Prescriptions for a cleaner New Jersey(Good-government edition)

I didn’t get a chance to read Charles Stiles’ column on Trenton’s (imperceptible) efforts at ethics reform last week because I was on vacation, but it is worth commenting on. Stiles makes it clear that the Democratic leadership has “promised us The Great Campaign Finance and Ethics Reform Crusade for 2008,” but that “as we close in on the year’s halfway mark, the accomplishments have been modest, at best.”

And he may be being generous.

Stiles says that, if the party in power was serious about reform, there are no shortage of proposals on the table, including requiring the state Election Law Enforcement Commission to monitor money contributed to personal defense funds, requiring ethics training for elected officials (Monroe does this now), allowing issue ads but requiring that candidates disclose their involvement and benefit, banning the wheeling of campaign contributions, ending dual-office holding and banning convicted ex-legislators from representing clients before local agencies.

Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet