TRENTON, N.J. — Former New Jersey101.5 radio host Bill Spadea is not even in office yet, and he’s being accused of double dipping. In addition to his salary from the radio station, it was learned at last night’s GOP primary debate that Spadea was also paying himself to run for governor and, using the money given by small-dollar donors for his job, moonlighting as a gubernatorial candidate.
Now, he’s being accused of grifting off of his political campaign.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Spadea defended receiving a $65,000 salary from political donations being funneled through his political action committee “Common Sense Club”, responding to criticism from rival Jack Ciattarelli, who accused him of misleading small-dollar donors. The dispute emerged as the two candidates continue to battle for support in New Jersey’s 2025 Republican primary.
Worse, he says he’s still owed thousands of dollars from his supporters and the PAC for his time on the road, hosting roundtables and town halls, and attending high-priced political campaign events throughout the states.
Ciattarelli pointed to IRS filings from Spadea’s Common Sense Club, claiming the records show Spadea used donor contributions to pay himself without prior disclosure.
“He’s exploited every single one of those small-dollar donors,” Ciattarelli said. “If you go to phonybill.com and look at page 17 of the IRS filing, you’ll see that Bill Spadea paid himself $65,000. He didn’t disclose that when he was soliciting donations.”
Spadea rejected Ciattarelli’s accusations, arguing that he was transparent about the salary and that the funds were necessary to sustain his personal expenses during political efforts.
“Actually, Jack, I did disclose it,” Spadea said. “First of all, Jack doesn’t know the difference between Common Sense Club and a PAC, but thank you for plugging that because we have 152,000 members in the Common Sense Club.”
Ciattarelli continued his criticism, claiming Spadea’s compensation amounted to an excessive hourly wage.
“The IRS filing shows he was paid $65,000 by the PAC,” Ciattarelli said. “I think it was for 12 hours of work a week.”
Spadea countered by comparing his political campaign to running a for-profit business, suggesting that his political organizing requires financial reimbursement.
“How many of you have started a business, a startup, or a restaurant?” Spadea asked. “Why does it say payroll?”
Ciattarelli reminded Spadea that his PAC is a non-profit organization.