Councilman gets donations from 4 new candidates
TRENTON » Four candidates running for City Council seats have contributed $6,600 in donations to Zachary Chester’s war chest, stirring speculation the political Fab Five are part of a secret slate helping boost the sitting council president to a re-election win.
In an interview with The Trentonian, Chester denied he made any secret pact with the foursome that may help him maintain control of his council president title.
Chester explained the money from them is earmarked for a tag-team “get out the vote” event with candidates Elvin Montero, Taiwanda Terry-Wilson, Jenna Kettenburg and Rachel Cogsville-Lattimer. Chester teamed up with the candidates for the event because he feels they’ll work collaboratively on City Council if elected.
“It just makes sense to partner,” Chester said.
The alignment between the candidates rankled South Ward Councilman George Muschal, who didn’t buy the “get out the vote” explanation. He believes his South Ward challenger Kettenburg and other candidates are “wheelin’ and dealin’” for Chester.
“If they can’t handle their own funding, how they gonna handle the taxpayers?” said Muschal, who dubbed himself a statesman and suggested the political Fab Five were acting like usual corrupt politicians. “There has to be something in it for the people involved in it. You don’t have to have blinders to see what they’re gonna do if they get on. It’s a bad start.”
Candidates interviewed by The Trentonian maintained they’re independent of Chester and explained it’s easier to funnel the money for the event to Chester to streamline coordination of the event.
The donations came to light as part of the campaign report Chester filed this month with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission. The donations also appeared in some of the candidates’ reports, but others did not mention the contributions to Chester in filings, giving off the impression they were intentionally hiding them.
Chester has brought in nearly as much money in donations as this year’s top-getter in the mayoral race, 2014 third-place finisher Walker Worthy, who is backed by the county Democratic machine.
Chester reported receiving $42,410 in donations, according to his campaign report, with a total draw of $45,448 which included $3,308 in funds he transferred from his last campaign. That actually elevated him over Worthy’s $43,605.
Chester, who still has $20,150 left, built up his kitty pile by drawing significant sums from the four council candidates.
Both at-large candidates Montero and CogsvilleLattimer each chipped in $2,200 to Chester, according to the reports. Montero reported the donation in his April 9 filing.
Cogsville, an investigator for the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency, last publicly available campaign report on the ELEC’s website is from March. Her April 2 payment to Chester doesn’t appear on that filing. Efforts to reach her through a campaign representative were unsuccessful.
Kettenburg, an investigator for the state public defender’s office running in the South Ward, raised $1,227 for her own campaign. Her $1,100 payment was listed in Chester’s campaign report as coming from Jenna for South Ward Council, the name of her website.
Muschal’s camp wondered how she afforded to kick $1,100 to Chester after she reportedly paid $800 for an event and claimed to have only $240 remaining in her campaign coffers.
Kettenburg, a political newcomer endorsed by the Trenton Education Association who is challenging the established Muschal, owned up to the fact that the $1,100 donation to Chester doesn’t appear in the contributions to other candidates section of her April filing. She plans to amend it to address discrepancies.
“There’s really nothing to it,” she said, dismissing Muschal’s stink fit.
Terry-Wilson, who is running in the East Ward and reported bringing in $2,546, documented the $1,100 she kicked to Chester. She has only $630 left in her war chest.
Montero has tallied $39,259 in contributions, according to his report, and still has $27,430 left after expenses. He explained he’s doing “everything above board” and the collaborative event is about getting candidates the “most bang for their buck,” dismissing any talk of collusion.
“This is all about getting out the votes,” he said. ”We continue to be independentminded.”
Besides the four candidates, Chester has received contributions from county freeholder Anthony Verrelli ($250), county personnel director Raissa Walker ($25), the former girlfriend of alleged sexual harassing airport boss Stanley Patterson; mayoral candidates Duncan Harrison ($50) and Reed Gusciora ($25), former mayor Doug Palmer ($500), former councilwoman and Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson ($25), retired shareholder Albert Stark of law firm Stark & Stark ($500) and former U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli ($100).
Chester previously voted to approve a 10-year tax abatement for Torricelli’s property at 101 South Warren Street.