Can you get yourself re-elected by lying to voters?
Of course you can. Candidates circling the ethics drain do it all the time. And that's what Republicans Caroline Casagrande & Mary Pat Angelini are banking on; if they suggest to enough voters that rising Democrat Vin Gopal is a crook, maybe they can keep their jobs.
The GOP's clearly concerned that Gopal might win. He's an effective, eloquent and inspiring candidate. Gopal's entire team, among other nods, won Democracy for America's national endorsement (disclosure: it was my pleasure to alert DFA to their strengths). Asbury Park Press endorsed Gopal, too, urging voters to consider him over Mary Pat Angelini.
So. What did Casagrande and Angelini do? They sent mail , produced by NJ GOP but approved by the two of them, that attempt to tar Gopal with the crimes of Perth Amboy Mayor Joe Vas, who went to jail for corruption. This kind of crap is right out of the Karl Rove playbook; create a scary-enough bogeyman and the voters will do what you want.
One of the best lectures I've ever heard - ever, on any subject - was presented by Harvard Professor Lawrence Lessig at Netroots Nation 2008 in Austin (watch the 2nd video clip at this link, and see part of what I mean). Lessig spoke of the corrosive effect of money in politics - real and perceived - which led him to launch Change Congress (later Fix Congress First), which has evolved into Rootstrikers.org, "a network of activists fighting the corrupting influence of money in politics."
He has now written a book, "Republic, Lost: A Declaration of Independence," setting forth his conclusions about how extensively money has corrupted politics. And it couldn't be better timed, as noted by Huffpost:
The protesters occupying Wall Street have been famously without a formal manifesto. But if they wanted one, firebrand Harvard Professor Lawrence Lessig's new book about how money has corrupted Congress might be a contender.
And, he's coming to New Jersey to talk about it. This Monday, October 17th at 7:30 at Ramapo College, Trustees Pavilion in Mahwah, Lessig will present "The Best Government Money Can Buy" - a free lecture co-sponsored by North Jersey Public Policy Network, BlueWave NJ and the Ramapo College Department of Law and Society. The event is part of the North Jersey Public Policy Network's Distinguished Expert Series.
I'll be there. And, if you want to have your mind blown by one of the leading thinkers in America, on an issue of the utmost importance to our democracy, you may just want to join me.
TPM is out with a story today that almost creates more questions than it answers, due to a heavily redacted FBI file, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The players are US Attorney, now governor, Chris Christie and the John Adler, before his election to Congress while he was still a NJ state senator. Given what we know about Christie, what comes to light today appears to suggest more about him, and the way he used his federal office for politically-motivated witch hunts - which were often successful - than it does the late John Adler.
The documents detail an investigation approved by U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, following information from a cooperating witness who approached the FBI's Philadelphia division in June, 2007 with a story that Senator Adler's support - for a 2005 law placing inspection contracts under "local public contract law" -was corrupt.
The case was later closed for lack of evidence, and was not an issue in Adler's successful run for congress the following year. You can read the details of what was investigated in TPM's post. There appears, at least with documents so heavily redacted, to be nothing to the cooperating witness' suspicions about Adler, nothing actionable. There's no evidence Adler even knew there was an investigation. An Adler confidante suggested to TPM that the cooperating witness may have "had a bone to pick with Adler.'
To be clear, I have no problem with Amodeo collecting unemployment or anyone else who needs it, that's why it's there. And the fact that he collected it while being in a high income household - median household income in New Jersey is around $68,000 - is fine as well.
But to collect unemployment then vote against and fail to support aid to other people on the program, most of whom are not in the high income bracket...
That's kicking away the ladder after people below you held it steady while you climbed up.
Not the kind of behavior most people look for in a representative.
In campaigns there is such a thing as spinning and such a thing, as well, dishonesty.
The first instance of this, as previously reported, was Assemblyman Amodeo saying his fellow Republican candidate for the legislature had never received a no-bid contract despite it being proven with smoking gun evidence. I truly can not understand that move, outright denying something that anyone (let alone a rival campaign) can get a record of being true.
But there was also another odd, demonstrably false, statement in the same radio interview.
John Amodeo: We've been told by the Governor there was an increase this year ... people will see their homestead rebates increasing not only this year but again in the following year.
