News: A little more chipping away at government transparency

Tuesday, December 6, 2022

A little more chipping away at government transparency

Dec 06, 2022

Presented by AARP New Jersey

Good Tuesday morning!

It's an admittedly minor decision, but last month an appellate panel ruled that local government contractors no longer have to supply their home addresses when bidding for projects. It came out of a dispute between a winning construction project bidder and the second lowest bidder.

Marc Pfeiffer of the Bloustein School brought this to my attention. It may be small, but he said it's part of a disturbing trend of chipping away at government transparency requirements.

I noted last month that legislative leaders appear poised to no longer require state lawmakers to list the actual addresses for the properties they own on already-vague financial disclosure forms. Shortly after that, they introduced a bill to apply that to local officials as well. And Daniel's Law — which most acknowledge is well-meaning — now shields the home addresses of judge, prosecutors and cops.

CJ Griffin, the attorney who fights for government transparency , said there's a reason people want to disclose addresses when it comes to bidding. "Our property records are available, and they're available for a reason: So we can see who's involved in transactions," Griffin said. "New Jersey has too long of a history of corruption to start chipping away, even in minor ways, on ways we can check if everything's on the up-and-up."

I wouldn't say transparency has suffered a thousand cuts in New Jersey, but there have been at least a few.

Read more about it here .

DAYS SINCE MURPHY REFUSED TO SAY WHETHER HIS WIFE'S NON-PROFIT SHOULD DISCLOSE DONORS: 303

TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com

WHERE'S MURPHY? — Nothing public

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I say this literally, you should assume that if something is legal and ethical, nothing's off the table." — Gov. Phil Murphy after being asked if the Democratic Governors Association will spend money on Republican primaries , as it did to boost the less-electable Dan Cox in Maryland this year.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY – Julian Zelizer, Joan Quigley, Luis Iza, Jason Ravitz, Chris Howard

A message from AARP New Jersey:

Caring for a parent, spouse or other older loved one can be financially and emotionally draining. Every day, family caregivers struggle to assist older loved ones often using money out of their own pockets. The average family caregiver spends about a quarter of their income on caregiving activities. That's a huge burden. But NJ lawmakers can give family caregivers the relief they need by supporting the Caregiver's Assistance Act (A1802/S2021). Tell lawmakers: support (A1802/S2021).

WHAT TRENTON MADE

FIRST TRANSGENDER CABINET MEMBER: A 22-year veteran of the Civil Service Commission will take its helm on Jan. 1 following the retirement of Deirdré Webster Cobb. Allison Chris Myers, who's been deputy chair/CEO since June and previously served as director of the Division of Appeals and Regulatory Affairs, will take over Cobb's job. Myers is the first transgender person to ever serve as a cabinet member in New Jersey, according to Murphy's office .

THERE'S NO SUCH THING —" Universal free lunch for NJ students? Officials asking Congress for funding ," by The Record's Mary Ann Koruth: "In their effort to move toward universal free school lunches for all New Jersey's K-12 students, state elected officials, specifically Democrats, are asking Congress to make permanent nationwide the free meals program that was in place during the pandemic. Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex, on Thursday sponsored a resolution on the state Senate Education Committee that "urges" Congress to make the free meals program permanent regardless of a student's economic status. The question now is, does New Jersey need to give free school lunches to all schoolchildren regardless of financial status, and is it willing to pay for it if Congress does not act?"

I PROPOSE 100 W. STATE STREET AS THE FIRST CANDIDATE — " Marijuana bars: NJ proposes rules for public consumption areas ," by NJ 101.5's Mike Symons: "State officials on Friday formally proposed the rules for public cannabis consumption areas – social spaces, sort of like bars, where people will be able to gather and use their legally bought marijuana. The lounges won't be opening soon. The official publication of the proposal in the New Jersey Register starts a two-month period in which public comments can be submitted, after which final rules will be approved and then an application process will have to unfold."

