Fix the corruption mess

Residents believe corruption is a big issue facing the state

By: Hank Kalet
   Another day and another piece of evidence that it is time for the state Legislature to tackle the issue of corruption.
   Earlier this month, U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie announced the indictment of state Sen. Sharpe James, alleging that the former mayor of Newark used his municipal position for his personal benefit. The 33-count indictment alleges that the former mayor essentially used the city’s budget as his own private bank account. He is accused, according to The New York Times, "of illegally charging more than $58,000 on two city credit cards for Jacuzzi dips, alcohol, movies, meals and weekend getaways for tennis tournaments with friends" and "conspiring with one of his frequent travel partners, Tamika Riley, to defraud the city by selling her nine parcels of city land for $46,000 that she quickly resold for $665,000."
   Mr. Christie said that the case contained "stark examples of the greed and arrogance of unchecked power," according to The Times.
   And it is only one example of many in a state that is awash in the "arrogance of unchecked power." The James indictment follows a long series of criminal indictments and probes into the questionable dealings of New Jersey’s politicians.
   People in Middlesex County certainly remember former state Senate President John Lynch, a county power broker and former New Brunswick mayor. He pleaded guilty to bribery charges last year stemming from his attempts in the 1990s to use his influence to win state approval for a mining company project.
   Former Hudson County Executive Robert Janiszewski is doing time in prison on corruption charges, while state Sen. Wayne Bryant — the former chairman of the Senate Budget Committee — is facing trial. And there are others, both large and small, who have succumbed to corruption probes.
   Most of the recent indictments have been of Democratic politicians. This, in the wake of the apparent political firing of several U.S. attorneys by U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, raises the specter that Mr. Christie’s approach to corruption may have a partisan edge. (Remember that unconfirmed reports of an investigation into U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez’s dealings in Hudson County surfaced during last year’s Senate race.)
   But we shouldn’t let the questions surrounding the Gonzales Justice Department — and Mr. Christie himself — obscure some very real issues here.
   The fact is that New Jersey residents assume the worst about New Jersey politicians, with polls regularly showing that corruption in government is among the most important issues facing the state.
   Corruption has its costs, both in dollars and lost confidence. Taxpayers end up footing the bill when elected officials trade favors (in the form of legislation or contracts) and/or access for campaign contributions or funnel money into their own pockets, as Sens. James and Bryant are accused of.
   Just as importantly, the tradeoffs leave voters feeling impotent, reinforcing their sense that their government does not work for them.
   Indictments, convictions and guilty pleas are unfortunately a double-edged sword, demonstrating to the pols that there are consequences for their thievery, but also acting as proof that a disenchanted electorate is right about the state of politics. And that’s not good for democracy.
   More needs to be done. Harsh penalties — imposed under recently adopted legislation sponsored by state Sens. John Adler, D-Camden, and Ellen Karcher, D-Monmouth — are a decent start, but more needs to be done, including giving the Legislature’s Ethics Committee some real power and possibly authorizing the State Commission of Investigation to do a full-scale investigation into the issue.
   Ultimately, though, corruption in New Jersey — whether the more overt kind perpetrated by Mr. Lynch and allegedly by Sens. James and Bryant, or the more subtle pay-to-play/campaign-finance tradeoffs that take place at all levels of government — needs to be a major campaign issue. All 120 members of the state Legislature are up for election this year and it is incumbent upon all candidates to say where they stand on these issues and to propose ways to fix this mess.
Hank Kalet is managing editor of the South Brunswick Post and The Cranbury Press. His e-mail is [email protected] and his blog, Channel Surfing, can be found at www.kaletblog.com.