Sussex County Watchdog

The authoritative source for investigative journalism about local politics & county government.

County Commissioners...

DIRECTOR Jill Space

DEPUTY DIRECTOR Chris Carney

Until recently, County Commissioners in New Jersey held the title "Freeholder". Sussex County has...

DEPUTY DIRECTOR Chris Carney

IOUE Local 825's Chris Carney...

DEPUTY DIRECTOR Chris Carney

Jack DeGroot

The Tea Party movement has been a fixture in Sussex County politics since 2010. The Skylands Tea Party has brought a notable resurgence of pro-taxpayer activity in Sussex County.

Dawn Fantasia

Jack DeGroot

Whether a county

Dawn Fantasia

Opinion

Dark Money

Ethics, Transparency, & Open Government

Dark money has long tipped the balance against taxpayers in Sussex County. According to reports filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJELEC), in the recent June election, three dark money “SuperPACs” spent more than $200,000 to commandeer the primary process in legislative district 24 (which includes all of Sussex County). One superPAC is run by the IUOE 825 "gas tax" union. Another is a Pro-Transgender PAC set up to elect Pro-Choice “moderate” women. A third is a brand-new PAC and seeks to extend the influence of a controversial Islamic cleric.

Ethics, Transparency, & Open Government

Every state requires elected members of the legislature to file some form of financial disclosure. Most require it annually. Some states are serious about it. New Jersey isn't one of those states. In fact, in recent years New Jersey's politicians have voted to gut transparency laws.

The state's Right-to-Know law, the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) is openly violated, as is the Open Public Meetings Act (the so-called "Sunshine Law"). It is time the political class knows there are consequences for breaking the law.