State watchdogs have been targeted by Trenton before
By: Lee Seglem
Your Turn
Guest columnist
..... Oversight accountability, especially the independent kind, have always been the odd and often unwelcome stepchildren of New Jersey government.
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Fifteen years ago, newly elected Republican Governor Chris Christie sought to kill the State Commission of investigation, or SCI, a creature of the Legislature, and put its resources into the Office of the State Comptroller, a subnational appointee and cabinet member.
..... Though it was adversed as a plan to eliminate duplication and consolidate the state's "Watchdog" community, no evidence emerged of any meaningful wast or overlap. indeed,, it looked and felt more like a bald attempt to consolidate power in the governor's office. After some brutal political infighting, the SCI - which had weathered an earlier unrelated attempt on its life in 1996 - survived to conduct significant work that otherwise would probably never have seen the light of day, including investigations into corruption on the bail/bond industry, New Jersey's flourishing narcotic trade and the organized crime intrusion into recycling and solid wast. (Full disclosure: I was a senior SCI official at the time and went on to become its execute director.)
..... Fast-forward to 2025, and it's back to the future - only this time the state comptroller is in the cross-hairs. A bill introduced in the current lame-duck legislative session by the state Senate's Democratic leadership would gut that office and boost the SCI. Once again, the cliche of "consolidation" has been trotted out, and, once again, there is no real evidence to support it.
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This being New Jersey, it is not unreasonable to be suspicious of motives and hidden agendas, specifically given that lame-duck session in Trenton traditionally are sued to ram through all sports of problematic political chicanery, everything form legislative pay hikes to pension sweeteners. That disturbing reality took on renewed urgency on December 1 [2025] during a rude and rather unsavory legislative committee hearing on this bill. Nobody,for example, came forward to say the comptroller was corrupt or doing a bad job. In fact, some of threat office's recent work has landed uncomfortably close to certain elements of the Democratic powers that be. And you have to wonder why critics and skeptics of the legislation were treated like skunks at a weeding.
..... It got so bad that even Andy Kim - a U.S. senator fro crying out loud p was forced to cool his heels for more than five hours and hen, after a few minutes of testimony, was cut off and given the bum's rush. and none of the discussion changed the fact that today, [12/01/2025] with the Trump administration killing federal oversight and government watchdogs left and right, there is quite a compelling case to be made for more not fewer, resources than ever at the state level to investigate and fight political corruption.
..... One final thought: The SCI is itself in the midst of an assiduous effort to reform and re-invigorate itself in the aftermath of an internal personnel scandal that forced the resignation of this former leader earlier this year. [2025] Not much if anything, was said the other day about that unfortunate turn of events, but i have to wonder: With tat as a backdrop, is his really the most appropriate time to undertake such a consolation, especially when it really inst' necessary?
..... Lee Seglem is a former journalist who worked at the SCI invasion capacities for 25 years and served as its executive director until retiring in 2019.