Joe DeMarco Law Firm's Donation to Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski Campaign Places Campaign's Funding Under Microscope

City council president Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski is in hot water over a payment made by the Joe DeMarco law firm to a political action committee (PAC) that previously helped two of her council candidates in the board of education election. The Matawan-based legal firm Cleary, Giacobbe, Alfieri, and Jacobs, including former special redevelopment counsel and Ashe-Nadrowski campaign manager Joe DeMarco, donated $2,600 to America’s Future First in June 2021.

The situation in this municipal election is critical. It is suspected that the Joe DeMarco law firm obtained a contract earlier this year due to a $2,600 donation to a super PAC that endorsed the “Together We Can” board of education team last year. According to the federal election commission records, the Washington, D.C.-based PAC spent exorbitant amounts on campaign mailers in 2021. The data shows that in 2021, Gateway Media LLC received four cash payments of roughly $104,000.

The suspicion is that a considerable amount from the PAC was used to aid the “Together We Can” platform, which did not receive the mayor’s endorsement and was suspected of being financed by some of New Jersey’s most significant pay-to-play contributors to win re-election in November 2021. The amount is claimed to be around $88,000. The board of education president, Maria Valado, and the trustee, Jodi Casais, are competing for the city council with Ashe-Nadrowski on the “Let’s Fix Bayonne Together” plan, are on target. On the other hand, the FEC lists the transactions as “other” and does not identify Casais or Valado. While the PAC was proven to have funded at least one mailer supporting the “Together We Can” platform in the state board of education vote, the amount of their engagement is not disclosed in the FEC filings. Nevertheless, Valado and Casais were re-elected, which is assumed to be because of the PAC’s assistance, and Ashe-Nadrowski was able to take control of the board of education.

This isn’t the first or only time this came up. Patrick Leonard, an ex-City Hall employee, eventually sued the City of Bayonne for the suspected pay-to-play scheme. In return, Joe DeMarco countersued Leonard for defamation. Both Leonard and DeMarco won their suits, with DeMarco being awarded $3,000 and Leonard being awarded $125,000. Patrick Leonard was not allowed to cash out on his suit winnings before he paid Joe DeMarco. However, of the issue, Leonard had the following to say:

“I stand by every statement I ever made: If I was wrong why did they settle? The only reason I agreed to allow anyone else be part of this was to expedite the dragged out lawyer shenanigans. They are still playing games because I haven’t seen any compensation.”

In February of this year, the board of education granted a contract with Cleary, Giacobbe, Alfieri, and Jacobs, which is Joe DeMarco’s law firm, which paid the company around $40,000. It is assumed that the law firm’s earlier $2,600 fund impacted the selection of the contract, and Joe DeMarco, who is Ashe-Nadrowski’s campaign manager, profited from the contract. Furthermore, the transaction is labeled as “primary,” and the FEC form makes absolutely no reference to the board of education election. The timeline of “Together We Can ” and the donation are different. Yet, the accusations are that the contribution to America’s Future First was why Joe DeMarco’s law firm grabbed the contract.

The furious opposition is pointing it out loudly and passing on extreme statements like it’s totally ridiculous for Sharon Nadrowski to talk about disclosure while being fueled by Joe DeMarco and a hidden network of many dark money super PACs. Voters in Bayonne have a right to know who is behind Nadrowski’s filthy campaign, but she refuses to reveal who is funding her. It is also suspected that development firms looking to grow in Bayonne districts are participating in her dark money PAC. Questions are attacking Nadrowski: Why would anyone ever presume she would speak for the locals if she refuses to uncover her wealthy donors? And Bayonne citizens have a right to ask, and they will not rest until Nadrowski’s corrupt network of dark money and pay-to-play is unveiled.

Though this PAC was not engaged in this election, the issue of similar organizations and political contributions has been a source of debate throughout the campaign. However, this one is the fourth political action committee to surface in Bayonne.

The first was the Government for the People PAC, founded by retired state Senator Ray Lesniak to aid Davis’s candidacy for a third term but was canceled when political strategist Sean Caddle admitted to a criminal conspiracy. Before the plug was pulled, the PAC paid Caddle $2,500.

The political action committee Citizens backed the “Dirty Davis” ad campaign in 2021 and 2022 for Strength and Security Fund. A couple of mailings supporting Ashe-Nadrowski were sent out by the committee to advance the New Jersey PAC. It is believed that she is behind the PACs and was asked for a list of sources to be publicly disclosed, despite the Ashe-Nadrowski denials.

There is nothing novel in Bayonne about trading political payments for contracts. The city’s garbage and recycling collection contracts were allocated to A + L Disposal LLC in June 2021, the same month founder Joseph Bolowski bought a new utility vehicle for the office of emergency management. According to the city, the contribution was withdrawn, although Ashe-Nadrowski claimed that the council was unaware of it at the time.