Inquirer Trenton Bureau
April 15, 2005
Kaitlin Gurney
TRENTON - A former political opponent of Assemblyman
Louis Greenwald filed a formal ethics complaint against him
yesterday, alleging the Camden County Democrat's job with
a politically connected engineering firm represents a conflict
of interest.
Collingswood Republican Mark Otto based his complaint on secret
recordings of conversations with South Jersey political power
broker George E. Norcross III released earlier this month.
On the tapes, recorded in January 2001 by a Palmyra official,
Norcross boasts of securing Greenwald his legal job with Remington
& Vernick "to create some goodwill" in towns
where the firm had lost business, and says his job is "going
to be a joke."
Greenwald issued a statement that called the complaint "frivolous."
Otto challenged Greenwald unsuccessfully for his legislative
seat in 2003. The Camden County College student and former
Sysco Corp. credit manager waged a write-in campaign against
U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews in 2002.
Otto's complaint, filed with the Joint Legislative Committee
on Ethical Standards yesterday, contends that the term goodwill
means Greenwald wins engineering work for the firm in towns
he was elected to represent. "It would seem prudent,"
the complaint states, "that the ethics committee conduct
a thorough investigation into... the distinct possibility,
based upon the tapes, that he used his powerful position as
a legislator to interfere with the ability of local elected
officials to make independent decisions."
The fact that Greenwald receives campaign contributions from
Remington & Vernick as well as his salary and bonuses
raises concerns that he has a financial interest in his legislative
duties, Otto contends. Remington & Vernick is based in
Haddonfield.
Greenwald, who spent the day at Assembly budget committee
hearings, released a statement calling Otto's complaint "frivolous"
and a "desperate attempt to exaggerate the significance
of the Palmyra tapes."
"I refuse to be distracted by a politician who still
is upset over his unsuccessful campaign against me for public
office," Greenwald said.
The Committee on Ethical Standards is scheduled to meet next
on May 5. Sen. John Adler (D., Camden), a member of the committee
who represents the same district as Greenwald, did not return
calls for comment yesterday.
Otto said he did not expect the committee to act on his complaint
but felt obligated to "do something" to restore
ethics to a district where Assemblyman Mary Previte was under
investigation for her former role as a juvenile detention
center director and "Greenwald is fast becoming the central
figure in the Palmyra tapes."
"It's been my experience that most ethics complaints
are swept under the rug or dismissed on technicalities,"
Otto said. "But I don't know what more I can do."
