Fundraisers revel in gutted N.J. pay-to-play law – POLITICO

Good Wednesday morning!

No Pay To Play Law!

Those five words were included in the subject line for an email invite to A July 31 fundraiser for Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh.

Paterson a city not exactly untouched by corruption enacted a strict local pay-to-play law in 2011. It was a condition of receiving millions of dollars in transitional aid from the state.

But the Elections Transparency Act eliminated local pay-to-play laws, holding them only to the state pay-to-play law with a loophole so big you can fit numerous contractors dump trucks through it. And so now Paterson effectively has no law restricting contractors from giving to campaigns something clearly noted on Sayeghs fundraiser invitation.

I dont know if the near-elimination of pay-to-play restrictions in New Jersey will make a huge difference. Many of those contractors already gave indirectly to help elect candidates that were later responsible for giving them contracts, often through PACs and non-profits. Some advocates had long called for a single, statewide comprehensive pay-to-play law instead of the patchwork of local ordinances. But they also called for eliminating the notorious fair and open loophole that all but exempted local governments . Now, theres just one statewide pay-to-play law, but the loophole remains.

Sayegh told me that he had no problem with Patersons old pay-to-play ordinance. In fact, he authored it as a councilmember. But, he said, Now that its no longer effective, people do need to know.

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CORRECTION: An earlier version of this newsletter partially misidentified Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh.

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Fundraisers revel in gutted N.J. pay-to-play law - POLITICO