Feeding at the Trough in New Jersey

You want to know how government works in New Jersey? Here's a hint. Think of your local representatives in Trenton as pigs, and your hard earned money as food at the trough. Though state officials want you to believe that this system has been overhauled and no longer reflects the way business is done, don't believe it for a moment - the pork is still spread around heavily:

Much of the documents released Friday outline an old system of political spoils that has since been reformed, Codey said, and could have been withheld from release if he cited executive privilege. Lawmakers are now required to make all budget requests public and to file disclosure forms, he said.

“That system is gone,” Codey said in an interview Friday night, adding that he re formed the budget process. “The best reform in the nation, including Congress.”

State Sen. Paul Sarlo, D-Wood-Ridge, was one of the legislators who worked to get grants for pet projects in his district, which covers Bergen, Essex and Passaic counties, according to the records.

But Sarlo’s name was also attached to funding applications for sidewalks in Wood-Ridge, where he serves as mayor, and for the fire department in Carlstadt, where he is the borough engineer, according to the records.

Like Sarlo, former state Sen. Joseph Coniglio, D-Paramus, was also one of the more active grant-seekers.

Coniglio also sought money for his employer at the time, Hackensack University Medical Center, according to the records. He is now facing federal corruption charges.

The records show U.S. Rep. Donald Payne, D-Newark, also tried to influence the state grant process, submitting requests for funding directly to Codey.

One file of grant applications was named for George Norcross, a South Jersey Democratic powerbroker and fund-raiser with access to Governor Corzine and other top state officials.

Codey defended how the legislators distributed the grant money, saying they chose projects based on merits. He conceded some lawmakers, such as Sarlo, may have been more aggressive than others in seeking grants, but said many projects also went unfunded.

The new system merely requires that the porkfest be done in public, as opposed to the more secretive system in place previously. It hasn't exactly resulted in a reduction in state spending on these projects nor has it changed the power structure in Trenton either.

And let's be blunt; Democrats controlled the funds at issue, and they're the ones who have been pushing the state to spend more and more year after year.