The Blog
01/25/07
Ethics reform is long overdue
| The famous novelist and New Jersey resident F. Scott Fitzgerald once quipped: "Half of New Jersey is under water and the other half is under surveillance." Decades later, this statement, sadly, still rings true. As the headlines will attest, corruption in New Jersey isn't just history. Last year one group rated New Jersey as the most corrupt state in the nation. We all agree that much needs to be done to revive the public's faith that New Jersey government at all levels is acting in the public's interest, rather than in the financial interests of a few. And there is a consensus on two significant steps in that direction: -- End the practice of using government contracts to lure campaign contributions, by banning "pay-to-play -- you pay us campaign money and we'll give you lucrative contracts" -- across the board. This political bartering of taxpayer money distorts the decision-making process and costs New Jersey residents an estimated $1 billion a year in unnecessary and inflated contracts. -- Prohibit "wheeling," or the transferring of political money between county political organizations. This allows powerbrokers to expand the sphere of influence. It also leads to decisions in one county being made not in the best interest of the local residents but for what is best for the powerbroker whose home base is a 100 miles away. I have been an ardent advocate of these reforms since my first days in the Legislature, when mine was one the few voices calling for reform. Now they have the public support of most of the legislators in both houses. For the past several years there has been little doubt that if posted for a vote, comprehensive bans on pay-to-play and wheeling would be approved overwhelmingly. That's exactly why unelected Democratic powerbrokers have never allowed these measures an up or down vote. As a candidate, Governor Jon Corzine promised to end this standoff. Candidate Corzine had said he was committed to doing whatever it would take to enact strict bans on pay-to-play and wheeling. Now a year into his term, Governor Corzine has not delivered on that promise. His recent State of the State speech again called for bans on wheeling and pay-to-play, but the governor's words haven't translated into action. Is his inability to deliver a failure of leadership or evidence that his commitment to ethical reform was only rhetorical? This shouldn't be a partisan issue. Members of both political parties have made headlines in the past year for abusing the public trust. We all have a stake in making government more honest and the political system fairer, which will lead to government acting on behalf of the collective good rather than the special interest. Bans on wheeling and pay-to-play would also contribute to the goal of lowering property taxes by preventing local leaders from using the taxpayer money to pay back their campaign contributors. I believe New Jersey can become the brightest of examples in the nation for clean government. This may be difficult to accomplish, but I believe it is achievable. The 18 Republican senators are united in support of these reforms. Our parliamentary attempts to have these reforms added to the agenda have been blocked by Democratic leaders. The time has come for Governor Corzine to fulfill his promises and prevail upon legislative leaders to post these bills, which would make New Jersey government at all levels more efficient, more responsive and more accountable. |
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