"Let's see what he's got under his fingernails ..."

"For years, State Senator Wayne R. Bryant's carreer has offered a vivid and unapologetic example of the often mercenary nature of New Jersey politics."

"He has collected paychecks from as many as four government entities at the same time, and his law firm does work for public agencies. His family members -- including his wife, son, sister-in-law and two brothers hold 10 public sector jobs."

David Kocieniewski, "Federal Scrutiny of State Senator Shines Light on Connections in Trenton," in The New York Times, April 14, 2006, at p. B5.

Mr. Bryant has not attracted the attention of the Office of Attorney Ethics (OAE) until now, mysteriously, and -- if he'd wanted it -- he might easily have been appointed to the state court bench. Many Jersey lawyers wonder which political faction has the greatest "under the table" influence with the OAE. My guess is that it depends on which way the political winds are blowing. Maybe just cold hard cash slipped into the right pockets will convice the OAE that you're "ethical" -- like them.

Mr. Bryant is not unusual in collecting many paychecks for full-time jobs on the public's tab. As I was once told by a grizzled veteran of New Jersey politics: "Everybody's on the government tit in this state." Why should the lightning fall on him? I can not help feeling that there is more here than meets the eye.

See Richard G. Jones, "A Window Into Power of a New Jersey Legislator," in The New York Times, June 1, 2006, at p. B5 (profile of Speaker Joseph J. Roberts, Jr.) and David Kocieniewski, "No Title and No Elective Office but Influence Accross New Jersey," The New York Times, January 7, 2006, at p. B1 (a profile of the mysterious George E. Norcross, III).

"... Mr. Bryant has also developed a reputation for helping himself, his businesses and his relatives profit from government business."

Another bit of New Jersey wisdom is: "Why else would you get elected to office?" Or become a judge?

"When Democratic governors in New Jersey and Pennsylvania gained control of making appointments for the Delaware River Port Authority, in 2002, the agency hired [Bryant's] wife for $135,000-a-year job and gave $85,000 in legal work to Mr. Bryant's firm. He wrote the legislation directing $175 million in financing to help redevelop Camden, and his law firm later won a $270,000 contract with the project. He pressed the state to deposit $5 million in Equity bank, where he serves as a paid director."

"Mr. Bryant was paid a salary of $38,200 [by U.M.D.N.J.] for the past three years to act as a lobbyist at the same time that he was Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, which granted millions of dollars in state aid to the university, which is in Newark."

In a follow-up report by David Kocieniewski, "Monitor Sees Misconduct by a State School Dean and a Newark Council Leader," in The New York Times, April 25, 2006, at p. B6, former Governor James E. McGreevey is linked to these events: "The report said that in addition to the allegations against Mr. Bradley and Dr. Ghallager, the monitor was investigating a complaint that former Governor James E. McGreevey may have helped State Senator Wayne Bryant obtain his $38, 220 a year job as a lobbyist for the school of osteopathic medicine when he was chairman of the budget committee." Mr. McGreevey's life is described by David Chen's headline, quoting the former governor, as "a lie wrapped in ambition." I am willing to take his word for it. David W. Chen, "McGreevey Recalls His Career as a Lie Wrapped in Ambition," in The New York Times, May 23, 2006, at p. B2:

"[McGreevey's] official portrait as governor [paid for by taxpayers] is scheduled to be unveiled at the New Jersey State House in a private ceremony this summer."

Oh, boy. I can't wait for that unveiling. Furthermore: "Investigators said that Mr. Bryant helped a campaign contributor obtain a $1-a-year sublease for a building that the school, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, rented for $144, 000 a year, an arrangement that could violate federal law on misuse of public funds." What the hell? It's our old buddy Wayne.

"Dr. Ghallagher, the report said, spent thousands in university funds on an assortment of inappropriate perks -- renting a suite at the Waldorf-Astoria for a friend, drinking $50 glasses of wine and spending $22, 818 in fees for picture framing since 2001. Investigators also said they found evidence that Dr. Ghallager pressured accountants at the university to falsify documents so that he could claim that the Headache Center at the school earned a profit, which helped him qualify for a $15, 000 annual bonus."


A "prominent" criminal defense lawyer once explained to me, "that's politics everywhere: one hand washes the other." Maybe so, but New Jersey is fairly unique in the levels of corruption reached by its politicians. The hands are always filthy, no matter how much mutual washing takes place. 200 indicted or convicted and the feds are just getting started.

One Mayor in a north Jersey town held three positions, while also "serving" as State Senator. In a possibly related story, it is reported in "Former Essex County Chairman Pleads Guilty," in The New York Times, May 25, 2006, at p. B7:

"A former ... County Democratic Party [Chairperson] has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy in connection with the bankruptcy of a labor union he founded, federal prosecutors anounced yesterday. The defendant, Charles W. Cart, faces up to two and a half years in federal prison when he is sentenced in September, said Christopher J. Christie, the United States Attorney."

Someone should get Mr. Christie a pair of roller skates so can get to every court in the state, given his energy and famous uncorruptable nature, he has been dubbed by Jersey boys, "The Untouchable." They are offering to help, in any way they can, to make Mr. Christie a judge (in Alaska maybe?) or get him to go into private practice at a big corporate firm, possibly in Oregon, Japan or China? Far away from the meadowlands. Unfortunately, for the crooks -- a.k.a., "machine politicians" in New Jersey -- Mr. Christie "likes" being a prosecutor.

