Voting & Democracy In the News

New Jerseyans have watched a disheartening parade of politicians be investigated, indicted and sent to jail. Our cynicism worsens when we notice legislators sit on the committee that ad judicates ethics charges against legislators. That's like having a defendant's family and friends be judge and jury, an obvious conflict of interest that our legal system doesn't tolerate. It's hard not to think the design of the committee is a major reason so few legislators have been punished by the committee: four in 34 years.

Given this situation, it's refreshing to see a politician with tremendous power in the current system -- Speaker Joseph Roberts -- call for fundamental reform of the ethics committee. Making the committee truly independent is a first, fundamental and long- overdue step to addressing New Jersey's chronic corruption issues.

If Roberts' proposal is adopted, New Jersey will join 23 other states in having an independent ethics commission. Those states' experiences demonstrate that independent commissions are effective and dispel any argu ment that making New Jersey's commission independent would have dire consequences. The time has come for strong, independent ethics enforcement in New Jersey.

-- Abigail Field, Trenton

The writer is a legislative advocate with the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group's Citizen Lobby.


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