Christie proposes complete elimination of dual officeholding, I&R, elimination of pay-to-play loophole for unions

If elected, Republican gubernatorial candidate Christopher Christie would seek a series of reforms that would ban elected officials from taking a  salary if they have a full-time public job, force legislatures to disclose business conflicts or abstain from voting on issues where they have a stake, eliminate the grandfathered in dual office-holding loophole and make more information about state spending available on the internet.

Those were four of seven proposals Christie made in a conference call with reporters that touched several times on the corruption trial of former Democratic state Sen. Joe Coniglio (D-Paramus) and his own record as U.S. Attorney.

Christie also said he wants the legislature to create a constitutional amendment to make way for initiative and referendum, eliminate "blatant conflicts of interest" on state commissions, change the anti-pay-to-play executive orders to include labor unions and force former elected officials convicted of offenses that touched on their jobs to give up all of their pensions-not just part.

Christie said that he wanted to time his proposals with Coniglio's ongoing trial, in which witnesses have testified about the ways in which the former state Senator secured millions of dollars in payments to the Hackensack University Medical Center, where he worked as a $5,000-per-month consultant.

Using Coniglio as an example, Christie said that he would pressure the legislature to institute a law requiring all legislators to fully disclose any financial interests relating to any law they're voting on, or else abstain from voting on the legislation.

"That's not the policy we have right now, and given what's going on in the court house, this policy is aimed at making sure there are no more Joe Coniglios in the State Legislature," he said, adding in response to a question that it was necessary to have the option to abstain because many legislators are lawyers and, because of attorney/client privilege, cannot disclose those interests.

Christie called the Governor's dual office-holding ban, instituted two years ago, a "half-measure" because it did not force those who already held more than one public office to give one up.

"My view on it is this: if dual office holding is wrong, it should be ended.  If it is not wrong, it should not be ended," he said.

Regarding pensions, Christie said that as U.S. Attorney he pushed to have public officials he convicted stripped of their pensions, but while the State Pension Board was cooperative, it could only take away benefits tied to years of service that were not "honorable."

"If none of them are allowed to participate, that's fair, or all of them should be allowed to participate. Either way, it's much fairer than it is right now."

Christie also sarcastically chided Gov. Jon Corzine for not including labor unions in anti-pay-to-play executive orders.

"Labor unions were not mentioned at all in the laws involving pay to play," he said.  "I'm sure it was just an oversight by the Governor, but we would close that loophole to make sure that labor unions are put on the same playing field.'

Christie said that, if public employees want to hold elected office, they should go without a salary.  New Jersey Network Senior Political Correspondent Michael Aron brought up Assemblyman and Democratic State Chairman Joe Cryan (D-Union), who is an undersheriff in Union County, as someone that would apply to.

"What we're really going after here is the scent that people get of folks like Joe Cryan who are taking a big salary from a county sheriff's office and then taking a legislative salary and wondering how things intersect," said Christie.

Cryan responded that not allowing public workers to draw a salary as a legislator would benefit the upper-class. 

"So he would prohibit a teacher, a fireman, a retired policeman?  He would prohibit community college professors?  And decide how a separate branch of government should function?  How arrogant can you be?  He should realize he’s running for governor, not king," he said.  "With all due respect, the legislature shouldn’t be just trust fund babies.”

Christie's rival for the Republican nomination, Steve Lonegan, said that Christie was "talking out of both sides of his mouth" because many of his supporters in the assembly hold public jobs or sit on state boards -- even if most are not full-time.

"I think it demonstrates a clear double standard, and it's probably a desperate response to the peoples' suspicions over these campaign contributions he's taken," said Lonegan, referring to donations Christie took from former U.S. Attorney Herb Stern, who he had hired as a federal monitor, and some of his law partners.  

"This is a philosophy of rules and regulations that requires coercion and enforcement, and in the end it limits freedom," said Lonegan.

Christie also said that New Jersey was behind the internet-era in terms of information it makes publicly accessible on the Web.  Not only should the state post more information about how tax money is spent, he said, but it should be done through a searchable, user-friendly database.

"It is ridiculous that on the [Department of Community Affairs] Web site, the most recent information they have available for local spending is back to 2005," he said.

When asked how he would get the legislators to vote for reforms that go against their own interests, Christie said he would tour the state and use his office as a "bully pulpit."

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Chris Christie's plan to reform government:
 
Eliminate the Legislature's conflicts of interest

• Change ethics laws to require strict disclosure
• Eliminate dual office-holding
• Eliminate dual public employment 
• Eliminate blatant conflicts of interest on New Jersey's boards and commissions 

Hold government officials accountable

• Require forfeiture of pension for criminal convictions

Strengthen pay to play

• Eliminate the special interest labor union loophole in "pay to play." 

 Put citizens back in charge of their government

• Initiative and referendum
• Regular Constitutional Conventions, as determined by the state's voters
• Require transparency websites for state & local government & school districts