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Pay to Play Is there a problem with accepting campaign contributions from people who are trying to do business with Fair Lawn? Tedeschi: Yes it is a problem. There are plenty of qualified local professionals and concerned citizens who are willing to donate to a candidate because that candidate will serve the interests of the people of Fair Lawn. We do not need self-serving contributors trying to buy influence over the political decisions of the Council. Hyde: Yes. It is a hidden tax on the homeowner. If a contractor thinks he’s getting work in exchange for a contribution he’s going to build that cost into his bid and when you deal with no-bid contracts, well I’ll let you make your own conclusion there. In the end, you pay more than you normally would for the same job. I would bar a contractor from doing work in Fair Lawn unless he gave evenly to both sides or not at all, thus eliminating the hidden tax. This would end having the homeowner finance incumbent political campaigns through inflated costs. Ganz: State law governs political contributions in every municipality. I am in full compliance with state law both as a Mayor and as a Freeholder. Contributions by vendors and others come from both sides of the aisle – and some give to candidates on both sides of a race. Elections cost money, and until they are free to all, it is reasonable to expect candidates to raise money from friends, family, and business associates. Candidates must conform to state law. The question implies a motive that is simply not there. Government contracts should always go to qualified individuals. Baratta: This is the “pay to play” issue, that we have been reading so much about of late. There certainly is a problem with this practice, but I do not think many people understand how this impacts their pocketbook. If a business contributes X amount of dollars to a campaign, you can be sure that amount will be tacked on to the price of the bid; after all they are in business to make money not lose it. So in essence, we, the taxpayers, are paying for that contribution. When elected, I will fight for a tough anti pay to play policy for the town of Fair Lawn, sending a message that we are no longer for sale. Caan: I think it is always improper to give a job or contract to anyone who is unqualified to do the work. In the more than three years I have been on the Council, this has never happened and I would not let it happen. Each professional or company that works for Fair Lawn or has had a contract with Fair Lawn was always only considered if they were qualified to do the work. In many towns positions like Boro Manager are political appointees, not in Fair Lawn where we hired our longtime Clerk, or have had the same Boro Attorney for more than 21 years. Our longtime Zoning Board Attorney and Public Advocate as well as numerous others are Republicans. All these people have been hired because they do a first rate job.
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