This past week, eleven elected officials were arrested by the FBI and charged by United States Attorney for the State of New Jersey Chris Christie with accepting bribes in exchange for steering public contracts to private companies. The eleven range from former members of the Pleasantville Board of Education to Assemblyman Rev. Alfred E. Steele who is also undersheriff for Passaic County. While the alleged individual payments are small, ranging from $1,500 to $17,500, the amount of money in question is immaterial: any amount of money accepted by an elected official in exchange for certain action is illegal and an affront to all New Jersey taxpayers. Given the large number of officials arrested, is this the end of Chris Christie’s corruption busting? Likely, it is only the beginning.
Since New Jersey has 566 municipalities and over 600 school boards and thousands of local, county and state elected and appointed officials, even if a small percentage of them are corrupt, the number of politicians in Chris Christie’s crosshairs would be enormous. Add to this the likelihood that there are more than just a small percentage of elected officials who are legally or ethically compromised and the number expands exponentially.
What is it that causes New Jersey’s elected officials to engage in illegal conduct on a level not seen in most other states? First, years of indifference by federal law enforcement in New Jersey permitted politicians to think that they could do whatever they pleased and not get caught. Second, weak attorneys general in the State of New Jersey in recent history enabled politicians to become reckless. Third, politicians themselves are brought up in a political environment in New Jersey that survives on massive campaign contributions, spending, and influence peddling to a degree not seen in most other states. Fourth, many politicians hold more than one job, creating serious conflicts of interest that have gone unchecked for years. Fifth, there is often a symbiotic relationship between politicians and the press, which undermines the “watchdog role” of the media and has caused the media to follow, rather than lead, when it comes to corruption in New Jersey politics. Sixth, the politicians themselves who make it to elected office have frequently succumbed to the ethical pressures surrounding them during their campaigns and afterwards, leading them to be more willing to cross the legal line. Finally, because of human nature, which typically can involve greed and ulterior motives, many politicians are not in politics for altruistic reasons but rather to advance themselves, their friends, and their relatives, whether it be through political connections or jobs or money.
For all of these reasons, New Jersey politicians are ripe targets for corruption investigations. Given Chris Christie’s focus on rooting out corruption in New Jersey politics, he is likely to snare many more pols before he leaves office. The only question is just how many can he bust in the time he has remaining.
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