Did Camden County Freeholder Candidate Vincent Squire Break The Law AGAIN?

Vincent Squire

It appears Vincent Squire, the Camden County freeholder candidate disavowed by his own party because has a current second-degree assault charge filed against him by his own son, which is pending in Superior Court, may have run afoul of the law again.

It seems that Mr. Squire held a game of chance at a festival in Gloucester Township over the weekend. One of his campaign volunteers actually went to the Republican booth at the festival to try and sell chances. “A volunteer from Squire’s campaign came to our booth and asked us if we wanted to take a chance at hitting a hole in one for $5 to win a golf bag,” said Tom Crone.

Sounds like a raffle to me, better known as a game of chance. Squire doesn’t hide the fact that there is going to be a drawing in November.

Screenshot from Squire’s freeholder campaign Facebook page

So, I checked to see if Squire followed the law. First, I went to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs website and checked Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission Registered Organizations section, which they state is updated daily, and downloaded all four Excel files and there is no Vincent Squire listed.

Because the law also states that one holding a game of chance must also get a permit in the municipality they hold the game of chance I called the Gloucester Township Clerk’s office and spoke with a very nice lady. “The only permit issued was to the operator of the main stage for a basket raffle,” said the nice lady in the Gloucester Township Clerk’s office.

As best I can tell, Squire is not registered with the Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission and he definitely did not have a permit to hold his raffle. There is no doubt he has failed to comply with at least one law.

Not to be overlooked is the fact the Squire campaign was taking $5 bills for a chance to hit a hole in one. Were these $5 bills contributions to his freeholder campaign? If so, they must be reported. Did he accept any $5 bills from minors? If so, I hope Squire has followed the rules as outlined in the Election Law Enforcement Commission’s Compliance Manual for Political Committees:

F. Contributions from a Minor A minor is any person under the age of 18 years. A contribution by a minor is attributed to the legal guardian(s) of the minor unless:

1) The minor is 14 years of age or older;

2) The contribution is made from funds comprised of the minor’s earned income; and,

3) Sworn statements made by the minor and by the minor’s legal guardian(s) are submitted with the contribution which state that the decision to contribute was solely that of the minor and that the funds used to make the contribution were comprised solely of the minor’s earned income.

It’s a good thing the Camden County Republicans dumped this guy because he obviously has a problem following the rules. Now, I’ll sit back and wait to see if any of his “friends” file complaints with the proper authorities.

Screenshot from Squire’s personal Facebook page. Notice he freely admits there will be a drawing for the golf clubs (i.e. a raffle)

Camden Mayor Doesn’t Want Voters To Decide Who Serves On The School Board

Mayor Moran

Camden City Mayor Francisco “Frank” Moran, the man who will not tolerate anyone talking down to his city, unless that “anyone” is Congressman Donald Norcross has decided to weigh in on a ballot question.

The question on the ballot is, “Shall the Camden City Board of Education remain a Type 1 school district with the Board of Education members appointed by the Mayor of the City of Camden?

The Interpretive Statement makes it clear:

A vote of YES will result in members of the Camden City Board of Education being appointed by the Mayor, as is the current practice.

A vote of NO will result in members of the Camden City Board of Education being elected by the voters as their current terms expire.

It appears Mayor Moran, in his letter to “Dear Friend” wants to keep the power in his hands. In the letter Moran asks “Dear Friend” to vote yes on the question. Camden voters should be fuming because their mayor is asking them to vote to leave all the power in his hands, leaving voters powerless in saying anything about who runs their school system.

 For a guy who will not tolerate anyone talking down to his city it appears to me Moran does exactly that by sending a letter to voters that essentially tells them he knows better than they do who should serve on their school board.

Cumberland County GOP Freeholder Candidates Say It’s Time For A County Parks System

Earlier today, Arvene Kilby Hays and Frank Spatola, Jr.,  Republican candidates for Cumberland County freeholders said seven years to start developing a county park system is too long.

Given the fact the county paid $80,000 to study if a parks system is needed and adopted an Open Space and Recreation Master Plan seven years ago, Kilby Hays and Spatola may be on to something.

Their press release follows:

Kilby Hays And Spatola, Jr. Want Cumberland County Parks System

County parks system could help spur economic growth and help retain younger residents

 VINELAND – Republican candidates for Cumberland County Freeholder, Arvene Kilby Hays and Frank Spatola, Jr, said today seven years to start developing a county park system is too long.

In 2011 the Cumberland County Board of Chosen Freeholders paid $80,000 to a Pennsylvania company to “conduct an Open Space Planning Process and preparing an Open Space and Recreation Master Plan for the Cumberland County Department of Planning and Development.” Several reputable New Jersey companies submitted bids on the project for less. Later in 2011 the county adopted the Open Space & Recreation Master Plan.

“We find it difficult to believe our county government paid a company $80,000 to conduct a process and prepare a plan, adopt the plan and for seven years not move to implement the plan,” Arvene Kilby Hays said. “The study acknowledged over half of ‘area households use Cumberland County area parks, natural areas or open space areas.’ That fact alone should have been enough to see some movement over seven years.”

Frank Spatola, Jr. added, “To add insult to injury the study showed that a quarter of households using open space areas choose to go to a park in Salem County. It’s no wonder many of our younger residents don’t return to Cumberland County after graduating college, we can’t even keep families who live here in the county for leisure activities.

“We’re watching counties around us bring in new businesses, Amazon is bringing 1,000 new full-time jobs to Gloucester County and Camden is seeing a growth in new businesses. Sure, tax incentives play a role but study after study shows corporations like to move to areas that offer recreational opportunities.”

Kilby Hays explained, “We love Cumberland County and want to keep our young people here. The creation of a county parks system would help and could generate corporate investment in Cumberland County. We’ve said that streamlining government departments could save $2.25 million in overtime, so the money is there to create a county parks system.”

“The bottom line here is that there is no reason Cumberland County is the only county in the state not to have a county parks system. A little hard work and number crunching could provide a better quality of life for county residents, spur some economic growth and keep our younger population in the county at no additional cost to taxpayers,” Spatola, Jr. said.

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