The Money Prince and The Moral Pauper: Why Congressman Robert Andrews Wants Jon Corzine's Senate Seat
"We've gone from a being a beacon of opportunity to being a symbol of arrogance," says Congressman Robert Andrews.
Of course, Mr. Andrews would know best in his Congressional stewardship over southern New Jersey - a quiet natural disaster if there ever was one.
While Mr. Andrews' comments were quite correctly directed at President Bush’s ineptitude and fortitude for dishonesty, no less can be said of Congressman Andrews: what does southern New Jersey get for its federal tax dollars?
One of the best ways to measure Mr. Andrews is the local rail service, PATCO, in the Congressman’s district and the Delaware River Port Authority that manages that train service.
PATCO is a multi-faceted abyss of financial dishonesty that has killed at least one life - Christine Eberle - and arguably swindled millions of dollars. New Jersey residents faithfully pay to ride the train but they do not get much in return. For over 40 years, the service has been left to deteriorate to such an extent that - even in light of recent improvements - PATCO is unarguably one of the shabbiest train services of its kind.
Elderly women are left stranded on platforms by the trains that do not stop at the ‘Board Here’ locations. Elderly men have train doors slammed on them even though the train operator is standing less than 20 feet away watching the man attempting to board.
The disabled routinely must 'run' down the platforms in what can only be described as a macabre scene as the trains routinely fail to stop properly...or anywhere near the passenger seating areas on the platform.
In Camden, overdosed drug addicts from a methadone clinic are left comatose on the City Hall station platform. When informed of the medical emergency, PATCO train operators do nothing. They simply close the doors and pull away.
DRPA police harass individuals who complain about these antics. In a September incident, a DRPA police officer chased a man down Market Street in Camden - with his hand on his gun - for doing nothing more than criticizing the police officer for filing a knowingly false police report. A week earlier, the same individual had been hit by a PATCO train while attempting to board it in Philadelphia. In order to cover up the incident, and protect his employer, the DRPA police officer falsified the victim’s statement on the police report in order to render the incident impossible to investigate. (The technique is a notorious tactic within the railroad industry.)
Brand new escalators do not work a substantial amount of time. Most of the stations are not handicap accessible decades after federal law mandated such accessibility. And where elevators do exist, they are poorly sized to accommodate wheelchairs, neglected in routine cleaning, and in fetid condition. Puddles of human urine are not uncommon.
While improvements have been made, they are woefully minor and cosmetic. Which describes the bulk of Robert Andrews tenure in the United States Congress. Has he done any good? Well, of course. It’s hard not to when you are a Congressman. But is any of that work socially beneficial to his overall constituency? Hardly.
When asked to investigate disability discrimination in employment within his own district, Mr. Andrews would not return telephone calls or electronic mail. It is a common response from the Congressman’s staff. But that is not entirely surprising. In 2001, members of Congressman Andrews' staff attempted to embroil a disabled Camden County resident in an embezzlement scam that involved - fascinatingly - both the Legislative Aide for Mr. Andrews and the DRPA.
The disabled person was asked to participate in an office kiting real estate scheme at 527 Cooper Street in Camden. The scam involved renting the same office over and over to unsuspecting lawyers. Notably, the office was rented to Pennsylvania attorneys wishing to establish bona fide offices in New Jersey - an office that they really had no need for other than to comply with New Jersey rules of court. Essentially, it was an empty room. Except the same empty room was rented repetitively. The empty law office that could. Until a mysterious employee of the Delaware River Port Authority stumbled along.
That employee was a lawyer. Just like Congressman Robert Andrews.
While working for DRPA/PATCO, the lawyer set up shop at 527 Cooper Street. In actuality, he was practicing law while working down the street at the official DRPA headquarters - except he was no lawyer for the DRPA. He was a patronage employee with close ties to Mr. Andrews’ Legislative Aide, David Mayer. And the lawyer did - in his own words - “nothing” from 9 to 5 while on the taxpayer clock. “I don’t know what my job title is,” the lawyer said about his DRPA employ. “I don’t have one.” A brief self-conscious pause ensued followed by “I guess.”