Many believe that Mr. Bryant is being offered as a sacrificial lamb (or wolf?) to distract attention from "others" named -- or about to be named (there's more coming, boys and girls!) -- in the federal monitor's report of "activities" at U.M.D.N.J., where it seems that everyone was indeed "on the tit," as it were.

"Bryant is a major political force [-- and hence, someone for potential rivals in his own party to get out of the way? --] serving as both Chairman of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and the Legislature's Joint Budget Oversight Committee. However, he has also come under sharp criticisms over the years for a multitude of public jobs he has taken for himself or his family." http://www.nj.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-6/1144389075100320.xml&coll=1 Josh Margolin & Ted Sherman, "Legislator Drawn Into Scandal at UMDNJ," in Star Ledger, April 7, 2006.


The New Jersey judiciary is made up, for the most part, of products of that "money talks, bullshit walks" political process. Hence, the laughter that greeted former Governor James McGreevey's charge that his predecessor -- who must be regarded as a Saint compared to McGreevey -- "Christine Todd Whitman made the Supreme Court, 'an avenue of patronage for those with the executive branch. ... [The justices] did not necessarily in all cases represent the best minds in the legal profession.' [There was no argument on that issue from the opposition.] ... One of Ms. Whitman's appointees [to the New Jersey Supreme Court, who is at this writing "Chief Justice" Zazzali] has come under fire for allegedly misrepresenting his knowledge about racial profiling by the state police during his tenure as Attorney General." http://www.brennancenter.org/programs/pester/pages/view_elerts.php?elert_id=1931&print=1 Compare: http://www.njgop.org/News/DocumentPrint.aspx?DocumentID=14372 (regarding Bob Menendez):

"The fact that Bob Menendez is featured prominetly in Judge Stern's report detailing political influence at UMDNJ should surprise no one. Finding Bob Menendez's finger in the UMDNJ pot is about as surprising as finding ice cream at Baskin Robbins." (See Assembly Member Tom Wilson 1 609-989-7300 at http://www.njgop.org/ )

Menendez has always been a crusader against organized crime. Is he still fighting against the bad guys or has Bob decided to join them?

"Albio Sires and His Friends," http://hometown.aol.com/rutg1000/sires.htm Asbury Park Press, "Contributors to the Sires-controlled West New York Municipal Democratic Committee, or WNYMDC, were paid $4.5 million dollars in taxpayer money through no bid contracts from 2000 through March 2004." Isn't that nice?

Here's the "scoop" on the two "guys" running for Congress in 2006 to fill current Senator Robert Menendez's old seat. See Jonathan Miller, "Pow! Bam! And it's Only the Primary," in The New York Times, June 3, 2006, at p. B6: First, Joe Vas, who is (allegedly) a product of the South Jersey political machine "connected" to unofficial political bosses and the Camden Democratic "organization," is alleged by his opponent (and, evidently, admits) to having "helped out" a notorious child molester. "In 2004, Mr. Vas wrote a letter on Assembly letterhead urging leniency for a 40 year-old man convicted of sexually assaulting a 14 year-old girl." A favor for a friend, Joe?

Mr. Sires, who is an "angel" -- only by comparison with most Hudson County politicians -- is smeared by association, since his former "deputy mayor was convicted in 2004 on 21 counts, mostly related to mortgage fraud." Association is not enough in Hudson County, since politics is saturated with individuals with a somewhat, shall we say, "colorful" past. As one of those "colorful" characters once explained to me, as he was pondering a run for higher office: "Hey, nobody's perfect ... and I can point to things I did that were legal and good." The other "things," of course, one would not point to during a campaign. Maybe he's a judge now. As he would say, "Geez ..."

The Republicans main complaint is that their rivals, the much-despised Democrats, get to do most of the absconding with public funds. Republicans would like it to be their turn to get rich (or richer) by appropriating your tax dollars. "Come on," say the guys and gals at the Country Club, "what's fair is fair. It's our turn now!"

What is the result of all this?

"More than 500 New Jersey college students held a rally outside the State House yesterday to protest Gov. Jon S. Corzine's proposal to cut $169 million in state aid for higher education. [Do judges still claim that they need a raise from their $141,000.00 per year salaries?] The demonstration was organized by students at Rutgers University, where Mr. Corzine's proposals would force school administrators to make an estimated $100 million in cuts. In one possible situation outlined by rally organizers, the university would have to raise tuition by nearly a third and cancel 2,600 classes to offset the effect of the cuts. In a statement, Richard L. McCormick, the university's president, acknowledged that officials were considering tuition increases, and suggested that the kind of increases cited at the rally would be 'too large for our students to bear.' " Richard G. Jones, "Trenton: Students Protest Aid Cuts," in The New York Times, April 28, 2006, at p. B5.

"Republicans have been quick to denounce Mr. Bryant and called for him to step down as budget chairman until the investigation is finished. Mr. Bryant has brushed aside that suggestion, but has declined to respond to questions about the inquiry." The New York Times, April 14, 2006, at p. B5.

I predict a sparkling future for Mr. Bryant in Hollywood. Perhaps he will run a studio? Meanwhile, the members of New Jersey's Supreme Court will be posing for a group portrait this week. Maybe a sculpture of each of them will be next. How about a symphony written in their honor? Perhaps I am writing that symphony for them right now.

I can hardly wait for that federal monitor's report. Politicians in Trenton, who were asked about all of this corruption, had only one thing to say: "We are against smoking in public places." They are also in favor of motherhood and apple pie.