“What it means is that contracts are being awarded not on the basis of who is the most qualified, but on the basis potentially of who has given the largest sums of money to those decision makers,” Rubin said.
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New $1.7B NJ Turnpike contract to operate E-ZPass program is awash in controversy
Companies winning contracts with state agencies are required to provide disclosure forms showing ownership structures for those with a 10% stake or higher, said Marc Pfeiffer, a senior policy fellow and faculty researcher at Rutgers University’s Center for Urban Policy Research.
‘Extremely concerning’: Recession fears could upend New Jersey’s next state budget
Pfeiffer also pointed out this is something that every state has to deal with and should be “very cautious in the assumptions they make about new revenues and cautious with the assumptions they make on what they do with federally funded programs.”
New Jersey has contributed more than $800M in funding to Atlantic City for budgets since 2016
“In New Jersey, we have a single way of raising money, which is property taxes,” Pfeiffer said of municipal budgets. “Atlantic City has always been an exception to that because you have the hotels and then the casinos. You’ve always had a policy of state engagement to support Atlantic City’s municipal budget in particular.”
Stamato Commentary: In the Crosshairs: The Nation’s Civil Service
By Linda Stamato While President Trump’s efforts to force out tens of thousands of civilian federal workers and to dismantle entire agencies have hit legal challenges, and generating some resistance from agency heads, those efforts remain front and center on the Trump...
Stamato Commentary: A functioning democracy requires knowledge
By Linda Stamato The question arises frequently enough as to what constitutes local news that I thought I’d address it. Sometimes, it’s abundantly clear what is local—mayoral elections, housing and parking authorities. But other times, it’s less obvious. What is...
In NJ, Trump economic ally pushes idea of raising SALT deduction to $20K or higher
With negotiations fast tracked over a Republican plan to pass a $4.5 trillion tax cut, a top economic official in President Donald Trump’s orbit — former economic adviser Stephen Moore — doubled down Thursday on doubling or even tripling the current $10,000 cap...
New Jersey’s ballot design that gave party bosses big influence is officially dead
A study by Rutgers public policy professor Julia Sass Rubin, looked at ballots where voters either voted twice or didn’t vote for certain offices, likely because of the way the line creates confusing ballots.
Jagannathan Receives Chancellor Award for Global Impact
Bloustein School Professor Radha Jagannathan was recently named the recipient of the Rutgers Chancellor Award for Global Impact.
The award honors a faculty member whose research, teaching, or service has catalyzed global partnerships or generated global impacts and exceptional public engagement.
Do Party Chairmen Still Hold Power in New Jersey Now That the Party Line Is Gone?
Political analyst Julia Sass Rubin, a professor at Rutgers University who has studied the county line’s effects, argues that while the change is a step toward fairness, party chairmen retain significant sway. “The line’s removal weakens their ability to directly control ballot placement, but these leaders still command loyalty, fundraising networks, and grassroots operations,” Rubin said. “They’ve lost a tool, not their toolbox.”