| To the Parsippany Troy-Hills Council:
Over the past few years - the subject of Pay-to-Play has been debated across our state. This corrupt process, where government contracts and jobs are doled out based on campaign contributions from job or contract recipients, is a major concern to all residents of our state, county, and town. The Daily Record noted recently that while necessary actions to ban this practice statewide have not materialized in the state legislature - there is nothing standing in the way at this time from taking action right in our own communities.
The enormous waste of taxpayer money that has actually occurred, and can potentially take place, because of these corrupt practices should be of great concern to every citizen and elected official. With this concern in mind - I would like to introduce to the Council a model ordinance, drafted by Citizen's Campaign, a non-partisan citizen empowerment group, for your consideration and adoption.
The Key components of this legislation are as follows ...
> Sets limits on contributions from professionals, such as attorneys, auditors, and engineers in the year prior to negotiations.
> Bans all political contributions by contractors from the beginning of negotiations through the performance of the contract.
> Limits contributions to $300 to town candidates and local political parties, $500 to county political parties, and limits professional firm to $2,500 in aggregate.
> Individuals who break the law, or try to circumvent it are banned from receiving no-bid contracts for 4 years.
Please keep in mind that my intention to put this ordinance in place is not to insinuate any past or present wrongdoing as Citizen's Campaign advocates a no-blame approach to adopting these measures. However, this is a tremendous opportunity to demonstrate to the citizens of Parsippany your dedication to preventing situations that violate the public trust. I look forward to discussing this ordinance with you at your convenience. Please feel free to call me to discuss your ideas or concerns at 973-xxx-xxxx. I look forward to working with you on this important issue.
Sincerely,
Tom Wyka |
