Fuggedaboutit

Life in a dirty state

NU Magazine - October, 2009

July 23, 2009 — a date which will live in infamy.

While not as significant as the bombing of Pearl Harbor, nevertheless that day carries for me an enormous magnitude. While the events at Pearl Harbor served to embolden a nation to enter war, the arrests of July 23 only worked to dishearten the state of New Jersey.

Forty-four politicians and rabbis were arrested on bribery, money laundering, and corruption charges on that one day. It was an earth-shattering moment; the corruption in New Jersey was finally brought to light like never before. But in some ways, it was just another day in Dirty Jersey.

It’s a very poorly kept secret that New Jersey is one of the most corrupt, if not THE most corrupt state, in the U.S. In fact, certain counties and cities are so notorious for corruption that out-of-state visitors know it.

Take Hudson County, which includes Jersey City. On that one day, 14 Jersey City residents, officials, and employees were arrested on various charges of money laundering and taking bribes from contractors and unions.

Fourteen!

The mayor of Hoboken, who had only been in office for three weeks, apparently wasted no time getting involved with these scandalous activities. When we learned about it, we were sort of shocked, but mostly, people said “Well, that’s New Jersey for ya!”

Before I began traveling and meeting out-of-staters, I never assumed people from New Jersey were different than people from any other state. Yet through USY and other activities, I’ve had an opportunity to interact with people from all over the country, and I can say with some certainty that folks in Jersey definitely have an attitude — an abrupt, caustic, don’t-mess-with-me attitude.

And I have to wonder if that is the result of bearing the brunt of the nation’s jokes for generations. The history of corruption in New Jersey dates back to the founding of the state, when New Jersey was part of New York and Pennsylvania. The transfer of land in the process of attaining statehood was rife with corruption. Ever since the English gained control of the state, cronyism has been a staple.

The land between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers (essentially, between the city and Philly!) was given by King James III to two friends of his who had remained loyal to him during the English Civil War, Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley of Stratton.

The aura of corruption continued, when in 1708, while New Jersey was under the reign of New York governors, New Jersey citizens rightly accused the governors of favoritism towards New York.

New Jersey was the last state to abolish slavery, even though there were very few slaves left in the state and over 80,000 New Jerseyans fought for the North in the Civil War.

The past three mayors of Newark — Sharpe James, Kenneth Gibson, and Hugh Addonizio — have all been arrested on corruption and bribery charges. James alone was indicted on 33 counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, and wire fraud, and they elected him mayor for five terms and 20 years!

Governor James McGreevey, of course, did not step down from office because he is a gay American, as many people believe, but because he had employed his gay lover to a position in state government for which he was unqualified, and his lover threatened to sue for sexual harassment. It didn’t help Jewish people either that McGreevey’s alleged lover was an Israeli citizen.

There are various explanations for why this state is so beset by scandal. Many people say there is just too much government — too many individuals in a complex web of county and municipal governments and, therefore, too many people who stand to gain money or power by abusing their positions.

Our complicated structure calls to mind the parishes of New Orleans, another bastion of corruption. Others point to the vast array of unions that wield far too much influence over prices, jobs, and bids. As in Chicago, the strength of the union bosses and their primarily Democrat allies has created endless opportunity for self-promotion over genuine public service.

While the corruption is not necessarily limited to the Democratic Party, all but one of those arrested on July 23 were Democrats.

While there is some truth behind all of the Jersey stereotypes, it certainly is not a point of pride to be the butt of jokes. On the other hand, I think having to put up with it does make us tougher. We work harder, try harder, prove that we are as good or better than the rest, and make sure that, unlike some of our state’s scoundrels, we can actually hold our heads high.

Cory Nagelberg, attends Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union and is a member of Nu’s teen board.

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