GOP State Committee To File Lawsuit Against Gov Today

Millennium Radio New Jersey ^ | Thursday, May 31, 2007 | Kevin McArdle

[Calpernia]

"Back door, backroom conversations, private correspondence using private e-mails designed to circumvent the (Open) Public Records Act makes us curious," says attorney Mark Sheridan. He's the lawyer planning to file a lawsuit on behalf of the Republican State Committee today asking a judge force Governor Jon Corzine and Carla Katz, president of Communications Workers of America Local 1034 to turn over private e-mails.

Sheridan believes there is precedent for the suit. He cites the fact that, twice the Government Records Council has forced mayors to turn over personal e-mails dealing with official business, "Why should the Governor be subject to any different set of laws than a mayor, freeholder, the sheriff or a county clerk?" He insists, "You can't simply use a person e-mail account to circumvent the law."

"We'd like to take a look at exactly what the Governor and the head of the largest labor union in the state were talking about in private e-mails throughout the Governor's entire term in office," says Sheridan. He vows neither he nor GOP State Committee Chairman Tom Wilson have any interest in delving into Corzine's past romantic relationship with Katz.

Last week, citing anonymous sources, the New York Times reported that Corzine gave his ex-girlfriend, Katz, a powerful union leader, more than $6 million when they broke up in 2004. Corzine and Katz are refusing to discuss the issue or any arrangement brought about as they ended the romantic relationship.

A spokesman for the Governor said, "We don't comment on gossip from unnamed sources about a previous personal relationship that began and ended before the governor took office." Others have plenty to say.

Wilson says, "The timeline established by the NY Times leaves little room to conclude anything other than that candidate Corzine paid Ms. Katz $6 million to keep her silent and that the payout schedule was designed to give her the appropriate incentive to keep quiet. If that's true, Governor Corzine would have no choice but to resign immediately."

"The Times makes a number of assertions that raise some very serious and troubling questions. They write that Ms. Katz 'threatened' to hold a news conference that would embarrass Mr. Corzine when he became the leading candidate to replace Jim McGreevey," says Wilson, "They go on to state that a financial package was negotiated over the next three months that is valued at over $6 million and that the timeline for paying off that arrangement was to span over a number of years."

Democratic State Committee Chairman, Assemblyman Joe Cryan says, "Mr. Wilson is doing nothing more than engaging in political voyeurism on a non-issue that has already been settled." He adds, "The ethics review by two highly respected men, including a Republican former Attorney General, found no wrongdoing and no reason for anyone to try to exploit the past personal lives of others for their own political gain."

"The Republican chairman wants to ignore their thorough review, he wants to ignore their conclusions and he seems determined to ignore the truth. He's also ignoring the issues of importance to New Jersey," says Cryan, "We should stay focused on the needs of the people and not allow the temperamental tirades of Mr. Wilson to distract our attention or to derail real progress."

In the past, Corzine has acknowledged giving significant gifts to Katz while running for governor in 2005 beyond what had been previously disclosed. Katz, who makes $102,000 a year as the leader of the largest state worker union, recently paid $1.1 million in cash for a luxury condo in the same Hoboken building where Corzine lives. Katz, will not say where she got the money to buy the condo three months ago. Katz has contracted a $500,000 renovation at her Hunterdon County home. Corzine refuses to answer questions about whether he paid any or all of the bill in either case. In 2005, Katz was given $470,000 by Corzine to pay off the mortgage on the Hunterdon County home. Corzine admits that much and concedes he also paid the $160,000 gift tax.

In March, the Governor didn't hesitate to respond to allegations by the five union presidents that Katz tried, "to circumvent the bargaining committee and contacting the Governor directly to discuss the contract." Corzine said, "It's not true. The idea that she is talking about contract terms is just not happening…..we said very clearly that contract negotiations took place at the table, they did and I think the result speaks for itself."

Asked again, two months ago if there were any private contract talks with Katz, Corzine testily responded, "I have not had conversations about the contract! The contract negotiations took place at the table. It's very simple."

Corzine dismissed any speculation that his relationship with Katz conflicted with the new public employee deal, saying, "I can give you a list of Republicans, Democrats, outsiders, who say we have negotiated a fair and tough contract." The Governor does not believe the controversy would disappear if he disclosed any and all gifts he has given Katz. He explained, "As a matter of fact, I don't think it would end the matter because I think people are interested in other issues as opposed to what the implications are."

"There is no such thing as a 'private' relationship between the Governor and the head of the largest public employee union in the state," says Wilson, "the Governor's own ethics advisory group confirms that Governor Corzine and CWA President Carla Katz used private accounts to exchange emails discussing public business." He adds, "Whenever public business is discussed, the public has a right to see it. The Open Public Records Council has ruled on this question before, but the Governor seems to think he's above the law. We're not going to let Corzine thumb his nose at the law and the people of New Jersey any longer. Next week, we're filing suit to make him live by the same rules as everyone else."

An Open Public Records Act request made by Millennium Radio New Jersey seeking the e-mails between Corzine and Katz was also denied.

Cryan says, "This is Tom Wilson at his best throwing a long-shot pass and hoping for a completion when in fact the game is already over…..I think it's ridiculous, I think it's a waste of time."

[Calpernia]

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And in other news, it was announced that sunrise would be tomorrow morning when the sun came up......