Sunday, December 21, 2008

Crime Victims to Governor: "You're doin' a heckuva a job, Jonny"

The December 21, 2008 Star-Ledger quoted Governor Corzine vowing that his two concerns for his re-election bid will be finances and ethics. People in New Jersey who follow politics know why he said that. He is concerned about the public perception on finances because his toll hike plan was a bust. He is concerned about the public perception of ethics because former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie has put away 130 corrupt New Jersey politicians while his Attorney General has been wasting taxpayer money litigating to keep the public from reading his e-mails.

On behalf of the crime victims and their advocates, he has much to learn - about squandering government money and ethics.


By dividing them into two different issues he condemns both efforts to failure. Ethics and finances are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they are one in the same. As Director of the New Jersey Victims of Crime Compensation Agency, I worked hard to maintain a high level of support for crime victims and their service providers for two and one half years. During State fiscal year 2008 we processed 3,603 claims and paid over $12,000,000 to victims and service providers. Contaray to public pronouncements by both the Inspector General and the Attorney General, there is not one example of anything improper in any of those claims. This was accomplished with an ever diminishing staff. When I began on December 27, 2005, the agency had a staff of over fifty full-time people. In July, 2008, we were down to thirty-three. I was never given the authority to hire anyone, regardless of the reasons for the vacancies. Through the hard work and compassion of the people who worked there - many of whom voluntarily performed two jobs - we were able to serve the crime victims at a higher level than at any time in New Jersey's history. I was also able to expose fraud, waste and abuse. Two in-house attorneys who had worked there for over ten years had to be fired for corruption. One was operating a house closing business from his office. The other - who just happens to be the sister-in law of State Senator Robert Singer (R) 30th district - falsified her time sheets. Three patronage appointees had their positions eliminated by statute. We put a stop to a practice of hiring construction companies on a no bid basis (a practice I reported to the dismay of those who controlled it). In return for my successes I was fired and defamed.


The point of the above it this - a Governor must stand by people who do good work while ridding their agencies of corruption. If a Governor permits such people to be ruined by the political hacks who abuse government for their own greedy ends, that Governor fails the taxpayers both financially and ethically. Actions speak louder than words. Governor Corzine has told everyone familiar with this matter that if you work for the government you must keep silent about corruption or you will be punished. This corrodes confidence and makes any true ethics reform impossible.

For crime victims generally, the system is only getting worse. The VCCO is failing crime victims all over the state. The agency is delaying and denying claims submitted by victims of all types of horrible crimes. The goal of the current leadership seems to be to find any excuse possible to deny claims. Some readers may be thinking, "In these troubled times, maybe this is just a matter of saving taxpayer dollars." Such a sentiment is understandable - but it is wrong. The agency does not spend taxpayer dollars on victims. The funds used to pay thes claims comes from (1) assessments paid by defendants in the various criminal and municipal courts throughout the state, (2) a fees in commissaries at prisons and jails, and (3) a federal grant, which derives its funds from criminals in the federal justice system. The ironic and tragic truth is that by unnecessarily delaying and denying victims' claims, the current leadership is forfeiting federal grant money for subsequent years. This is because the federal grant is calculated as a percentage of the money spent on claims from the previous year. The federal government has built an incentive into the system to encourage crime victims' agencies to pay claims expeditiously. The current leadership is aware of this, they just do not care. Victims are going to lose what should be rightfully theirs. This will take the form of rape victims who will not get the mental health counseling they need, victims of domestic violence who will not be able to escape dangerous surroundings, victims of gang violence who will be bankrupted by medical bills, etc. Once again, the Governor's policy fails both financially and ethically.

It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said, "When you have chosen your part, abide by it, and do not weakly try to reconcile yourself to the world." Jon Corzine is Governor because he chose to buy it. What makes his reconciliation with the political culture of the Soprano State so hideous is it is so unnecessary. He could be a true public servant, stand by his principles, and come to the defense of honest people in his government. But he is too weak for that. He has decided to "play ball" with the political bosses at the expense of those who truly need government and who truly work to make it more honest. In so doing he encourages those with political influence who abuse the government for their own enrichment and discourages those who stand up to corruption. His continued mistreatment of crime victims displays that even by his own standards - finances and ethics - Jon Corzine must go.


Copyright 2008, Edward Werner, All rights resrved