TRENTON – City clerk Matthew Conlon was subpoenaed to testify in an ongoing investigation into Mayor Reed Gusciora’s administration, The Trentonian has learned.
The controversial employee sent around an email this week bragging about his involvement as a witness in a State Commission of Investigation probe of the city’s procurement practices and allegations of corruption involving city officials.
The probe is focused on the awarding of the administration’s awarding of contracts for demolition projects throughout the city, along with the installation of a South Broad Street telecommunications tower meant to solve interference experience by the city former emergency radio communications provider, MPS Communications.
The state agency began investigating after former housing and economic redeveloper director Ben Delisle filed a blockbuster lawsuit claiming he was pressured by city officials to skirt state regulations and fast-track demolition projects to appease Gusciora, who is seeking re-electon to a second term in November.
Attaching a copy of the subpoena to his email, Conlon seemed to expand the apparent scope of the probe into RICO conspiracy allegations that he raised in a $3 million whistleblower lawsuit filed last year.
He claimed state officials are also interested in the alleged ”targeting of employees with false investigations, false legal opinions rendered on the record, release of personnel documents and confidential information, sale of property without appraisal contrary to law, hiring beyond the scope of the CSC rules, targeting hot cargo in violation of PERC regulations, unlawful collection of monies without authority, political targeting, spending 600,000 in UEZ funds without council approval … conspiracy to commit burglary, violation of OPMA,” among other gripes.
“There is documentation for all of it,” Conlon wrote, adding he’ll be out of the office Feb. 2 to appear before SCI investigators.
While the investigation is moving forward, Gusciora stressed that he expects his administration to be vindicated whenever the probe concludes.
State officials have declined to say when their findings will be made public.
