State Senator Gerald Cardinale

CARDINALE: APPOINT WILLIAMS AS ETHICS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
Will Oppose Nomination of any Legislator to Head Committee

Senator Gerald A. Cardinale (R-Bergen) today announced his intention to nominate retired Superior Court Judge Richard J. Williams to be the next Chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards. Judge Williams is a public member of the committee, and recently concluded a successful investigation into unethical conduct of former-Attorney General Zulima Farber.

Senator Gerald A. Cardinale (R-Bergen) today announced his intention to nominate retired Superior Court Judge Richard J. Williams to be the next Chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards. Judge Williams is a public member of the committee, and recently concluded a successful investigation into unethical conduct of former-Attorney General Zulima Farber.

“The failure to convene the organizational meeting of the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards amounts to a declaration of ethical bankruptcy by the Trenton Democrats,� said Cardinale, who serves as one of two Republican Senators on the panel. “How can the public take this committee seriously when it is not even permitted to convene?�

“It was my hope that the committee could convene in order to consider the allegations of serious ethical misconduct on the part of Senator Bryant detailed in the report of the federal monitor of UMDNJ, and offer the Senator the chance to refute the charges contained in the report. In order to regain the trust of a rightly skeptical public, the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards must meet and discharge its statutory obligations,� said Cardinale.

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“In today’s compromised ethical climate, it is essential that the committee not only meet, but that its deliberations are perceived to be fair, open and comprehensive. The only way that this can be accomplished is through the appointment of one of the public members as chairman. Judge Williams is a man of unimpeachable integrity, and his successful investigation of former-Attorney General Farber was thorough, evenhanded and respected by all parties. I believe he is the perfect choice to lead the committee at this critical juncture.�

N.J.S.A. 52:13D-22(c) provides that the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards appoint a chairman and vice chairman “from among its membership.� There is no requirement under the statute that the chairman be selected from the legislative members of the joint committee.

“It is my intention to oppose the nomination of any legislator to be chairman of the joint committee, and I call on committee members of both parties to support this position and approve the nomination of Judge Williams.