Corzine to sign ban
on dual-office holding
By TOM HESTER JR. AP
from thnt Online September 4, 2007
TRENTON — Officials elected
after Feb. 1 would not be able to hold more than one elected office in New
Jersey under legislation to be signed into law today by Gov. Jon S. Corzine.
But critics claim the legislation isn't tough enough.
The bill is among four reform measures Corzine expects to sign today in a move
Democrats hope will highlight efforts to combat public corruption. Corzine
plans to sign the bills in Marlboro in the 12th Legislative District, which will
be a key battleground in this fall's legislative elections.
Democrats are looking to retain legislative control in November's vote.
They control the Assembly 50-30 and the Senate 22-18.
Holding more than one elected office has long been a New Jersey political
tradition, but critics contend it creates conflicts and allows officials to
boost taxpayer-funded retirement benefits.
The Legislature approved the ban in June, but it affects only officials elected
after Feb. 1. That means the 17 legislators and other local officials who
hold more than one elected office can retain their seats until they either give
them up or lose re-election.
"Dual office-holding presents a myriad of problems ranging from the inherent
conflict of interest it can create to the strain it puts on the financing of the
state pension and benefits system," said Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck,
R-Monmouth. "We need to eliminate dual office holding, and we need to do
so in a way that does not allow this problem to fester for years to come."
Beck represents the 12th District and is running for Senate this year against
incumbent Democrat Ellen Karcher, who sponsored the ban. Karcher is a
Marlboro resident who resigned from that community's town council before joining
the Senate in January 2004.
Karcher said she favors an immediate ban and requiring dual officeholders to
choose one seat, but noted she sponsored such a bill and it was never
considered. She described the law being signed by Corzine as a first step
toward getting ridding of dual office holding.
"I will continue working to persuade my colleagues that we need a complete,
loophole-free ban on the practice, and I hope that those officials who are
grandfathered under this bill will be held to the highest standards by their
voters," Karcher said. "But I think that even a flawed ban on dual
office-holding, which has the full weight of law, is better than no ban at all."
Assembly Republicans asked Corzine to veto the bill, but Corzine said he would
sign it though it wasn't as tough as he wanted. Corzine demanded the
Legislature ban dual office holding if he was to sign the state budget this
year, as he did in late June.
Corzine is also expected to sign legislation to:
•
Allow prosecutors to seek monetary penalties from those convicted of public
corruption crimes to reimburse defrauded public entities.
• Make it a crime to knowingly misuse public
grants, loans, assets and property.
• Make individual legislative voting records
available online.
|
