The Record hits on something interesting in its editorial yesterday on the statewide corruption arrests — that this was not just a case of pay-to-play run amok, or of a handful of bad apples, but one that grows from the very structure of New Jersey government — the vast array of governing entities and the dozens of officials at all levels who hold multiple public jobs:
This case is a vivid illustration of the multiplied corruption opportunities presented by New Jersey’s surplus of municipalities, school boards and other public agencies, as well as the politicians who link them together by holding more than one public job.
Add in greed and what you have is the uglier side of New Jersey government.
I’ve been advocating for shrinking the number of towns and school boards and streamlining government, and it appears that this case offers another reason why we must forgo our romantic attachments to place names and realize that there are more efficient and effective ways to organize this state.
South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press
The Blog of South Brunswick
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Hank Kalet 