A NEWARK AIRPORT DELAY: WHAT DID YOU EXPECT? — " Opening of Newark airport's new Terminal A delayed until January ," by NJ Advance Media's Larry Higgs: "The opening of Newark Airport's new Terminal A planned for Wednesday has been delayed until next month due to delays in final certifications. 'While we had targeted the start of passenger operations at Newark's new Terminal A for December 8th, the fire alarm and security systems have yet to pass their final tests. We expect these issues to be resolved shortly,' said Thomas Pietrykoski, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the three metro area airports … The announcement comes after a public ribbon cutting ceremony by Gov. Phil Murphy and other officials, and tours of the lavish $2.7 billion terminal on Nov. 15. The delay is the fourth time the opening of Newark Airports first new terminal in 50 years has been pushed back."

—" N.J. lawmakers push to pass concealed carry permit legislation by end of the year, cueing up legal fight "

—" New Jerseyans overwhelmingly want to ditch ballots that favor party candidates | Opinion "

—"' Hospital-at-home' bill gets support from lawmakers, industry groups "

— Assembly committee advances bill to encourage the use of renewable gas

POLITICO APP USERS: UPGRADE YOUR APP BY DECEMBER 19! We recently upgraded the POLITICO app with a fresh look and improved features for easier access to POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Starting December 19, users will no longer have access to the previous version of the app. Update your app today to stay on top of essential political news, insights, and analysis from the best journalists in the business. UPDATE iOS APP – UPDATE ANDROID APP .

BIDEN TIME

THEY CALL HIM 'TAX BILL' — " This NJ congressman remains at the center of the fight for Trump's tax returns ," by The Record's Charles Stile: "Now that the U.S. Supreme Court rebuffed former President Donald Trump's effort to keep his tax returns under wraps, Rep. Bill Pascrell is vowing to disclose them to the public — and before the Republicans take control of Congress in five weeks. Yet, the Paterson Democrat, who has been pursuing Trump's tax returns with Ahab-like intensity for 1,329 days — roughly as long as the Civil War, he notes for context — has yet to get to see them since the Internal Revenue Service submitted copies to the House Ways and Means Committee, where he serves as chair of its oversight committee. 'Our chairman now has the documents,' he said of Rep. Richard Neal, the Massachusetts Democrat. 'They are in a frozen area. I can't tell you where they are because I don't know myself.'"

—Golden: " New Jersey's blueprint for Congressional leadership havoc "

—" Rizzo trial delayed two more weeks as judge mulls grifter's claim that his rights are being violated "

—" Judicial security bill named for slain son of N.J. jurist heading for congressional approval "

A message from AARP New Jersey:

LOCAL

WORKERS IN STRONG JOB MARKET DARE TO HOLD OUT FOR MORE MONEY — " N.J. district with $7,500 signing bonuses has hired 115 teachers in 11 weeks ," by NJ Advance Media's Rob Jennings: "The Paterson school district has hired 115 teachers in the 11 weeks since authorizing $7,500 signing bonuses to new hires, officials said. However, the number of teaching vacancies in New Jersey's 3rd-largest city has risen from 135 on Sept. 14 — the night the school board approved the bonus plan — to 146 as of Dec. 1. In announcing the hires last week, the K-12 district said the current number of teaching vacancies 'would have been nearly 80 percent higher without the pre-employment agreements.'"

23 IS THE NEW 3 — " Convicted 'robbery squad' sergeant appeals in Paterson corruption case. Here's his request ," by The Paterson Press' Joe Malinconico: "Michael Cheff, the former police sergeant convicted earlier this year for his role supervising the 'robbery squad' of rogue Paterson cops, is appealing part of the federal jury verdict against him. Cheff is asking the appellate court to overturn his conviction of conspiracy to violate people's civil rights. But he is not contesting the other crime the jury said he committed — falsification of a police report. As a result of the appeal, a federal judge decided to delay Cheff's prison sentence. Cheff originally was supposed to start serving his 33-month sentence on Nov. 1 at a medium security federal prison in West Virginia. But Cheff's lawyers asked that his surrender date be postponed so they could work with him on the appeal, and he could spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with 'his wife of 25 years and three young children.' United States District Court Judge Katharine Hayden ruled that Cheff could wait to start his prison term until Jan. 5, so he would be available for "preparing appeal papers." But Hayden said Cheff's lawyers 'missed the mark' when they described his two daughters — ages 23 and 20 — and his 16-year-old son as 'young children.'"

