Some say pay-to-play 'loopholes' need fixing
Parties also debate need for mayor to sit on redevelopment agency
BY MICHAEL ACKER
Staff Writer

SAYREVILLE - With the election for two Borough Council seats approaching, Democrats and Republicans are focusing on a familiar issue: pay-to-play reform.

The seats belonging to Democrat Stanley Drwal and Republican John Melillo are up for grabs Nov. 7.

Drwal is seeking re-election, running with newcomer Kathy Makowski.

Melillo, the only Republican on the council, is not running for a new term. The Republican ticket consists of Marion Marks and Ronald Green.

Pay-to-play has been on most of the candidates' minds.

A press release from Aug. 21 announced that Democratic Council President Thomas Pollando and Councilman Stanley Drwal were directing Borough Attorney Brian Hak to draft an ordinance expanding Sayreville's pay-to-play ban to include municipal contracts not currently covered by the borough's existing ordinance.

Drwal told the Suburban that Hak will have the ordinance ready for the council to introduce at its agenda meeting Oct. 3.

"This is to try and close any loopholes toward developers," Drwal said. "We brought it up four weeks ago. I find it interestingthat Republican candidates are acting like they were introducing it. We want to introduce it as much as they do."

Republicans Marks and Green said they are concerned about the $1.7 billion National Lead redevelopment project, whose borough-appointed redeveloper, LNR Property Corp., has just withdrawn from the process.

Marks said she disagreed with the Borough Council Democrats' decision not to reappoint Republican Mayor Kennedy O'Brien to the Sayreville Economic Redevelopment Agency (SERA).

"He is the chief executive of the town," Marks said. "He should be on SERA. It is a very important project, for sure. If we are elected, we will fight for an ordinance that mandates that the presiding mayor be on SERA. The bottom line is they should not have taken him off SERA."

Green said he is concerned that Republicans are no longer represented on the redevelopment agency, adding that he has discussed legislation with state Assemblyman Sam Thompson that would mandate bipartisan appointments on redevelopment agencies throughout the state. He added that Thompson is willing to introduce that legislation.

"Marion and I propose that members of SERA be appointed on a bipartisan basis," Green said.

If SERA consists of nine members, it would ideally include five members of one party and four from the opposing party, Green said.

State Assemblyman John Wisniewski, who is chairman of the Sayreville Democratic Organization, said the Republicans had control of the borough's boards and commissions during most of O'Brien's term as mayor. He views the Republicans' call for bipartisan representation on SERA as subterfuge and sour grapes.

"We have seen time and time again, they have done nothing to control sprawl, traffic, over-development, and property taxes in Sayreville," Wisniewski said.

He added that there are 32 redevelopment agencies in the state that do not have a mayor as a member.

"In most other towns, the mayor does not serve [on the redevelopment agency]," Wisniewski said. "If Mr. Green has a cogent reason [that] he believes the redevelopment process would be better served by four Republicans, I would like to hear him articulate that."

Regarding pay-to-play, Green said he believes the borough's current ordinance should be amended to stop the flow of money from contractors to politicians, especially with the looming redevelopment.

"As it currently exists, there is a loophole in the ordinance," Green said. "Legislative PACs [political action committees] are not included in the ordinance. ... Unless the PACs are included, the pay-to-play ordinance is useless."

Green said that, as the ordinance stands, Wisniewski can use funds donated to his PAC to help local candidates in the borough.

"Money can be given to him for his PACs and he can distribute that to local candidates," Green said. "That is the loophole, and that is not in the best interest of the people of Sayreville."

Wisniewski said that any contributions made to his political action committee are within the rules and regulations of the state Election Law Enforcement Commission. He added that he hired an outside firm to advise him as an independent third party in this matter.

Wisniewski noted that the Democratic Party recently held a picnic to raise funds for the upcoming campaigns.

"That picnic fundraiser relied exclusively on rank-and-file Democrats buying tickets and making contributions of support," Wisniewski said. "It was a grass-roots effort. I am troubled by Green's comment. Every contribution that my campaign fund makes follows the letter of the law."

Makowski, Drwal's running mate, said this is not the first time this issue has been raised during election time.

"It is not the first time this has come up," Makowski said. "Usually around election time everybody is focused on this. I take the position with the rest of my party. I want a clean campaign."