OK, I guess I understand hoping someone won't do a public records search for professional services contracts but people know they didn't get more money... because they didn't get more money. (more after the jump)
For those of you who need a refresher, or cannot wait for the publication of "The Soprano State: The Sequel": Waaay back in 2008 , Bryant was paid by University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Camden for a "low show" job as a 'thank you' for Bryant maneuvering millions in state funds to the school.
Bryant served as Chairman of the Senate's Budget and Appropriations Committee back then.
And if a "low-show" job was not enough, the trial court determined that Bryant also had a "no-show" job to help pump up his pension benefits, this one for the Gloucester County Board of Social Services.
New Jersey math: One "low-show job" + One "no-show job" prison time.
But, Bryant appealed that NJ math result, arguing "that prosecutors violated their due process rights by interfering with their pretrial access to potential witnesses...and that the jury instructions were defective."
The Third Circuit judges rejected Bryant's appeal, and he stays put in federal prison.
Well this is a new one. Apparently one way to counter an argument made by an opponent is just deny smoking gun evidence.
Vince Polistina, Republican candidate for State Senate in LD-2, has made a lot of money being a juiced in civil engineer (a lot of money). One of the ways he was able to get his hands on taxpayer cash was through no-bid contracts.
His running mate for state assembly, John Amodeo, thought the best way to counter this unfortunate fact was to pretend it never happened. Huh?
John Amodeo: There's no such thing of no-bid contracts awarded to firms that do professional services in municipalities... Fiction, absolutely completely false... It is comical.
A Newark man pleaded guilty today to submitting fraudulent absentee ballots while working for the 2007 campaign of state Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-29)
This is not the first conviction regarding Ruiz's election, others have put this criminality right inside her own house:
Authorities charged Colon; Ruiz's husband, former Essex County Freeholder Samuel Gonzalez; and Gianine Narvaez in multiple indictments in connection with absentee ballots they collected and submitted as workers for Ruiz's 2007 campaign. The charges included tampering with documentation for messenger ballots and fraudulently submitting such ballots as votes in the Nov. 6, 2007 general election. The workers fraudulently submitted absentee ballots on behalf of residents who never received the ballots or had an opportunity to cast their votes.
Truly disgusting behavior beyond any justification. So far Attorney General Dow has gone pretty easy on the culprits. Why? One can only wonder given the Governor's alliance with Joe D (Steve Adubato).
On Sunday Dr. Salvatore Pizzuro, a Disability Policy Specialist, made an impassioned plea for Senator Ruiz to resign. (details after the jump)
Federal agents expanded their probe of Toms River Regional schools Thursday at the home of the district's former engineer, Pravin H. Patel, sources said... Special Agent Robert Glantz, of the IRS' Criminal Investigations Division in Newark, said IRS agents were at Patel's home on Eagle Point Drive today, "conducting official business."
The FBI would not confirm that they were at the house, but sources said they participated in the visit.
It's the scandal that never ends - how much dirt did the Gilmore Machine do in Toms River? From the APP again:
Patel's firm, Pravin H. Patel Associates, served as the school district's engineer, architect and planner from 1993 until June 30... The firm was paid more than $9 million by the school system in the past decade... In addition to its work for the school district, Patel Associates also did work for MJ Rit, the private construction business of former school Superintendent Michael J. Ritacco.
On some level you had to see this coming if Ritacco was colluding with the school system's insurance firm, why not racketeer with the engineer too?
In April Toms River elected a group of reformers to the town's school board to help clean up the Ritacco mess. The team is lead by Democrat Ben Giovine who commented on the story for the APP:
Board member Ben Giovine, who was elected in April with the campaign of "ending the Ritacco regime" along with running mates Alexander Pavliv and Loreen Torrone, said the hardworking students and employees of the school district deserve better than to constantly have their district's name in the news for negative reasons.
"Today is certainly a sad reminder of how far the district under Mike Ritacco sunk, and how much work there is left to do," he said. "The Toms River school district should be known for its programs."
Giovine said the school board needs to apply more scrutiny to the public contracts.
(Ben Giovine, New Toms River School Board Member)
One can only hope that the reform team can make some progress because it seems the Ritacco saga is far from over.
