The Oakland town council once again sought to tackle the issue of a local pay-to-pay at the May 9th council meeting.
Pay-to-play reform in New Jersey has, and continues to be, a grassroots effort by citizens concerned with government contractors and vendors acting as piggy banks for political campaigns, political parties, and individual politicians.
Municipalities in NJ continue to pass local pay-to-play ordinances to protect both the integrity of government, and to assure local residents that local government is not for sale.
Chris Christie has made pay-to-play reform one of his major slogans, and Tom Kean Jr. is working towards tightening NJ’s model pay-to-play law by treating union contributions the same as any other company.
Oakland’s proposed ordinance follows the municipal model that has evolved since Christie’s initiatives began, and includes union contributions.
Still, the majority of the Oakland town council seems very confused and hesitant to make any effort to close the loopholes that give the impression Oakland government is for sale.
Council member Coira, a Democrat, is the lead proponent of the local play-to-play ordinance, and has crafted an ordinance based on the state’s model and another enacted by Franklin Lakes prior to the state’s model ordinance. The combination closes the loopholes that allow numerous contractors, vendors and professionals working for Oakland to contribute heavily in local campaigns.
The density of the debate is captured in the comic reactions of the Oakland borough attorney, Brian Chewcaskie. Watching the council discussions on Oakland public access, Chewcaskie’s exasperation at continuously explaining the ordinance is evident. Even after lengthy and detailed explanations, a majority on the council seemed unable to grasp the same proposals being promoted by Governor Chris Christie & State Senator Tom Kean.
Coira and Chewcaskie spent a significant amount of time going over, and over the details of the ordinance, and the issue was eventually tabled with the understanding that council member Visconti will return with his own version.
Visconti, while still expressing skeptiscm about limiting campaign contributions by Oakland contractors, felt the ordinance was too strict. One specific point of contention from Visconti was a provision in the model ordinance that prohibits Oakland contractors and vendors from circumventing local contribution limits by giving to the county instead.
Bergen County’s own recent pay-to-play ordinance is causing problems for local county leaders, as voiced by Bergen County Republican Chairman Bob Yudin who described the crippling effects of government contractors and vendors not being able to exceed the new contribution limits.
Other objections to the Oakland ordinance included summations by council member Stagg who voiced the opinion that “this is ridiculous”; and council member Pignatelli who seemed confused at having to read a draft prepared by the borough attorney that included edits, and would prefer to see a draft with no edits.
In Oakland, the amount of money presently contributed by a handful of local contractors, vendors, and professionals working for the town is enough for any candidate to mount a viable campaign; this alone indicates an ability to influence the outcome of a local election.
Politicians at every level, from federal to local, have become reliant on the money supplied by special interests, industries, and corporate donors.
The website OpenSecrets.org has been tracking the influence of money in politics at the federal level since 1996. This website brought online the extensive research efforts begun in 1983 by Republican Senator Hugh Scott and Democratic Senator Frank Church.
A newer entry to the online world of tracking the influence of money in politics is PoliticalPartyTime.org. The name is a play off the many parties and fundraisers that members of the congress and senate host, mainly for lobbyists. A March 2012 article on NPR.org provides an overview of the information available on that website.
NJ Grassroot Links:
http://www.bergengrassroots.org/
http://thecitizenscampaign.org
News Link
Bergen Record, Fundraising Troubles
Submitted by Richard Saunders
Are these Repubilican council people playing games. Weren’t the edits left in the document because Councilwoman Marcalus requested them because she “doesn’t know Councilwoman Coira”. Now Councilman Pignatelli wants them taken out. Watching these meetings is like watching a very calculated ping-pong match. I’m curious to see if Councilman Visconti comes back with something resembling the state Republican’s version, or something resembling what President Obama wants. It’s very funny watching Visconti say “unions”, as if he is making a point. Councilman, the borough attorney put that word in there for you, you don’t have to keep asking about it.
Sadly, the council members representing my party are presenting another Sour Grapes show in their feeble attempts to derail Councilwoman Corira’s effort to eliminate an evil practice. Mr. Visconti’s remark that this stuff doesn’t occur in Oakland was shocking.