FYI...

August 15, 2010

Mr. Gene Williams

Executive Editor

The Courier-Post

301 South Cuthbert Boulevard

Cherry Hill, NJ 08002

Dear Mr. Williams,

As we discussed this morning, I am deeply concerned about the errors of fact in reporter Eileen Stilwell’s story on the DRPA. These errors directly attack my honesty and integrity and are untrue. I am appalled that easily checked facts, such as votes at the DRPA, either were not checked or ignored. Some things never even occurred during the time period in question. Others were not approved or voted upon by me. These kinds of errors are the result of either negligence or malice.

Here are the major errors:

1. ARTICLE STATES: “Jeffrey Nash, who has served on the board since 2002, has ushered tens of millions of dollars into county projects, including $30 million for cleansing Admiral Wilson Boulevard.” I was not on the board at the time Admiral Wilson Boulevard was “cleansed” for the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia. That is an easily checked fact because it is a matter of public record. It either was not checked or was ignored by the reporter and her editors.

2. I recused myself from ANY Board discussion and abstained on ALL VOTES involving DRPA grants to any Camden County governmental entity, which includes the Boathouse and the Camden County Improvement Authority. Again, that is a matter of public record that should have been checked by your reporter and editors. It either was not checked, or was deliberately misrepresented.

3. The article states I approved $27 million in funds to the Aquarium.

* The funds for the Aquarium were approved prior to my appointment to the DRPA Commission. My involvement only concerned the revitalization of the existing structure, primarily through a loan that is being repaid to the Authority. The State of New Jersey and, in particular, the New Jersey Sports and Exhibition Authority primarily authorized Aquarium funding. Again, these are matters of public record and clearly the responsibility for reporter and editors to obtain prior to publishing falsehoods and before leveling such accusations in print.

4. Eileen Stilwell states: “While he was vice chairman, the DRPA also approved a $5 million grant for construction of the Jewish History Museum in Philadelphia.” She then continues with what is clearly an insinuation of some connection between the law firm I work for and my supposed vote with this sentence: “Stephen A. Cozen, vice president of the museum’s board of trustees, founded the law firm that employs Nash.”

* Again, these characterizations are erroneous, although the facts could easily have been checked by the reporter. The $5 million grant to the National Museum of American Jewish History was promoted by Pennsylvania Governor and then DRPA Chairman Ed Rendell and was funded through Pennsylvania Only economic development funds. I had nothing to do with that grant agreement to this PA-based attraction. That is a matter of public record that was either not checked or the facts were ignored.

5. Yet another erroneous accusation was aimed not just at me, but at my ex-wife. Stilwell wrote: “Nash also has been criticized for approving a contract for $150,000 in advertising for the PATCO Hi-Speedline to Live Nation Inc., a firm that employs his ex-wife, Jodi.”

* This is blatantly false. I never authorized or approved any of the advertising contracts to Live Nation (erroneously reported as one $150,000 contract). Furthermore, PATCO is not Jodi’s account and she was never commissioned on or compensated for it. It is widely known that PATCO advertises at all waterfront venues as well as through other media, including the Courier-Post, to promote rail service during off-peak hours. In fact, and you can easily check this as well, the recent management audit report recommended an increase in such advertising.

Eileen Stilwell was clearly and specifically advised of these facts approximately two weeks ago and chose to print these insinuations anyway, which can only be viewed as a malicious attempt to defame me and my ex-wife, who is not a public figure.

By publishing a Page 1 article in this Sunday’s newspaper, which has the highest circulation of the week, the Courier-Post has damaged my reputation and that of my ex-wife through a series of misstatements, errors in fact, and false and damaging mischaracterizations of events.

Furthermore, by leaving this story online after receiving a phone call from me this morning alerting you to falsehoods in the story, and by sharing this story with your sister Gannett newspapers and their websites throughout New Jersey, you have made this a broad, statewide dissemination of false and damaging statements. I have no doubt that the Associated Press will pick up this story, causing the trail of dissemination of false information to grow even wider.

You have stated that you may print a correction once you check all these misstatements, but an item in a correction box on Page 2 of the paper will not make up for it. This chain of defamations, with its exponential repercussions to me, to my ex-wife, to my family, and to the individuals mentioned, warrants a correction that should be a headline item appearing on Page 1, just as the story containing the false accusations did. I also expect that correction story to go out to the AP, to appear on your website, and distributed to other Gannett New Jersey newspapers. In addition, I expect you to append all of these corrections to the original story in your electronic archives, so that these errors never appear again.

I have always shown great respect for a free press and have always made myself available to Eileen Stilwell and other reporters. I understand the media’s vital role in a free society. But I also understand its responsibilities, and truth and accuracy are at the very top of the list.

If you are truly someone who holds fast to these highest of journalistic principles, you will do what is right to set the record straight in tomorrow’s newspaper.

Thanks in advance for your consideration and understanding.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey L. Nash