Senator Jennifer Beck, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement today following the sentencing of former Senator Sharpe James on public corruption charges.
“The sentencing of Sharpe James closes another sad chapter in the recent history of New Jersey politics. Another state legislator- in this case one who also happened to be mayor of New Jersey’s largest city, a major political power broker, and national political figure-has added to the legacy of corruption which New Jersey is rapidly, and deservedly, becoming known for. Because this was a man of such prominence, it is my belief that he should have held to a higher standard and sentenced accordingly. I am disappointed that Judge Martini decided to only sentence Mr. James to the federal minimum of 27 months. In my opinion, that is a small price to pay for the damage he has done to the reputation of his city and his state.”
Beck also encouraged the Legislature to consider legislation she has sponsored to toughen penalties for public officials convicted of crimes and change a March 2007 bill which applied only to crimes committed after the bill was passed
“The Legislature must create a disincentive in order to discourage that small minority who view public service as a business opportunity and to reassure the public that we take these charges seriously. To this end I have drafted legislation, S-686, that would require that any member convicted on public corruption charges be stripped of their retirement benefits, regardless of when the crimes were committed. The measure also provides for jail time for many of the offenses contained in the public corruption statute.”
“Public confidence in the Legislature has been waning for many years. The Legislative Leadership needs to take strong, clear-cut steps to restore that confidence, starting with holding the members to the highest standards of ethical and moral conduct and punishing them severely when they fall short of those standards.”
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November 13, 2008
