Not a boss idea - Editorial

Thursday, December 6, 2007

THE RECORD EDITORIAL

A GROUP of well-intentioned legislators, including state Sen. Loretta Weinberg, D-Teaneck, wants to reform county political party organizations. Their answer is to throw more government at them. Wrong.

The "Party Democracy Act" would force county political parties to follow and distribute bylaws, use voting machines and have party members swear oaths like elected officials. That all sounds good. But county organizations are not governmental entities. The state should not be telling private organizations how to vote or require them to swear allegiance to anyone or anything.

We agree party bosses have too much power, political organizations may run roughshod over members and organization bylaws are often obtuse or even non-existent. However, it is up to members of those organizations to demand change, not members of the Legislature. Ironically, that is something Weinberg, as a Bergen County Democrat, has done effectively.

For all the power wielded by Bergen County Democratic Organization Chairman Joseph Ferriero, he had to back down fast when the organization's membership reacted negatively and loudly to his plan to legally challenge the state's pay-to-play law. Weinberg successfully kept her slate of candidates intact in this year's election, against the very public wishes of Ferriero. And recently in Passaic County, reform-minded Republicans gained control of their party. All of this was accomplished without legislation.

Many county political organizations are in need of reform. They are not in need of government. And that distinction is lost on the backers of the Party Democracy Act.

You do not curb corruption and abuse in non-governmental entities by creating more legislation. We are all for greater transparency in the political process. That will be achieved on the local level when members of political parties demand change. It is not an easy process, but it is not impossible.

Weinberg has long been the sand in the Bergen County Democratic oyster. And that has been good. Has there been enough change in Bergen County? No. But do we need Trenton to determine how private political organizations are run? No.

The state is having trouble ensuring that voting machines used in general elections provide paper trails and are tamper-proof. The state has yet to pass ethics reform that bars all elected officials from holding dual offices. The state is still plagued by elected officials who swear oaths and still abuse the public trust. State senators, including Weinberg, still can use senatorial courtesy to block nominations and not explain why.

County political parties are private organizations. Legislators who want to make government more transparent should focus their attention on actual government.