BURLCO GOP TAKES TIPS FROM THE KARL ROVE SCHOOL OF SLASH AND BURN AND SEE IF IT STICKS

(Mount Laurel):           Burlington County Democratic Chairman Rick Perr today noted that the latest baseless, slash and burn attack from the Burlington County Republicans smacks of pure Karl Rove negative campaigning 101.

"The Burlington County GOP has shown, once again, that they will do everything possible  to deceive the voters from their failed record of higher taxes, waste, mismanagement and corruption," said Perr.

Since 2000, spending in Burlington County has increased by $63 million and taxes have increased by $41 million, and it has been widely reported that several aspects of the Republican-controlled government are under federal and state criminal investigation.

"What's extremely troubling is incumbent Republican Freeholder Fenton's increasing penchant for hiding behind his million dollar GOP Spin Machine and refusing to debate these issues in front of the voters and taxpayers who have been left to foot the bill for his party's corrupt practices," said Perr.

"When Karl Rove and President Bush visited the Burlington County Republicans a few years ago, he clearly left his notorious playbook behind.  The Burlington GOP continues to engage in slash and burn and see if it sticks politics with absolutely no regard for the facts," said Perr.  "Fenton issued yet another factually erroneous press release today when he failed to bother checking that Evesham Solicitor Bill Ruggierio had in fact RESIGNED on July 16th." (Letter available upon request)

Fenton's judgment has come under fire recently for a series of decisions showing he lacks the capacity to lead a governing body:

He gave embattled Bridge Commission Chairman John Comegno a vote of confidence following Comegno's recent DUI plea.

He stood squarely behind Chris Baxter, a Republican donor and insider working part-time for the Burlington County Board of Social Services, who, as recently documented in the Burlington County Times, has been receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars for a questionable work product that caused multiple commissioners to raise red flags.  Fenton served as Freeholder liaison to the Board during this time.

Fenton led the fight to cut critical transportation services for Burlington County's seniors while managing to provide funding for Chris Baxter and 5 other GOP insider attorneys.

Fenton also failed to understand that a $48 million dollar transportation project taking place in Evesham involved a county road under Fenton's jurisdiction and refuses to this day to discuss the impact of the project with Evesham officials.

Fenton also recently demonstrated an inability to read a simple report and wrongly included lawnmowers and tractors among a township's automotive fleet.

"Fenton continues to allow his GOP Spin Machine to misstate the truth in the hopes it will hide his woeful leadership. He is wholly incapable of exercising the type of judgment required to move the county away from its history of fraud, waste and mismanagement," said Perr.  "Sadly, Fenton is merely a conduit for GOP bosses to carry out their carefully orchestrated plans to enrich themselves and their friends at the taxpayers' expense."

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