In a December 9, 2013 letter, the New Jersey Local Finance Board cleared Hammonton (Atlantic County) Mayor Steven DiDonato of violating the Local Government Ethics Law. According to the letter, which is on-line here, DiDonato was investigated for speaking "in opposition at a Zoning Board meeting to an application seeking a use variance on a building that [his] brother allegedly had an open offer to purchase."
The ethics board found that DiDonato's "remarks occurred during the public comment period of the May 26, 2011 Zoning Board meeting and that [he] took no official action as Mayor when you spoke before the Zoning Board, regarding [his] concerns about the intended use of the building and therefore did not act in [his] official capacity on a matter where [he] had a direct or indirect financial or personal involvement that might reasonably be expected to impair [his] objectivity or independence of judgment."