slush fund 
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Fri Mar 11, 2011 at 01:04:00 PM EST
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*** Update 4:29pm: Good guesses in Comments. You'll find the mystery man's real identity after the jump.***
 This was snapped at yesterday's public hearing on legislative redistricting - historic because of the presence of the tie-breaking 11th member (no, he's not in the picture). Look at the guy on the right, head down in deep chat with Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr. Know who that is?
I'll pull this diary back up to the frontpage at around 4pm, check in to see if anybody can name this guy, and know his significance. And I'll give you the answer then if somebody hasn't already nailed him.
Some hints, and a larger picture, on the flip...
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Mon Feb 07, 2011 at 09:13:00 AM EST
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O.K. I'm outraged! I'm trying to figure out how to function in this "new" New Jersey environment and how to channel that outrage into productive work.
A New Jersey Congressman is pushing a bill to re-define rape. Our New Jersey Governor speaks before a pro-life rally and then vetoes a bill which would give medicaid coverage to poor women needing health care. A Democratic Assembly Committee releases a private school voucher bill which will pay state money for youngsters already in (read not failing) private schools. I guess I'm not used to having New Jersey guys (and gals) like these actually in charge.
There's a New Jersey State Treasurer who refuses to appear before the Assembly Budget Committee. A New Jersey State Commissioner of Health won't appear before the Senate Health Committee and won't send a senior staffer in her stead.
The New Jersey Governor nominated and the Senate confirmed private school advocates as members to the State Board of Education, one of whom had no idea what Abbott vs. Burke was. Service on the board of the Peck School seemed to be the main prerequisite for this appointment. I wonder how many vouchers will be extended to kids from failing schools to attend that same Peck School? A New Jersey Governor cuts funding for pre-school while claiming he is "passionate" about education.
Two new members of the New Jersey Highlands Commission have been nominated who do not believe in the Highlands preservation law.
more "new" outrage below.
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Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 03:59:34 PM EST
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Senator Loretta Weinberg is urging a full-scale investigation of Gov. Chris Christie's privately-funded slush fund operated by top Christie operatives whose donors were unknown till a Christie front-office news dump of the names in the blizzard aftermath during the Christmas/New Year's week when most people aren't following the news. Reform Jersey Now raised $624,000 to push the Christie agenda, and now that we know the donors (though we still don't have the expenditures) some serious questions have been raised about the legality of the group's activities. The group's secret dealings have caused massive accountability and transparency issues in its much-maligned 6-month life. (Though Charlie Stile's right: what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander).
Senator Weinberg today called on US Attorney Paul Fishman and Attorney General Paula Dow for a full investigation of Reform Jersey Now, citing concerns the group was organized with the specific goal of subverting federal and NJ campaign finance laws; also NJ pay-to-play laws. In letters to Fishman & Dow, Weinberg says an investigation is warranted because Reform Jersey Now appears to have been "a Republican-controlled entity (designed) to circumvent campaign finance and pay to play laws." Weinberg also said there are concerns that the group "could have facilitated quid pro quo arrangements" between the administration and would-be state contractors.
Letter to AG Paula Dow. Letter to US Atty Paul Fishman.
Among contributors causing concern, Weinberg cites 2 highest-level donors, Ferreira Construction & George Harms Construction. Both gave $25K and received state transportation contracts in excess of $300 million. Another contribution of $1K from comes from Earle Asphalt Company, which has run afoul of NJ pay-to-play rules. Weinberg:
From its inception, Reform Jersey Now has sought to take advantage of every loophole under state and federal law and has blurred the line between lawful and unlawful conduct. Its contempt for our pay to play and other anti-corruption laws has opened the door to abuse and quid pro quo transactions. There is little doubt that by coordinating its efforts with prominent Republicans and openly soliciting contributions from contractors, Reform Jersey Now has violated the spirit of the law. The question remains, however, whether it violated the letter of the law.
Weinberg also challenges Gov. Christie's claims that the group organized to privately propel his own agenda ever actually had a real "reform" agenda, given its refusal to disclose where its money was going, and given the fact its board included Christie Todd Whitman, whose pension bond scheme exploded NJ debt, and Donald DiFrancesco whose 9% pension increase was pushed through without providing a way to pay for it.