As we predicted Monday night, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. empire is now in deep trouble in New Jersey for what appear to be illegal and immoral activities.
"The U.S. government must ensure that victims in the United States have not been subjected to illegal and unconscionable actions by these newspapers seeking to exploit information about their personal tragedies for profit,"
As you know, the anti-bribery provisions of FCPA make it illegal for a U.S. person or company to pay foreign officials to obtain or retain business. In this case, media reports indicate that reporters for News of the World, a newspaper that is controlled by a subsidiary of News Corporation, paid London police officers for information...
As you know, News Corporation is a U.S.-based company subject to FCPA. Indeed, the company's own website states the following: "The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is a U.S. law that forbids bribery of foreign (meaning non-U.S.) government officials, whether elected or appointed, even if the bribe takes place outside the United States. Because News Corporation is a U.S. corporation, the FCPA may apply to all Company employees everywhere in the world, regardless of their nationality or where they reside or do business."
As was previously reported at Blue Jersey the New Toms River school board members took issue with the old Ritacco Republican school board members voting to help out relatives with taxpayer money.
Two long-time Board of Education members whose relatives work in the school district have admitted they mistakenly voted last month to approve the contracts of administrators who supervise their relatives.
Hard to claim it was a "mistake" when other board members, the non-Ritacco ones, said it was inappropriate at the time. But check out one members' comments to APP:
When the Asbury Park Press brought the conflict to the attention of Board President Edward F. Gearity, he said that he should not have voted June 21 on the contract of Assistant Superintendent William Cardone. Gearity's wife is an elementary school secretary, and Cardone supervises elementary education for the Toms River Regional district..."I should have abstained," Gearity said. "I've abstained on that in the past."
I know I broke the rules but previously I didn't. Not exactly reassuring.
As David Simon, creator of The Wire and longtime Baltimore reporter, noted in testimony before Congress, one of the most significant downsides to the decline of local newspapers is the lack of investigative journalism that will occur at the local level.
"The next 10 to 15 years will be halcyon days for local corruption," he declared. "It's going to be a great time to be a corrupt politician."
Toms River Regional Superintendent Michael J. Ritacco was at the center of one of the costliest public corruption schemes in recent New Jersey history, taking between $1 million and $2 million in bribes from the school district's insurance broker, federal authorities said
Also check out Rosi's piece for more of the sordid details.
Enter Democrat Ben Giovine who, along with an independent and an anti-Gilmore Republican, swept the Toms River school board elections running on cleaning up Ritacco's corrupt school board.
(Ben Giovine, New Toms River School Board Member)
It wasn't long before the new school board members saw first hand the corrupt practices of the Toms River school board that helped land Ritacco in handcuffs. The Ritacco school board engaged in unethical (if not illegal) behavior with conflict of interest votes/nepotism and without much deliberation reappointing all of Ritacco's cronies.
Is this yet another story that, as Simon's predicted, will slip from print?
Just a few minutes ago Ed Schultz had Senator Loretta Weinberg on his national radio show for a good ten minutes or so. The main topic was his latest episode of arrogant self absorbed stupidity that is now coming to be popularly known as "choppergate".
Once again (as she did last night on his TV show) Loretta administered a soundly well deserved rhetorical spanking to the Arrogant One.
I especially applaud her for bringing up the devastatingly telling revelation of how "wrong way Christie" got away with hitting a motorcyclist who was driving the right way down a one way street while Christie was driving the WRONG WAY UP THE ONE WAY STREET...and how the Arrogant One got off 100% scott free. No ticket. No legal consequences. No political consequences.
The Arrogant One was allowed to win the NJ governorship without ever having to come clean about this dirty stinking rotten corrupt sick pathological disgusting abuse of power (though at the time that this emerged during the campaign I was screaming bloody murder about it here and demanding that the democrats use the story to deflate Christie's bubble.)
Evidently, Christie bought off the victim with a cash payoff and purchased his silence. How Christie bought off or blackmailed the cops into caving in we may never know. One thing we all DO know is that is if WE ever drove up a one way street and put another person in the hospital WE would be F****D big time!!!! That's the kind of thing that costs people their licenses and messes up their lives.
