BARON HISTORY RELEVANT to BENCIVENGO LJUBA Scandal?

Well, the leaves are changing color and dropping daily.  The mums are in full bloom and "silly season" has clearly arrived. 

This year’s race for Mayor of New Jersey's 9th largest municipality is unlike any other. Sure the Baron AA story gently rocked the Hamilton political scene after the club was raided in 1998. After the Baron publicity mounted for months, longtime Hamilton Mayor, John "Jack Rafferty, announced that he was retiring from politics and would not seek a 7th term.  Somewhat predictably, the Democrats easily won the 1999 election and assumed control of the Hamilton Municipal Building.

Despite the magnitude of the Baron scandal, Hamilton had never seen a sitting Mayor indicted, convicted and jailed, until former Mayor, John Bencivengo, disgraced "America's Favorite Hometown" in 2012.

The Baron episode played out for well over a year during 1998 and 1999.  The news media's appetite for recounting the well known membership, gambling, and the Attorney General's investigation seemed insatiable at times.  The Bencivengo scandal also received the bright light treatment from the media.  Locally, however, there seem to be several significant differences.  One obvious difference is the involvement of the FBI in the Bencivengo matter.  A second difference is that the Bencivengo - Warney - Ljuba scandal dealt directly with political corruption and bribes rather then alleged gambling activities. The 3rd and perhaps most significant difference is that in the late 1990's Hamilton had its own local cable news outlet, WZBN, which drove and reported the story virtually on a daily basis.

So, Hamilton Mayor, John Bencivengo was arrested and charged with 5 Federal crimes on April 26, 2012.  A United States District Court Grand Jury indicted Bencivengo on 5 counts of corruption on June 21, 2012.  A jury of his peers heard riveting testimony from Ms. Marliese Ljuba and listened to dozens of surreptitious recordings of Bencivengo's discussions. Then Bencivengo was convicted on all counts of the indictment on November 20, 2012 and resigned his office the following day.  On March 13, 2013, Hamilton's former disgraced Mayor was sentenced to 38 months of imprisonment.

 Will the results of the 2013 election mirror that of the 1999 election?  Will the scandal of the prior year once again sweep out an incumbent Republican Administration?  It is interesting that the two largest scandals ever affecting the Hamilton political scene both occurred in the midst of a perceived Republican stranglehold on the Township government.

Does absolute power really corrupt absolutely?  I imagine that at 10 pm, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of this November, most of these questions will be answered by the voters of Hamilton Township.