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Wed Dec 29, 2010 at 10:25:56 PM EST
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Fifteen donors pooled their money to provide 60% of the funds used to power Reform Jersey Now, the shady slush fund created to privately boost Chris Christie's agenda, and hit Democrats who might oppose it. The fund was created for the new governor by his GOP allies and run by Mike DuHaime, GOP strategist and the architect of Christie's campaign, with former Franklin Lakes councilman Chuck Shotmeyer listed as president.
Was this list released today to divert attention from Chris Christie's irresponsible decision to leave the state to avoid handling a messy snow emergency? The governor's due back in New Jersey tomorrow.
After months of editorials harshly criticizing the fund's obvious design to elude campaign finance laws created for the purpose of greater transparency in government, Reform is closing up shop. Rather than adhere to those rules, the architects of Reform chose to operate instead - legally, but probably unethically - under IRS rules. Creating Reform under those rules meant the fund was not technically obligated to show its finances or follow contribution limits adhered to by most politicians, such as those created to avoid pay-to-play advantages.
In a memo Reform released today, 244 donors are listed - including the core 15 - combining for a total raised of $623,784. Read the entire list here.
Missing is a list of the fund's expenditures, so New Jerseyans can follow the impact of the private financing of the slush fund's activities. For the most part, Reform acted in secret, but some of its projects are known: radio ads in June supporting Christie's property tax agenda (and in no way making clear that the support came from a group organized around the governor), and a direct mail & robo-call campaign directed at Democratic lawmakers like senators Steve Sweeney and Paul Sarlo. Reform had a half-year life, and will shut down Friday.
Among the top contributors:
John Crowley (Princeton Twp), Amicus Therapeutics CEO who almost ran for US Senate in 2008, and the subject of a film about his children and their rare illness.
Sol Barer (Westfield), former CEO of Celgene Corp, a biotech firm.
Spencer Baretz & John Hellerman, of Hellerman Baretz Communications, a PR firm.
Mark Gerson (Summit), chair of Gerson Lehrman Group and a board member at 'conservative' think tank Manhattan Institute.
2 national GOP committees; a policy committee under the Republican Governor's Association, which made an adoring short film about Christie's 2009 upset win that premiered in a D.C. theater, and the State Government Leadership Foundation.
Bayonne Medical Center, which is in the news today, actually.
Builders PAC.
4 companies in the construction & development sector: Ferreira Construction Co., George Harms Construction, Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, and home-builder Toll Brothers Inc..
Issues Mobilization Committee, a Realtors issues group.
Jeff Michaels, former chief of staff under Gov. Donald DiFrancesco
follow me below the fold for more scandalous details.
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Mon Oct 04, 2010 at 05:46:31 PM EDT
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With Chris Christie spending most of this month out of state for GOP political trips - sometimes with a powerful GOP lobbyist along, sometimes getting in the face of people with questions - NJDSC produced a video primer of our Governor, with some of the things he might not be mentioning as he helps Republican candidates rake in the money in the days leading up to the November election. Here it is, called "Consequences of Christie. Does it tell the story?
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Sun Jul 18, 2010 at 01:54:42 PM EDT
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The criticism of Chris Christie's Slush fund, otherwise known Reform Jersey Now continues to pile up. Following the scathing editorial by the Asbury Press, the AC Press today is out with their take:It becomes more obvious by the day that this group - like others before it - represents an end-run around campaign-finance laws and was clearly formed to promote the governor's political agenda. At the very least, the public should know who is providing the money. On the flaunting of the fact that they can avoid state laws and regulations, the Press referred to the invitation wording:"Reform Jersey Now contributions are not affected by the pay-to-play statutes ... or by applicable executive orders," one recent solicitation reads. "Reform Jersey Now may lawfully accept donations from any source - corporate or individual - in unlimited amounts."
In other words, let the money flow. Including, possibly, money from businesses seeking state contracts from the administration whose agenda the group is promoting. They then took on the ridiculous talking point the Governor has tried to throw out that it's ok for his slush fund to evade playing by the law because other groups like unions have attacked him before:But there's a big difference between unions and Reform Jersey Now: It's clear where unions get their money. Voters have no way of knowing who is behind Reform Jersey Now. And that's the problem, Christie's slush fund is competing with his administration to see which has less transparency. The group says they'll disclose their donors eventually, but the Press has a better idea:Disclose them now. They also suggested the Governor take a different approach than trying to justify and avoid responsibility for the group:Christie - who has touted his support for pay-to-play and other campaign-finance laws - should tell his pals to let the public know now who the money is coming from. And until Christie and his group disclose, the media should stay on top of this shining a light on the glaring ties and connections between the Governor and his slush fund.
