Guv Prospect Sherrill Fields Questions about State Issues
MADISON – The thinking among political observers is that Mikie Sherrill is running for governor next year.
So, what does she think about state issues?
Peter Woolley, a political science professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, deftly brought that up Tuesday afternoon when Sherrill took part in the university’s continuing series of conversations with prospective candidates.
Woolley noted that New Jersey already has had a governor who was originally from Virginia. That was Woodrow Wilson, who quite obviously, also became president. Sherrill was born in Alexandria, Va.
Woolley may have been pushing the envelope a bit by bringing up a guy who became president, but the governor’s talk involving the CD-11 congresswoman is quite real.
The issues Woolley brought up, generally speaking, centered on transparency and access to government – recent legislation “reforming” the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) and the Open Public Records Act (OPRA).
Both were opposed by liberal and conservative organizations.
Sherrill said she agrees with the critics.
Some of the changes regarding ELEC shortened the time period for investigations and also gave the governor more control over its membership.
Sherrill said she doesn’t think the reforms give anyone a great deal of confidence, adding that ELEC now seems “very weak.”
The changes to the Open Public Records Act were even more controversial. Among other things, the changes give government agencies more leeway to deny requests if they think releasing information would lead to an employee being “harassed.”
The congresswoman acknowledged that some municipal officials have been overwhelmed by repeated requests. However, she added:
“But at the same time, I think the supposed reform that was made on OPRA feels as if the state that very much needs transparency in government – that very much needs to have oversight over government for various reasons – has now been undermined.”
Her response drew scattered applause from a crowd of about 200 seated in a spacious room in the old Vanderbilt-Twombly estate, an epic structure – now called the Mansion at FDU – right out of the Gilded Age. The audience to see Sherrill was the largest so far in the FDU series of speakers.
Sherrill said the success of Andy Kim’s campaign shows that the public truly wants transparency. Kim won the party’s U.S. Senate nomination over Tammy Murphy by appealing to the grassroots of the Democratic Party. Just for the record, Sherrill, like most Democratic elected officials, originally endorsed Murphy.
Kim, by the way, will speak at FDU next week. Curtis Bashaw, his Republican opponent, is set to appear later in September.
Sherrill was also asked about state finances.
She agreed with a questioner who proposed an economic conference to chart the course ahead and also criticized the state’s budget process for its lack of transparency. She said it makes no sense to put the budget together so quickly that legislators may not know what they are voting for.
In addition to improving New Jersey’s fiscal health, Sherrill said the state must continue to support and bolster an education system that most surveys rank as among the best in the nation. She said it’s the state’s strong public schools that keep many businesses in New Jersey.
No discussion about the state would be complete without mentioning New Jersey Transit.
From her current perch in Congress, Sherrill says she brings up complaints about the service regularly with state transit officials, the Biden Administration and Amtrak. With the Gateway project underway, the future seems better.
But how about today?
No easy answer there, but reflecting on recent transit woes, the congresswoman said:
“We can’t have the summer of hell for the next 10 years.”
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No to Sherrill, she didn’t talk about OPRA.
Peter Woolley, political science professor at FDU, links Sherrill and Gov. Woodrow Wilson (who became U.S. President) from Virginia. Both Sherrill and Wilson had families in the slave-owning business. Wilson was a strident backer of the KKK–that resulted in his name being removed from the main building at Princeton University several years ago.
Presumably, Sherrill’s slave-holding family from North Carolina and Virginia were strident supporters of the KKK. This information will be coming out publicly very shortly from now.
The black community better be aware of Mikie Sherrill. She and her ancestors made their ill-gotten gains from being slave holders in the South and supporting racism against blacks.
Seamus, did you read the article? She did address OPRA. She said that while some government agency are overburdened by OPRA requests, it s a cost of transparency. I wish she used stronger language, something along the lines of it being a travesty to rip teeth out of a law that was already weak. She also expressed concern about Murphy’s ELEC ‘reform’ – a misnomer, given that it was really a straightforward gutting.
Interestingly, Murphy justified his assault on OPRA by saying that he was pressured by about hundred mayors to sign that bill. So that means that about 450 mayors were comfortable with OPRA as it was. Now, some of those mayors who did the ‘pressuring’ have ugly skeletons in their closets and killing OPRA made it easier to keep the skeletons from parading out of the closets. Coincidentally, one such mayor with a closetful of skeletons is another gubernatorial hopeful and Murphy’s buddy, Sean Spiller. Now, this guy has a major issue with transparency.
Sherill seems squeaky clean by comparison.
As a matter of fact, yes she did address the hit job that Murphy did on OPRA and the gutting of ELEC. One can tell she is in favor of transparency..
Seamus McGinn:
I am extremely disappointed with what Murphy did to OPRA. It was a disgrace. It can be undone though. Once we have a new governor, there ought to be pressure put on both houses to undo the damage. If Sherill or Gottheimer win, I have a feeling either one of them would sign a bill that would affix “dentures” to the embattled OPRA. I’d actually make it stronger than it was. It was ho
It’s a good law that was severely weakened with various executive orders, and now it barely ‘gumming’.
This is wrong. OPRA is the one tool that allows regular folks to see internal documents which then, in turn, sometimes allow residents to see irregularities and ask questions.
Some mayors don’t like that? Oh, that’s just too bad. The intent of the law was NOT to please elected officials, for crying out loud – it was to promote transparency!
Shame on you, Phil Murphy, for
– de-toothing OPRA
– de-commissioning ELEC
In all fairness, Murphy did a couple of things that I thought were good. Such as signing the bill that made it mandatory for insurance companies to disclose which database they use for calculation of out-of-network benefits – critical information for those who ever do a surgery with an out of network provider. He also fully funded pensions, so let’s give credit where credit is due.
But what Murphy did to OPRA and ELEC should never be forgotten or forgiven. It was a absolute travesty.
I hope it can be somehow undone by the new governor. But then you would have to pass the “undoing” through both houses, plus their respective committees first. It’s a battle that wouldn’t have to be had Murphy rested his pen.
Be it Sherrill or Gottheimer, I hope the winner will know to undo the bad. Hopes and prayers….
Moderators: Darnell Jones here. I just noticed I made a few spelling/grammar errors in my post above due to typing fast and not proofing. Do you have a mechanism for making corrections? If not, may I ask that you please fix a some of of the typographical errors before posting? Thank you.