Tougher ethics laws? No chance.The Record Watchdog faults fund-raising reforms; TRENTON - The state agency that monitors political fund-raising lacks the staff to verify campaign finances and is even more unequipped to handle reforms being considered by the Legislature, its chief said Monday. Frederick M. Herrmann, executive director of the Election Law Enforcement Commission, told a state Senate committee that he would need another 13 employees, or about a 25 percent increase, to put one bill into practice. That measure would require all the state's campaigns, which already report political fund raising to the commission, to pay a fee equal to 2 percent of the money they raise. While the bill was conceived as a means of boosting the agency's budget, Herrmann told the Senate State Government Committee that it would also create additional work. The agency cannot verify the accuracy of most of the fund-raising reports it receives now, he said. So a fee tied to those reports would require staff to confirm the amounts reported before fees are assessed. "Right from the beginning this was flawed in terms of how it was budgeted," Herrmann said of his agency. "This is something that really has to be adjusted. If we get all these reforms, I don't see how we can possibly do the job." Herrmann was responding to questions from Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, who said the director's staffing estimate sounded "absolutely crazy." The committee was holding its second hearing on a series of ethics-related bills. Up for testimony Monday were a dozen measures tightening restrictions on fund raising, lobbying, and conflicts of interest. The committee did not vote on any of them. Heather Taylor of the reform group Common Cause New Jersey testified in support of several bills, including one that would force lawmakers to wait two years after leaving the Legislature before they could become lobbyists. But Sen. Nicholas Asselta, R-Cumberland, questioned her pointedly, suggesting that legislators-turned-lobbyists are comparable to athletes who become commentators. He also implied that the bill should apply only to legislative leaders, since only they can really affect legislation. "It's not as simple as it sounds," Asselta warned. Meanwhile, Sen. Byron Baer, D-Englewood, told fellow committee members that he hoped to break a longstanding logjam over the state's highest-profile ethical problem. Baer said he had introduced a bill addressing the custom known as "pay to play" - in which government contracts often go to campaign contributors - that would not take effect for two years. He said that delay would ensure that neither party knowingly gains advantage by immediately ending the practice, which tends to favor whoever is in power. "By taking politics out of play, I hope to get bipartisan support for this bill," Baer said. The Assembly State Government Committee also has been considering several ethics measures, including a version of pay-to-play reform, in its own series of hearings. Courier-Post Limits needed on lobbying New Jersey's lawmakers already are perceived by many residents as ethically challenged. So it doesn't help when a group of them can't see the logic in an ethics reform bill. At a Senate State Government Committee meeting Monday, several senators questioned the need for a bill that would prevent former legislators from becoming lobbyists in Trenton for two years. Sen. Nicholas Asselta, R-Vineland, wondered why former lawmakers shouldn't be allowed to go right into lobbying the way a retired athlete can immediately become a television sportscaster. Asselta and other lawmakers who question this ban need to wake up. As elected officials whose job it is to look out for the interests of taxpayers, a higher standard is required. The perception that lawmakers, once they lose their office, immediately can become lobbyists for special interests and continue to have an influence on key decisions is just one of many reasons why so many New Jersey voters think ethics are lacking in Trenton. If the Legislature wants to improve its image, it should start by passing the two-year ban on former legislators becoming lobbyists. Courier News OUR OPINION BYLINE: Staff SECTION: EDITORIALS
Legislators' reform fears sign of trouble The simple truth is that there is no great commitment to ethics reform in Trenton. Some lawmakers believe in the cause. Others are willing to tackle it, with some reluctance. Many, however, seem hesitant to do anything meaningful, hoping to do only as little as possible to appease public demand. Consider this week's Senate State Government Committee meeting in which some senators challenged the value of proposed restrictions on how soon former legislators can begin lobbying their old colleagues. A Senate bill recommends a two-year prohibition, while an Assembly version recommends one year, and although no votes were taken by the committee, its discussions raise some genuine concerns. Sen. Nicholas Asselta, R-Vineland, questioned the need for any such restriction, arguing that lawmakers should be allowed to take advantage of their professional expertise right away. He compared such a move to a professional athlete moving directly to the announcing booth, an analogy that hardly could be more misguided. Athletes aren't elected to represent the public and put in a position to potentially exploit taxpayer money with their actions. Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-Linden, sounded just as out of touch, suggesting that the reform was attempting to address a problem that doesn't exist - trading votes for future jobs. But even if Scutari is that naive to believe that such deals never occur, the larger issue here is still one of perception. Whether such deals are made or not, the system so openly allows them that it fosters a sense of rampant corruption, fair or not. Asselta and Scutari are hardly alone in their opposition to this and other proposed reforms, again making it obvious that many legislators still don't get it - or don't want to get it. They still act as if their presumed good intentions alone should be enough for the public not to worry about potential for exploitation. But that's not enough, even if it were true. New Jersey's reputation for political corruption is well-earned; there have been countless examples of abusing the system, and part of the problem has long been the system itself - which creates far too many opportunities for that abuse. Now legislators, thanks to a heightened public awareness, have been forced to take some action to tighten the system. But if they just keep chipping away at the reforms from all angles, there won't be much left to enact. Our position: The perception of lawmakers trading votes for future jobs is the primary reason to support a proposed restriction on former legislators quickly moving on to positions lobbying state government. |