December 3, 2006

Tom Wilson, Chairman

New Jersey Republican State Committee

150 West State Street, Suite 230

Trenton, New Jersey 08608

RE:       The Burlington County Bridge Commission/The Strategy Group Contract

Dear Chairman Wilson:

I read with great disappointment your comments of December 1, regarding your former partner pleading guilty to defrauding the Burlington County Bridge Commission of hundreds of thousands of dollars and failing to pay federal taxes.

I was astonished by your unwillingness to accept even the slightest responsibility for your firm's malfeasance.  The facts are clear: Bob Stears billed the Burlington County Bridge Commission as an employee and partner of the Strategy Group, and your firm profited from his illegal actions.   Your disingenuous claims that Mr. Stears carried on a scheme that was bringing in such large amounts of money to the firm - and that no one else knew about it - defies credibility.  In fact, it is an insult to the taxpayers who were bilked in this sordid deal.

It is now time for you and your former partners to meet your obligation to those taxpayers and tollpayers and return the money that your partnership extorted from them.

Moreover, it is evident from the comments of the U.S. Attorney that the Strategy Group was a vehicle through which this stolen money was funneled to the Burlington County Republican Party and Republicans throughout New Jersey.   If your stated remorse about the illegal conduct of your partner is sincere, you should use your position as Chairman of the Republican State Committee to secure the removal of Garfield DeMarco from the Burlington County Bridge Commission and the resignation of Martha Bark from the state Senate.   Mr. DeMarco's tenure as chairman has been clouded by criminality at all levels, including the ongoing investigation of Sen. Bark for profiting from a no-show job.

Having had the opportunity to review the limited work-product put forward by The Strategy Group in its billings to the Bridge Commission, I can attest that those billings are remarkably similar to what officials at the Bridge Commission claim was the job function of Sen. Bark.

The taxpayers of  Burlington County deserve to move on from this sordid political scandal.  The Burlington County Bridge Commission and The Strategy Group have cost the county hundreds of thousands of dollars and done immeasurable damage to its reputation.   It's now time to make the Bridge Commission accountable to the taxpayers - beginning with the expeditious return of that money and a public commitment to operate in an open, ethical manner.

It is my hope and expectation that you will do what is right and in the best of interest of all taxpayers and tollpayers - and not merely pay lip service to ethics reform during campaign season.

Very truly yours,

Richard J. Perr

Chairman