April 18, 2010
The Star Ledger
1 Star Ledger Plaza
Newark, NJ, 07102
Re: Essex County Lobbying the State
This is definitely the first, and very possibly last, time CWA Local 1081 agrees with a position taken by Governor Chris Christie. However, his State Comptroller Max Boxer is completely correct to criticize local governments for spending taxpayers’ money to lobby the state’s government.
In a March 29, 2009 letter our Union wrote Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, we questioned a $30,000 contract the county awarded to Princeton Public Affairs Group that year as a consultant “to represent the county in matters dealing with the State of New Jersey”. On April 14, 2010, the county awarded yet another $30,000 contract to the firm.
The County of Essex already has four representatives within the New Jersey State Senate and nine representatives within the New Jersey State Assembly. In addition, State Senator Ruiz serves as Mr. DiVincenzo’s Deputy Chief of Staff and Former Assemblyman William Payne serves as his other Deputy Chief of Staff. Essex County Freeholder Carol Clark is the immediate past president of the New Jersey Association of Counties and Essex County Freeholder Ralph Caputo is also an Assemblyman.
Princeton Public Affairs Group asserts, “We would also continue our efforts of advocacy for Essex County to secure funding through the State appropriations process for the seven (7) County Historic Preservation Trust Projects”, yet such projects are under the auspices of the New Jersey Senate’s Budget and Appropriations Committee of which Essex County’s own Senator Ruiz is a member.
Mr. DiVincenzo should heed the advice of the governor and stop wasting taxpayers’ hard-earned money upon contracts for services that duplicate the work of the county’s state legislators.
Sincerely,
David H. Weiner, President, CWA Local 1081