The Demise of Sharpe James?
Recently, Sharpe James, former Mayor of Newark and State Senator, was notified that he is the target of a grand jury investigation. James, who served five terms as Mayor of Newark, recently chose not to run again for either the Mayor's Office or the State Senate. While vestiges of his former power remain, Mr. James finds himself in a difficult position: corruption charges loom over his head and many of his political allies are no longer by his side.
From lavish trips allegedly at taxpayer expense to shady city real estate deals that apparently favored friends and relatives, Mr. James has been accused of treating the public treasury as his own personal piggy bank and practiced a brand of vengeful politics that offended many. He supped at the public trough for many years, amassing a small fortune through large government salaries, the employment of close relatives, and taking advantage of all that was available, from sick and vacation time to expense accounts.
Now, his largesse is coming home to roost. Should he be charged with corruption, a guilty plea is expected that will result in a relatively short jail sentence and an imposition of fines. Should Mr. James be charged, fight the allegations and lose, he may spend the rest of his life in jail. A jail cell would be a harsh reality for a man who has dined at the finest restaurants, vacationed at the most exotic locales, and run a government like his own personal fiefdom, allegedly at taxpayer expense. The public deserves a full accounting of Mr. James’s activities and, if he has committed misdeeds involving public funds, those funds should be returned in full with interest. Should he be guilty of criminal acts, a lengthy jail sentence may send a message that desperately needs to be heard in New Jersey politics: political corruption and/or misconduct will not be tolerated and will be rigorously investigated and punished to the fullest extent of the law.
From lavish trips allegedly at taxpayer expense to shady city real estate deals that apparently favored friends and relatives, Mr. James has been accused of treating the public treasury as his own personal piggy bank and practiced a brand of vengeful politics that offended many. He supped at the public trough for many years, amassing a small fortune through large government salaries, the employment of close relatives, and taking advantage of all that was available, from sick and vacation time to expense accounts.
Now, his largesse is coming home to roost. Should he be charged with corruption, a guilty plea is expected that will result in a relatively short jail sentence and an imposition of fines. Should Mr. James be charged, fight the allegations and lose, he may spend the rest of his life in jail. A jail cell would be a harsh reality for a man who has dined at the finest restaurants, vacationed at the most exotic locales, and run a government like his own personal fiefdom, allegedly at taxpayer expense. The public deserves a full accounting of Mr. James’s activities and, if he has committed misdeeds involving public funds, those funds should be returned in full with interest. Should he be guilty of criminal acts, a lengthy jail sentence may send a message that desperately needs to be heard in New Jersey politics: political corruption and/or misconduct will not be tolerated and will be rigorously investigated and punished to the fullest extent of the law.
Michael M. Shapiro, founder of ShapTalk.com, is an attorney who resides in New Providence, New Jersey. He currently serves as the Chairman of the New Providence Democratic Party and as Editor of The Alternative Press Contact Mike at mike@shaptalk.com