Moorestown Patch Letter To The Editor: Don't Forget Moorestown's Pay-To-Play Ordeal

To the Editor:

The 2016 election is imminent and three seats of Moorestown Council are up for election. Trust has dominated as a major theme in national and local politics. One local ticket advertises itself as “Moorestown First.” However recent history shows that two of the candidates, Victoria Napolitano and Phil Garwood, cannot be trusted as "Moorestown First.” Three years ago, their personal political ambitions were "first" over Moorestown’s interests.

In August 2013, when they thought everyone was at the shore and no one was watching, the Republicans on Moorestown Council suddenly slipped through an ordinance to dramatically increase the amount of political contributions they could receive from vendors seeking financial quid pro quo from Moorestown Township.

Incredibly, they wanted to increase the amount from $300 to $2,700, per contributor, an amazing 9-fold increase. This is called pay-to-play and is a serious source of corruption in New Jersey politics. Contributors give money to politicians, expecting lucrative contracts in return. These contributions benefit only the politicians and the contributors. The taxpayers gain nothing.

Citizens caught wind of this impropriety, and packed a council meeting voicing strong opposition. A large number of citizens spoke to the council and unanimously opposed this action. But instead of heeding these citizens, the four Republicans on Moorestown Council mocked many of them, disregarded their opinions and voted in successive 4-1 decisions to approve this ordinance to line their pockets with significantly larger campaign contributions.

Victoria Napolitano and Phil Garwood ignored the views of their constituents, of the people that elected them, and voted for their own self interests, enriching their political campaign chests.

As it turned out, citizens of all political persuasions were outraged, and quickly coordinated to get nearly 1,400 signatures to force this ordinance to a recall. The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Moorestown Patch, and the Burlington County Times extensively covered this egregious action of Moorestown Council and the citizens’efforts to overturn them.

Only when confronted with 1,400 signatures did the chastened Republicans capitulate, and eventually voted to overturn their own ordinance. But even at this juncture, Victoria Napolitano abstained from voting, stating that she was uncertain about her position, but certainly not making Moorestown First.

Never once did they apologize.

Citizens of Moorestown, when you cast votes for Moorestown Council, strongly consider who is really Moorestown First, and who really wants to work for you, not their political benefactors and their political ambitions.

Mark Hines

Moorestown