Please read article posted by Wally Edge of “Inside Edge - NJ Politics @ PoliticsNJ.com:,” titled “Boss Perrucci,” a Philipsburg, New Jersey native and BethWorks and partner of Sheldon Adelson, owner of the Las Vegas Sands/Venetian Casinos of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Macao, People’s Republic of China, and owner of the majority of stock of the proposed Sands Casino on the site of the former Bethlehem Steel site in South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Wally Edge says of Perrucci: “It’s tough to tell a Democrate from a Republican in Warren County these days, but it’s clear that former Warren County Democratic Chairman (and Bob Torricelli campaign treasurer) Michael Perrucci is emerging as a significant power in solidly-Republican Warren County. A fledgling law firm, Florio Perrucci Steinhardt & Fader, includes former Democratic Governor Jim Florio, current Warren County Republican Chairman (and Lopatcong Mayor) Douglas Steinhardt; Paul Fader, the ex-Mayor of Englewood who served as Chief Counsel to Governors James McGreevey and Richard Codey; abd Bloomsbury Mayor Mark Peck, a former aide to Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll who ran for the GOP Assembly nomination in the 23rd district last year.”

“In a fortunate coincidence, Fader’s new legal work reportedly includes a contact with the South Jersey Transportation Authority, which was approved by the Governor’s office prior to Fader signing up with the firm. The Governor’s office also signed off on the appointment of James Stettner as Chief of Security of the Delaware River Joint Toll Commission; Stettner is a Phillipsburg Councilman and was Council President when Perrucci was named redeveloper for several parts of the town, including a brownfield site that had been set aside for the New Jersey Transp;ortation Museum [the museum that the Billybytes publications founder and founding member of the Warren County Paulinskill Valley Trail Committee, now Easton resident Billy Givens, successfully lobbied for nearly 20 years ago].”

“The site was to be purchased with a combination of county funds and an $800,000 state Economic Development Fund grant approved a few years ago. The state has since backed off its funding commitment and Perucci is interested in developing riverfront condominiums instead.” [Doesn’t this have the ring of Ashley Development’s Riverport condos overlooking the Lehigh River in South Bethlehem and the Riverwalk condos project of Arcadia Properties, Lafayette College, Northampton County and its seat the City of Easton, Easton Parking Authority, Easton Redevelopment Authority, and Lehigh and Northampton County Transporation Authority - with at least $2 million of Congressionally appropriated funds secured by Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senators Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum and a $9 million Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ) grant from Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell?]

“Fader has developed a certain affinity for Warren County over the last few years. He helped push through legislation that assured Warren would get two of the five Commissioner slots on the DRJTC. The commission recently purged some Republican appointees, induding the former Mercer County Executive Robert Prunetti. This has enhanced Perrucci’s ability to deliver some jobs at the DRJTC. Steinhardt’s father, Hackettstown (and Pohatcong) municipal Court Judge Joseph Steinhardt, is reportedly Perrucci’s choice to replace Robert Ellwood as the Phillipsburg Municipal Court Judge.”

The only protection that citizens of Northampton County have against corrupt politicians like Michael Perrucci is a hand-shake “agreement” between him and Bethlehem City Councilman Robert Donchez who cast the deciding swing vote of 4-3 defeating the zoning amendment introduced by Councilmen Joseph Leeson and Gordon Mower that would have prohibited the siting of a slot machine gambling casino on the site of the defunct Bethlehem Steel Corporation.

“