ASSEMBLY REPUBLICAN LEADER ALEX DeCROCE

By Robert A. DeSando | October 24th, 2006 - 6:57pm
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Release Date: 
Oct 24 2006
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DeCROCE CHALLENGES DEM LEADERS TO END
THE EQUIVOCATION ON BIPARTISAN PAY-TO-PLAY REFORM

Seeks Firm Commitment to End Political Contributions by Redevelopers

Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce said today he is disappointed with the lukewarm response of Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts, D-Camden, and Senate President Richard Codey, D-Essex, to a bipartisan attempt to advance "pay-to-play" reform by ending political contributions by builders involved with redevelopment projects.

"We need a sweeping top-to-bottom ban on the insidious practice of pay-to-play," asserted DeCroce, R-Morris and Passaic. "So far efforts to enact such a ban have hit a brick wall in the form of the Assembly Speaker and Senate President. The very least they can do is heed calls by their own members to consider incremental reform."

DeCROCE CHALLENGES DEM LEADERS TO END
THE EQUIVOCATION ON BIPARTISAN PAY-TO-PLAY REFORM

Seeks Firm Commitment to End Political Contributions by Redevelopers

Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce said today he is disappointed with the lukewarm response of Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts, D-Camden, and Senate President Richard Codey, D-Essex, to a bipartisan attempt to advance "pay-to-play" reform by ending political contributions by builders involved with redevelopment projects.

"We need a sweeping top-to-bottom ban on the insidious practice of pay-to-play," asserted DeCroce, R-Morris and Passaic. "So far efforts to enact such a ban have hit a brick wall in the form of the Assembly Speaker and Senate President. The very least they can do is heed calls by their own members to consider incremental reform."
Pending legislation would prohibit builders who receive redevelopment contracts, along with their attorneys, engineers, lobbyists and other consultants from making political donations to officials who award the contracts or those who appoint them, as well as political parties and fundraising committees that support them financially.

At a news conference yesterday, Democrat and Republican sponsors of the bill joined with representatives of The Citizens' Campaign, a public interest group, in calling for legislative action. They said the measure is designed to end any influence campaign contributions may exert on decisions to proceed with massive redevelopment projects.

Afterwards, a spokesman for Roberts said it was "possible" some elements of the redevelopment legislation may be incorporated into a long-awaited and very overdue ethics reform and anti-corruption package Democrats are supposedly drafting behind the scenes. Codey hedged by saying pay-to-play reform had to be "fair" and "strike a balance."

"The public is fed up with equivocation; they want action, and they want it now," said DeCroce. "The Assembly Speaker and Senate President should stop their wavering and join the reform movement."

# # # # #

For more information, contact:
Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce / 973-984-0922
Assembly Republican Press Office / 609-292-5339

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