OPINION: Morris County Freeholders must spike anti-taxpayer bidding measure

By Erica Jedynak | The Save Jersey Blog

The Morris County Freeholder Board is currently considering an anti-taxpayer measure regarding public works projects, which would stymie competition and tilt the playing field in favor of Big Labor and large firms.

The resolution contains a provision which would limit qualified bidders only to firms participating in apprenticeship programs for any project exceeding $250,000. The vast majority of companies which participate in apprenticeship programs, however, are large firms or union shops. This restrictive language, a blatant giveaway to unions, would all but shut out the many qualified small businesses and non-union shops in the state from even bidding on public works projects in the county. (A draft copy of the resolution is available here).

Morris CountyNotably, Gov. Christie took action on a similar piece of legislation at the state level, striking language regarding apprentice program requirements from the bill via conditional veto. In so doing, the governor made it clear: “The bill thus sets up an automatic preference for larger businesses over smaller ones in public contracts. I cannot sign a bill hindering the ability of small businesses to compete in the marketplace.” (Read Gov. Christie’s entire conditional veto here).

Additionally, although a number of Republican legislators voted for the bill because there were other good elements, they did so on the assurance from the Governor’s office that the bill was going to be CV’d removing the apprenticeship language. I’ve confirmed with those offices that the legislators did not, in fact, support the apprenticeship language. As it stands, if the Morris County Freeholder Board were to adopt this resolution, they be acting in contradiction to the governor’s conditional veto; thereby imposing even stricter rules on eligible bidding than the State of New Jersey.

Americans for Prosperity is organizing grassroots efforts, along with concerned citizens and small business owners, to raise awareness about this proposal. The resolution could be voted on as early as the next freeholder meeting on March 9th.

An open, fair and competitive bidding process is absolutely critical with respect to keeping project costs down, ensuring high quality workmanship, and protecting the interests of taxpayers.

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Erica Jedynak
About Erica Jedynak 29 Articles
ERICA JEDYNAK is the COO for yes. every kid., a leading national advocacy organization w⁠i⁠⁠t⁠h a fam⁠i⁠l⁠i⁠es-f⁠i⁠rs⁠t⁠ approach ⁠t⁠o ⁠t⁠ransform education, where she oversees public affairs and business operations. She lives in Morris County with her husband and son.