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Fri Jul 16, 2010 at 10:00:00 AM EDT
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The Asbury Park Press had an editorial yesterday taking the Governor to task over the slush fund he's trying to say he has nothing to do with and no control over. Thurman talked some about this in his post, but the APP was clear and concise about what is going on:Gov. Chris Christie apparently believes it's OK to sidestep a law if it's his ox that is being gored by it. Another name for that would be hypocrisy. Good for the Asbury Park Press for calling it like it is.
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Wed Jul 14, 2010 at 04:15:00 PM EDT
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Do you know Ron Gravino? He's been a busy guy lately. First, lets take a look back in time at the disclaimer on then candidate Christie's website: 
Then lets look at Jon Runyan's disclaimer:
And finally, the icing on the cake. The people who Chris Christie supposedly has no contact with and are just concerned citizens disclaimer at Reform Jersey Now:
Gravino was also treasurer for Tom Kean Jr. in his Senate run and the Inaugural this year for the new Governor:
But Christie would like you to believe he has no connection to the slush fund group. That they're just independent, concerned citizens. And the group has said they will disclose donors eventually, but not their expenses. So what is to stop them from going around federal limits and running issue ads in Runyan's district along with attacking for Christie? The treasurer won't need to worry about coordinating efforts, that's for sure. And also it's just a coincidence that every time they hold an event for Reform Jersey Now, Chris Christie is the special guest right?
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Wed Jul 14, 2010 at 03:00:00 PM EDT
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Questions continue to persist about Governor Christie's slush fund front group that is openly flaunting their ability to avoid state pay to play laws. Upon them being posed directly to Christie himself, we got this nonsense in the Star Ledger:Gov. Chris Christie said today he is not responsible for a group of supporters soliciting political donations outside state limits, even as he welcomed the "help" against labor unions that are spending furiously to defeat his agenda. Yes, you see once again according to this Governor, it's the big bad union's fault. As Senator Sweeney put it, at least you know who is coming after you if it's a union because they file and abide by state pay to play laws. Even Republicans are questioning the slush fund saying it doesn't pass the smell test:"In the environment we're in - and it's an environment the governor has contributed mightily to - these things are looked at with considerable suspicion," said Carl Golden, a GOP strategist who has advised former governors. "It just doesn't look right. In this business, appearance accounts for a great deal." It's good to see the Star Ledger digging into this. It has all the connections to the Governor including the fact that every time they hold an event, Christie is the main attraction. It's nothing more than a GOP front group that can work around state contributions limits. Christie's contention that he's not responsible is laughable at best and even his fellow Republicans are starting to raise questions.
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Tue Jul 13, 2010 at 01:18:19 PM EDT
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Promoted by Rosi
We've been discussing the Christie slush fund -- officially called "Reform Jersey Now" -- set up to help out Chris Christie by exploiting loopholes. Many have wondered how they're spending the money they're secretly raising and spending.
As you may know, I live in Steve Sweeney's district. I was surprised recently to see some campaign mailers in my mailbox because it's not campaign season. It turns out the mailer was from Reform Jersey Now. Here are the scans:
I haven't heard of people in other districts getting such mailers.
(I'd like to say I did the opposite of what they wanted, but as it turned out, Sweeney reached a deal averting a constitutional amendment before I got around to it.)
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Thu Jul 08, 2010 at 10:30:00 AM EDT
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Yesterday, State Party Chairman John Wisniewski held a press conference following up on his initial calls to have the secret group supporting Chris Christie's property tax plan release their donors. Here is video from the press conference:The State party laid out a pretty good case for the ties that require a further look:You've heard of 'Six degrees of Separation', in this case there are zero degrees of separation from Governor Christie, Minority Leaders Kean and DeCroce and this supposed 'issue advocacy' group.
