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Friday, August 05, 2005

Corzine: Cemented In Jersey Establishment

Lots of people hate “the establishment” in Washington and in their state and local political scenes for myriad reasons, good and bad. But in New Jersey, almost everyone hates the state establishment for one very good reason: it is criminally corrupt. And, as this medium-size scandal reveals, Jon Corzine is firmly implanted in the sleazy scene.

Corzine Lent $470,000 to N.J. Union Boss

TRENTON, N.J. - Senator and gubernatorial candidate Jon S. Corzine lent the president of New Jersey’s largest state workers union $470,000 when the two were romantically involved three years ago, then forgave the debt last year. […]

Corzine, New Jersey’s senior U.S. senator, turned the 10-year mortgage into a gift to Carla Katz last December, according to court documents. The move came a week after he kicked off his campaign for governor and several months after the two stopped dating.

Katz, 46, is president of the Communications Workers of America, Local 1034. The union local represents 9,000 state workers, as well as other workers.

Corzine’s involvement with Katz, which was well-known in political circles, is significant because the two could find themselves on opposite sides of the bargaining table if he wins the November election. A Democrat elected to the Senate in 2000, he opted to run for governor this year.

Wealthy Democrats like Corzine never find themselves on opposite sides of the bargaining table with fatcat union bosses like Katz. Jersey Democrats and Jersey unions are the very definition of cahoots, and every New Jersey citizen and taxpayer is the worse for it.

Posted on August 5, 2005 09:37 AM. Permalink