October 10, 2006 - 10:41am
News

Greenstein flunks smell test on Lynch $$$

Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein didn't pass the ethics smell test when she announced her intention to give campaign money she received from convicted ex-Senate President John Lynch's PAC to a politically active organization whose PAC supported Greenstein's last re-election campaign. Greenstein said she was giving $2,000 -- the amount the Lynch PAC gave to her in 2003 -- to New Jersey Citizen Action. Greenstein has not offered to give back monies Lynch directed to her campaigns in 1999 and 2001. New Jersey Citizen Action has a political action committee that has endorsed only Democrats in the last two election cycles, and Greenstein's move could be viewed as simpy funneling money Lynch gave her to Democratic campaigns next year. Greenstein could have obviated the appearance of a problem by following the lead of other legislators who forward campaign contributions from tainted donors to charities. State Senator Joseph Vitale, for example, is sending his Lynch PAC money to Habitat for Humanity and a local charity supporting children with serious illnesses.

WALLY EDGE can be reached via email at politicsnj@aol.com.

Comments

Greenstein is a big joke anyway, all she does is dodder on the b


Greenstein is a big joke anyway, all she does is dodder on the budget committee and then try to use scare tactics with child molesters to win. We need someone stronger than Mike Paquette in 2007 to beat her.

10/10/06 12:27 pm

Uh oh. Looks like the Hon. Greenstein can kiss her re-election b


Uh oh. Looks like the Hon. Greenstein can kiss her re-election bid good bye.

10/10/06 1:52 pm

a typical Greenstein move. Unable to take a stand....even on Jo


a typical Greenstein move. Unable to take a stand....even on John Lynch.

As soon as Baroni attacks her for keeping the '99 and '01 money, she'll return it.
***********

10/10/06 2:05 pm

All this tough talk on beating Linda Greenstein is a day late an


All this tough talk on beating Linda Greenstein is a day late and a dollar short. She won Middlesex County by huge margins and pulled along Dan Benson to stay competitive in her base. She can't be beat because she does a good job, people in her district respect her and even the "great" Bill Baroni has recognized that by waging a campaign for himself and not attempting to run actively with a running mate. In terms of the Lynch money, are you clueless at this point? She gave the money to a group that advocates governmental reform and promotes legislation to end pay-to-play, and implement clean elections. Putting the money to work against those who violate the system.

Perhaps instead of hand wringing about hopes to defeat Greenstein, you could move on to more attainable goals like trying to figure what charity should get all the tainted Whitman/Parsons money when Republicans give that money back from the 90's? Maybe the taxpayers?

Guess that won't happen anytime soon.

10/10/06 3:45 pm

To criticize Greenstein for giving the contributions voluntarily


To criticize Greenstein for giving the contributions voluntarily to a good government group that is working towards cleaning up Trenton is tantamount to arguing that free ice cream is good only if given to individuals that last name starts with the letter A-L rather than M-Z.

10/10/06 4:32 pm

OK. Now we all know who populist07083 works for... Don't statewo


OK. Now we all know who populist07083 works for... Don't stateworkers have anything better to do on their lunch breaks???

10/10/06 8:03 pm

Well, no, BA. When your lunch break is 6 hours, you eventually


Well, no, BA. When your lunch break is 6 hours, you eventually run out of games of solitare to play, and something has to be done in between the bi-hourly cigarette/coffee breaks.

10/10/06 8:53 pm

Well put attickuss. Next July I am going to send a singing tele


Well put attickuss.

Next July I am going to send a singing telegram to Greenstein’s office to wish populist07083 a happy birthday.

10/11/06 10:47 am

Why do smart, male pols "deliberate," but smart, WOMEN pols "dod


Why do smart, male pols "deliberate," but smart, WOMEN pols "dodder?"

10/11/06 5:13 pm

I have read the recent postings concerning Assemblywoman Linda G


I have read the recent postings concerning Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein's donation to New Jersey Citizen Action and feel that I must respond . For the record, NJCA received a $2,000 donation to support our Fair and Clean Elections Campaign which is advocating for reducing the influence of money in politics by establishing a permanent statewide system of public campaign financing for legislative elections.In NO WAY will any of these funds be directed to the NJCAPAC nor will they be used for partisan political activity.
NJCA is a non-profit 501c4 organization that, for the past 24 years,has been working to protect and expand the rights of individuals and families and to ensure that government officials respond to the needs of people rather than the needs of those with power and money.We are also registered as a charitable organization as per the requirements of the Attorney General.
Assemblywoman Greenstein should be applauded for being the first NJ Legislator to divest herself of money she received from John Lynch and giving it to an organization such as ours,that is fighting to take the money out of politics by working for campaign finance reform

10/12/06 8:25 pm

While Greenstein has returned "tainted money," we have not seen


While Greenstein has returned "tainted money," we have not seen Bill "Bojangles" Baroni call for the return of soiled monies that his own Mercer County Republican Party received from Harry Parkin and James Lambert. While Greenstein is doing, Bojangles is dancing.

10/13/06 7:53 pm