Manchester, NJ – Editorial – Something smells in Manchester, and this time, it’s not the Ocean County landfill. While the landfill story is its own tale of political corruption and patronage, this time it involves a questionable land purchase by the Manchester Township Council and former Mayor Robert Arace.
In a deal sparking ethical scrutiny, Republican megadonor and Lakewood attorney Larry Bathgate sold 89.57 acres of Pinelands property on Ridgeway Road to the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust for a staggering $20.5 million—roughly $220,000 per acre.
This comes as Manchester residents are being hit with an 8.17% tax increase in 2025.
Local realtors estimate the land’s open-market value at $60,000 to $80,000 per acre, highlighting a deal that critics call a windfall for the aging GOP powerbroker.
Accepting the recommendation of the OC Natural Lands Trust Fund Advisory Committee to acquire property identified as Block 62, Lots 15, 16 & 33 in Manchester Township totaling approximately 89.57 acres located on Ridgeway Road, in an amount not to exceed $20,500,000.00 plus up to $2,500.00 in property tax adjustments.
Meeting Agenda, Ocean County Board of Commissioners
The transaction, finalized last August, was championed by Ocean County GOP Chairman George Gilmore, a development lobbyist with deep ties to the county’s Republican establishment. Gilmore advocated for the purchase at a board meeting, where former Manchester Mayor Robert Arace, now a county commissioner, endorsed the deal.
The Ocean County Board of Commissioners approved the acquisition, citing preservation of open space, despite the property’s modest $13,600 tax assessment and annual tax bill of under $400. Wetlands restrictions, due to the Ridgeway branch of the Toms River running through the land, render much of it unbuildable.
Weeks after the sale, Bathgate donated $5,000 to Gilmore’s Ocean County Republican Chairman’s PAC—his first contribution to Gilmore’s organization despite a long-standing policy of avoiding local politics. Bathgate family members also donated to Gilmore-aligned candidates, including $5,800 to Bill Spadea, a GOP gubernatorial candidate who pays Gilmore $5,000 monthly as a political consultant. A Lakewood developer linked to the deal contributed three $5,800 donations to Spadea’s campaign, according to New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) filings.
Gilmore is a man with his hands in many financial honeypots across the state. He’s a paid consultant for GOP candidate for Governor Bill Spadea though his Common Sense Club PAC and he’s a consultant for a Democrat operated lobbying firm in South Jersey. Gilmore, a convicted tax cheat was sentenceed to one year and one day in federal prison, but was pardoned by President Trump on his last day in office during his first term.
Gilmore has denied any connections to Bathgate, yet the two go way back to the President Bush era days of Ocean County and federal politics. Gilmore spoke on behalf of the sale during the public hearing, but says he’s not being paid directly by Bathgate.
State reports tell a different story.
Bathgate’s political giving had been dormant since 2008, but ELEC reports show he donated $1,500 in 2023 to Gilmore’s Southern Ocean County Conservatives PAC and another $1,500 to the Ocean County Conservative Republican Organization PAC—both Gilmore-aligned groups.
While the deal appears legal, the timing and scale of political donations raise questions of quid pro quo. The property, identified as Block 62, Lots 15, 16, and 33, was acquired following a recommendation from the Ocean County Natural Lands Trust Fund Advisory Committee for up to $20.5 million, plus $2,500 in tax adjustments.
The transaction slipped under the radar until recent ELEC filings revealed the donations, prompting concerns about Gilmore’s dual role as a lobbyist and county GOP chairman with sway over the Board of Commissioners.
While no illegal activity is confirmed, the deal underscores ethical tensions in Ocean County’s political machine, where influence and campaign cash often intersect.
Gilmore remains under the watchful eye of the FBI since his tax fraud conviction.
