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Interim Mayor Joseph F. Vitale and Council Vice President Brenda Yori Velasco, together with the Citizens’ Campaign, today unveiled a redevelopment pay-to-play ordinance for introduction in Woodbridge Township.

This ordinance is the first in a three-part reform agenda that Mayor Vitale unveiled on August 15. At tonight’s Council work session, Councilwoman Velasco will put the ordinance on the agenda for its Sept. 5 first introduction.

The ordinance is based on a model developed by the Citizens’ Campaign Legal Task Force and seeks to curb the influence of pay-to-play contributions in the redevelopment process. Observers cite redevelopment pay-to-play reform as critical due to the fact that large scale redevelopment projects are often magnets for pay-to-play cash with major decisions given broad discretion.

“For people who live in areas marked for redevelopment and for communities as a whole, there is much at stake,” says Mayor Vitale. ‘It is our obligation to ensure that the process is beyond the influence of pay-to-play cash.”

Councilwoman Velasco agrees. “Redevelopment decisions should reflect the interests of all of our citizens and not just a select few campaign contributors. I am looking forward to introducing the ordinance to the Township Council and hope for a quick adoption.”

Ordinance Components

• Prohibits contributions from developers to local elected officials, municipal political parties, county political parties and certain PACs from the time notice is given (or 1 year prior, whichever is shorter) through the completion of the redevelopment project.
• Contribution prohibitions also apply to consultants, lobbyists and professionals working on behalf of the redeveloper .
• Individuals who break the law, or try to circumvent it, are found in breach of contract and banned from receiving redevelopment agreements for 4 years.

The model redevelopment pay-to-play ordinance was developed by the Citizens’ Campaign Legal Task Force. This ordinance has been adopted in other New Jersey municipalities including Asbury Park, Edison, Hamilton, Ewing, Lawrence, Hightstown and West Windsor.

Similar legislation has been introduced in the New Jersey Legislature, sponsored by Senator Ellen Karcher (D-12) in the Senate (S-2076) and Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle (D-37) in the Assembly (A-3438).

The Citizens’ Campaign is a non-partisan, organized force of private citizens working to expand the power of citizens and to bring citizen leadership in the arena of political and governmental decision making.

“ New Jersey has seen large-scale redevelopment projects become subject to political influence particularly through the use of campaign contributions,” says Citizens’ Campaign Communications Director, Heather Taylor. “Protecting the integrity of Woodbridge’s redevelopment plan from the undue influence of large campaign contributors is essential to protecting the quality of life of Woodbridge citizens.”

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