Criticizing the state Election Law Enforcement Commission for a slow response, Readington officials yesterday called on the state attorney general and U.S. attorney to investigate "criminal" campaign finance violations by supporters of Solberg Airport.
Continuing their long feud with the Solberg family, municipal officials said contributions last year to unsuccessful township committee candidate James Hunter circumvented state and federal election laws.
"What we’re calling for is the big boys to step up to the plate and start swinging because ELEC is just overwhelmed by it," said Richard Allen, the treasurer for the opposing candidates, his wife Julia Allen and Frank Gatti.
But the officials admitted they have no hard evidence to support their charges, saying they drew inferences from the minimal campaign information Hunter did report. What they characterized as a key piece of evidence has not been presented yet to ELEC, much less to the other investigative agencies.
Mayor Gerard Shamey offered what he said was a transcript of a Jan. 6 telephone conversation he taped between himself and Lawrence Berger, a developer and legal adviser to the Solberg family. It quotes Berger as saying the Solbergs "are going to be using their money to fight the committee and the primary and ultimately the election."
That shows the ongoing battle over the airport’s future pits local officials defending quality of life "against the business interests of outsiders," Shamey said.
"It’s all a ploy," Hunter said later. "The residents demanded a referendum on their $22 million plan to buy their airport, so they’re working to distract attention from that and scare people."
After an on-again, off-again series of talks over the airport’s future, the township committee last week accepted the results of a petition drive. The committee agreed to schedule a referendum on its proposal to acquire the airport and adjoining property, 756 acres in all, from the Solbergs and their investors.
Shamey said he made "a personal decision" not to release the document for more than two months while the controversy continued. "I knew there would be an appropriate time," he said, but denied he acted in response to the referendum petition.
Hunter admitted he still has not filed all the required financial reports from last year’s campaigns, when he beat Allen in the Republican primary, then lost to her write-in campaign in the general election.
The failure to disclose all pre- and post-election contributions leaves him open to fines by ELEC, Hunter said. But as yet, the agency has not imposed any penalties, he said. Staffers gave him leeway after he verbally explained that the delay stems from an unresolved dispute over bills for campaign mailings, he said.
An ELEC spokesman declined to discuss the case, but said violators cannot escape fines. Spokesman for the attorney general and U.S. attorney said their offices will review complaints from Readington when they are received, but have nothing as yet.
"When this is all over and you see where my money came from, I expect an apology," Hunter said. "I spent a lot less money than Julia Allen and Frank Gatti did."
He declined to detail his contributions or expenditures, but said he has never met Berger and did not receive funds from him or Thor Solberg, who owns the airport with his two sisters. Neither Berger nor the Solbergs responded to requests for comment.
Richard Allen said his wife and Gatti spent about $11,000 on the primary and $70,000 in the general election. Based on that, Hunter "must have" spent in the neighborhood of $100,000 on his campaign, according to the Allens and Shamey.
Some mailings opposing Julia Allen and Gatti came from Americans for Job Security, an Alexandria, Va., political action committee. The PAC is legal, but airport supporters could have funneled money to it, said former state Sen. William Schluter, who joined in calling for a larger investigation.
According to Shamey’s transcript, Berger said the Solbergs need to sell more fuel to keep the 67-year-old airport alive, "which means that you need to either land more planes or larger planes, and I don’t means 747’s (sic), I mean corporate jets."
Hunter said he lives near the airport and does not favor its expansion, "but I have a certain sympathy for the Solbergs from the Big Brother aspect of the government trying to take their property. It’s going in the right direction now with the public making the decision."
Joe Tyrrell covers Hunterdon and Somerset counties. He may be reached at jtyrrell@starledger.com or (908) 782-8326.
Copyright © 2006 NJ.com
Date: March 29, 2006 Source: NJ.com
URL: http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-0/114361573076840.xml?starledger?nso&coll=1
