For immediate release:
Chris Christie’s office sends New Jersey Watchdog a message every other Tuesday – a reminder of how the governor and his staff flout the law and fight transparency in state government.
“This email serves to hereby request a two-week extension regarding your OPRA request nos.W82964 and W82965,” it states. Since January, the governor has so far taken seven two-week extensions.
Under OPRA – the state Open Public Records Act – a governmental agency must grant or deny access to records “as soon as possible but not later than seven business days after receiving the request.” An agency is only allowed extra time if it needs to retrieve records from storage or archives.
In contrast, Christie and company have already had 15 weeks to decide whether or not to provide records of the state-paid travel expenses of the governor and his senior staff. Requests for explanation of the delays have gone unanswered.
By stringing out the process indefinitely – a devious tactic that clearly circumvents the letter and spirit of OPRA – Christie’s crew technically avoids making a decision that can be appealed in court. Meanwhile, the public’s right-to-know languishes in limbo.
The great irony is that Christie promoted himself as a champion of reform throughout his first term in office.
“These measures are about good, open and honest government, where the playing field is level for everyone and the rules are unambiguous,” said Christie in 2010 while campaigning for reforms.
Yet the governor has repeatedly sought to avoid release of information that could be used to hold him accountable.
The story is now online at http://newjersey.watchdog.org. The direct URL is http://newjersey.watchdog.org/2014/04/24/christie-reform-disguise/.
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