(Medford, NJ) – Richard J. Perr, founder of the Burlington County Taxpayers Association, issued the following statement today regarding the hiring of a former State Attorney General, as well as a top candidate for a State Superior Court judgeship to represent the Burlington County Bridge Commission and the Burlington County Institute of Technology in the ongoing state criminal probe of State Sen. Martha Bark’s no-show jobs:

“The taxpayers and toll payers of Burlington County will now be paying a new corruption tax as a result of the arrogance of an elite few who took care of one of their own legislators with no show jobs.

If the Bridge Commission and BCIT are “fully cooperating” with the State Division of Criminal Justice in this probe, why are they hiring additional counsel? Published reports indicate that both county agencies already have legal counsel through the firm of Burlington County Republican boss Glenn Paulsen.

Perhaps these elite few officials should have thought about the consequences of their actions when they hired Senator Bark in the first place. County taxpayers should not be left with the tab for these outrageous decisions which have already cost us $330,000 in unaccountable and undocumented employment for one of their political insiders.

Let them hire their own criminal defense lawyers at their own expense.

The appointment of these politically connected special counselors also raises legitimate questions about the integrity of the selection process. It is well-known that Mr. Paulsen is a protégé and avid past campaign supporter of Cary Edwards, the former state Attorney General who ran for the Republican nomination for Governor twice unsuccessfully. It is also widely speculated in the legal community that John Call is the preferred candidate of Paulsen’s for a Superior Court judgeship.

This is yet another example of sheer arrogance, that while the county is under state criminal investigation, the ‘Boss’ hires two more insiders to defend another insider, with no definitive idea as to how much it will ultimately cost taxpayers and toll payers and for how long.

The public has a right to know the details of how their tax dollars are being spent and so far the Burlington County political machine and its bosses have thumbed their noses at the people paying the bills.”