NEWTON — Sussex County’s divided Republican politics and accusations about a food distribution program that county officials called “total lies” came up again at the latest Board of County Commissioners meeting Thursday.
The committee voted unanimously to send letters to the state attorney general and the U.S. attorney for northern New Jersey requesting information about the investigation’s allegations regarding the food distribution program, which is operated out of a county-owned warehouse in Newton.
The letter, approved by the all-Republican committee, was in response to a news release issued earlier this week by Sparta attorney Robert Kovic, who ran in the June 4 Republican primary as one of two candidates in this year’s commissioner election.
The motion to send the letter and a package of supplemental information and documents to state and federal authorities was made by Chairman William Hayden, who last year made public allegations against the food pantry that Chair Jill Space said are unfounded.
“It is morally and ethically wrong for people to target a volunteer-run food pantry that feeds 46,000 people in order to score political points or score political points,” Space told the New Jersey Herald after the meeting.
In addition to being a candidate, Kovick is the former executive director of the county Republican Party and has spoken to the media in recent months about a lawsuit he filed against Hayden and county officials after county commissioners accused Hayden of falsifying his military record during the campaign.
Hayden, as he typically does, left the meeting shortly after and did not answer questions about Thursday’s vote.
Kovic, who did not attend the meeting, requested a meeting to discuss the food pantry in a letter to County Executive Ron Tappan and in a letter emailed to local media.
“My understanding is that the FBI has multiple documents in its possession and is currently gathering background information on this matter, as well as information on past and present officials and associates involved in what may become a full-scale investigation,” he wrote.
Kovic wrote that he had “spoke twice with the agent handling this matter” in recent weeks, without providing names or other documentation of those interactions.
“This food pantry, insured by Sussex County and operated using county government equipment and personnel, is not following normal health and safety protocols,” Kovick wrote to Tappan. “As I’m sure you would agree, failure to follow basic food safety inspection procedures endangers not only the health of those who receive food from the county food pantry, but also the health of Sussex County taxpayers, who will ultimately be held legally liable.”
A message left with the FBI’s Newark office on Friday was not immediately returned. As a policy, the FBI does not generally comment to the media about ongoing or potential cases. A spokesman for state Attorney General Matthew Platkin declined to comment earlier this month, citing a similar policy.
The facility, located behind 83 Spring St. in Newton, is called a food pantry, but although there is a sign posted at the back door explaining how to obtain food in an emergency, it rarely donates the food it receives directly to the public.
Instead, the pantries mostly function as distribution centers, storing shelf-stable canned and boxed foods and distributing them to smaller pantries run by municipalities, churches and other nonprofits.
Space said in her letter that the program provides about 21,000 adult meals and 25,000 children’s meals, including infant formula and baby food, annually. Between $8,000 and $10,000 worth of food is delivered each week, she said.
Space said because the food pantry does not store fresh or prepared foods, the facility is not subject to health inspections, just as grocery store warehouses are not inspected by health departments.
It has been on county property since probably the 1950s, but it is run by volunteers, some of whom are county employees, but are not paid by the county for their work.
Much of the food is delivered weekly by ShopRite trucks directly from the grocery chain’s own warehouses, and volunteers at the facility are given a ShopRite credit card to cover the delivery costs, which is several years old and in the name of the donor organization that pays the bill.
Hayden alleged last year that there was possible fraud and illegality in the operation of the food pantries.
Hayden has publicly accused donors of making cash payments to the county that were not recorded, but the county maintains there was no cash at all, just credit card receipts, ShopRite purchase orders and invoices for deliveries.
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Space said in his letter that the board of commissioners is cautious in responding to allegations, but that he is not aware of any contacts between county employees and federal or state investigators. In recent months, Space has repeatedly asked the board’s attorney, Douglas Steinhardt, whether he knows about any such investigations. Steinhardt, who is also a state senator, has said he is not aware of any contacts related to the investigation. (Steinhardt represents the 23rd Legislative District, which does not include Sussex County.)
In comments after the meeting, Space again criticized Hayden, saying his “political career has been built on half truths and outright lies about food pantries.”
Email: bscruton@njherald.com Twitter/X: @brucescrutonNJH
