Sarah Rice/For the Star-LedgerEssex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., speaks during an assembly in this 2009 photo.
He earns a base salary of $153,000. on top of that, he collects a pension of $69,000. yes, it is odd that a man could take retirement benefits before retiring, but this is new Jersey and that is the law. that pushes DiVincenzo’s annual take to $222,000.
Now for the really sweet part: he also has a magic credit card that allows him to buy airline tickets, meals at fancy restaurants and golf outings — all paid for with political donations. In the past decade, DiVincenzo has run up a bill of about $250,000 on the magic card, according to a review of public documents by the Star-Ledger’s Matt Friedman.
What’s included? at this point, the public can get only a peek at a four-month period, from may to September of last year.
During that time, he charged 110 meals to the card, a pace that makes him a one-man economic stimulus plan for the region’s restaurants and pubs.
The flight to Puerto Rico was for the annual Super Bowl weekend, where DiVincenzo presides over a meeting of his political allies. And there was golf, 28 times.
Even DiVincenzo couldn’t justify his use of the magic card for his health club membership, so he reimbursed that money after the Election Law Enforcement Commission started asking for records. same goes for use of the card to buy a tuxedo.
One thing is for sure: this limited peek at DiVincenzo’s use of the magic card is alarming enough to warrant an investigation by the commission, or the state attorney general, or both.
Because even for this four-month period, we don’t know enough. for example, who were those fancy meals with? DiVincenzo won’t say, but it obviously matters a great deal. If he’s meeting with a campaign adviser, that’s legit. If he’s dining with his wife, it’s not.
This is a common foible for politicians. U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-1st Dist.) recently reimbursed campaign funds he used to pay for a family trip to Scotland for the wedding of a donor’s daughter. In 2005, former Assemblyman Anthony Impreveduto (D-Hudson) was imprisoned for using campaign funds to cover taxes and other personal expenses.
Give DiVincenzo this much: the legal line on these matters can be opaque and it’s not clear yet whether he broke the rules, which allow the use of campaign donations for “ordinary and necessary expenses of holding public office.”
But this clearly fails the smell test. so bring on the investigators.
Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo’s ‘magic credit card’ merits investigation