Dear Editor,
When candidates accept any money from developers or others who want to do business in the city, they are in danger of participating in a legal form of bribery. For this reason, the One Jersey City campaign, which I ran under, did not accept any donations from developers, and so we were not beholden in any way to those special interests.
Those individuals charged by the FBI for accepting cash donations to their campaigns stand accused of participating in the most apparent and blatant form of illegal corruption and bribery. But it is a very fine line that separates legal bribery in the form of standard campaign finance from the illegal actions taken by the individuals involved in this case.
Do we really suppose that developers give to candidates for any reason besides protecting their investment or furthering their business interests? In Hudson County, campaign donations are the costs of doing business for developers.
This form of legal bribery will change. In fact many of the One Jersey City candidates and board members actively worked to make this change a reality by partnering with Councilman Fulop to get pay-to-play reform passed. It was the most significant campaign finance reform ever enacted in the State of New Jersey. But the parameters set in that ordinance are easily loop-holed, and because the ordinance only pertains to contractors, it does little to lessen the influence that developer money has on our elections. And as long as political campaigns are essentially contests to see who can raise the most money, developer dollars will be courted and their undue influence over our government will continue. So while yes, the FBI investigation shines much needed light on the darker side of our democratic process, let us temper our enthusiasm until laws can be passed that outlaw bribery and corruption in all its forms.
Emilio DeLia
One Jersey City
Former Candidate, Council At-Large