So, to whittle away the hours, the DRPA employee ran his law practice instead on the taxpayer dime. To comply with Ethics laws, the lawyer could not use the DRPA offices as his address. So he created an office at 527 Cooper Street - the same office rented to numerous unsuspecting individuals, all unaware of each other, all at the same time.
When the disabled individual caught wind of the scam, Congressman Andrews' staff did an interesting thing. “David Mayer wants to see your resume. He’s the Legislative Aide for Rob Andrews.” Oh. Mr. Mayer did not want to see the resume before the scam had been exposed, only after the disabled individual refused to participate.
It was unclear at the time whether Mr. Mayer was actively the Legislative Aide for Congressman Andrews - the House.gov website for Congressman Andrews did list Mr. Mayer as the Legislative Aide even after the 2001 office rental scam. However, other websites are less clear as to whether Mr. Mayer was both Clerk of Camden County and Congressman Andrews' Legislative Aide when the office scam was foisted. Either way, there is no dispute that Mr. Mayer is an Assemblyman in the State of New Jersey Legislature.
What remains interesting about the resume request is that it was delivered by the same DRPA employee who substantively did nothing from 9 to 5 at the DRPA. Just days after the request for the resume, a warning followed once the resume had been forwarded. And it concerned not exposing the office rental scam. “I wouldn’t make too much out of this if I were you,” the DRPA employee said, not once, but over and over.
In short, the DRPA employee was strong-arming the disabled individual with promises from Congressman Andrews' staff - current or former - for employment while simultaneously demanding that the disabled individual participate in the office renting scam at 527 Cooper Street in Camden. The disabled individual had thought his refusal was final, only to have the matter resurrected after forwarding the resume.
When the disabled individual picked up the phone and called David Mayer at the Camden County Clerk's Office, Mr. Mayer refused to accept the telephone calls or return them. Which is odd. A county government official refuses to return telephone calls from a Camden County resident - especially when the Camden County resident had never called before? Nor indicated what the matter was about? Nor did any member of Congressman Andrew’s staff return the call?
No. And they would never do so again. Such is the retribution for not participating in Congressional antics.
Apparently, Mr. Mayer did not want to confirm his involvement in the 527 Cooper Street scam. Mr. Mayer certainly did not want to deny his involvement - the disabled Camden County resident did offer that opportunity. Afterall, that is precisely why the telephone calls were placed.
The DRPA is a federally funded agency operating in Congressman Robert Andrews' district. PATCO is a train service that garners a high volume of cash, virtually all of it within Congressman Andrews' district. Some of that money appears to disappear willy-nilly into the private pockets of patronage benefactors for the Camden County Democratic Party. Afterall, the DRPA bought a boat - now rotting in the Delaware River - that was supposed to be turned into an educational facility. Unfortunately, the funds went elsewhere. Where, exactly, no one seems to be asking. But it is safe to say that the pockets were personal benefactors of the Democratic Party and its membership. At the very least, the DRPA employee who foisted the office rental scam is a personal benefactor of the Democratic Party - and, viola, David Mayer’s political career. The DRPA employee has donated to Mr. Mayer’s campaigns.
Sadly, the matter is no different than federally funded employers during World War II when they refused to hire Jewish workers. Or Black workers. But, under certain circumstances, they would exploit them. The matter was so distended in an indentical manner to the Andrews/Mayer/office rental scam that even Dr. Seuss, Theodor Geisel, lampooned the practice in editorial cartoons proclaiming "No Negros Need Apply" and "No Jews Need Apply" to war production factories.
While being disabled, or a former Veterans/Social Security disability recipient, is not exactly like being Black or Jewish in 1930s America (more aptly, the South), it certainly is not far from the mark. And one need not live anywhere other than Camden County, New Jersey, to feel the sting.
By elegant analogy, the DRPA illustrates how Congressman Robert Andrews and his emeritus staff choose to operate. Can we expect any different in the Senate?
