July 2, 2008
Group seeking ordinance to impose stricter limits on campaign contributions
By Minhaj Hassan • Daily Record
MORRISTOWN -- The town clerk has certified a petition filed by residents who want the town to have a strict pay-to-play ordinance.
According to a letter from town clerk Matthew Stechauner, the petition contained 416 valid signatures, which represents 14.18 percent of the 2,934 total votes cast in the 2007 general election.
Pay-to-play is the practice of professional service contractors making campaign contributions to elected officials in municipalities or organizations with whom they have work contracts. Examples include law firms, engineering companies, auditors, accountants and planners, among others.
The petition asks for the town to adopt an ordinance that impose limits on such campaign contributions that would be stricter than the limits imposed by current state law. If the council does not approve the ordinance, a question to approve the ordinance will appear on the November general election ballot, officials said.
If the ordinance is adopted by the governing body or approved by voters, contractors who are awarded professional service contracts could not contribute any more than $300 to each elected official. It also states those contractors could not contribute any more than $500 to local and county committees.
The ordinance is based on a model ordinance devised by Citizens Campaign, a grassroots organization based in Metuchen.
The subject of pay-to-play made headlines statewide earlier this week. On Monday, a state appellate court upheld the constitutionality of pay-to-play restrictions, saying government has a right "to protect the state and its citizens from the 'actuality or appearance' of corruption in the award of state contracts."
The court made that decision after a road contractor had apparently violated pay-to-play restriction laws by contributing funds to the Monmouth County Republican Party. The contractor, Earle Asphalt Co., had challenged the state's pay-to-play laws, claiming it restricts freedom of speech. The challenge was unsuccessful.
Many of the same residents who worked on Morristown's pay-to-play petition -- Linda Carrington, Thomas Hollo, town historian Marion Harris, Eugene Witt and Stefan Armington -- have said they are ready to re-canvass the neighborhood again to collect signatures to challenge a possible pay hike for Mayor Donald Cresitello.
The town council is expected to make a decision July 15 on whether to approve a pay hike of as much as $6,000 for Cresitello, who has said he will not seek re-election in 2009. The local governing body will also determine at that meeting whether to approve the pay-to-play reforms, or let the voters decide.
Armington, in a telephone interview, said "I expected it to be certified, given the number of signatures. It was good that it was certified." He said he doesn't know how the council members will vote on July 15. Either way, a vote will take place, either from the local government side or by the voting public.
