“Christmas Tree” Grants

Recently, State Senator Joseph Coniglio of Bergen County was informed that he is a target in an investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office into the now-infamous “Christmas Tree” grants provided by the New Jersey State Legislature. “Christmas Tree” grants are legislative grants added on to the State budget by legislators during the final days and hours before the budget is adopted, to aid particular constituencies or organizations, often located in their legislative district or employing friends or relatives of the legislators. In Coniglio’s case, a “Christmas Tree” grant of at least $1.6 million was allegedly provided to the Hackensack University Medical Center shortly after the Center hired the Senator as a plumbing contractor at a salary of $5,000 per month. There are two important aspects of the “Christmas Tree Scandal” that the mainstream media has been overlooking.

First, the concept of tacking items on to the budget right before passage has been around for many, many years and is something that occurs at all levels of government: local, state and federal, throughout the country. It is not the addition of these items that is the thrust of the problem; it is that some of these items have been added for groups or organizations that have more than a constituent relationship with the legislators in power. Some of these groups or organizations have provided jobs or contracts to the legislators themselves or to the relatives or close friends of the legislators, and have done so in close proximity to the awarding of these “Christmas Tree” grants. At the very least, this is an appearance of impropriety; more likely, it is corruption.

Second, the awarding of “Christmas Tree” grants has been trumped up by the mainstream media as a problem of the New Jersey Democratic Party. There are two reasons that the Democratic Party is bearing the brunt of these attacks. First, they hold a slim majority in the State Legislature and therefore have the ability to award such grants since without their votes, the budget probably would not pass. Second, it was only until recently and only when the Democrats controlled Trenton that these “Christmas Tree” grants to organizations and constituencies that have more than a constituency relationship to legislators are being investigated. If the U.S. Attorney’s Office had launched similar investigations while Republicans controlled the New Jersey State Legislature, it would likely have turned up similar instances of these grants being awarded to those providing contracts and jobs to legislators and their relatives. Furthermore, if the Republican Party controlled the New Jersey State Legislature and thus controlled the budgeting process, it would be the Republican Party in the mainstream media’s cross-hairs because they would behave no differently.

The truth is that the “Christmas Tree” grants provided to organizations with a “special relationship” to a legislator are nothing new. This practice has been going on for decades, under both Republican and Democratic majorities. It is only now that it is being investigated that New Jersey residents have learned of this shady practice. Corruption in New Jersey, or elsewhere, is not a Democratic Party issue. It is an issue deeply rooted in the conduct of both political parties. Only when the citizens and the media comprehend this will any kind of true and meaningful reform take place.

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