When Big Ed asked Weinberg if this latest abuse of privilege that clearly involves a mis-allocation of state resources was an impeachable offense, she was somewhat taken aback and equivocated a bit...and that's understandable given how much crap NJ pols have gotten away with over the last 50 years.....our standards have become so effing low here.......but the more I think about it, the more legit it becomes.
Imagine any OTHER state employee using their state supplied transportation that was SPECIFICALLY DESIGNATED to facilitate STATE BUSINESS for their own personal and private convenience! The person would certainly be written up and disciplined and maybe even fired. But from our own Arrogant One we New Jerseyans are cowed into silent submission.
This is the vicious bastard that called for journalists to take a "baseball bat" to Senator Loretta Weinberg! He has still never apologized for that ugly and vicious verbal assault!!! From all indications the creep is proud of his brutal imagery in that attack. This is one sick puppy!!!
Given the whole pattern and context of Christie's behavior so far...I think it's entirely appropriate for the state Assembly and the state Senate to compel governor Christie to come clean about this trip and to reveal ALL the details about how he has used this chopper from day one!!! No more hiding behind "national security" bs excuses and redacting the information.
If a pattern of abuse is found Christie should indeed be impeached! If this was truly the only abuse, he needs to be held accountable by the legislature! That should be a severe sanction, including reimbursement and an apology to the people of NJ!!!
Christie was elected to be our governor, not our KING!!!
And if any Republicans want to make this into a partisan issue by "standing up for their man" then they need to be equally taken to task. What Christie did with this helicopter was at the very least, unethical and arrogant. He owes us, at the very least, an apology and some cash.
If Christie once again fails to comply with the norms of common human decency and with, in this case, legal requirements of full disclosure, he needs to be impeached and removed from office!!!
With the Board of Education election just next week it's striking that Union City teachers received pink slips today. This happened last year and very few teachers were let go.
Are these pink slips a political motivated reminder to teachers and staff that they better vote for Brian Stack's BOE supporters or else? Is the era of Hudson County political bosses abusing public workers alive and well in Union City?
While teachers have a known opponent in Chris Christie are the political bosses of Hudson County, HCDO head Mark Smith and Mayor/Senator Brian Stack just as abusive toward educators and public workers?
UNION CITY AND BEYOND -- Approximately 150 teachers and another 300 Union City School District employees got notices this month saying their contracts won't be renewed for the next school year, but the same thing happened last year and most got hired back, according to a published report.
Superintendent of Schools Stanley Sanger was quoted as saying that they were given the notice as a "precautionary measure" since state aid has been precarious in recent years, and the district doesn't yet know how many teachers will retire this year.
The story on NJ.com states: "Last May, over 450 employees, including 210 teachers and approximately 240 non-instructional staff, received pink slips but virtually all of them were brought back."
Read more: Hudson Reporter - 150 Union City teachers get layoff notices again
Middlesex County Democratic Chairman Joseph Spicuzzo has turned himself in to face corruption charges according to NJ.com. We'll learn more at a 10:30AM press conference. As you'll see in our archives, Spicuzzo has had his share of controversies and Blue Jersey user kwilkinson warned: "we need to clean house in Middlesex county or the Democrats will continue lose seats around the county. "
Update 2: Statement from New Jersey Democratic State Committee Chairman John Wisniewski:
"I am disappointed and disheartened by the report today that former Sheriff Joe Spicuzzo has turned himself in to the State Police to face charges that allegedly touch on his tenure as Sheriff," said Wisniewski. "While Joe is entitled, under our Constitution, to the presumption of innocence, for the good of his family, our system of government and the Democratic party, he ought to consider stepping aside from his roles as a Commissioner of the Sports & Exposition Authority and Chairman of the Middlesex County Democratic Organization."
It is alleged that on two or more occasions from 2007 to 2008, while serving as county sheriff, Spicuzzo demanded that different individuals pay him bribes in return for him appointing them as new sheriff's investigators or promoting them within the sheriff's office. Sheriff's officers are hired through the civil service system, but sheriff's investigators are appointed by the sheriff. It is alleged that Spicuzzo solicited and accepted individual bribes of up to $25,000 from new hires for investigator positions. He allegedly took bribes totaling at least $50,000...
The state's investigation revealed that young applicants who were trying to obtain law enforcement positions as investigators were forced to use all sources of funding available to them to pay the alleged bribes. It is alleged that Spicuzzo also solicited bribes from more senior members of the office seeking promotion to new positions.
