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During his less than four years in office, Gov. Jon Corzine has, among other things, closed loopholes in the state's pay-to-play laws, eliminated dual office holding, created an independent state comptroller to audit all levels of government, and established an all-public member State Ethics Commission.
As the Republican Party attempts in an election year to link Corzine to last week's federal roundup of allegedly corrupt public officials, two of the party's Assembly members want him and the Democratic-controlled Legislature to do more.
Assemblywoman Amy H. Handlin and Assemblyman Samuel Thompson (both R-Monmouth) charged Tuesday that Democrats have allowed corruption to fester in New Jersey.
"Democratic officials have ignored our calls for stricter ethics laws so that New Jersey families get the honest government they deserve, even as dozens of public officials have been locked up for selling their office in recent years," Thompson said. "We can only hope that the disgusting spectacle we saw last week will finally shame Governor Corzine and the Democrats who control the Legislature into adopting tougher provisions.Thompson and Handlin are sponsoring ethics legislation that calls for mandatory suspension for indicted public officials and forfeiture of office for those convicted, prohibits criminally-charged public officials from using campaign funds for their legal defense, reforming of public contracting standards, strengthening the Ethics Commission, making public corruption offenses racketeering activity and closing what they see as pay-to-play loopholes.
Two of the bills have been held in the assembly State Government Committee since January 2008. Another was introduced in November and was one of three ethics measures that Assembly Republicans tried to force the full lower house to vote on in June, but were blocked by Democrats.
"That shows the priorities of Governor Corzine and his Democratic allies in the Legislature," Handlin said. "While New Jerseyans have watched a steady stream of public officials led away in handcuffs, high-ranking elected officials have been complicit by failing to enact important ethics reforms that are so obviously needed, which further victimizes taxpayers who suffer from the increased costs that corruption inflicts on government."
— TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
