A Letter To The Editor From Peter C. Hadley Jr.

Recently there has been a lot of talk about the upcoming Republican primary and the division within the Lacey Republican Club. The incumbent candidates, including current Mayor Gary Quinn, were unable to secure the endorsement of the Lacey Republican Club. This is unprecedented. There have been many rumors of political rivalry and infighting, but the reality is quite different. As a long time Lacey resident, a father of school age children and a new member of the Lacey Republican Club, I thought it would be a good idea to set the record straight.

For the past few years, myself and many other parents became increasingly frustrated with the direction that the current Township Committee members are taking our town. Every conversation and news article portrayed our town in a negative light and not the great town that we chose to raise our families. It got to the point where we found ourselves constantly defending Lacey, and we did not believe our Township Committee elected officials were doing enough for our town.

As time went on, and our frustration grew, we began to realize that our Township Committee is more concerned with lining the pockets of their political backers then they are with helping our town. Although this might sound like an inflammatory statement, all one has to do is look at who is financing the Quinn/McDonald campaign.

According to the New Jersey Election Committee Report (available online), the top donor of the Quinn/McDonald Campaign is the law firm of Gilmore & Monahan at $2,000. George Gilmore is the Township Attorney and his firm is paid hundreds of thousands dollars every year from Lacey Township.

After the Gilmore firm, the list continues with the firm of Lacey M.U.A. Attorney, Jerry Dasti, who contributed $1,500.00 to the campaign. The list continues with $1,000.00 donations from our Township Engineering firms, Township Bond Counsels firms, and other professionals paid with our tax money. Common sense would dictate that it would be difficult for an elected official to choose the professional over the taxpayer. But that is exactly what is happening.

For the first time in decades, the Republican Voters of Lacey Township have the opportunity to choose their candidates. On Tuesday, June 2, 2015, we should change the direction of our town, and put control back in the hands of the taxpayers.

Peter C. Hadley, Jr.
Lacey Township resident