Former Burlington County Mayor Admits To Ethics Violation
by KYW's David Madden
MOUNT HOLLY, NJ (CBS) -- The former mayor of a Burlington County community has admitted to failing to disclose his personal interest in a land deal.
66-year-old Lawrence Durr earned a $372,000 profit when he sold development rights to a farm in Chesterfield Township he had purchased a decade ago.
While the sale itself was legal, prosecutors in the New Jersey Attorney General's Office say his failure to disclose that on ethics forms filed with the state of New Jersey was a problem.
Particularly given he worked in his official position as the township Mayor and a member of the planning board to help the developer, Renaissance Properties Incorporated, in advancing a proposed project in another part of Chesterfield.
Under a plea bargain set to be approved in June, Durr will be placed on probation for four years and pay a quarter million dollar fine. Should he violate probation, he would be liable to serve a 364 day term in the county jail. Durr will also be barred from ever holding office again.
