Pay to play and wheeling continue to be hot topics in Monmouth County through the dog days of summer. As usual both parties will seek to look like reformers, while at the same time protecting their cash flow and limiting their opponents cash flow. That's the game, and it has little to do with reform.
Middletown Township introduced a pay to play and wheeling ordinance this week that was modeled on many other ordinances throughout New Jersey, with an unusual twist. In addition to limiting the contributions of "Professional business entities" which do business with the municipality and county, Middletown's ordinance seeks to limit the contributions, cash and in kind, of liquor license applicants.
Have descendants of Al Capone been trying to buy Middletown's government? Having lived in and/or operated my business in Middletown for 10 years, I never noticed this problem.
More likely, this is the latest gambit in the ongoing battle of wills between the Azzolina family and the Carton family. Once partners in making Middletown the great place it is today, these factions have been at war since they split over the Towne Center development.
Former State Senator Joe Azzolina's family owns supermarkets and liquor stores in Middletown. They also own the land they want to develope as the Towne Center. They also own The Courier
Peter Carton, is the long time chairman of the Middletown GOP, and is the bond counsel for Middletown, Monmouth County, and many other municipalities.
Since the Middletown GOP, and thereby its governing body and boards,withdrew support for the Towne Center, Azzolina has been trying to get Democrats to take over Middletown in order to deny Carton his lucrative contracts.
Its all rather unseemly, on both sides, and the battle continues to be played out on the Township Committee and in the Azzolina owned Courier. I, and many others in the communtiy, have friends of both sides of this tiresome battle.
So, the way I see it, including liquor licensees as pay to players in the proposed ordinance is the Middletown GOP's way to jerk the Courier's chain, if not change their editorial content and advertising policies.
It won't work, it will just lead to silly litigation and campaign rhetoric that has nothing to do with good government.
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4 comments:
Actually, this is a very common restriction that most municipalities already have on the books. Very few towns allow liqour licensees to contribute--long before anyone even knew what pay to play was. Ask any municipal lawyer or just look at the codes themselves.
Speaking of wheeling, check out what I've dug up on Panter and Mallet:
http://rankandfilemonmouthrepublican.blogspot.com/
Thanks for the shameless plug!
Anonymous said...
Actually, this is a very common restriction that most municipalities already have on the books. Very few towns allow liqour licensees to contribute--long before anyone even knew what pay to play was. Ask any municipal lawyer or just look at the codes themselves.
I did read several pay to play ordinances before writing this post. None of them had any reference to liquor licensees.
If, as you say, those restrictions pre-date the pay to play fad, perhaps the restrictions you refer to are already on the books. I am not aware of them.
I've been told that there are some restrictions on liquor wholesalers making political contributions but not so much retailers.
In any event, your point, while interesting, does not invalidate mine. The point of the Middletown ordinance is to make life difficult for The Courier.
...pay to play fad...
And a fad it is. Until meaningful and fair legislation is passed on the state level (Ain't gonna happen with the current ast of clowns running Trenton.), any "reform" is just going to be an unenforceable hodge-podge of local ordinances.
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