Christie sets sights on pension abuse

We noted here some time ago when reviewing the book The Soprano State (Ingle and McClure) that the audacity of some practices in the State of New Jersey went far beyond simple malfeasance. For example, the book specifically calls out lawyers who are working for multiple municipalities creating a home rule patronage mill that is generally accepted practice in many NJ towns. The law has since been changed to stop the practice. Not this story ABC News:

Gov.-elect Chris Christie is vowing to scrutinize New Jersey's pension laws in the wake of a report that questions how a private lawyer could have held 12 part-time public jobs giving him pension benefits totaling more than $100,000 a year.

The lawyer, Michael Angelini, who is also the Gloucester County Democratic Chairman, was the focus of a report last week by the state inspector general that questions whether he was qualified to join the pension system at all.

At one point, in 2003, he represented seven government entities at once. However, the report said he often assigned the work to associates at his law firm, "suggesting that the entities hired a law firm not an employee."

"This is the insanity that people sent me to Trenton to fix and I'm going to fix it," Christie said. "They shouldn't be able to be paid for more than one public job."

Note the relevant facts. This is clearly not an employee situation but a contract labor situation. Note that it was repeated in 12 different entities. And not that he is the Gloucester County Democratic Chairman. How did he do it?

Angelini tried to cash in his pension after a law was passed last year that bans "independent contractors" from getting state pensions. His request was put on hold pending a review of the inspector general's report by the Treasury Department.

The report, which was forwarded to the Attorney General's Office, said Angelini had towns put him on the payroll by using "novel and contrived arrangements, often proposed by him."

"It is reasonable to conclude that these payment structures were utilized to provide Angelini unwarranted pension benefits," it said.

While he maintains his innocence you cannot help but be left with the thought that he should have known better. And since he knew better and still did this, it had to be purposeful. This is exactly what is wrong with our state and its politicians.

Read the entire article here.

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