By Stephen Yellin
From the way Republican State Senator Gerald "Gerry" Cardinale (the leading obstructionist in New Jersey’s legislature) talks about ethics, you’d think he was a spotless, blameless white knight of New Jersey politics. After all, he chaired the Ethics Committee in Trenton when the Republicans ruled the roost, and is on record as saying "I can’t be bought with a trip". Furthermore, Cardinale has ceaselessly railed against New Jersey’s Democratic Party, blaming Governor Corzine, State Senate President Codey, Speaker Roberts and numerous government officials for New Jersey’s problems. The real "problem", though is with hypocrites like Gerry Cardinale, who will say and do anything for a vote – or a free vacation. As the old saying goes, "People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones", and this axiom is true for Cardinale.
Let’s be honest here: New Jersey, just like any other state has corrupt politicians. They come from both parties, on all levels, and it’s sickening to behold. We all want our elected officials to be honest and represent the public good, and it’s never good when they break our trust.
But it’s equally sickening for those same politicians to pose for the cameras as reformers, preening to the media as leaders who can "clean up" the state. Gerry Cardinale is one of those politicians who lost their power when the Democrats recaptured the Legislature in 2001 and 2003, and it’s that desire for power that has driven him and his Republican colleagues to the heights of hypocrisy. For when politicians like Cardinale and Christine Todd Whitman were in charge of New Jersey, the same "conga line of corruption" (to borrow a phrase from the GOP) took place on their watch.
Here are a few examples:
•1998/9 – Governor Whitman gave a $400 million contract to a single bidder (Parsons Infrastructure Technology) in California to privatize the state Motor Vehicle Agency’s inspection system. PIT then awarded subcontracts to numerous Republican lobbyists in the state, such as Whitman associate Carl Golden. The privatization plan was a walking, talking disaster, as Whitman administration officials failed to monitor PIT; inspection lines lasted up to six hours in some cases, and PIT’s California equipment repeatedly malfunctioned. The State Senate and the Attorney General’s office both launched probes, eventually leading to a report blasting Whitman’s administration for its negligence.
•1997 – Governor Whitman awarded a $500 million contract for EZ Pass development to MFS technologies. Once again, MFS handed out subcontracts to GOP officials, underestimated the program’s costs and went way over budget. This led in 1999 to a tax hike on tolls, plus a $1,200 fine for the State Transportation Commissioner for trying to get a subcontract from MFS for himself!
•Fiscal Irresponsibility – in 1994, when Governor Jim Florio (D) left office, the state budget was $14.8 billion. Since Governor Whitman had promised to eliminate Florio’s income tax increase of 1990, she made up for the revenue decrease by "borrowing and spending" instead (sound familiar?). By 2001, when Whitman left office, the budget had increased to over $23 billion, an unprecedented growth for New Jersey. To make matters worse, the Republican legislature allowed municipalities to skip their pension payments to the state! This led in 1998 to the state government spending $2.2 billion and borrowing another $600 million to pay off their liabilities. The result? New Jersey residents now have a $9 billion state debt, with interest.
•Sex scandals – Assembly Speaker Chuck Haytaian (who almost became a US Senator in 1994, losing narrowly to Frank Lautenberg) was accused of fondling a staffer in the Clerk’s office. Haytaian ultimately paid $100,000 to the staffer to avoid having the scandal "go public" – and then promptly billed the state $200,000 to cover his legal fees!Despite Democratic protests, he never paid the state back. In addition, Whitman’s Commerce Commissioner, Gil Medina was accused by the New York Times in 1997 of groping a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter – while being interviewed! The matter was covered up by the Whitman Administration until the Times broke the scandal, which almost cost Whitman the Governorship in November 1997 (she won by just 1%).
There are plenty more examples of the Republican Party’s poor leadership in New Jersey, but those are the most glaring ones. My point is that if New Jerseyans are yearning for the "good old days" of Republican rule in New Jersey, then they are forgetting their past. Whitman and her legislative allies (that means you, Gerry Cardinale) left a trail of corruption, negligence, fiscal brinkmanship and personal disgrace that has hurt New Jersey and its taxpayers ever since.
This is not to say that New Jersey’s Democratic rule has been perfect – it hasn’t been. But given a choice between the Corzine administration and the Whitman administration, I’ll take the former any day of the week. And for Gerry Cardinale to talk about "ethics" and "reform" in his campaign for reelection is not only hypocritical – it’s blatant posturing. Frankly, he should be ashamed of himself.
If you feel as I do that Cardinale has got to go, then there’s a viable alternative in Democratic nominee Joe Ariyan. Joe is a young attorney who’s socially progressive, fiscally responsible and with a mindset of reform that Gerry Cardinale can never claim to have. You can learn more about him and his running mates (Esther Fletcher and Carl Manna) at Voice for the 39th. You’ll be glad you did.
The 39th Legislative District is located in the northern part of Bergen County, consisting of 28 towns of generally small size. The website has a map of the district if you want to see what exact towns are there, but if you think you or someone you know lives there, then let them know. With only 19 days to go before Election Day, this campaign needs your help.