Christie's government office employs a 16-person communication staff, paid $1.36 million in taxpayer-funded salaries last year, which has built an impressive media and digital presence that stretches the Governor's brand far beyond state lines. Not only has his office refused to comment on potential coordination of these resources with any of the political action committees advancing his presidential campaign, but it has gone to court repeatedly in its attempts to thwart compliance with public disclosure requirements over related records.
Stories like this, unfortunately, are par for the course for with politicians like Christie who abuse the resources of their office and the public's trust. Watchdog has already called the governor to account for his use of taxpayer-funded security while campaigning for president, as well as his outlandish use of tax dollars at NFL games. In every case, Christie's response is always the same: obstruct. But we won't stop until the public has the transparency it deserves. ~ Erik Telford, President, Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity
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| Image courtesy of L.E.MORMILE / Shutterstock.com |
When it comes to politics, it's always about the names. Or in the case of New Jersey Watchdog's lawsuit against New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's administration, it's about the 2,500 names in a "secret" list of media contacts and VIPs.
A powerhouse PR Rolodex, the high-tech list was compiled by 16 state employees from Christie's communications staff, who together earned $1.36 million in salaries last year courtesy of New Jersey taxpayers. It has helped the governor establish an impressive media and digital presence that stretches the Christie brand far beyond state lines.
For New Jersey Watchdog, the argument was simple: the list was assembled at taxpayer expense and the public has good reason to be interested in the governor's media strategy. Reporter Mark Lagerkvist first asked for the list in January through an Open Public Records Act request. Christie's office turned it down and claimed it was "unclear." Lagerkvist offered further clarifications and specifics, but to no avail, and the dispute went to Mercer County Superior Court.
Superior Court Judge Mary C. Jacobson agreed with us in her decision issued last May, ordering Christie's office to turn over a copy of the list by June 12. But the state attorney general countered at the last minute with a bizarre appeal, claiming the list is a "valuable asset" that would give New Jersey Watchdog an "unfair competitive advantage" over other media outlets.
The court, however, stuck with its decision. Jacobson denied the motion for reconsideration, ordering the governor's office to release the record by August 17 and pay for New Jersey Watchdog's legal fees.
"The media strategy of the governor seems to me to be something that is of general public interest," she said, adding that the motion "contradicts the spirit of the Open Public Records Act" and was an "inappropriate" try by the Christie administration to get "a second bite of the apple."
Local media lit up in response to New Jersey Watchdog's case for transparency with high praise. The editorial board of the Star-Ledger, the state's largest newspaper, said that "for better or for worse, the list belongs to all of us." It went on to suggest Christie "has probably already shared that media list with a few special friends – such as his political action committee, or party affiliates."
The attorney general had one more last-minute trick up his sleeve, though, and asked Jacobson to grant a stay pending appeal, on the grounds that release of the record would cause the governor "irreparable harm." If the stay were granted, it could push back any political damage Christie might suffer from the list being released until after the presidential primaries.
Once again, Team Christie lost. Jacobson denied the governor's plea for a stay and gave Christie until Sept. 16 to persuade a state appellate court to grant relief on the premise that release of the record would cause "irreparable harm" to the state.
Finding the bigger story
Even after months of court battles, the real story may only be just beginning. When Christie finally coughed up the list, it only had 1,229 entries – half of the reported 2,500. Judge Jacobson will hear arguments this week to find out if the record was altered before release – a move that would potentially violate the court's order.
Why such a big fight over a media list? Even though it may seem trivial at first glance, it is significant for several reasons.
First, the response of the Christie administration is telling. The governor's office has fought tooth and nail at every turn to keep the list under wraps, and refuses to say whether or not it has been shared with Christie's PAC. In fact, the media list is just one of 23 court battles the Christie administration has been fighting this year to keep state documents secret.
Second, it falls into a larger trend in the Christie administration of misusing taxpayer funds and hiding information from citizens. Headlines exploded earlier this year, for example, when New Jersey Watchdog found Christie has spent more than $300,000 on food and alcohol during his five years as governor – including more than $82,000 from the company that operates concessions at MetLife stadium, which Christie has been known to frequent. If you do the math (factoring in that some of those expenses were reimbursed by the New Jersey Republican State Committee) that means Christie spent an average of more than $2,500 a game on concessions.
Furthermore, no one is quite sure how much his state police-provided security costs. Citing security concerns, his office has refused to release records explaining the $1 million his state police team has charged to pay for out-of-state travel. This issue is particularly relevant to state taxpayers as Christie hits the campaign trail. His out-of-state security costs run much higher than those of his predecessor, Gov. Jon Corzine, and unlike other candidates in the GOP presidential race, his campaign has not indicated it will reimburse taxpayers for security costs incurred by Christie's pursuit of greater political ambitions.
At Watchdog, we believe public officials ought to be transparent so that the citizens they represent can hold them accountable. Given that Christie is running for the highest office in the land, holding him to a high standard of transparency becomes even more important, but so far he hasn't made it easy.
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Andrew Collins (@ACwords) when not writing an article, spearheads Franklin Center's social media campaigns, promoting journalism through Franklin Center, Watchdog.org, and Watchdog Wire-branded accounts on various social media platforms. Previously, Andrew worked in campaign communications and television news.
Tags: Governor, Chris Christie, Opposing Transparency, Hides media list, against court order, Andrew Collins, Watch Dog investigation, Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
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