Nice, but will it backfire?

This week's Suburbanite reports on the parallel efforts of a local citizens group and the Township Council to enact anti-pay-to-play ordinances in Teaneck. Given the contempt so many Teaneck residents have for the corrupt practices that characterize politics on the state and county level, the measures advocated by Bergen Grassroots, on the one hand, and Council member Jackie Kates, on the other, should have little trouble winning popular support.

As Bergen Grassroots official Paul Eisenman told the Suburbanite, "Teaneck is the cleanest town in Bergen County, if not the state." But given the current state of affairs elsewhere, it seems to be a safe bet that local voters would set aside any freedom of speech concerns to follow the lead of nearby towns such as Hillsdale, Hasbrouck Heights, Oradell, and Ramsey in enacting strict limits on contributions to local officials from vendors seeking municipal contracts.

The question is whether a pay-to-play ordinance like those under consideration would address the real threat to good government in Teaneck, i.e. interference in Township affairs by partisan political organizations.

While the Bergen Grassroots draft legislation contains a provision that would restrict vendor donations to political parties, how well would such a rule actually work? Given that Teaneck officials are not officially affiliated with political parties (at least in their elected and appointed roles) and yet may still be subject to manipulation by political organizations that provide them financial and logistical support during campaigns for office, the inclusion of such a clause seems necessary. However, without a similar change in the law on the county or state level, were Teaneck to exclude any vendor who has donated more than $500 to any political party from the contract bidding process, the Township might leave itself few viable options for major improvement projects or outsourced services. The net effect of the legislation could be to drive up the Township's costs without realizing a tangible benefit, given that Teaneck is already recognized as a clean and transparently managed municipality.

Appealing as it may be to send out a strong message on pay-to-play, let's be sure any ordinance enacted is not done so just to prove a point or to serve as an example to others who need it more. Our first priority is to protect the interests of Teaneck.