Feds Subpoena more records in Sharpe James probe

by: Jason Springer

Tue Jul 03, 2007 at 07:22:42 PM EDT

The bill he sponsored as a senator mandated that a city council could not convey property unless first presented to the council by the mayor, "recognizing the authority of the mayor, as the chief executive officer of the municipality, to initiate those land purchase and sales decisions and determine the terms and conditions for acquisition and sale." The change only covered municipalities with populations of 265,000 or more as of the last Census (only Newark qualified.)

The subpoena to the Senate -- a copy of which was obtained by The Star-Ledger -- seeks all documents and communications related to Senate Bill S-967, as well as any correspondence from the two primary sponsors of the legislation, James and the late Jersey City Mayor Glenn Cunningham.

In Interest of Completeness
A couple of stories could be connected - in the first, the City of Newark cannot account for federal funds that were supposed to be used for community block grants.  In the second, Cory Booker is trying to reclaim land the previous administration sold at less-than-market rates.