
New Jersey is a state plagued by corruption.
The corrupt operate with impunity. But who is watching the watchdog?
Consider the case of Tiffany Williams Brewer who was tapped to take over the State Commission of Investigation. There’s just one problem: within days, we learned that, per the Asbury Park Press, she “listed a recently-purchased Maryland home as her principal residence and voted in Tinton Falls, records show. She is also scheduled to teach four classes three days per week at Howard University this semester.”
“Just having the thought ‘I bet I can do this full time job by showing up once or twice a week’ disqualifies one from this job,” opined state Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-13).
Four days and a lot of similar reactions later and Brewer is out. But instead of accepting responsibility, she unapologetically blamed others for her downfall.
New Jersey can’t begin to tackle its serious corruption problem if its top watchdog doesn’t take the job seriously.
Perhaps more to the point, New Jersey is hopeless if the people appointing the watchdogs clearly don’t take corruption seriously. That’s food for thought heading into another state election cycle.