Tag: ethics

Rangel verdict and the House’s empty ethics rules

Charles Rangel was found guilty by his colleagues in the House of Repesentatives of violating ethics rules — which would be huge news if it wasn’t likely to result in just a slap on the wrist.

Rangel was found guilty Tuesday “of 11 counts of ethical violations,” The New York Times said. The House committee ruled “that his failure to pay taxes, improper solicitation of fund-raising donations and failure to accurately report his personal income had brought dishonor on the House.”

House Ethics Committee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California, said the investigation was “difficult and time consuming” and that a punishment was likely to be announced this week. That punishment, however, is likely not to be very satisfying. Expulsion, one of the possible punishments, is unlikely, the Times reports, and Rangel “is more likely to face a letter of reprimand or a formal censure.”

I’m not advocating for expulsion, necessarily, but the fact that it is off the table — or appears to be off the table — is an indictment of a system that protects incumbency. And while the GOP has tried to make hay out of this, it is pretty clear from their own actions while in the majority that they would act no differently (the list of Republican miscreants is pretty long).

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Getting tough on ethics scofflaws

Assemblyman Reed Gusciora has upped the ante on ethics reform in tbe New Jersey Legislature. The Assemblyman, who represents most of Mercer County, unveiled a legislative package today that would alter the dynamic in Trenton by toughening penalties on corruption, creating new classes of crime and — most surprisingly — making the Legislature a full-time body and imposing a 10-year term limit on legislators.

According to a press release from his office, Gusciora would:

  • amend the state’s RICO statute to include “political crimes” among those defined as racketerring. The change would allow the state not only to recoup money lost to corruption but would give it the power to “collect up to three times any amount gained as a result of a corrupt enterprise,” he said.
  • make the creation of no-show jobs a crime.
  • require legislators to certify in writing that they would not be benefitting financially — whether directly or indirectly — from the bills they introduce.
  • give the Legislature power to suspend members who have been indicted.
    create a full-time legislature.
  • and ” and impose “term limits.” Gusciora argues that the only way to avoid outside conflicts, whether public or private, would be to have a full-time legislative body.
  • and impose term limits to “ensure that there is fresh blood in the system.”

With the Gusciora proposals now on the table alongside some pretty tough rules being proposed by Gov. Chris Christie, there is a chance that the culture of corruption that has badly damaged the public’s faith in state and local government can be overturned.

  • Send me an e-mail.
  • Read poetry at The Subterranean.
  • Certainties and Uncertainties a chapbook by Hank Kalet, will be published in November by Finishing Line Press. it can be ordered here.
  • Suburban Pastoral, a chapbook by Hank Kalet, available here.
Email me at grassroots at comcast dot net.

Consolidating power

http://www.nj.gov/governor/news/video/jw/player-viral.swf
Much of the focus of yesterday’s corruption bust in New Jersey has been on the ugly behavior of the officials involved, the scope of the sting and the bizarre nature of some of the offenses.

But the governor said something yesterday that deserves more attention than it’s been getting. It wasn’t part of the prepared remarks; rather, it came afterward and registered little more than two paragraphs at the end of this story in The Asbury Park Press:

And he said the solution is to reduce New Jersey’s sprawling government — the state and its many authorities and commissions, 21 counties, 566 municipalities, 603 school districts, fire districts and local and county utility authorities.

“We have layers upon layers upon layers of government. And you in the press corps who follow this know how difficult is it to get to consolidation and shared services,” Corzine said. “If there were ever an example of a need to seek some element of consolidation in the efforts of how we deliver government, I think this is testimony. There are so many targets of opportunity for individuals who want to test somebody’s credibility in this state.”

This year’s gubernatorial election is being waged over Corzine’s record and the palpable sense that the state has run off the road and into a massive ditch. There has been a lot of talk about property taxes and the Republicans have talked about cutting government — without much in the way of specifics.

But the ability of this state to function efficiently and ethically is severely compromised by the shear number of government entities — about 1,400 taxing agencies. There may not be another issue as important. We know the governor thinks it’s important, though he has done very little so far to change it. We know little about where Christie stands on the issue.

My questions to the candidates are:

  1. Do the number of municipal governments, school boards and other taxing districts help or hurt the state?
  2. How?
  3. Assuming there are too many, how would you reduce them?

Their answers should be considered when everyone in the state goes into their voting booths in November.

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