IT'S CALLED 'THE BOOKER MANEUVER' — " One Franklin police officer T-boned another while responding to a call: See the video ," by The New Jersey Herald's Bruce A. Scruton: "The borough police department has released audio, video and other records of a Route 23 crash involving two police cars while responding with red lights and sirens to a call of an erratic driver. The released information also includes the audio of the initial 911 call from the citizen who was still on the phone with a dispatcher as she witnessed the patrol car crash. There were no civilians involved in the crash, but one of the officers remains on sick leave, recovering from injuries to his arm."

SCHOOL TRUSTEES URGENTLY WORK TO CREATE NEW HIGH-PAID CYBER SECURITY POSITION FOR UNQUALIFIED PENSION PADDER — " Did hackers take the technology out of the Hudson County Schools of Technology? " by The Jersey Journal's Ron Zeitlinger: "Oh, the irony. Classes at the Hudson County Schools of Technology Secaucus and Jersey City campuses were cut short and all after-school activities were canceled Monday because the district's internal computer servers were knocked offline. District officials, who did not respond for comment immediately, would not say if the disruption was the work of hackers and did not say if the schedule for the rest of the week at County Prep and Explore Middle School in Jersey City and High Tech in Secaucus would be affected."

GIBTON — " 'An insult to voters': Drama unfolds in the selection of Clifton's next mayor ," by The Record's Matt Fagan: "Councilman Ray Grabowski received the most votes of the 17 candidates who ran for the seven open seats in November's City Council race. Tradition calls for him to be appointed the city's next mayor by his council colleagues, but there's an effort afoot to give that title to someone else. In the last week or so, rumors began to circulate, some making it to social media, that a cabal among the elected council members wants to throw the city's tradition out the window and not name the highest vote-getter as mayor. The rumors, and sources in the city, say the cabal supports Councilman Bill Gibson as the next mayor … 'That's an insult to voters,' Grabowski said, adding that he told Gibson he 'should do the right thing.' When reached, Gibson said it's true that if he is nominated and gets enough votes, he will accept the post … 'It's just business,' Gibson said.

TRENTON WATER LOW-SHOW-WORKS? — " Did the city dilute truth regarding Trenton Water Works head? " by The Trentonian's L. A. Parker: "Per: Timothy Carroll, experienced spokesperson for the City of Trenton. Mark Lavenberg remains the director (of Trenton Water Works) and has the full backing of the mayoral office but he will be evaluated like all other department heads. 'As is the practice in a new term, the Mayor and his staff are conducting full departmental reviews. These reviews include analysis of objectives; refinement of mission; evaluation of overall and individual performances; and assessment of leadership positions. No personnel matters will be discussed at this time,' a release explained. Wait a minute. Residents of Trenton, local municipalities, pets, etc. connected to Trenton Water Works have the right to know if Mark Lavenberg reported to work last week and remains in charge there. Just because Mayor Gusciora earned a landslide victory, hardly makes him king or despot. He and his minions have no authority to frame conversations. Currently, customers of Trenton Water Works deserve proof of life, that Lavenberg put in full-time hours at his desk, that he's not AWOL and soaking up rays in the Sunshine State or some other warm climate."

—" Jersey City to mark third anniversary of mass shooting at deli "

—" Warehouse proposed in Branchburg where township officials may not want it "

—" West New York Commissioner Guzman confirms she'll run on Cirillo's slate in May "

—" Nearly 200 animals found in Brick Township home now under care of Ocean County Health Department "

—" Hoboken may ditch initial plan for municipal complex, sets sights on Academy Bus lot for DPW "

—" N.J. native gives $5M gift to help revive [Paterson] stadium, build Negro League museum "

JOIN WEDNESDAY FOR A POLITICO DISCUSSION ON THE NEW TRAVEL EXPERIENCE : Americans are now traveling in record numbers — but the travel experience has changed drastically in recent years, not always for the better. What lessons can we learn from the pandemic and different responses around the globe? And in the face of a possible recession, what will help the travel industry remain vibrant and deliver jobs? Join POLITICO on Dec. 7 for "The Travel Experience Redefined" to discuss these questions and more. Breakfast and coffee will be provided. REGISTER HERE .

