examination of the PAC’s activities, an obvious connection to a political party can be derived.