Fri Mar 12, 2010 at 09:50:00 AM EST
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| The Burlington County Republican Freeholder Board has chosen a new administrator to manage the county's finances and workforce, but apparently he can't manage his own finances, is behind on his child support and did not inform them about prior lawsuits.
In the latest example of don't lie to the media, he initially said everything was up to date on his child support when asked, but then admitted he still owed money and was finding ways to catch up. That led the paper to his ex-wife who had this harsh observation about the man and the position: "I think it's interesting that he can get a job overseeing 2,000 employees and a budget of more than $200 million when he can't even handle paying child support on time," Johnson said Thursday. "He's just a liar. I hate to say that." Divorces can be ugly, but that's rough. The Republican Freeholder board denied a Courier Post request to get the other applicants that were in the running for the position, so the Post kept digging and found that Drayton was not forthcoming with the Freeholders about other issues he has faced including legal actions against two former employers: A judge in Burlington County last year issued a judgment of almost $200,000 against Paul Drayton Jr. and two partners for failing to repay a bank loan for their firm, Capital Consulting LLC of Mount Laurel.
And in 2005, Drayton sued a former employer in federal court, claiming racial and age bias were behind his termination a year earlier. Drayton last week had said he left his job rather than accept a transfer to Texas. The bias lawsuit was dismissed in July 2006, according to court records. This isn't the first time that Drayton has found himself making headlines in the papers. As head of the DRPA, he had an ugly split:He left in 2003 -- with a $198,000 cash severance package labeled as a settlement -- after a power struggle with Jeffrey Nash, a Camden County freeholder who was then the authority's vice chairman.
At the time, Nash called Drayton's settlement "the most blatant circumvention of DRPA policy I've ever heard of." The two Democrats on the board were critical of the selection process all along, but those criticisms have taken on a new life in light of the revelations since the hiring. Only two of the Republican freeholders conducted the final seven interviews before choosing. The Republicans have continued to defend their selection as additional news comes out daily. Even if they still believe he's the most qualified for the job, which has to be questionable at this point, what does it say about their interview process that the newspaper in four days has been able to get more than the board did throughout their "extensive search and interview process?" |
| Jason Springer :: New Burlington County Freeholder Administrator selection under fire |
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