Lacy sues Paulsen and others over party's financial records

Backed by her cadre of allies in the Republican Party, the acting chair of the Burlington County Republicans today filed a lawsuit in Superior Court against former GOP chairman Glenn Paulsen, former campaign chairman Bill Layton and party treasurer Charles Lambiase.

Lacy said she believes Paulsen, Layton and those allied with them have used organizational property to co-opt rank-and-file Republicans, and are muscling her out of of the way as she attempts to oversee a transparent review process of the party's financial records.

"We've had to go to court," said the acting chair, as she awaited a scheduled hearing in the courtroom of Superior Court Judge John A. Sweeney this afternoon.

Paulsen took the charges in ho-hum fashion.

"You're nobody until you get sued," he said.

Lacy said the party's treasurer Lambiase failed to produce the financial information about the party that she had requested. The lawsuit asking the court to intervene and force the Paulsen side to comply with her review demand, is Lacy's answer to Paulsen's checkmate move earlier this month when he prodded party delegates into a special meeting to consider holding an election for a new, permanent chairperson.

"I would expect nothing different from people who are desperate," said Paulsen of Lacy's legal action, which is essentially a distraction, in his view.

 "The overwhelming issue is people want an election," he said. 

Paulsen's call to dump Lacy was in response to the acting chair's post election firing of Layton and campaign manager Chris Russell, and to her public cry to the party to back her in flinging open the books. Lacy said she doesn't want to leave her post until she fulfills a complete financial review.