Council Members Change Tune on Pay-to-Play Reforms

Council members are prepared to repeal recent pay-to-play reforms after experiencing significant pushback over the new rules.

The reforms, which were adopted via ordinance two weeks ago, allowed for higher contributions to individual candidates and committees, while also increasing transparency. More than a dozen residents spoke out against the ordinance prior to council adopting it at their last meeting, and a coalition of opponents spent the last two weeks collecting signatures for a petition to strike down the reforms. 

Organizer Robert Gorman, chairman of the Moorestown Democratic Party, said the group submitted the petition to township clerk Patty Hunt Friday afternoon after reaching (and exceeding) the necessary number of signatures—approximately 1,100.

If Hunt certifies the petition, it goes before council, which can either strike down the ordinance itself or put it to voters in the form of a referendum question. 

But it may not even come to that, according to Mayor Stacey Jordan, who said all the confusion and concern surrounding the reforms has led her to reconsider her position.

"I'm not happy with it right now," she said. "I never intended for (the changes) to be anything but simplifying and less confusing. Obviously that's not happening ... Maybe we should take a step back."

Jordan said she plans to suggest to council Monday that they repeal the ordinance and leave it in its previous form—with contribution limits for candidates set at $300, and $500 for political action committees (PAC) and party committees.

Council raised the max amounts—to $2,600 for individuals, and $7,200 for party committees and PACs—based on information the township was receiving about reforms the Legislature was proposing. Jordan claimed council was trying to be proactive and keep the township ahead of the curve on pay-to-play.

She now believes those numbers may have been premature: "There's just numbers floating out there. I honestly think nobody has a real number. It's such a moving target."

Deputy Mayor Chris Chiacchio, who agrees with Jordan's decision to reverse the ordinance, said the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission has since come out in support of $1,000 limits.

"From the information we were getting, it seemed like it was right to do," Jordan said. "I'm a person who wants to see things done, who wants to get things done ... I don't have a problem changing it. It's not life or death."

Gorman said he's "thrilled" council is planning on walking back the ordinance, but doesn't understand why it got to this point to begin with.

"It's unfortunate it took (Jordan) two weeks to come to that conclusion," he said. "(Pay-to-play) should have never been on the agenda ... They realized they made a major mistake."

Chiacchio believes council's "hearts were in the right place," but now thinks it's wiser for the township to wait for the state to take action on pay-to-play reform.

"We need to let the state take the lead and have council follow," he said. "It has to come from the top down."

As for why council didn't do that in the first place, Chiacchio responded, "Strategies change. You have to adapt."

Jordan said in addition to repealing the ordinance, she'll also suggest council collectively lobby state legislators to take action on campaign finance reform.

Councilman Greg Newcomer, who was the lone voice of dissent on council regarding the pay-to-play changes, said going back to square one is "a step in the right direction." But he believes more research is needed so Moorestown can figure out what its policy should be going forward.

"Until we have research, we're kind of batting flies in the dark," he said.

And even if council doesn't take action on Gorman's group's petition, the effort was not for naught, he said.

"I was shocked how willing people were to participate. Normally in a process like this, you have to twist arms ... It showed how strongly they felt about this issue," he said. "Citizens realize they can force common sense." 

Township council meets at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the IT room at Moorestown High School.