Republican Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee Unanimously Oppose Fox Reappointment

March 9, 2009

Contact: Bill Murray / (609) 292-5199
Senator Gerald Cardinale (R-39), Senator Jennifer Beck (R-12), Senator Joe Kyrillos (R-13)

State & Federal Investigations of the BPU Still Pending

Today, the four Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee voted in opposition to the reappointment of Jeanne Fox as president of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and objected to being rushed through the hearing and to the incomplete testimony provided by the nominee. The members cited numerous reasons for their opposition including the opening of unlawful bank accounts, conflicts of interest between consultants and staff at the Office of Clean Energy and the Clean Energy Council, and former staff members being involved in the awarding of grants totaling millions of dollars. The four Republican members of the committee are Gerald Cardinale, Joe Kyrillos, Bill Baroni and Jennifer Beck.

“President Fox has not addressed the conflicts of interest that exist within the Office of Clean Energy and the Clean Energy Council,” Beck stated. “Whether it is an appearance of a conflict of interest or actual conflicts of interest that have been identified in great detail by the Department of the Treasury and the State Auditor, President Fox has not addressed these problems when she should have fixed them immediately after they came to light.”

“Jeanne Fox has presided over a state agency that is a poster child for mismanagement, waste and abuse,” Cardinale continued. “She has been, quite frankly, playing fast and loose with state rules and regulations. Governor Corzine erred badly when he decided to reappoint her to lead the BPU.”

“This re-nomination should not have been made. There are too many concerns and questions about her management and far too little transparency and accountability at the agency,” Kyrillos maintained.

“The decision to shorten the hearing is unfortunate. Ms. Fox is serving as a holdover, so there is no rush. We have not heard from the Attorney General or the state Treasurer or from those who conducted the audits or drafted reports critical of her performance. Employees of the Attorney General’s Office should also be questioned as to whether they advised on the legality of the opening of an off-line account to accept $83 million. Unfortunately, the majority party did not allow us to hear from the deputy attorney general, the state auditor or any other witnesses,” Cardinale concluded.

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