Pay-to-play reform passes
By JENNIFER KELLEY
Cherry Hill Sun
8/20/2007

Unanimous vote ends two years of political wrangling over measure

After months of legal review, the Township Council unanimously passed a “pay-to-play” ordinance at a special meeting held last Friday afternoon.

The law was based on a strong model of campaign-contribution reform legislation provided to a group of local residents by the Metuchen-based Center for Civic Responsibility. The Aug. 3 vote came after months of campaigning by the Cherry Hill Pay-to-Play Reform Committee, which gathered more than 3,500 signatures from registered voters throughout the community who supported the adoption of the ordinance in the township.

The new law restricts contributions to township candidates and political parties – from professionals looking to do business with Cherry Hill – to $300 per year, as well as a $500 limit on contributions to county political parties, political action committees or candidate committees that support township elections. It also imposes a limit on total political contributions from professionals to $2,500 a year, banning businesses or individuals who violate the ordinance from netting Cherry Hill contracts for four years.

The law, which will be in effect by the end of the month, focuses on professional services – such as engineering and legal work – because those types of contracts are not regulated under New Jersey’s competitive bidding laws, explained Heather Taylor, communications director for the Center for Civic Responsibility’s Citizens Campaign, whose team of legal experts penned the model ordinance approved in Cherry Hill.

According to Taylor, 48 other municipalities in the state have approved the ordinance in recent years as well. Cherry Hill is one of the largest townships in the state to have adopted the measure and, in this region. Collingswood is the only other community to pass a version of the ordinance, which is considered the toughest pay-to-play reform measure in the state.

Evesham officials report that their township is considering the adoption of an identical ordinance, and a resident-driven pay-to-play-reform campaign is also under way in Washington Township.

Area residents first presented Council with the ordinance in 2005, bringing the issue up again this year. In June, Councilwoman Marlyn Kalitan attempted to introduce the proposed law but her motion was not seconded by anyone else on Council. At the time, Councilman Steve Polansky, an attorney, was reviewing the sample ordinance in addition to various other versions of pay-to-play legislation enacted in New Jersey municipalities.

It was from that research, township officials said, that Polansky also introduced accompanying legislation banning “revolving-door” employment in order to prohibit former township employees from doing work with Cherry Hill for two years after they retire, resign or depart from their posts. The governing body unanimously passed that policy on July 23.

“Town Council is aware of the depth and value of this ordinance and how groundbreaking this new legislation is,” Polansky said after the pay-to-play law was passed last week. “Cherry Hill will now be at the forefront of having the most stringent set of local laws in the state.”

While some residents at the special meeting criticized Council members for not taking the lead on the ordinance from the get-go, the members themselves chose to focus on the future.

“As we studied this ordinance and how it would affect Cherry Hill, it was important (to us) that we find a plan that would help us keep costs down,” said Councilman Dennis Garbowski. “I think all of us here agree that this is the best way to stop contractors from passing the cost of contributions on to the township, and that is why I support this ordinance.”