Vergano Campaign Accuses Opponent Of Overspending, Not Filing Required Reports

WAYNE, NJ — Mayor Chris Vergano’s campaign claimed Friday that his opponent has overspent on election materials and failed to submit required reports with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission, but offered no proof of the actual cost of such expenditures.

Vergano is running against Council President Lonni Miller Ryan in the June 6 primary election — an election that has seen the mudslinging and accusations ramped up in recent weeks.

Vergano spokesman Dan Knitzer claimed Friday that Ryan is hiding her contributions from the public by running her campaign through the Wayne Regular Republican Organization (WRRO) — the municipal GOP group that endorsed Ryan for office and that Vergano is still a member of.

Knitzer said that the WRRO has “far exceeded” the $6,300 threshold required to be reported to the ELEC during the most recent annual quarter on just two color mailings alone, but admitted that such a statement is an “informed guess” and the actual amount spent is an estimate based on information received from Vergano’s friends.

Knitzer said, “It is impossible for the WRRO to be spending less than $6,300 thus far, based on newspaper advertising and printed [mailings.]”

Knitzer also said that the WRRO has missed nine consecutive quarterly financial filing deadlines with the ELEC. He claimed these are all, “clear and repeated violations of state law.”

Officials with the WRRO denied any wrongdoing.

“We have everything above board,” said President Michael Marotta.

WRRO President George Decker said that as of March 31, the first-quarter filing deadline, Ryan’s campaign did not exceed the $6,300 limitation, but has since then. The money was spent on lawn signs and mailings. Decker noted that Ryan has her own campaign expenditure account, separate from the WRRO’s.

The primary election has seen both candidates criticize one another since Ryan received her party’s mayoral nomination over Vergano, a 10-year incumbent.

One point of contention is the ballot position for both slate of candidates. Ryan’s slate of candidates filed a complaint in Superior Court that they should have been placed in the coveted Row A on the June 6 ballot, but Judge Ernest M. Caposela ruled that the candidates would appear in adjacent rows at the bottom of the ballot after hours of testimony was given in the matter.

Ryan has attacked a plan to rezone Wayne Vergano released the last time he ran for mayor, in 2013. The plan included building hundreds of affordably-priced housing units. Residents criticized the plan, saying it would raise taxes and crowd the school system.

Ryan and her New Vision slate of candidates — Jim Marrocco, Matt Rosenthal and Kevin Kearney — want to ensure the township receives more money from the county for Open Space projects. Vergnao’s campaign said all of the town’s Open Space funds are already targeted “for renovating and expanding our park system.”

Vergano also previously attacked Ryan for filing five lawsuits against the township regarding tax appeals she filed. The mayor’s campaign also claimed Ryan had a conflict of interest in hiring the township tax assessor, who could be called to testify regarding the lawsuits. Ryan approved hiring the assessor in 2015.

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Photos: Mayor Chris Vergano and Council President Lonni Miller Ryan.