HAMILTON

DEMOCRATS ON GUILTY PLEA BY RON WARNEY TODAY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Rich McClellan- 609-915-2783 HAMILTON - The Hamilton Democratic Party today issued the following statement on the news that Ron Warney, recently resigned cabinet official and confidant to Mayor John Bencivengo, has pleaded guilty to a charge of money laundering and agreed to assist in the prosecution of Mayor Bencivengo for extortion, bribery and money laundering: Todays guilty plea by Ron Warney to money laundering seems to indicate that corruption is so rampant among Republicans in Hamilton Township that the State Attorney General is having a two-for-one deal on plea bargains. In Mr. Warneys case he cops to money laundering and in return he is given a walk on charges for a separate incidence of bribery. Todays plea is just another drumbeat in the walk of shame for indicted Mayor Bencivengo and his Republican friends on council who continue to refuse to demand his resignation. Hopefully the council will now abandon the sinking ship that is Mayor Bencivengos administration and finally take concrete steps to call for his removal from office. The Hamilton Democratic Party has provided the Council with resolutions of resignation and other ethics legislation to close ethical loopholes and make Hamilton township government honest again. We call on the Council to call an immediate special meeting to take action on these measures. They must make an attempt to restore the peoples faith that at least someone in town hall understands that the mayors effectiveness is at an end. The Hamilton Township Democratic Party was not only in the lead in demanding that the Council to take action to call on the mayor to resign, we had also asked on council to conduct an investigation into whether the intermediary in the charges against the Mayor was a township employee. With Mr. Warneys guilty plea today, the Hamilton Township Democratic Party has been shown to be farsighted in protecting the interests of the people of Hamilton, while the members of Council have shown themselves to be timid individuals, governed by the petty partisan politics of their party. ####