Democratic Freeholders Put on Notice and fire back Alan C. Marcus over letter
OCTOBER 9, 2014 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
The attorney for the Bergen County Freeholders has notified a lawyer for public relations consultant Alan C. Marcus that the freeholders won’t be “intimidated or restrained” by a letter warning them not to make any defamatory statements about Marcus during the current political campaign season or thereafter.
Freeholder Counsel Edward Florio wrote that the letter delivered last week from Marcus’ lawyer “appears to be a baseless preemptive strike designed to chill the free and open exchange of political expression which is germane to the exercise of the Board’s legitimate legislative function.”
Marcus is a former volunteer adviser to Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan who served as campaign strategist to her successful 2010 campaign. He also served as chairman of her transition committee.
He came under fire in April 2013 from several Democratic freeholders after the trustees of Bergen Community College awarded his firm a $7,500-a-month public relations contract. Two days later, Marcus turned down the contract and offered to have his firm do the work for free, saying he did not want the college to become “a political piñata.”
Florio was responding to a Sept. 26 letter sent by Joseph B. Fiorenzo, a lawyer representing Marcus, which was delivered to all the freeholders as well as the candidates for county office and the chairmen of the county Democratic and Republican parties.
Fiorenzo’s partner Leon Sokol said Wednesday that the letter was not intended to muzzle or inhibit anyone’s freedom of expression.
“The purpose of the letter that was sent to them was to put everyone on notice as to what the facts are so that if they’re going to be making any political statements that they are factual,” Sokol said.
“That was the only reason. Alan has no interest in any campaign. He’s not involved in any campaign,” Sokol added.
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