EVERYTHING ELSE

TOTAL INSANITIZERY — " Family behind world's biggest malls hit by lawsuit over counterfeit hand sanitizer ," by Bloomberg's Elise Young: "The Ghermezian family is best known for owning some of the world's biggest shopping complexes, including New Jersey's American Dream and a stake in Minnesota's Mall of America. But some family members are involved in a legal dispute over a far less glitzy business: hand sanitizer. A venture started at the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, when demand for sanitizer was soaring, failed months later. A 2021 lawsuit over allegedly distributing counterfeit gel named two Ghermezian cousins and a family company as defendants, and now three other relatives — including Don Ghermezian, the head of American Dream — are awaiting a judge's decision on whether they, too, will be included. The family denies any wrongdoing. The plaintiffs, Red Rock Sourcing of Nevada and Coronado Distributing of Colorado, seek an estimated $30 millon in damages, plus legal fees. They allege that the defendants produced a knock-off version of their sanitizer brand, Urbane, using a potentially poisonous ingredient."

R.I.P. — " NJ mourns a favorite neighbor as tributes pour in for Sesame Street's Bob McGrath ," by The Record's Deena Yellin: "Bob McGrath, the sweater-clad icon who spent nearly 50 years living in one of pop culture's most famous neighborhoods, was remembered in New Jersey on Monday as a man who lived up to his huggable TV persona. McGrath, an original "Sesame Street" cast member who portrayed friendly music teacher Bob Johnson, died on Sunday at his Norwood home, according to online announcements from his family and the Sesame Workshop. He was 90. In Bergen County, where McGrath had made his home for more than six decades, the "Letter of the Day" on Monday was "L" − for legend, loss and loved. Tributes poured in from Gov. Phil Murphy on down to neighbors who recalled his volunteerism and acts of one-on-one kindness."

AIDS — " AIDS cases drop in New Jersey ," by NJ Spotlight News' Lilo Stainton : "The spread of HIV/AIDS has slowed significantly in New Jersey, with the number of new cases down two-thirds over a decade and a 50% drop in diagnoses between 2020 and 2021, according to an NJ Spotlight News analysis of state data. Some question the accuracy of the latest data however, given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic … New diagnoses declined from 1,153 in 2019 to 860 in 2020, a drop state officials said was impacted in part by "delayed or disrupted" screenings during the height of the pandemic. Data culled from county reports linked to the health department's new HIV/AIDS heat map indicates new cases dropped even more in 2021, when less than 400 people were diagnosed."

—" What happened to Kmart and what's happening to all the empty stores? "

—" Stockton's beach guru Stewart Farrell set to retire "

—" Judge orders wage payment of $226K to gas station attendants "

—" Advocates demand cameras in homes for developmentally disabled adults to reduce abuse "

—Calavia-Robertson: " Hunt for baby formula is still unpredictable for these N.J. moms. When will the shortage end? "

—" 'No sentence will be enough': Notorious NJ serial killer admits to 5 more killings "

—" Rumblings reported in N.J. Monday, but no evidence of seismic activity "

A message from AARP New Jersey:

Caring for a parent, spouse or other older loved one can be financially and emotionally draining. Every day, family caregivers struggle to assist loved ones often using money out of their own pockets. The average family caregiver spends about a quarter of their income on caregiving activities. Many take on debt or tap into savings to make sure their loved ones get the care they need. That's a huge burden. And their sacrifices save the state and taxpayers money by keeping their loved ones out of costly nursing home facilities. New Jersey family caregivers provide more than $13 billion a year in unpaid care. It's past time to give them some financial relief. NJ lawmakers can take action by supporting the Caregiver's Assistance Act (A1802/S2021). This bill would provide a modest tax credit for family caregivers who pay for expensive care out of their own pockets. Tell lawmakers: support (A1802/S2021).