Cherry Hill no-bid contract records subpoenaed

Federal investigators have subpoenaed Cherry Hill officials, seeking "all documents" related to no-bid professional contracts going back more than five years, a township spokesman said yesterday.

The inquiry by U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie arrived on Aug. 5. It comes as the township faces a lawsuit from Deborah Sanders, a former staff attorney and purchasing director, who alleges that Cherry Hill officials pressured her to create justifications to award contracts to vendors chosen by the county Democratic Party.

"We're fully complying with the request for the production of what would be thousands of documents," Cherry Hill spokesman Dan Keashan said.

The township "is sure that the review of these documents will establish, once and for all, that the blatant lies of a former disgruntled and desperate employee have absolutely no merit," he said.

Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak declined to comment on the inquiry. As a matter of policy, the U.S. Attorney's Office does not confirm or deny investigations.

Christie has built a reputation as a corruption-fighting lawyer who has won cases across New Jersey, digging through state and local records to build his prosecutions. He has a case pending against former Camden Sen. Wayne Bryant, who has pleaded not guilty.

The subpoena in Cherry Hill requests all documents related to no-bid professional service contracts dating to Jan. 1, 2003, according to Keashan.

In recent years, state and local officials, including those in Cherry Hill, have imposed a number of "pay-to-play" restrictions intended to limit the practice of handing government contracts to political donors. After Cherry Hill officials approved a set of reforms in late June, a news release touted the town as "a leader for ethics reform throughout the state."

But the lawsuit paints a picture of a town where contracts are handed out based on political connections, with pressure coming from high-ranking officials.

In the lawsuit, filed last month, Sanders says Cherry Hill officials, including Council President Steven Polansky and business administrator Maris Kukainis, directed her to come up with reasons to award contracts to vendors chosen by the county Democratic Party.

Polansky was a lead official in helping to pass the ethics rules, according to the township news release.

The suit also alleges that "it was established policy" that Cherry Hill department heads earning more than $50,000 had to contribute to the Democratic Party. Sanders' suit said she refused.

Sanders was fired in June, roughly four months after she said officials approached her about the contracts.

Keashan called the suit "a classic case of extortion by this former employee."

Sanders' attorney, Katherine Hartman, said the inquiry seemed "related" to her client's civil suit, but that the two would play out separately.

"I think she will be heartened by the fact that her allegations are being investigated," Hartman said.

Hartman said Sanders was fired for refusing to justify the contracts. Keashan said Sanders' job was eliminated in a move to cut costs.

Among the defendants the lawsuit names are Mayor Bernie Platt, Polansky and Kukainis.