Town council tables pay-to-play change

The council is seeking to strengthen its pay-to-play ordinance through an amendment that would add redevelopers to the list of professionals whose political campaign contributions would bar them from receiving no-bid contracts.

By:Cara Latham Special Writer
   An amendment to the township’s pay-to-play ordinance that would bar redevelopers from receiving no-bid municipal contracts in redevelopment areas if they made political campaign contributions was sent back to the drawing board last week.
   Township Council tabled the proposed amendment at its April 19 meeting, after listening to suggestions offered by a community activist during the public participation segment of the meeting.
   Municipal Attorney Kevin Nerwinski said Township Council may introduce a revised version at its Tuesday meeting.
   The council is seeking to beef up its pay-to-play ordinance through an amendment that would add redevelopers to the list of professionals whose political campaign contributions would bar them from receiving no-bid contracts.
   Pay-to-play regulations are aimed at professionals who seek no-bid contracts from Township Council. Under state law, governing bodies — such as Township Council — may award contracts to attorneys, engineers, architects and planners without first seeking competitive bids.
   If redevelopers are added to the list, they would be banned from consideration for a contract if they made political campaign contributions two years before seeking a contract, and for two years after the completion of the redevelopment project.
   Under state law, a redeveloper is defined as "any person, firm, corporation or public body that shall enter into — or propose to enter into — a contract with a municipality or other redevelopment entity for the redevelopment or rehabilitation of an area in need of redevelopment …. or rehabilitation … or for any other construction or other work forming part of a redevelopment or rehabilitation project."
   Township Council serves as the redevelopment agency and would award a contract for a redevelopment project. The Brunswick Pike South Redevelopment Area — a one-mile-long stretch of Brunswick Pike, between the Brunswick Circle and Mayflower Avenue — is the only redevelopment area in Lawrence.
   In an interview before Township Council’s April 19 meeting, Councilman Greg Puliti said the ordinance amendment is important because Lawrence is "built out," so there will likely be more redevelopment activity because of the lack of undeveloped land in the township. It is possible there may be more redevelopment areas in the future, but there is nothing planned right now, he said.
   The township’s pay-to-play ordinance, adopted in 2004, allows professionals to donate up to $400 each to a political candidate. A donor may give up to $500 to each Lawrence or Mercer County political club or committee.
   It also sets a $2,500 limit — combined — on donations to political candidates, township and county political parties and political action committees. Donors who exceed the limits are ineligible for no-bid municipal contracts.
   Last week, community activist Falk Engel, who said he favors campaign finance reform, offered a critique of the proposed amendment to Township Council and offered some suggested revisions to it.
   Mr. Engel said the amendment refers to contributions, pledges and in-kind contributions — but it does not prohibit loans that may be made to a municipal candidate’s campaign.
   When Mr. Engel asked whether the ordinance amendment could be revised to include loans to candidates, Mr. Nerwinski said he would seek Township Council’s direction on the issue.
   Mr. Engel suggested that the amendment should be expanded to require redevelopers to disclose contributions to political campaigns outside of Lawrence Township. The amendment only requires redevelopers to report contributions made to Lawrence municipal candidates’ campaigns.
   "I would suggest that it would be advisable that the redeveloper be required to disclose political contributions on a county-wide basis — not just in terms of Lawrence — and I submit that for your consideration," Mr. Engel said.
   Mr. Engel said he is concerned that the amendment would leave an opportunity for pass-through contributions — when a donor makes a contribution to one campaign and then that campaign passes it on to another campaign — to occur in Lawrence.
   "The point here is that part of the disclosure requirement should cover the (redeveloper) making a contribution to a particular campaign, which then makes a subsequent to a Lawrence campaign or organization … to really demonstrate that we mean business in Lawrence Township," he said.
   Councilman Rick Miller said he would like to see Mr. Engel’s suggestions regarding the disclosure requirements and loans to be included in any revisions to the ordinance amendment.
Staff writer Lea Kahn contributed to this report.