“I could not identify any event where I would have said, ‘Boy, this guy’s going to be real trouble, and the office is going to be for sale,’ or anything of the sort,” said William Guhl, Bencivengo’s business administrator during his first six months in office. Watch video
HAMILTON — Five years ago, John Bencivengo stood tall.
He had just been elected the mayor of Hamilton with less than 600 votes to spare, ending a year of trading barbs with then-mayor Glen Gilmore.
“The voters were tired of a government that isn’t transparent and well-planned,” Bencivengo said on election night, Nov. 6, 2007. “They can now expect open and honest answers and effective communication.”
He called it a “new dawn” for the township. But five years later — one year into his second term — the sun has set on his own administration.
Although he had criticized his predecessor’s 90 no-bid contracts, Bencivengo fell victim to protecting a no-bid contract himself when he took $12,400 in bribes to help a close friend, Marliese Ljuba, retain a lucrative insurance deal with the Hamilton school board.
Bencivengo resigned from his mayoral post on Wednesday, just 24 hours after being convicted of bribery and extortion. He will be sentenced Feb. 27.
Bencivengo, 58, will likely be remembered for the corruption scandal that doomed him, but his mayorship was highlighted by risky decisions.
When he swept into office in 2008, he was confronted with a $5 million budget gap that had been concealed by his predecessor, Gilmore, right up until the last minute. That forced Bencivengo to develop a budget with a 25 percent tax hike. It inspired outrage among the public, though Bencivengo managed to keep municipal taxes flat for the next four years, a feat that drew him bipartisan praise.
John Bencivengo is lifted by a supporter as he takes the stage as the next mayor of Hamilton Township, in this file photo from Republican election night headquarters at Angeloni's Cedar Gardens on Nov. 6, 2007.
Along with the tax hike, the township had to eliminate 30 jobs.
“There’s times when that credit card comes due, and today is that day unfortunately,” Bencivengo said at the time.
Guhl said there was little alternative but to impose draconian measures to meet the budget shortfall.
“There was very little time to save the money that needed to be saved thanks to Glen Gilmore’s grossly irresponsible management,” he said on Friday. “Certainly, John was not pleased with what he found, but it was not something that he had any control over whatsoever. At that point, the plan was to deal with the hardships and plan to control taxes in the future.”
Fresh into office, Bencivengo pledged to spur economic development in the township, especially along Route 130.
“That is where I have always believed we should put the lion’s share of the development,” Bencivengo said on Jan. 30, 2008.
The Shoppes at Hamilton strip mall opened on Route 130 during Bencivengo’s term, though planning began well before his tenure. First introduced as a concept in 2005, The Shoppes has struggled since opening officially in 2009. A new traffic light is expected to improve shopper access and usage.
As an achievement, Bencivengo’s administration can take some credit for the coming revitalization of the Suburban Plaza shopping center on Nottingham Way, where a Wal-Mart is set to lead improvements there. Township officials have said they spent many meetings working with the developer, Peter Abrams, to bring about the change. The huge, empty shopping center had been a business vacuum and an eyesore for years.
Township economic development director Mike Angarone said last week that the seven-month period since charges were filed against Bencivengo hasn’t hurt economic development. In fact, his office has been busier than ever.
Despite what was happening with Bencivengo and the charges against him, “we made it a point to try and make it as transparent as possible so that we would continue business as usual,” Angarone said.
During his tenure, Bencivengo saw his plans to turn the Bromley neighborhood into an “arts and culture” district — complete with theaters, galleries, studios and public art — crumble for lack of available funding.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be something that would be an instantaneous thing. It would take time,” Angarone said. “But we haven’t been able to do any market studies because we have to be concerned about taxes. Something had to give and this was it.”
The strategy seemed to work for taxpayers, as the next four municipal budgets were all approved without a tax increase, even as Hamilton’s state aid was cut by more than $5 million. In fact, municipal taxes didn’t change until this year, when the 2012-13 budget featured a 2 percent tax increase, the first hike since the 2007-08 budget.
When he took office for his first term in 2008, Bencivengo promised to bring “seriousness, transparency and accountability to the office of mayor.” He started off with a complete overhaul of the township’s administration.
He fired 13 employees, including all department directors, and put in his own picks, beginning with Angarone, community planning head Rob Warney and recreation director Catherine Tramontana.
“Each brings a wealth of business experience that will be invaluable to moving Hamilton in the right direction,” Bencivengo said on Dec. 28, 2007.
Although he had success in managing the township’s tax rate, Bencivengo was not successful at managing his personal affairs. In fact, his need for money to cover a cash shortfall was described as a reason why he was tempted to accept the bribe money from Ljuba.
He had a problem with mounting taxes and bills. Compounding the mayor’s problems, council denied him a raise this year. His mayoral salary was $108,211.
This year Bencivengo stepped up efforts to sell an unused Chambers Street property where he used to run an auto repair business and a lawn and landscaping company. He had shut those down when he became mayor.
He had come to prominence as the founding executive director of the Hamilton Partnership, a nonprofit team of local business leaders who promote economic development projects. He was once the president of the Hamilton Educational Foundation, and served on the Mercer County Improvement Authority.
A WIDENING SCANDAL
Ultimately, the extortion scandal that engulfed Bencivengo extended to other officials in the township.
In June, Warney pleaded guilty to money laundering and testified against Bencivengo during the trial.
On the same day, Ljuba testified that she paid for trips and gifts for her “best friend,” Tramontana — gifts that may have compromised her professional conduct.
Township business administrator John Ricci, in his powers as acting mayor, fired Tramontana just a few days later.
Others were also implicated in Bencivengo’s trial through the revelations and allegations made by Ljuba.
Though she never did business with the township, Ljuba testified to contributing illegal amounts to the political campaigns of Bencivengo, council and school board members.
Guhl, in reflecting on Bencivengo’s first term and partial second term, said he saw no early indications that things would turn out so badly.
“I could not identify any event where I would have said, ‘Boy, this guy’s going to be real trouble, and the office is going to be for sale,’ or anything of the sort,” Guhl said.
Bencivengo’s convictions for extortion, attempted extortion and money laundering each carry a maximum 20-year prison sentence and a fine of $250,000. Bencivengo also faces five year sentences for each conviction for violating the Federal Travel Act.
Contact Mike Davis at (609) 989-5708 or mdavis@njtimes.com.
Complete coverage of the Bencivengo corruption case:
• Candidates for Hamilton mayor quickly emerge after conviction of John Bencivengoa>
• Ex-Hamilton mayor John Bencivengo issues resignation statement after bribery conviction
• Hamilton council president Kevin Meara will step in as acting mayor after Bencivengo resigns
• Hamilton officials react to verdict of Bencivengo's trial, express anger towards cooperating witness
• Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo resigns after being found guilty of taking $12,400 in bribes
• Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo is guilty of taking $12,400 in bribes from insurance broker
• Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo corruption trial: attorneys deliver closing arguments
• Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo corruption trial: Prosecutor alleges 'government by bribe'
• Amick: 'Shocking' revelations of Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo trial show need for reform
• Hamilton school board business administrator is placed on administrative leave
• Editorial: Hamilton school board should dig deeper on contracts after bribery admission
• Former Hamilton official pleads guilty to money laundering in Mayor John Bencivengo extortion case
• Senator wants state constitution changed so indicted office-holders are suspended