Brian Hughes said he would be meeting with the park commission and the Friends of Mercer County Parks on Friday
MERCER COUNTY -- Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes is calling for an audit into The Friends of Mercer County Park, addressing for the first time on Thursday the state attorney general's investigation into the nonprofit.
"I will ensure the Mercer County Park Commission and all entities related to our park system uphold the ethical standards that are hallmarks of my administration and that are expected by the taxpayers of this great county," he said.
Hughes said he would be meeting with the leadership of both entities on Friday to address his concerns. The group's most recent audit only covered 2013 and 2014, but he hopes that a comprehensive audit of the last three years would provide a more complete picture. He is also requesting that any recommendations for improvements be implemented.
His comments come two days after agents raided the county's historic Hunt House and tennis center as part of an investigation into allegations of official misconduct, corruption of public resources and theft by extortion.
He told NJ Advance Media that he was "absolutely shocked" on Tuesday and that he has never received a call or email from an employee or vendor who felt pressured to support the friends group.
"People aren't shy about calling me when they're unhappy with things, but I've never gotten a call from anybody making a complaint," he said. "I don't really know what the attorney general is looking for, but we're going to comply 100 percent with whatever they ask of us."
The Friends of Mercer County Parks, though legally separate from the county, was formed in 2013 to support the park commission and has close ties to county employees.
"This is an organization that is doing great things for the Mercer County park system by helping to fund events and training above and beyond the Park Commission's budget, thereby lessening the burden on our taxpayers," Hughes said.
Kevin Bannon, the executive director of the park commission, and his brother, Terry, a senior project manager, have been involved with the nonprofit. James Moscarello, a member of the three-person board, is the daily manager of the county-owned Princeton Country Club and, in the group's most recent status report filed with the state, Paul Adezio, the county's deputy counsel, is listed as the agent for service of process.
"Mercer County government upholds and adheres to the highest standards of transparency and ethics and I expect those standards to be met by each and every Mercer County employee and board member," he said.
When the Mercer County Sports and Entertainment Commission was absorbed by the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce as part of its convention and visitors bureau, the board transferred $46,000 in cash to the friends group to help get it off the ground.
"We didn't want to duplicate the role of having a visitors bureau so some money went to the Princeton chamber because they were taking the role of the visitors bureau and some money went to the Friends of Mercer County Parks," Hughes said.
He called the park system the "crown jewel of this county and by far the best park system in the state." It draws more than two million visitors each year and hosts U.S. Olympic Rowing trials, NCAA rowing, the New Jersey State Triathlon, concerts, fairs and festivals, among other events.
Editor's Note: This story was updated to include additional comments from Brian Hughes.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.