Someone needs to fill Chris Myers in...

by: Jason Springer

Thu May 08, 2008 at 02:17:39 PM EDT

Democrats have already tried to tie Myers to a machine that's responsible for fiscal waste and mismanagement, pointing to $4,600 in donations that he accepted from former Burlington County GOP Chairman Glenn Paulsen and J. Garfield DeMarco.

DeMarco presided over the Burlington County Bridge Commission during a period when lobbyist Bob Stears - who pleaded guilty to over-billing the county by $1 million - said he was forced to fill the party's coffers with some of that money.

"You have to talk to Glenn about that," said Myers. "I don't know any issues about that so you'll have to talk to them about it."

"I do not have any information regarding that.  Right now I am proud of every donation my campaign has  received. But I do not have any information regarding that," Myers said.

"I got sucked into a group of corrupt people," Stears said. "I allowed myself to engage in fraudulent schemes."

"The contributions were mostly in Burlington County, but there were other contributions they would ask us to make."

"You're saying that money was paid back in political contributions that wouldn't otherwise have existed?" Simandle asked.

"Yes," Stears responded, adding that "I wish my case were unique, but it's not."

Some $3,000 to $4,000 a month would then be made in political contributions, Stears said. He said most of that money was spent in Burlington County and some of it was spent elsewhere in the state. Stears founded the Trenton-based Strategy Group with Tom Wilson, the current chairman of the New Jersey Republican Party."That's pretty serious money at the local level," the judge said. "Yes it is and it continues today," Stears replied. He also agreed with the judge when he pointed out that kind of cash could help shape the political landscape.