When it comes to ethics, Tom Kean, Jr. is
“All Bark and NO Bite�

If Jr. can’t stand up to Burlington County GOP Boss Glenn Paulsen and State GOP Chairman Tom Wilson, how is he going to stand up to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney?

“Kean campaign spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker yesterday declined to comment when asked if Kean believes Bark should resign� (BCT, 9/23).

(Mount Laurel, NJ)-Burlington County Democratic Party Chairman Richard J. Perr issued the following statement today in response to U.S. Senate candidate Tom Kean Jr.'s refusal to call on fellow Republican Senator Martha Bark to resign, whose two no-show, no-work jobs that paid her $330,000 with the Burlington County Institute of Technology and the Palmyra Nature Cove have been the primary focus of an ongoing state criminal investigation. Kean, Jr. also failed to disavow GOP Chairman Tom Wilson, whose firm was awarded $2.7 million in sweetheart contracts without competitive bidding or any form of oversight by the Burlington County Bridge Commission.

"Tom Kean, Jr.'s refusal to call for the resignation of Republican State Senator Martha Bark (R-Burlington) is a telltale sign of how he will act when it is time to stand up for New Jersey residents and oppose George W. Bush's radical agenda to privatize social security, cut education funding, and hand out billions of dollars in tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. With no serious agenda of his own, Tom Kean Jr. would be just another rubber stamp for George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and an out-of-touch administration that has us mired in an endless war in Iraq that is costing us thousands of American lives and billions of dollars.

"How can we expect Tom Kean, Jr. to stand up to George W. Bush and his political puppeteer Karl Rove when he is afraid to stand up to GOP Boss Glenn Paulsen and State GOP Chairman Tom Wilson," said Perr.

In a series of articles, the Courier-Post reported that Senator Bark’s pension eligibility increased from about $26,000 to $44,000 a year as the result of her no-show, no-work jobs (Courier Post, 12/8/03). The article also went on to say that Bark and “members of the BCIT (Burlington County Institute of Technology) board� were “appointed by the Burlington County Freeholders, an all-Republican body� whose campaigns were financed and paid for by county GOP Boss Glenn Paulsen.

"I find it ironic that New Jersey GOP's top dog, Tom Kean, Jr., is all Bark and no bite when it comes to ethics. He talks a good game, but when it's time to stand up and show conviction, he runs and hides."

Kean, Jr. also refused to publicly disavow State GOP Chairman Tom Wilson's no-bid 'lobbying' deal with the Burlington County Bridge Commission that cost the taxpayers $2.7 billion. There is no substantive evidence that he did any work for the money either.
"Once again, I'm calling on Tom Kean, Jr. to put partisanship aside and do the right thing by calling on State Senator Martha Bark and GOP Chairman Tom Wilson to resign immediately for engaging in egregious ethical misconduct."
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For Immediate Release
September 25, 2006
Contact: Chris Fifis (609) 206-1678