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Article IndexBY PAULA A. FRANZESE
COMMENTARY
Another Election Day reminds us that democracy, as Winston Churchill put it, "is the worst form of government, except for all those others that have been tried.
During the just-concluded campaign, voters expressed disappointment at the bitter tone, complaining to pollsters about what they perceived to be unnecessary negative assaults and misleading television ads.
Although each candidate attempted to impugn the character and independence of the other, exit polls revealed a certain modicum of hopefulness among the electorate. In response to the question, "Which quality mattered most in deciding how you voted for governor?" voters overwhelmingly answered: "Can bring needed change."
At the same time, while the economy was decidedly the one issue that mattered most, corruption in government ranked closely behind, with property taxes and health care, as problems in need of solutions.Even in the midst of some abysmal ethics lapses, the public continues to yearn for assurances that it can rely on the integrity of its elected and appointed leaders. They want to see leaders who will guide managers at all levels to do the right thing when faced with tough decisions.
Mark Twain once offered this advice: "Always do right. This will gratify some of the people, and astonish the rest."
This vantage point presents Gov.-elect Chris Christie with an opportunity that is all too rare in American politics today - the opportunity to do the right thing.
The governor-elect, known for his formidable anti-corruption efforts, is armed with a clear mandate to forge a bipartisan coalition that can reclaim the public trust.
During our tenure as special ethics Counsel, Justice Daniel J. O'Hern and I concluded that an effective system of advancing integrity in government requires a tripartite approach that includes regulation of legislative and executive lobbying, rules of conduct for government officials and campaign practices and finance.
Since our report was issued in 2005, significant strides have been made toward implementing parts of our blueprint for reform. The independent State Ethics Commission was created, vested with powerful enforcement mechanisms and the authority to impose stringent penalties for noncompliance.
The Uniform Ethics Code was enacted, with its rigorous anti-nepotism laws, zero-tolerance policy on gifts and strict post-employment restrictions to close the revolving door of influence.
Top-to-bottom ethics training and ethics compliance is now in place. Public officials' financial disclosure statements are posted on a searchable public database, as is the plain language ethics guide. Third parties who do business with the state are now regulated, and vendors must comply with the provisions of the business ethics guide.
The problem is, this template is in place only for the executive branch of state government.
It does not apply to the legislative branch, whose ethics rules are administered by the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards, a largely toothless enterprise, or to local government, where the vast preponderance of abuse is known to occur.
Justice O'Hern and I recommended — and continued to reiterate the need for — uniform ethics laws, expectations and penalties across all levels of government.
The State Ethics Commission, which works, should be the single, unifying enforcement authority for both the executive and legislative branches, as well as for New Jersey's counties, municipalities and school boards.
Local government must be reined in. One of the blessings and curses of New Jersey is the proliferation of small units of government. We simultaneously have the Jeffersonian ideal of a system
