Sept 29, 2009
The Citizens' Campaigns 2009 New Jersey Gubernatorial Candidate Questionnaire on Government Reform

Fighting the Culture of Corruption: See what the Gubernatorial Candidates Jon Corzine, Chris Christie and Chris Daggett have to say on how to correct the culture of corruption.

1)  Will you fight for and sign legislation that expands the existing state pay-to-play protections including those adopted by Executive Order, to all levels of government?  Will you commit to making this proposal part of your initial legislative package and commit to pushing for its adoption by June 30, 2010?

Daggett - Yes, but pay-to-play restriction should not allow deep-pocketed, wealthy candidates from creating an unlevel playing field for candidates who choose to play by the rules and use public funding.  Pay-to-play should not create two classes of donors, those who do business with government and those who do not.  All donors should play by the same rules. We will submit a proposal as an initial legislative package.

Corzine - I am and have always been committed to expanding the existing State pay-to-play protections to all levels of government. In my four years as Governor, I have reshaped and resized state government, and brought more transparency to Trenton. I have put forward executive orders that toughen financial disclosure requirements and reform contracting and governance at the independent state authorities. Last year, I signed an executive order closing loopholes in State pay-to-play laws and I called on the Legislature to codify my executive orders.

My initial legislative package, Executive Order #1 issued on January 16, 2006, called for strict far-reaching ethical guidelines for State government officials. The new guidelines required an additional 30 boards and approximately 625 additional persons to file Personal Financial Disclosures with the State Ethics Commission. I will continue to work toward advancing legislation that codifies my executive orders and strengthens existing State pay to play protections during my second term as Governor.

Christie - I have made expansion of pay to play protections and the tightening of the statutes governing these inappropriate political contributions a cornerstone of my campaign. Sheriff Guadagno and I have built our careers and reputations around the premise of honest public service. The partisan politics, which exclude certain groups, such as labor unions, from pay-to-play restrictions enforced on other interest groups have deepened public cynicism.  I will remove partisan politics from the issue by proposing legislation to extend the pay-to-play ban to all groups at all levels of government.

2)  Will you support a pinpoint developer disclosure law requiring all developers to disclose their political contributions when applying for unpermitted uses, such as a business use in a residential zone, and increases in density that permit more development than a town's zoning calls for ("d" variances)?  

Daggett- Yes

Corzine -  I support all attempts at all levels of government to strengthen disclosure requirements. The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) currently makes this information available on their website, and citizens should take advantage of this resource to be more informed.

Christie  - Not only would I support and require this disclosure on the part of an applicant, but I would also require the disclosure of the receipt of a contribution or any other form of a conflict in advance of a vote by any elected official. We have a right to know when our legislators or local elected officials are voting on an issue in which they have a financial, business or political interest. Good governance requires transparency.  To build public trust, part-time legislators must submit to strict and complete disclosure of any conflicts of interest due to outside employment and income.  I will propose legislation requiring members to either recuse themselves from actions affecting their private sector interests or disclose these interests prior to voting on piece of such legislation.

3)  Will you require your administration to aggressively enforce the anti-circumvention clause of the state-level pay-to-play law in order to prevent people from using backdoor methods and third party intermediaries to engage in the practice of pay-to-play?

Daggett- Yes

Corzine - To date, my Attorneys General have prosecuted 252 corruption cases against 326 defendants, resulting in 199 convictions, and I am committed to continuing the fight against individuals who have taken advantage of the public trust during my next term. During my second term, my Administration will continue to vigorously enforce all of the State's ethics laws in order to ensure that our public officials are worthy of the public's trust.

Christie - Unlike the current administration, we will take every step possible to ensure that we restore honesty, transparency and ethical behavior to this state. We cannot afford to allow this business as usual, look the other way behavior that has so damaged our state at every level. As the US Attorney, I fought every day to ensure that our citizens had the opportunity to live in a state free from corruption and the waste, fraud and abuse of our tax dollars that goes along with it. I am proud of my record and accomplishments and will continue that fight as governor.

4)  The Citizen Service Act, which was passed in June, among its other provisions, provides a directory of municipal board and commission vacancies and mandates an open application process. The Act builds on a 2007 Executive Order. A) Will you expand the Citizen Service Act to county government and to state boards and commissions, thereby making the present Executive Order applicable to state appointments permanent law? B) Will you use the bully pulpit of the Governor's office to reach out and recruit citizens throughout the state to serve on boards and commissions?

Daggett  - I will recruit the best and most talented individuals to serve on boards and commissions regardless of political or party affiliation.

