Assemblyman Vince Polistina/609-677-8266                                                                        October 20, 2008

POLISTINA: WHO ELECTED NORCROSS?

QUESTIONS DECISION BY CODEY TO LET NORCROSS DISTRIBUTE TAXPAYER GRANT MONEY

            Assemblyman Vince Polistina today said it was outrageous that among the millions of dollars in legislative pork grants distributed by Democrats were a number of grants that apparently were selected at the behest of South Jersey Democrat power broker George Norcross and approved by Senate President Richard Codey.

            “The idea that a political boss, never elected by the people of this state, was given discretion over the distribution of half-a-million dollars in taxpayer funds is infuriating,” said Polistina, R-Atlantic. “It is bad enough that Democrat lawmakers used this money as a slush fund for their pet projects, but it is even more disturbing that they allowed unelected political party bosses to dole out the funds.”

            The Star-Ledger this weekend reported that Norcross, in a statement issued through his lawyer, William Tambussi, said he had recommended the grants at the invitation of Senate President, and then-Acting Governor, Richard Codey.

            “Acting Governor Richard Codey called me to tell me that he had authority over a substantial amount of discretionary funds and that I could recommend $500,000 of funding to worthy causes,” Norcross is quoted as saying in the story.

            Polistina said that Codey clearly crossed and ethical line by offering control of these taxpayer dollars to an unelected political party boss. Pointing to the millions of dollars the Camden County Democrat machine spent on recent legislative elections in South Jersey, Polistina said that this news makes it clear why Norcross wants Democrat legislators in control in Trenton. He noted that in his own district, South Jersey Democrats outspent Republicans by nearly a three-to-one margin in the last legislative election.

            He also called on Democrats in the General Assembly, which at the time was under the leadership of Speaker Albio Sires, to comment on the process.

            “Clearly Senator Codey, at the very least, used extraordinarily poor judgment in handling this program,” Polistina said. “I would like to know the level of involvement in this grant program by members of the General Assembly and the role Norcross played in those grant decisions by Assembly members.”