Republican Andrew Lucas Quits Manalapan Township Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Embattled former Mayor resigns after $1.2 million land deal

Manalapan Township Committeeman and former Mayor Andrew Lucas resigned yesterday - barely 70 days before the end of his term and just months after he was handed $1.2 million of taxpayers money for a controversial land deal.

While serving as mayor, Lucas applied for an Open Space grant shortly after buying 96 acres of land in Manalapan for an undisclosed amount. Manalapan Republican Committeemembers approved $1.2 million in taxpayer money for “farmland preservation” to Mayor Lucas.

The Manalapan Township Committee approved Lucas’ application in a 3-1 vote in 2011. Incumbent Republican for Township Committee Jordan Maskowitz was one of the three committeemen that voted Yes, going so far as to call the deal “a bold move by the Lucas family.”

“The Township Committee allowed this land deal to go through, then it denied several similar requests for preservation from other residents,” said Democratic candidate for Township Committee David Goldstein. “Open Space grants should be fairly distributed and not based on political favoritism.”

Earlier this year, the all-Republican Township Committee approved funding for Lucas’ land deal in a 2 to 1 vote. Jordan Maskowitz abstained from voting on the funding, which led to the approval.

“Mr. Maskowitz’s approval on the first vote and his abstention in the second vote allowed Mr. Lucas to ‘take the money and run’.” said Dr. Ayesha Chaudhary, Goldstein’s running mate along with Ryan Urgo. “If Maskowitz had the courage to oppose this deal, Mr. Lucas wouldn’t have received a $1.2 million windfall from his friends on the committee.”

“It is a sad day for Manalapan residents when one of our elected officials quits with a $1.2 million golden parachute to soften the fall - thanks to Jordan Maskowitz.” said Ryan Urgo. “Manalapan residents deserve better than this.”

Club Monmouth Republicans Embrace Redistribution of Wealth…to fellow Republican

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 14, 2012


MANALAPAN - In Monmouth County, New Jersey taxpayers will be forking over $1.2 million to preserve a farm for former Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas. Using funds from the Farmland Preservation Incentive Grant Program, taxpayers will provide a windfall to Mr. Lucas, who presided over public meetings where competing properties were considered but bypassed for funding.

In a shadowy business transaction that Mayor Lucas has never fully explained, Diamond Developers at Burke Farm, which lists Mr. Lucas as its Managing Member, entered this “farm” property in Manalapan into the process for farmland preservation approval. Mr. Lucas then participated in municipal town meetings in Manalapan where local funds were available for preservation. Mr. Lucas neglected to mention his interest in this property and his pending application. Obviously, given his conflict, he should have recused himself.

In response, a local resident filed a detailed, lengthy ethics complaint citing the meetings in which a conflicted Mr. Lucas participated. Remarkably, the Ethics Board has now dismissed the complaint. Mr. Thomas Neff, Chairman of that Board, had previously contributed $750 to the Senate Majority Fund headed by then Senate President John Bennett (who is now the Monmouth County Republican Party Chairman). They cite that they relied in the advice of the Manalapan Township Attorney, who was appointed by Mr. Lucas and is a political contributor to Monmouth County Republican campaigns. Mr. Lucas participated in meetings where he disqualified properties for funds that he was also competing for. If this case creates no cause for ethical concern, then we should just dissolve the Ethics Board.

Every member of the Monmouth County Republican Party Freeholder Board, aka. the corrupt Republican Party machine ‘Club Monmouth’, voted for this application. One ‘Club Monmouth’ Freeholder even aggressively defended Mr. Lucas’ role in all of this. These self-proclaimed budget hawks and fiscal conservatives fell silent as one of their own profited at taxpayer expense. Mr. Lucas claims he is a businessman – however his business is making over a million dollars hardworking taxpayers, NOT off private funds. He fails to understand the difference.