Corzine -  I signed an Executive Order making it easier for New Jerseyans to serve on State authorities, boards, commissions and other public entities. I would support legislation codifying Executive Order 51 and expanding the Citizen Service Act to include New Jerseyans at the county government level. I will continue to reach out to recruit citizens from all corners of the State to serve on boards and commissions. The more participation we get from our talented and intelligent citizens, the better our government works.

Christie - I have outlined my plans to ensure that we bring the best and brightest to serve New Jersey. We can no longer afford the appointment of individuals based on their political contributions or political connections to these important boards and commissions. We cannot afford to continue to appoint individuals with clear and inherent conflicts to Boards where they vote to further their business, association or personal interests rather than the citizens of this state.  This reform must occur at every level to ensure that we can restore our faith in our government.

5) Will you commit to removing the incentives for political careerism through measures such as eliminating pensions and benefits for part-time elected and appointed officials, doing away with the grandfather clause that allows some current officeholders to still hold more than one elected position, and banning elected officials from entering into government consulting contracts after taking office?

Daggett- Yes, I strongly support all these steps, which will help restore citizens' confidence in their government.

Corzine - As Governor, I have worked hard to eliminate incentives for corruption by public officials and I have strengthened the penalties for those who violate the public trust. I banned dual office-holding, and because of this legislation, the number of dual holders has begun to decline and, in the very near future, dual officeholders will be a thing of the past in New Jersey. I also established a new law in 2007 that requires an automatic forfeiture of the entire pension of any official convicted of corruption. Recognizing that more needed to be done, I signed legislation codifying Corruption of Public Resources as a crime, making it illegal to knowingly misuse taxpayer dollars and other public resources. I would support legislation banning elected officials from entering in to government consulting contracts after taking office, but I would like to review the issue to ensure that this legislation would not be duplicative and covered by existing conflict of interest laws.

Christie  - I have consistently called for the elimination of pension and benefit programs for part time elected and appointed officials. There can be no mistake about my position on any of these issues. The current "grandfather" provision approved by Governor Corzine is a clear example of his inability to stand up to the entrenched interests in Trenton and demand the reform that our state requires.  Additionally, in a Christie Administration, double-dipping politicians will stop taking advantage of the state and its funds by simultaneously holding salaried elected positions and government jobs.  One publicly funded job and pension is plenty. I will ban the practice of one person holding a full time government job while also holding a salaried elected position.

I know well the damage that has been done by elected officials placing themselves above the law and using their office for personal gain and financial reward. It was wrong when I prosecuted it and it will not continue on my watch.

6) Will you commit to support and sign legislation that a) establishes a Uniform Ethics Code applicable to executive and legislative branches and all levels of government so that everyone knows the acceptable standards of conduct in New Jersey and b) creates a single, independent ethics board to enforce our State's ethical standards?          

Daggett - Yes, A single, independent ethics board should be empowered to enforce and penalize public officials who violate ethics codes.  Again, it is imperative to restoring citizens' confidence in their government.

Corzine - New Jersey currently has an ethics code that applies to all officers and employees in the Executive and Legislative Branches of State government. The Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards administers and enforces the New Jersey Conflicts of Interest Law with respect to the Legislative Branch and the State Ethics Commission enforces if for members of the executive branch. I would be open to working with the Citizens' Campaign and the Legislature to enhance the code and promote consistency by expanding the code to all levels of government. Currently, the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards administers and enforces the New Jersey Conflicts of Interest Law with respect to the Legislative Branch and the State Ethics Commission enforces if for members of the executive branch. I would need to look into the constitutional issues surrounding one independent ethics board before commenting on the feasibility and its potential application.

Christie - New Jersey must create a single clear concise ethics code that can be applied to all who work or volunteer in public service in this state. The current system creates too many loopholes or methods for information to be withheld from the public. We all must agree to be held to the highest standard of conduct and then be prepared to live by that standard.

7) The Party Democracy Act, which was passed in June, requires the County Party Committees to adopt constitutions and bylaws which ensure the rights of the grassroots county committee members in the governance of the party. Would you support legislation expanding the Party Democracy Act to municipal party committees?

Daggett - Yes

Corzine - I am open to any initiative that promotes access of all citizens to the political process and I would be willing to work with the Citizens' Campaign on legislation expanding the Party Democracy Act to municipal party committees.

Christie - I believe that fairness and transparency must be the hallmark of our political process if we are to be able to restore the faith of our citizens in that process. There simply is too much at stake today to allow the political process to be dominated by individuals who appear to make up the rules to suit their needs. A process that is clearly defined with rules that everyone knows and understands is the only way that we can be assured that our decisions will truly reflect the will of the people.