Two is one too many

The Record of Hackensack attempts to keep an important issue on the table — the double-dipping of elected officials.

By double-dipping, I mean the practice of holding an elected office and an appointed one. There are dozens of elected officials around the state that engage in the practice, including Monroe Mayor Richard Pucci who also serves as executive director of the Middlesex County Improvement Authority.

In the state Legislature, there are numerous attorneys who represent local boards — or go before local boards for developers, and a handful with public jobs like state Sen. Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex, who serves as the deputy chief of staff to the Essex County executive, state Sen. Nicholas Sacco, D-Bergen, who is assistant superintendent for the North Bergen Board of Education, and Assemblyman Ronald Dancer, R-Ocean, who is an interviewer in the Ocean County adjuster’s office.

As the Record points out, in writing about a bill sponsored by state Sen. Bill Baroni, R-Mercer,
The potential conflicts of interest when a state senator or Assembly member is also a municipal engineer or attorney for one of the towns in the district are obvious to Baroni. They are also obvious to us. Such conflicts raise questions about favoritism, effectiveness and accountability. They are often a way to consolidate power and influence.

Why do some legislators understand that and some don’t?

The answer, of course, is not that some don’t understand, but that most do understand and benefit.

The editorial cites a report — “How Much Is Enough?” issued last year by New Jersey Policy Perspective — that “describes the problems created by double dipping and the state’s incestuous political culture.”

According to the report, ” … the prime motive in seeking and holding public office is to control the distribution of favors and rewards. Among the most prized favors and rewards, of course, are jobs.” It becomes accepted and even desirable to hold multiple government jobs, and some legislators see nothing wrong with it.

Not everyone sees it that way. The report cites a poll last year that found that more than three-quarters of New Jersey voters said state lawmakers should not be allowed to have another government job of any kind, elected or appointed.

But some lawmakers have trouble hearing that message. They know the public is sick and tired of corruption and wants reform. But giving up local power and influence — and more than one public paycheck — is hard.

Hard, perhaps, but necessary. One public job should be enough.

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