Probably not. As you can see, Congressman Robert Andrews wants to enlarge his territory. But is that to represent or to swindle?
- Qi
Of course, Mr. Andrews would know best in his Congressional stewardship over southern New Jersey - a quiet natural disaster if there ever was one.
While Mr. Andrews' comments were quite correctly directed at President Bush’s ineptitude and fortitude for dishonesty, no less can be said of Congressman Andrews: what does southern New Jersey get for its federal tax dollars?
One of the best ways to measure Mr. Andrews is the local rail service, PATCO, in the Congressman’s district and the Delaware River Port Authority that manages that train service.
PATCO is a multi-faceted abyss of financial dishonesty that has killed at least one life - Christine Eberle - and arguably swindled millions of dollars. New Jersey residents faithfully pay to ride the train but they do not get much in return. For over 40 years, the service has been left to deteriorate to such an extent that - even in light of recent improvements - PATCO is unarguably one of the shabbiest train services of its kind.
Elderly women are left stranded on platforms by the trains that do not stop at the ‘Board Here’ locations. Elderly men have train doors slammed on them even though the train operator is standing less than 20 feet away watching the man attempting to board.
The disabled routinely must 'run' down the platforms in what can only be described as a macabre scene as the trains routinely fail to stop properly...or anywhere near the passenger seating areas on the platform.
In Camden, overdosed drug addicts from a methadone clinic are left comatose on the City Hall station platform. When informed of the medical emergency, PATCO train operators do nothing. They simply close the doors and pull away.
DRPA police harass individuals who complain about these antics. In a September incident, a DRPA police officer chased a man down Market Street in Camden - with his hand on his gun - for doing nothing more than criticizing the police officer for filing a knowingly false police report. A week earlier, the same individual had been hit by a PATCO train while attempting to board it in Philadelphia. In order to cover up the incident, and protect his employer, the DRPA police officer falsified the victim’s statement on the police report in order to render the incident impossible to investigate. (The technique is a notorious tactic within the railroad industry.)
Brand new escalators do not work a substantial amount of time. Most of the stations are not handicap accessible decades after federal law mandated such accessibility. And where elevators do exist, they are poorly sized to accommodate wheelchairs, neglected in routine cleaning, and in fetid condition. Puddles of human urine are not uncommon.
While improvements have been made, they are woefully minor and cosmetic. Which describes the bulk of Robert Andrews tenure in the United States Congress. Has he done any good? Well, of course. It’s hard not to when you are a Congressman. But is any of that work socially beneficial to his overall constituency? Hardly.
When asked to investigate disability discrimination in employment within his own district, Mr. Andrews would not return telephone calls or electronic mail. It is a common response from the Congressman’s staff. But that is not entirely surprising. In 2001, members of Congressman Andrews' staff attempted to embroil a disabled Camden County resident in an embezzlement scam that involved - fascinatingly - both the Legislative Aide for Mr. Andrews and the DRPA.
The disabled person was asked to participate in an office kiting real estate scheme at 527 Cooper Street in Camden. The scam involved renting the same office over and over to unsuspecting lawyers. Notably, the office was rented to Pennsylvania attorneys wishing to establish bona fide offices in New Jersey - an office that they really had no need for other than to comply with New Jersey rules of court. Essentially, it was an empty room. Except the same empty room was rented repetitively. The empty law office that could. Until a mysterious employee of the Delaware River Port Authority stumbled along.
That employee was a lawyer. Just like Congressman Robert Andrews.
While working for DRPA/PATCO, the lawyer set up shop at 527 Cooper Street. In actuality, he was practicing law while working down the street at the official DRPA headquarters - except he was no lawyer for the DRPA. He was a patronage employee with close ties to Mr. Andrews’ Legislative Aide, David Mayer. And the lawyer did - in his own words - “nothing” from 9 to 5 while on the taxpayer clock. “I don’t know what my job title is,” the lawyer said about his DRPA employ. “I don’t have one.” A brief self-conscious pause ensued followed by “I guess.”
So, to whittle away the hours, the DRPA employee ran his law practice instead on the taxpayer dime. To comply with Ethics laws, the lawyer could not use the DRPA offices as his address. So he created an office at 527 Cooper Street - the same office rented to numerous unsuspecting individuals, all unaware of each other, all at the same time.
When the disabled individual caught wind of the scam, Congressman Andrews' staff did an interesting thing. “David Mayer wants to see your resume. He’s the Legislative Aide for Rob Andrews.” Oh. Mr. Mayer did not want to see the resume before the scam had been exposed, only after the disabled individual refused to participate.
It was unclear at the time whether Mr. Mayer was actively the Legislative Aide for Congressman Andrews - the House.gov website for Congressman Andrews did list Mr. Mayer as the Legislative Aide even after the 2001 office rental scam. However, other websites are less clear as to whether Mr. Mayer was both Clerk of Camden County and Congressman Andrews' Legislative Aide when the office scam was foisted. Either way, there is no dispute that Mr. Mayer is an Assemblyman in the State of New Jersey Legislature.
What remains interesting about the resume request is that it was delivered by the same DRPA employee who substantively did nothing from 9 to 5 at the DRPA. Just days after the request for the resume, a warning followed once the resume had been forwarded. And it concerned not exposing the office rental scam. “I wouldn’t make too much out of this if I were you,” the DRPA employee said, not once, but over and over.
In short, the DRPA employee was strong-arming the disabled individual with promises from Congressman Andrews' staff - current or former - for employment while simultaneously demanding that the disabled individual participate in the office renting scam at 527 Cooper Street in Camden. The disabled individual had thought his refusal was final, only to have the matter resurrected after forwarding the resume.
When the disabled individual picked up the phone and called David Mayer at the Camden County Clerk's Office, Mr. Mayer refused to accept the telephone calls or return them. Which is odd. A county government official refuses to return telephone calls from a Camden County resident - especially when the Camden County resident had never called before? Nor indicated what the matter was about? Nor did any member of Congressman Andrew’s staff return the call?
No. And they would never do so again. Such is the retribution for not participating in Congressional antics.
Apparently, Mr. Mayer did not want to confirm his involvement in the 527 Cooper Street scam. Mr. Mayer certainly did not want to deny his involvement - the disabled Camden County resident did offer that opportunity. Afterall, that is precisely why the telephone calls were placed.
The DRPA is a federally funded agency operating in Congressman Robert Andrews' district. PATCO is a train service that garners a high volume of cash, virtually all of it within Congressman Andrews' district. Some of that money appears to disappear willy-nilly into the private pockets of patronage benefactors for the Camden County Democratic Party. Afterall, the DRPA bought a boat - now rotting in the Delaware River - that was supposed to be turned into an educational facility. Unfortunately, the funds went elsewhere. Where, exactly, no one seems to be asking. But it is safe to say that the pockets were personal benefactors of the Democratic Party and its membership. At the very least, the DRPA employee who foisted the office rental scam is a personal benefactor of the Democratic Party - and, viola, David Mayer’s political career. The DRPA employee has donated to Mr. Mayer’s campaigns.
Sadly, the matter is no different than federally funded employers during World War II when they refused to hire Jewish workers. Or Black workers. But, under certain circumstances, they would exploit them. The matter was so distended in an indentical manner to the Andrews/Mayer/office rental scam that even Dr. Seuss, Theodor Geisel, lampooned the practice in editorial cartoons proclaiming "No Negros Need Apply" and "No Jews Need Apply" to war production factories.
While being disabled, or a former Veterans/Social Security disability recipient, is not exactly like being Black or Jewish in 1930s America (more aptly, the South), it certainly is not far from the mark. And one need not live anywhere other than Camden County, New Jersey, to feel the sting.
By elegant analogy, the DRPA illustrates how Congressman Robert Andrews and his emeritus staff choose to operate. Can we expect any different in the Senate?
Probably not. As you can see, Congressman Robert Andrews wants to enlarge his territory. But is that to represent or to swindle?
- Qi
posted by Qi at 2:10 PM
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