Behind the scenes in the struggle over a strict pay-to-play campaign finance law in Mount Laurel.

A Mount Laurel special election on February 1, costing taxpayers as much as $150,000, got no mention on the official Township website or in the official January newsletter mailed to residents.

Ashlyn Grisetti, the Township's full-time director of communications, oversees the channels that inform residents of municipal news and events.

But Grisetti also was involved at another level in the special election, which asked voters if they wanted to adopt a law that would restrict the amount of some campaign donations to local candidates. She is the treasurer of Garden State Millennials, a political committee that contributed $7,200 to Mount Laurel Progress, the political committee that was fiercely fighting adoption of the ordinance, urging residents to vote it down.

The ordinance, which grew from a petition drive led by local Republicans last summer, was adopted overwhelmingly by Mount Laurel voters in a 4,375-to-725 tally, according to official election results released by Burlington County this week.

Grisetti's role in the campaign fighting the ordinance, and her duties to inform Township residents, came under fire at this week's meeting of Township Council, which is made up of all Democrats.

"We have a severely conflicted director of communications," resident Bob Reillo of Cascade Drive told the Council during the public comment period. "She serves as communications director for all the people of Mount Laurel. Not just the Democrats."

Reillo called on the Council to investigate Grisetti, who took the municipal job in January 2021 and is paid $64,707 a year, according to the Township.

Council members and Township officials told Reillo that, if there is an investigation, it is a personnel matter and would not be made public.

However, Mayor Kareem Pritchett indicated that serving as communications director and being involved in Garden State Millennials are two separate things.

"What she does on her free time is her own business," Pritchett told Reillo at the meeting.

Voicemail and email messages to Grisetti from 70and73.com this week were not returned.

New law bites deeply into election money

The new pay-to-play ordinance went into effect after the vote and cannot be changed for three years, Council members noted this week. The pay-to-play law restricts the amount of money professional firms such as engineers and lawyers can contribute to local candidates. If they contribute beyond the limit, the Township cannot hire them. 

"This ordinance would limit the ability of those seeking to perform work or business for the Township of Mount Laurel to contribute to political parties running for election in Mount Laurel," the petition that forced the election stated. "The limits on donations to candidates for Township Council or their affiliates will help avoid improper influence in local elections."

Mount Laurel Progress sent out mailers and established a website to fight the new law before the special election. Mount Laurel Progress is run by two people who do not live in Mount Laurel. Michael "Mickey" Quinn, of Bordentown, is the Mount Laurel Progress chairperson, and Miranda Meyers, of South Orange, Essex County, is the treasurer, according to a disclosure document filed on January 13 with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC). 

Quinn, owner of MQ Strategies, was described as "the implementer of (George) Norcross' local politics," in the New Jersey Globe's Power List, published in December. Quinn "heads up George Norcross' political operation," the Globe reported in its list. Quinn has told 70and73.com that he would not comment on his relationship with the South Jersey Democratic powerbroker.

Meyers lists herself as a "political consultant" in her LinkedIn profile and for more than a year, between 2019 and 2021, served as legislative aide to Assemblywoman Carol Murphy, a Mount Laurel Democrat.

Contributing to the law's opponent

In a February 1 filing with ELEC, Mount Laurel Progress reported two contributions: one of $7,200 from Garden State Millennials and another of $7,200 from NJ Voice Inc.

NJ Voice is the political committee operated by Mount Holly-based engineering firm Alaimo Group, which over the years has served as an engineer for the Township and Planning Board as well as the Mount Laurel Municipal Utilities Authority. NJ Voice also in November 2020 contributed $5,000 to Garden State Millennials.

Garden State Millennials operates from a South Maple Avenue address in Maple Shade, according to a committee disclosure form filed with ELEC on January 22. 

Grisetti is listed as the treasurer, at the same address on Larchmont Place in Mount Laurel as the Garden State Millennial chairperson, Rajpal S. Bath, who is employed as an aide to Gov. Phil Murphy.

The two were political science majors at Hofstra University at the same time as Mount Laurel Deputy Mayor Stephen Steglik, who until January was the mayor. Steglik graduated from the Long Island college in 2013, Bath in 2014 and Grisetti in 2015, according to their LinkedIn profiles. Steglik and Bath also are 2008 graduates of Maple Shade High School.

A 70and73.com email seeking comment from Steglik went unanswered this week.

Contentious Council meeting

The public comment segment of the Township Council meeting on Monday night proved to be a hot one for both the public and the elected officials.

Andrew Gaus, a Republican who was one of the leaders of the petition drive, was the first to the microphone and pushed the Council on the newly adopted ordinance.

"This meeting will not be for personal agendas," Mayor Pritchett told Gaus.

Gaus responded: "It is not a personal agenda. It is the agenda of Mount Laurel Township."

The mayor, apparently referring to the election, said "You already got what you wanted, right?"

"No, I didn't get everything I want," Gaus said. "I want you (the mayor) and the deputy mayor (Steglik) to give back $63,000 that you raised (in campaign contributions) since November 1 of last year that you would have been unable to raise if this ordinance had been adopted."

Township attorney George M. Morris, of the Parker McCay law firm, told Gaus that the ordinance was certified as of February 14 and, moving forward, "both parties will play by the rules on the books."

The back-and-forth discussion between Gaus and Pritchett continued until the mayor pronounced: "Due to the circumstances, if anybody has any other questions that they would like, please email the town manager, and, at this time, the public participation of this meeting is now closed."

That drew jeers from the audience, with one man shouting "Hey, c'mon!"

After a minute, the public participation continued.

"Never in my life have I seen a public participation portion of a meeting to be shut down," Larry Chatzidakis, of Stokes Road, said from the microphone. "It's a disgrace."