TRENTON — If you feel bad that former NJ101.5 early morning radio host Bill Spadea lost his election to Jack Ciattarelli in June, don’t. That’s because Spadea made a lot of money for himself during his campaign. So far, from what we have found, $275,000 in total, not bad.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Spadea paid himself more than $11,000 from his campaign account in the final weeks before his defeat, while also directing large sums to close allies of Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore, according to campaign finance records.
Those checks were written directly to himself this time.
Spadea, who lost the Republican primary in late June, made two self-payments totaling over $11,000 — $7,342.81 on May 29 and $3,764.62 on June 24. Both disbursements were listed under his home address in Princeton.
In a separate series of payments, over $250,000 from Spadea’s affiliated nonprofit, the Common Sense Club, was sent to BillSpadea.Com LLC, a company registered in his name. Just hours before polls closed on primary day, that same nonprofit made an additional $16,000 payment to Spadea.
Prior, Spadea contended that the $250,000 he paid himself from the Common Sense Club was, ‘before he was a candidate’ but the $16,000 payments were made while he was a candidate.
Spadea’s campaign also made large payouts to political allies closely tied to Gilmore, a once powerful Republican leader in Ocean County.
Among the recipients:
- Brick GOP vice president Mark Vasquez received $1,000.
- Bayville-based fundraiser Theresa Mondella received $57,000 in late campaign payments.
- Republican strategist Bill Stepien, a longtime Gilmore associate, received $85,000. Gilmore credited Stepien with his pardon on federal tax charges to Stepien who served as a campaign consultant for the president in 2016.
- Tom Bonfonti, a former executive director of Gilmore’s Ocean County GOP organization was paid $1,480.
- The Ocean County Republican Finance Committee, led by Gilmore, received $5,000.
None of the recipients or Spadea have publicly addressed the disbursements. The campaign’s post-election finance filings are under review.
