NJ GOP's Ethics Failure

by: Moderate Minded

Sun Oct 09, 2005 at 11:01:44 AM EDT

This morning the Gloucester County Times reported that 4th District GOP Assembly candidate Clayton Police Chief Frank Winters used funds from the Police Department to enrich his personal business--and then failed to disclose them on NJ State ELEC forms...that's right, the GOP Police Chief.

CLAYTON -- The borough has asked the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office to look into almost $2,000 in pens, teddy bears and other supplies that Police Chief Frank Winters purchased with public money for his department from a business run out of his home in Newfield.

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The company, Holiday House Distributors, was not listed on 2005 financial disclosure forms that Winters submitted as an official with the borough or as a candidate with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC). During a telephone interview on Friday, Winters -- who has served as chief since 1984 -- said the business was run by his wife, Bernice, and has ceased operations.

Right, and Tom DeLay wasn't involved in TRMPAC's day to day operations either...

Holiday House's 2005 state business registration certificate lists Winters as its taxpayer and his home as the business address. The 2004 certificate lists only "Holiday House Distributors" as the taxpayer name, but does cite Winters' home as the address.

Winters said he was upfront about his ties to the business with borough council members who, whether they knew of his involvement or not, approved the purchases in each month's bill list.

Well, the GOP is the party that's going to clean up corruption?  And do what, dress up as Santa Clause and give all the waste that gets cut to kids?

Winters described the purchases as mainly "handouts for kids at school." They were at or below their actual cost and cheaper than if the department had purchased them from another vendor, he said.

We've seen ethics violations from the GOP that stretches from Washington D.C., to Trenton, NJ.

The GOP is now oficially the party of corruption. And it's about time we clean it up.

Bill Allison, spokesman for the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Public
Integrity, said the situation "definitely does not pass the smell test" when it comes to ethical conduct.

"It's funny how these oversights are always things that are embarrassing," Allison said.

Christie Todd Whitman and the Republicans tried to destroy New Jersey's economy, cut fundamental social programs, and weaken ethics and environmental standards.

Now, the Republicans are again talking about cleaning up NJ while they continue to illustrate that they're the problem--and not the solution.

The GOP is the party of Tom DeLay...Grover Norquist...Jack Abramoff...and George W. Bush.

New Jersey can't afford that.