Chris Christie keeps telling me to get rid of civil service rules but this is an interesting counter example.
For the Democratic party, it's worse since a man who [allegedly] demands bribes for a law enforcement job is completely unfit to choose political candidates. Even worse, this is where tolerating sexual harassers in the party gets us. [Final Update: See comments for how the last statement is poorly phrased.]
My, but the wheels of justice turn slowly. Elaine Rabbitt, former Bergenfield Council Woman indicted for a forgery that nearly changed the course of a State Senate special election in 2005, finally got to face a judge.
There's so much incestuous patronage surrounding Senator John Girgenti, it's a small miracle members of his entourage still have the use of their opposable thumbs.
On Tuesday, pressure began mounting on Sen. John Girgenti (D-Hawthorne) about his recommendation of people for jobs at the PVSC. In recent years, Girgenti has been the recipient of more than $30,000 in campaign contributions from PVSC employees. Sources in the state Attorney General's office have confirmed that they are investigating a fundraiser that Girgenti held at the Brownstone House in Paterson last year.
With Democrats like these, who needs corrupt Republicans?
Jeff is a candidate for the NJ legislature. Depending on redistricting, he may be Girgenti's opponent. Both reside in Hawthorne. --Rosi
It's tough being a candidate. Now, all of a sudden, every time I want to say something about politics, I feel like it will be viewed through the lens of a political campaign. That's too bad, because today's news out of the scandal-plagued Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission really can't go left uncommented on, campaign or no campaign:
Governor Christie on Monday delivered what he called "direct property tax relief" to residents when he fired 71 employees of the scandal-plagued Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission.
As if it doesn't bother me enough that the governor has been handed this PR goldmine on a silver platter, what really gets me is how there could be so many people on the public payroll who no one seems to think were actually needed there. How did they get hired in the first place?
Certainly, earlier stories have tied Senator John Girgenti to the PVSC, including to indicted officials there who had been contributors to his political campaigns. But, I think the public deserves to know just how closely connected Senator Girgenti is to the corruption at the PVSC. With reports that Girgenti was using the Commission as his personal patronage mill and political fundraising machine, taxpayers deserve to know just how deep that involvement goes.
That's why in the wake of today's news, I'm calling on Girgenti to fully disclose who among the terminated workers he played a role in originally hiring, and to release the list of all current and former Commission employees who have contributed to his political campaign.
If New Jersey is serious about cutting taxes without reducing services, we can start by getting to the bottom of scandals like this one.
Jeff is a candidate for the NJ legislature. Depending on redistricting, he may be Girgenti's opponent. Both reside in Hawthorne. --Rosi
I have something to say to politicians who use political patronage and hand out public jobs to their family members, political donors and assorted cronies: It's. Not. Your. Money.
Sunday's Star Ledger shines the light on a practice everyone knows exists and everyone claims to despise, but which has continued essentially unabated for decades as "business as usual" or just "New Jersey politics." It's the fleecing of taxpayers to enrich the campaign coffers of certain politicians.
State Sen. John Girgenti (D-Passaic) does not work for the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners.
Instead, it appears to work for him....
In Girgenti's most recent campaign finance report, employees wrote checks totaling $7,900 in support of his re-election.... That same report showed those who do business with the commission kicked in another $14,000 for Girgenti's election.
The article goes on to report that "tickets for political fundraising events were being sold at [the PVSC] itself by supervisors there, and its employees were being pressured to buy them out of fear of retribution." This comes on the heels of last week's PolitickerNJ piece detailing this all-too-common practice, which drives up the cost of government, and in turn drives up our taxes. It's as simple as that.
As we look at the hard choices presented by the state's budget crisis, we're often told we need to choose between higher taxes or reduced services. But, if we're serious about holding the line on taxes, while keeping the services we want and need, maybe what really needs cutting out is this kind of corruption. It's too expensive.
We need refresher courses in how corruption happens because, like an arms race, the bad guys are always trying new games to get one over on us.
I have tried to explain how this works to folks in the past few years, but I find this story a clear explanation of just how Pay to Play and kickbacks work when the firms in question can avoid the scrutiny given to the main contract winner in a government contract.
