Yesterday Governor Christie announced his plan to strip multi-juridictional authorities of their ability to conduct activities that literally amount to a shadow government. They make decisions and spend millions of dollars of your money with little to no oversight at all. Legislation to curb this activity would be a huge step in achieving a more transparent and more responsible government in New Jersey.
Currently the Governor is able to veto activities of 55 separate entities that operate outside the direct sphere of state government. There are many more than fall outside of his veto power and thus have the ability to do essentially whatever they want without notice or consequence. A lack of oversight into these entities is what gives New Jersey headaches like the Passaic Valley Sewage Commission. According to the Governor, since oversight and control of the PVSC has been given to Wayne Forrest, 10.4 million dollars in costs have been cut. Which is pretty incredible, considering all of that was done in two weeks. The party is clearly over for the PVSC and it needs to end for the rest of these groups in the state.
Some of you may be concerned with this move. The New Jersey Governor is already considered one of the most powerful political positions in the country in a comparative sense. Constitutionally the office has a ton of power in New Jersey as opposed to other Governors in the country who need to defer to these quasi-governmental organizations and their legislatures. Expanding the veto power may appear to be overkill, and possibly overreaching. After all, what happens when we get another Jon Corzine or Jim McGreevy in there who are only interested furthering corruption in New Jersey rather than busting it like Chris Christie?
I do not think that concern is invalid. However, I believe its necessary to overlook. Allowing Governor Christie to drain the swamp in this term and his next will set a strong precedent for the type of oversight expected out of any Governor claiming to be a fiscal hawk (something I assure you all politicians in the next few cycles will be claiming in this state). We certainly will get Democrat Governors in the future, and they certainly will be soft on corruption and the over-bloating of our state government. But the pendulum always swings back again, and giving the right leaders the tools to correct the corrupt mistakes of the past is in the best interest of all New Jerseyans.
This legislation will save millions for tax payers on a yearly basis. The legislature needs to act now, rather than later. If we as voters and taxpayers cannot directly elect the members of these organizations and force them to answer for their actions at the ballot box, then it only makes sense that the big guy in our corner should be the one to make them pay on our behalf.
If the Governor got any wider…he'd be a bus.
Seriously though, if we gave this Governor any more power, we'd be certifiable.