Please President-Elect Obama, don't take him from us

Open letter to Prersident -elect Obama:

Dear Mr. President-elect:

There have been many news reports of Governor Jon Corzine requesting consideration for an appointment to the upper echelon of your administrarrtion.

I respectfully ask you to consider the crime victims of New Jersey before you respond to the Governor's request.

All over the State of New Jersey, people who provide services to crime victims are waiting for word on their applications for federal grants. There has been a delay in informing these people if they will be able to make their living or close down. It has placed a great strain on professionals who are uniquely qualified to help those suffering traumatic grief. Governor Corzine seems unconcerned.

Earlier this year the Attorney General announced major cuts to the Offices of Victim/Witness Advocacy throughout the State. In Mercer County, which includes the high crime area in our Capitol, Trenton, they have been told there would be a seventy prcent cut in funding. This means they will have to reduce the number of people who assist crime victims. Victims will go without counseling. They will attend court hearings alone. They will be forgotten by the "Justice" system. Governor Corzine seems unconcerned.

By statute signed the Governor in July, 2007, he was supposed to appoint a Review Board to oversee the Crime Victims Compensation Agency. He has failed to nominate anyone. Instead he left me to run the agency with no help from his office for over one year. While I ran that agency, crime victims and service providers were assured of being treated professionally and paid quickly. I was fired in July in retaliation for reporting various examples of waste, fraud and abuse. The Attorney General replaced me with people who have no background in victims' rights and who show no concern for the people who need that office. They have created an unnecesary backlog of cases. People have been waiting for months just for a decision on whether claims will be paid. It will not be long before professionals will refuse to serve crime victims just as many will not now serve medicare patients. Governor Corzine seems unconcerned.

I have read where you got invlolved in public service because, deep down, you do not like to see people be mean to one another. I believe you mean that sincerely. With that thought in mind, I respectfully ask you to rememeber innocent crime victims when Governor Corzine applies for a position in your administration. Please remind him he needs to see to it that grants are delivered to victims' service providers, that victim/witness advocates in prosecutors' offices need funding, he needs to appoint a review board for the Crine Victims' Compensation Office, and he needs to find sensitive people to run the Crime Victims' Compensation Office.

Please Preident-elect Obama, when Governor Corzine asks for a promotion to your administration, remind him of the things he has left undone. Thank him for the offer of his services but tell him, "The crime vicitms of New Jersey need you more".

Sincerely,



Ed Werner

Copyright 2008, Ed Werner, All Rights Reserved