Steven Acropolis, who qualifies again for a Phony Of The Month award, is against “back room deals” in a recent campaign flier which, he brags, shows his ability to “inspire confidence in Brick.”

He says he’ll “put the cloud of corruption over the current administration in Town Hall behind us.”

To inspire even further public confidence, here are the Top Ten Confidence-Inspiring, Corruption-Clearing Back Room Deals engineered in whole or in part, directly or indirectly during the past two years or so by Republican Councilman Steven Acropolis, Brick mayoral candidate:

#10 Acropolis Back Room Deal:

Made a back room deal to put Dover political patronage hounds Robert Shea, Joseph Coronato, Massimo Yezzi and Frank Sadeghi on his 2003 Republican Finance Committee, after promising them half of Brick Township if the Republicans win the next mayoral election.

#9 Acropolis Back Room Deal:

Made a back room deal with Dover Township Republican Bosses Richard Clement and Council President Gregory McGuckin to get Acropolis’ partner, Joseph Bilotta, appointed to the DMUA as a stooge commissioner with policies that gave the DMUA a $5.3 million budget deficit. Editor's Note 10/13/07 - Mr. Bilotta, Acropolis' partner in an investment advisory business (no kidding), is also a tax cheat for $129,000 in federal income tax liens filed with the Ocean County Clerk. The DMUA now has a $4.5 million annual operating deficit)

#8 Acropolis Back Room Deal:

Made a back room deal to look the other way while the Clements, Gilmore and McGuckin looted the authority, falsified public records, and participated in the cover-up of $400,000 in double-dip health benefits for Deborah Clement, Virginia Haines and a dozen other Republican Club stooges who raped the authority. Editor's Note 10/13/07 - Attorney McGuckin, a pay-to-play lawyer and also recipient of  an estimated $3 million annually from political payoffs and influence peddling through his law firm, Dasti & McGuckin, is also a tax chiseler, with $129,000 in federal income tax liens filed for several years against his personal assets. Everywhere McGuckin goes, taxes skyrocket to pay for his appalling greed.

#7 Acropolis Back Room Deal:

Was part of a Bilotta-Clement-Gilmore back room deal to hand millions in DMUA mortgage bond business to cronies at the local office of Merrill Lynch and Smith Barney.

#6 Acropolis Back Room Deal:

Supported the 2005 Brick township budget, voted for the budget with the rest of the Republican council members, and then trotted out Republican Chairman Allen Cartine to accuse Mayor Scarpelli of “excessive spending” in the budget Acropolis voted for.

#5 Acropolis Back Room Deal:

Made a back room deal with Republican County Chairman George Gilmore to hand Gilmore big gobs of Brick patronage cash in return for numerous political payoffs which included a county job for Acropolis’ son-in-law, Kevin Toye. Editor's Note 10/13/07 - Chairman Gilmore, a pay-to-play lawyer and recipient of  an estimated $3 million annually from political payoffs and influence peddling, is the worst tax cheat of all, with $157,000 in federal income tax liens filed for a single year against his personal assets, and another $1.05 million in federal liens filed against his law firm, Gilmore and Monahan, for cheating his employees by not paying withholding taxes, social security taxes and Medicare taxes over a three year period. Everywhere Gilmore goes, taxpayers pay more.

#4 Acropolis Back Room Deal:

Part of the back room payoff deals involved Acropolis looking the other way while the County College Board of Trustees handed Assemblyman David Wolfe, a Brick resident, a useless $132,000 “job” as “Government Relations and External Affairs Liaison” for the college in addition to his salary from the legislature and other ridiculous perks.

#3 Acropolis Back Room Deal:

The $90,000 job that “stinks” (according to the Asbury Park Press) for Dover Councilman Michael Fiure was part of the backroom round-robin deal which included useless jobs for Acropolis’ son-in-law and Frank Pannucci Jr., son of the OCUA commissioner who handed Gilmore Esq. & McGuckin Esq. the political payoff gigs in Brick schools – and the $90,000 Gilmore administrative code scam in Dover Township last year, and one that almost happened in Brick. Editor's Note 10/13/07 - Councilman Fiure, after ethics charges were filed by the Attorneys Ethics Board in Trenton, admitted he cheated his private clients out of thousands of dollars. He did not disclose the ethics charges until after he was caught, even though his county job salary is paid by the taxpayers.

#2 Acropolis Back Room Deal:

The back room deal that developed Republican campaign strategy using Cartine to make false accusations (blame Scarpelli for the budget adopted by Acropolis and the Republicans; calling Mayor Scarpelli “criminally corrupt” without a scrap of evidence). Acropolis takes the high road with ridiculous promises he has no intention of keeping. Gilmore promised more than $150,000 to support the Acropolis greed campaign.

And The #1 Brick Mayoral Candidate Steven Acropolis Confidence-Inspiring Back Room Deal Is:

Acropolis signed off on the back room deal that gave Freeholder James Lacey the useless $115,000 Beachwood administrator’s job, while Beachwood mayor Harold Morris got a useless job with the county, and Acropolis got promises for the future after promising to make Gilmore and McGuckin township attorneys for Brick when he gets elected Mayor. Freeholder Jack Kelly said the two new positions for Lacey and Morris were a "good fit."

Acropolis did not make a statement. Gilmore said he didn't have to.

Cost Of All Of This To The Taxpayers Is A Lot!!

This story prepared for publication on 09/28/05