Chaos in the BurlcoGOP: The family is fighting

by: Jason Springer

Tue Oct 23, 2007 at 10:37:05 PM EDT

The Burlington County Republican Party has spent the last five months denying that Boss Glenn Paulsen had any connection with their current leaders. A funny thing happened on the way to the polls on election day: their little secret got out and has turned into a public fight over support, funding and power between the county power boss and the county's Senior Senator.

A smoldering feud in the Burlington County Republican party caught fire Tuesday when, in a private letter to local party chairmen, state Sen. Diane Allen said GOP boss Glenn Paulsen had tried to withhold $150,000 from her campaign.
Paulsen, she said, ''is not working in the best interests of the organization.''
''His actions have divided this county and alienated many,'' she wrote in the letter, dated Oct. 21.
In an interview Tuesday, Paulsen said Allen was thinking only of ''her own self interest and not the interest of the party.''
He tried to withhold the money from her, Paulsen said, because other candidates in tighter races needed it more.

Wait, who's that, Boss Glenn Paulsen making decisions about funding? That's not what "Chair on Paper" Dawn Lacy says is going on...

"Whomever spoke to PoliticsNJ.com's Wally Edge purporting to convey the opinion of the Burlington County Republicans regarding the 7th District Assembly campaign was wrong. As Chairwoman of the Burlington County Republican Committee, I would like to go on the record as saying that the BCRC has conceded nothing in this race, and we believe that we have an opportunity to elect two excellent candidates for Assembly on November 6th.

It seems like the puppet is trying to talk out of turn from the puppetmaster. Now 2 weeks before the election, when politicians are fighting for their political lives, a fight over money has forced Paulsen's shadowy role pulling strings behind the scenes into the public light. More from Diane's letter...

''Unfortunately, our campaign ultimately had to hire an attorney to help us wrest control of these funds from Glenn. After a month of legal wrangling, we were finally able to get most of our funds transferred -- a bit more than $150,000 in total.''

Not only are they not turning away Paulsen's tainted funds, they are seeking legal avenues to gain access to it. Two weeks out, Diane Allen decides to finally go public with the news that Paulsen has been calling the shots all along because she's not gonna get the money she thought she had coming. That's the Burlington County GOP for you, more concerned about keeping their power than doing what's in your best interest. It'll be interesting to see how this internal fight plays out going forward on the County and State level this cycle and with the big elections in 2008. Traditionally, Burlington County had been a Republican base, but now it appears to have some very visible cracks.

Jason Springer :: Chaos in the BurlcoGOP: The family is fighting

Tags: BurlcoGOP, Burlington County, LD-8, LD-7, Diane Allen, Glenn Paulsen, (All Tags)

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Chaos in the BurlcoGOP: The family is fighting | 1 comments

Chaos, but organized? (0.00 / 0)

The timing of this letter is a bit suspect, and I can't help but wonder if this isn't a calculated leak. Is Allen worried about her longtime allegiance with Boss Paulsen (high school chums, Paulsen as chief aide and financial benefactor) is reaping negative press and media?

This infighting only bodes well for the Democrats in the 7th and 8th districts, respectively. And if Bader wins as freeholder, well, let's unpop the cork on that champagne bottle and celebrate.

by: Martin @ Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 03:31:50 AM UTC