Republican Assemblym members Alex DeCroce and Bill Baroni are calling on the governor to call a special session of the state Legislature to force it to enact ethics reform.
According to an Associated Press story, the announcement that state Sen. Wayne Bryant (D-Camden) was indicted on charges of federal corruption, fraud and pension padding spurred the call.
Republicans say reforms should include limiting campaign contributions from government contractors, making it illegal for officials to hold more than one elected office, and outlawing pension-boosting by public officials. Other proposed measures include suspending indicted public officials without pay, requiring jail time for convicted public officials, and turning over control of the Legislature’s ethics committee to private citizens.
The demand is obviously as much about politics as it is about reform, but there is no doubt that a problem exists and that much of the reform package makes sense. A special session, however, may not be the right path, given the ineffectiveness of last summer’s tax session.
The reality is that nothing is going to get done with a major citizen push — especially in an election year when the motivations of elected officials are incredibly suspect.
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Hank Kalet 