Lwa would ban fund-raising on public property
By:Eric Schwarz
Candidates for political office would be prohibited from raising money on municipal property under an ordinance introduced Tuesday by the Borough Council.
The council introduced the ordinance unanimously on first reading and with little comment. A public hearing and adoption are set for Nov. 13, in the week after the general election.
Mayor Angelo Corradino said the law now being formalized by the ordinance has been in practice "forever," and said no problems prompted it.
Common Cause New Jersey and an offshoot organization, the Citizens’ Army, are promoting the fund-raising ban throughout the state. So far 68 municipalities have agreed to it, including Franklin Township.
Hillsborough, Branchburg and Bridgewater are considering similar ordinances, said Pamela Garfield, a spokeswoman for Common Cause New Jersey, based in Metuchen.
Common Cause, based in Washington, D.C., is a nonpartisan, nonideological organization that seeks to keep the influence of money out of politics.
"The idea of this law is to separate the business of political fund raising from the people’s business," Ms. Garfield said, "so that town halls’ fax machines, letterheads and phone are used solely for the public service."
The ordinance would eliminate a loophole elected officials could use to take a break from their work to make phone calls or otherwise solicit contributions, Ms. Garfield said.
"What constitutes the people’s time is up to a broad interpretation," she said. "So this law, by totally eliminating it from public property, makes it very clear and eliminates that loophole."
The ordinance specifically would prohibit the use of private cellular phones and private computers for fund raising while on public property as well.
The ordinance would carry a potential penalty of 90 days of community service or jail and a $1,000 fine.
Ms. Garfield agreed with Mayor Corradino that the law is not being proposed to fight a problem in Manville, but "to provide Manville with a formalized standard of ethics and provide an example to other municipalities so that it never takes place in the future."
The Nov. 13 meeting will be the Borough Council’s next regular meeting. The council on Tuesday canceled its Oct. 23 meeting.
For information on Common Cause New Jersey, call (732) 548-9798 or visit Web site www.commoncause.org/states/newjersey.