The Jersey City City Council voted 8-0 with one abstention Wednesday night for a redevelopment pay-to-play ordinance preventing developers from making campaign contributions while in negotiations to be a designated developer for a project. Any developer found in violation of the ordinance would be barred for doing development in the city for four years.
The ordinance was reintroduced by City Councilman Steven Fulop at the Aug. 12 council meeting, having been introduced for a vote in January 2007 only to be voted down. The legislation was crafted originally by Dan Levin, Aaron Morrill, and Andrew Hubsch, all local good government policy advocates.
But changes to the ordinance were made before it was approved, such as taking out a clause allowing private citizens to sue developers and others in violation of the ordinance, and putting in a time structure for developers not donating to a campaign of three months prior to putting in an application to be a developer on a project.
But Fulop after voting on the ordinance said the changes, while not to everyone’s liking is a “first step” towards reforming government, and sees the ordinance being revisited in future meetings. – RK