ASSELTA TO VAN DREW: “WERE YOU BLIND TO THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST WHEN YOU INTRODUCED A BILL TO PUT MONEY IN JOE ROBERTS’ POCKET?

ASSELTA TO VAN DREW: “WERE YOU BLIND TO THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST WHEN YOU INTRODUCED A BILL TO PUT MONEY IN JOE ROBERTS’ POCKET?”

(VINELAND, October 3) -- Senator Nick Asselta -- responding to news reports in the Gannett newspapers this week detailing the extensive financial relationship between Jeff Van Drew’s political patrons, Camden County Democratic power broker George Norcross and Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts, and Van Drew’s own comments at yesterday’s joint appearance before the Press of Atlantic City editorial board, as reported in this morning’s newspaper -- today asked Van Drew to share with his constituents exactly what he knew about the nature and extent of the Norcross-Roberts financial relationship when Van Drew introduced legislation in March 2003 that could have put money directly into Roberts’ and Norcross’ pockets.

“What did Jeff Van Drew know, and when he did know it?” asked Asselta. “Residents of the First District have a right to know that their Assemblyman isn’t introducing legislation simply for the purpose of helping his political patrons make a fast buck -- especially when that fast buck comes at the cost of risking their eye sight.

“Did Jeff Van Drew know when he picked up Joe Roberts’ bill that Leader Roberts was a co-owner of a national eye-care chain, with a multimillion-dollar stake in that legislation? Or did Jeff just pick up his patrons’ legislation and run with it, without bothering to check the clear conflict of interest? Jeff, were you blind to the conflict of interest when you introduced a bill to put money in Joe Roberts’ pocket?”

Asked yesterday about his knowledge, Van Drew “said he did not know U.S. Vision would benefit from the bill,” before going on to declare, “I have never met with anybody in U.S. Vision. I don’t even know who they are” -- despite the fact that at the time Van Drew introduced his legislation, press reports detailing the Norcross-Roberts joint ownership of U.S. Vision were in wide circulation throughout the state.

Roberts and Norcross, as detailed in reports this week carried in the Gannett chain of newspapers, formed two corporations to acquire U.S. Vision, a national eye-care chain with more than 500 outlets. One of the companies, Kayak Acquisition Group -- with Norcross as President, and Roberts as Vice President -- borrowed $32.5 million from Commerce Bank (where Norcross served as a director) to finance the acquisition of U.S. Vision in October 2002.

Shortly thereafter, Roberts -- who served at the time as Assembly Majority Leader -- introduced legislation that would have loosened New Jersey’s standards to allow optometrists, rather than trained surgeons, to conduct laser eye surgery.

The New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners, citing concerns for patients’ safety -- and noting that optometrists don’t have the medical training to allow them to perform eye surgery safely -- strongly opposed the proposed legislation.

When New Jersey media outlets raised questions about the propriety of Roberts’ apparent conflict of interest, he withdrew the legislation. Shortly thereafter, Van Drew -- who had been elected to the Assembly in November 2001 with heavy financial backing from a political action committee controlled by Roberts -- introduced similar legislation, saying, “I took over the bill because I thought it would help the residents of New Jersey … I don’t know why the bill was withdrawn in the first place.”

Within six weeks, Van Drew, too, had withdrawn the legislation.

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Paid for by Asselta Clark Donohue