1. Christie's top political advisor is on the 'advisory board'
2. Their treasurer, a Governor's appointee to the Turnpike Authority, is the campaign treasurer for Chris Christie, Senate Minority Leader Kean, and Assembly Minority Leader DeCroce amongst others.
3. The address and phone number listed on their website are the same as the top Republican fundraising firm in the state which works for the Republican State Committee, the Senate Republican Majority and the Assembly Republican Majority
4. The chief strategist for the Christie / Guadagno campaign is their spokesperson
5. Governor Christie was the only keynote speaker at the only event supporting Reform Jersey Now
These are direct ties between the statewide Republican apparatus, and this shadow group which is nothing but a front for the Republican Party to raise unlimited, unregulated contributions from anyone it wants. Joining Chairman Wisniewski in the call for openness was Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein. Her opponent for the 14th District Senate seat Tom Goodwin was hopping on the pay to play bandwagon yesterday as well, focusing on recommendations recently announced by ELEC:"The days of backroom deals are over and a new day of government transparency has finally arrived," said Goodwin. "I commend ELEC for proposing these common sense reforms that will give residents the assurance to know that the professional politicians can no longer trade contracts for campaign cash." Goodwin says ethics will be a central component of his race. I think there is no place like the Christie front group to begin with that additional transparency he wants so bad. It's also the transparency Christie ran on, yet has failed to deliver at every turn.
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Thu Jun 24, 2010 at 12:00:00 PM EDT
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Governor Christie started his morning yesterday at a special breakfast:Gov. Chris Christie was the featured speaker Tuesday at a New York City breakfast event sponsored by Reform Jersey Now, a non-profit advocacy group that features two former Republican governors on its board.
The event was held at the New York Health and Racquet Club and was organized by billionaire Ken Langone, the founder of Home Depot. Assemblyman Wisniewski slammed the Governor for his attendance contrasting it with his veto which gave many in the audience a tax cut:"No wonder Governor Christie vetoed the millionaires' tax and his Republican colleagues refused to override it. He was planning a breakfast with his millionaire friends and couldn't look them in the face. He needs their millions of dollars of unregulated and unreported campaign contributions " I don't think that's exactly why he vetoed it, but I'm sure it made for a more friendly atmosphere in the room. The problem with this group isn't the tax cut, it's that it's a "Friends of Christie" front group formed in a way to shield accountability:Reform Jersey Now is a 501 (c)(4) non-profit that has so far run two radio ads in favor of Christie's cap plan. The group counts among its board members former Republican Governors Christie Whitman and Donald DiFrancesco. Long-time Christie friend and advisor Bill Palatucci is also a member of the advisory board as is former U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson. They set it up as a non-profit intentionally because while goals of affecting policy may be the same as other political PAC's, they're not bound by any financial disclosure rules, making their list of donors virtually inaccessible. They've promised to provide full transparency.... eventually, which isn't good enough for Wisniewski:Governor Christie's ability to ignore campaign promises and side step regulations is neither surprising nor new for him. We must 'reform' Reform Jersey Now and ensure that in the future, politically motivated ultra right wing organizations are not involved in making our state's policies.
I call on Reform Jersey Now to release all of its donors now, not eventually. Here we are, once again, with Christie doing secret deals. Now those rich friends of his who get contracts through "advisory" boards not subject to public information requests can pay Christie with a kickback to his slush fund that guess what, doesn't disclose donors. It takes a former US Attorney to come up with such a devious scheme.
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Fri Oct 31, 2008 at 01:04:35 AM EDT
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Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce (R-Parsippany) recently stated that Senate President and former Acting Governor Richard Codey (D-West Orange) attempted to strong arm him into discontinuing his efforts to investigate a legislative slush fund that was responsible for the now-infamous "Christmas Tree" grants currently under federal investigation. He claimed that Senator Codey offered him state grant money and threatened him so that DeCroce's pursuit of information about the slush fund would be stalled. DeCroce agreed to a lie detector test to 'prove' his assertions; as of this writing, Codey has not. If DeCroce's allegations are true, they are not only damaging to Senator Codey and the Democratic Legislature politically, but they have serious legal implications, as well. DeCroce had a responsibility to alert the proper authorities to these allegations when they occurred, not two years after the fact; the public should have been informed in due time, as well.
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