Lynch contributions a valid campaign issue

It seems that campaign contributions given by former state Sen. John Lynch and his political action committee, New Directions Through Responsible Leadership, have become political poison in this year's election cycle. However, we won't know for sure until Election Day how toxic they are.

Lynch, a once super-connected figure in state politics - in former Gov. James McGreevey's book, he calls Lynch one of three Democratic "warlords" whose blessing you needed to make a serious bid for that office - admitted in federal court last month that he accepted money to use his influence on behalf of a South Brunswick sand company's expansion. New Directions has spread hundreds of thousands of dollars to predominantly Democratic campaigns around the state, with monied special interests supplying lots of those funds.

But since Lynch was charged, many are looking at these contributions with a new level of suspicion. Around the state, local Republicans are challenging their counterparts to return those funds or give an equal amount to charity.

That's the case in South Brunswick, where the Democrats were given nearly $10,000 over the past few years. As reported in this week's issue, the Democrats say they've recently given several comparable donations to charities and plan to give more. Is that enough to clean the slate? It's up to the voters to decide.

North Brunswick's Democrats were also issued the same challenge, but have so far declined to act on it. In their case, New Directions contributed some $20,000 to various campaigns since 2002. They contend that there were no strings attached for that generosity, and Lynch was in no legal trouble at the time they received the funds. In our view, a better explanation might be that giving back that kind of money would probably leave the party broke just a few weeks before the election.

Area Democrats can protest all they want about the Republicans' challenge being a political ploy, but the GOP raises a point of fair criticism. Lynch's PAC was an incredible funding machine over the past few years, and it would be nave to ignore that sort of money's influence on politics. Besides, if the tables were turned, and Lynch was a Republican, the Democrats would be saying the same thing. One only needs to look at Monmouth County, where the Democrats have capitalized on the FBI's Operation Bid Rig corruption busts.

The public has a right to take a good look at the money, who gave to New Directions, and what those people may have wanted in their town. In pay-to-play, it's almost impossible to establish a clear quid pro quo - only those involved with a deal can ever know for sure. The best the public can do is consider the facts, connect the dots, and decide for themselves if there's something to it.