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Politics & Government

Housing Authority Enacts 'Pay-To-Play' Limits

Contract bidders will have to disclose contributions.

The Hoboken Housing Authority voted Thursday night to ban pay-to-play, barring businesses that make political contributions over a certain amount from receiving public contracts.

The resolution was introduced as a live item, meaning it was not on the agenda.

Commissioner Jake Stuiver, with support from Executive Director Carmelo Garcia and Chairwoman Jean Rodriguez, proposed the Professional Service Contract Reform to limit any entity that makes a political contribution from receiving a public contract for one year. It would also require RFP bidders to disclose whether they had made any contributions.

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The resolution states “a business entity which makes political contributions to the Hoboken candidates and Hoboken municipal political parties in excess of certain thresholds shall be limited in its ability to receive municipal public contracts from the .”

It also states that the purpose of the measure is also to “avoid the perception of improper influence in public contracting and local elections.”

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Stuiver said it is a resolution the board should have in place.

“We are an organization with lots of facilities and a budget,” he said. “Pay-to-play reform is a good direction New Jersey is going in terms of transparency, accountability, and good and open government.”

He added that it’s also a trend for Hoboken. The resolution is based on the city’s 2004 ordinance against pay-to-play, which was enhanced with an anti-wheeling resolution last year.

“This is just the next step of a reform that’s been sweeping Hoboken for a few years now,” Stuiver said.

He added that the housing authority oversees 1,350 units of public housing in Hoboken. It has to manage building maintenance and repairs and landscaping, as well as rehabilitation in case of a flood or other disaster.

“We do issue a lot of contracts,” said Stuiver. He added that in addition to construction companies, the housing authority also has to pay accountants and lawyers.

Commissioner Eduardo Gonzalez asked why there had been no notice of the resolution and said he needed more time to read it.

“There’s nothing that you’re voting on that you’re going to wind up regretting,” Stuiver told him during the meeting. Gonzalez ultimately voted against it.

Commissioner Michael Russo said the resolution is not specific enough to the housing authority in that it makes no mention of contributions made by members of the housing authority board or people who might be appointed to the board.

He said it also doesn’t specifically mention members of the Board of Education.

“This just strictly states candidates for elected municipal office," said Russo, "so I think it kind of falls short. If we are going to do it, I think we should do it across the board.”

Board attorney Charles Daglian said that the resolution includes the language “elective municipal positions,” which he would interpret as anyone running for the City Council as well as the Board of Education.

Russo voted for the resolution.

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