Mayor Richard Pucci, facing questions over his connections to former state Sen. John Lynch and developer Jack Morris, will sever his consulting relationship with a Lynch-run PAC and recuse himself from decisions and discussion regarding Morris developments.
By: Leon Tovey
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The following statement was issued by Mayor Richard Pucci Friday: "I believe it is important for me to address the unfair portrayals and recent attacks against my character. These unsubstantiated claims threaten my integrity and reputation, and I cannot stand by and allow this to continue. "I have been privileged to serve as Mayor of Monroe Township. Those who have worked with me through the years know that my style of management and my approach to governing are direct and thorough and of the highest ethical standards. I have consistently operated in an open and transparent manner and I am proud of the many accomplishments that have been achieved during these years. "Notwithstanding the false accusations in the press, I have always followed the letter and spirit of the law to the highest and most ethical degree. The legal opinion from the Monroe Township attorney, based on long-established case law, clearly states there is no conflict in my participation in discussions and votes concerning Mr. Morris and any properties that he controls in the township. I had previously sought legal opinions in these matters prior to any vote and had been advised there was no conflict. "However, it is clear that the law and perception are two different things. There exists a need for a higher standard, even higher than the law a standard the public rightly deserves. Today, I am announcing the creation of a pilot program in Monroe. I am asking the Eagleton Institute and representatives of the press, as well as a panel made up of members of the public, elected officials and a retired judge to participate in the program to establish new standards, ones that reach higher than the current law. "Simply put, true reform will not exist until publicly financed campaigns are implemented at every level of government. Only then will the so-called pay-to-play reform truly take effect. But something must be done in the interim. It is virtually impossible for any person serving on a board or in elected office to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest 100 percent of the time. Often, they are unaware of potential conflict. Public officials can follow the letter and spirit of the law, yet vague perceptions can hamper any good work. While I do not have the power to change the law, I can take steps at the local level. "In my first step in addressing the standards issue, I am resigning my position as a political consultant for New Directions. While absolutely no legal or ethical wrongdoing has occurred on my part, I realize that to some people there exists the appearance of a conflict of interest. Further, I will recuse myself from taking part in any discussion or any vote concerning Mr. Morris and any properties he controls or seeks to control in Monroe Township. In my service as mayor and a member of the Planning Board, I have always worked in the best interest of the residents of Monroe and I doe not want the attention to this issue to affect that in any way. "I have learned that when a public official follows the law, it is not always enough. We must implement the highest level of workplace ethical standards, even more than the law requires, until public-financed campaigns become a reality. Establishing a higher level of workplace standards is an issue often overlooked or ignored in calls for campaign finance reform. But it is an issue that must be addressed. I welcome input from the press and the public and look forward to their participation. "I want to be part of the solution, to turn what has become a negative into a positive. With this pilot program, Monroe can serve as the model. Together, we can make a difference locally and perhaps beyond." |
MONROE Mayor Richard Pucci announced Friday that he will recuse himself from future votes on or discussions of projects relating to Jack Morris, the Piscataway-based developer who has donated money to a political action committee for which the mayor has done consulting work.
In a statement issued Friday, Mayor Pucci said he would also resign his position as a political consultant for New Directions in Responsible Leadership, the Democratic political action committee founded by former state Sen. John Lynch.
The announcement came less than a week after an article ran in newspapers owned by Gannet New Jersey reporting that Professional Management Consultants, the firm the mayor runs from his home, had been paid $168,000 since 2002 by New Directions.
Mr. Morris, a politically connected developer who has given heavily to politicians of both parties statewide, has given $70,000 to New Directions since 2000, according to reports published in the Gannett papers and the Star-Ledger. The developer of the Applegarth Professional Center on Applegarth Road, Mr. Morris is also working with Steve Kalafer, owner of the Somerset Patriots, on a proposal to build a mixed-use development which would include an independent-league baseball team on Route 33.
The articles touched off a storm of criticism; an editorial in Tuesday’s Home News Tribune (which is owned by Gannett) suggested that the mayor sever his financial ties to Mr. Lynch or resign and the Monroe Township Republican Club on Thursday called for his immediate resignation.
Mayor Pucci, who serves as a member of the township Planning Board and works as executive Director of the Middlesex County Improvement Authority, maintained that there was no conflict of interest, but asked Township Attorney Joel Shain to render a legal opinion.
In that opinion, a copy of which the mayor provided to The Cranbury Press on Friday, Mr. Shain wrote that the mayor’s political consulting work for an associate of Mr. Morris’ did not represent a conflict of interest for him in his capacity as a voting member of the Planning Board.
"It would be ludicrous in the extreme for a rational and unbiased person to expect a public official to violate his oath and improperly favor an individual who, as one of hundreds of donors, donates less than 2 percent of the half million plus dollars received annually by the political action committee for which you consult," Mr. Shain wrote. "If the entity paying you a consultant’s fee were not a political action committee, we do not believe the question would even be raised."
In his statement announcing his recusal, Mayor Pucci acknowledged Mr. Shain’s opinion.
"While absolutely no legal or ethical wrongdoing has occurred on my part, I realize that to some people, there exists the appearance of a conflict of interest," Mayor Pucci wrote in his statement Friday. "In my service as mayor and a member of the Planning Board, I have always worked in the best interest of the residents of Monroe and I do not want the attention to this issue to affect that in any way."
The mayor’s statement also called for public financing of political campaigns "at every level of government" and announced the creation of a new pilot program for public financing of political campaigns in Monroe.
Mayor Pucci declined to comment further Friday afternoon and his statement did not offer specifics on when such a program might be instituted, but the statement did ask for the assistance of Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics and members of the press and the public.
Ingrid Reed, director of the Eagleton Institute’s New Jersey Project, said Thursday that she had heard about the statement, but did not know whether the mayor had contacted Eagleton’s director, Ruth Mandel, about the pilot program.
Dr. Mandel did not return a call left at her office Friday afternoon.
No applications have been filed with the Planning Board for Mr. Morris’ Route 33 development, but it was among three mentioned in a September report issued by the Route 33 Task Force. The task force was appointed in the spring of 2005 to look at the future development in the area.
Township Environmental Commissioner Joe Montanti headed the task force prior to his death last month. Mayor Pucci said Tuesday that he had appointed Township Engineer Ernie Feist, a member of the task force, to take over as chairman.

