Jeff Kasko Denies Knowledge of Illegal Donations to 2009 Campaign

Haddonfield Mayor Jeff Kasko said he was not aware of contributions funneled illegally to his 2009 campaign for borough commissioner, contributions that have led to criminal charges against a Monmouth County engineering firm.

Kasko said $2,100 donated to his successful first run for commissioner was given in sums of less than $300. As such, the donations did not need to be declared with the name of the donor on required state election financing filings.

Kasko, who was re-elected to the borough Board of Commissioners in May and subsequently appointed mayor by the board, said he knew most of the people who contributed to his initial campaign. But a quarter of his $8,283 raised came from contributions from employees of Birdsall Services Group, an Eatontown engineering firm.

A recent report in the Star-Ledger uncovered ledgers of payments to Birdsall employees who made the contributions and were reimbursed by the company, a violation of state campaign financing laws. The Star-Ledger called the donations “secret contributions” that many political candidates may not have known about.

The scheme created a “perfect political machine” that skirted the law for years, the newspaper noted.

No politicians have been charged with wrongdoing.

“I obviously had no idea Birdsall or anyone else was doing this,” Kasko said recently. “You can’t do that, and they got caught.

“They must have kept a meticulous list and eight or nine people who gave me checks totaled $2,100. I wouldn’t take a $2,100 contribution from anyone. All my contributions are $100 or $150.”

Kasko said he didn’t think any action, such as returning the funds, was needed.

“I think law enforcement is taking care of it on their part,” Kasko said. “All my contributions are under $300. Birdsall is not hired by the borough of Haddonfield. The borough never employed them, so I see no need for further action.”

Kasko said only accepting small contributions presents a “constant battle” to raise enough money for a campaign.

“In 2009, I’m going out against incumbents who had raised $23,000 and $25,000 dollars. That whole chase for money is just ridiculous. When doing it in increments of $50 or $100 it’s a constant chase, a constant battle. You’re chasing the dollars and the money is coming in and it’s all in a condensed two- or three-month period.”

Two Haddonfield entries appear on the Star-Ledger’s donation list: Kasko and Joann Gurelian, whose campaign received $1,800 in Birdsall-connected donations in the 2009 election, the newspaper reports. Gurelian didn’t win a commissioner seat.

Sixty-one Camden County politicians and political groups in all received the illegal Birdsall donations, according to the Star-Ledger.

Birdsall has been under investigation for skirting the state's pay-to-play laws by allegedly reimbursing its employees for their personal, nonreportable political contributions.

In the scheme, instead of the company making corporate political contributions to campaigns and political organizations that would disqualify it from public contracts awarded by certain government agencies, shareholders and employees of the firm allegedly made personal political contributions of $300 or less, which are deemed nonreportable, according to the attorney general's office.

Under state law, personal political contributions less than $300 do not have to be reported to the state Election Law Enforcement Commission.

The state's Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau obtained a nine-count state grand jury indictment in March charging Birdsall Services Group and several employees and shareholders.

The company pleaded guilty to money laundering and making false representations for government contracts. Under a plea deal, the firm paid $1 million in criminal fines, plus another $2.6 million in civil fines, and is banned from public contracts for a decade.