"Silly Season" in Bergen County
April 28, 2008 Filed in: Politics
Any American who enjoys, but no longer believes in,
Santa Claus understands the difference between
political marketing and reality. We know we're
getting played, but the PR, spin, talking points,
symbols (flag lapel pins, etc) bypass our rationality and
hit our hot buttons.
Now that we have suffered many months of the "silly season" in national politics, our own primary season is revving up in New Jersey. And, as usual, the marketing tells one story and the reality another.
One prominent political marketing myth is that ambitious politicians can only do well for themselves by doing well for the public. But, the New Jersey reality is quite different.
The state political system favors those who do the business of the pay-to-play County Party Boss -- the man who controls the path of political advancement. With aggressive marketing and huge campaign financing, the behind-the-scenes record of these politicians can get camouflaged in photo ops, spin, concocted narratives, talking points and all the usual symbols and stuff of "silly season." County Bosses and their smiley-faced marketers know that they just have to fool enough of the people enough of the time to keep the money and power rolling in.
In fact, reality caught up with marketing for all of Joe Ferriero's current slate of Bergen County Democratic Organization freeholder candidates. Each was voted out of office in their own towns by local voters who know them best.
Bernadette McPherson is seeking another Freeholder term, right after her hometown constituents in Rutherford ousted her as Mayor in a greater than 2-1 landslide. Vernon Walton was turned out of his Englewood Council seat by 20 percentage points but was appointed by the Boss to complete Connie Wagner's unfinished term as Freeholder. Similarly, incumbent David Ganz seeks re-election to county office after having lost in Fair Lawn.
So, how can a Party Boss convert local losers into County winners?
Quoting David Sivella, the Mayor Michael Wildes' 2006 campaign manager:
The "hefty price" a politician must pay to the Boss comes from our public treasury (patronage, tax deals and no-bid contracts to the Boss and his "friends") and on our quality of life (favors, permits, variances, etc for political, not public, reasons). Data released by the NJ Election Law Enforcement Commission "...show that 669 firms that gave $15 million in political contributions received $5.17 billion in contracts from all levels of government. That's a return of $345 for every dollar donated." (Asbury Park Press, April 17. 2008)
Financing the Boss's political machine returns 34,500% on investment. That's quite an incentive.
Next time: The Englewood Primary...it's silly season right here in our city.
Now that we have suffered many months of the "silly season" in national politics, our own primary season is revving up in New Jersey. And, as usual, the marketing tells one story and the reality another.
One prominent political marketing myth is that ambitious politicians can only do well for themselves by doing well for the public. But, the New Jersey reality is quite different.
The state political system favors those who do the business of the pay-to-play County Party Boss -- the man who controls the path of political advancement. With aggressive marketing and huge campaign financing, the behind-the-scenes record of these politicians can get camouflaged in photo ops, spin, concocted narratives, talking points and all the usual symbols and stuff of "silly season." County Bosses and their smiley-faced marketers know that they just have to fool enough of the people enough of the time to keep the money and power rolling in.
In fact, reality caught up with marketing for all of Joe Ferriero's current slate of Bergen County Democratic Organization freeholder candidates. Each was voted out of office in their own towns by local voters who know them best.
Bernadette McPherson is seeking another Freeholder term, right after her hometown constituents in Rutherford ousted her as Mayor in a greater than 2-1 landslide. Vernon Walton was turned out of his Englewood Council seat by 20 percentage points but was appointed by the Boss to complete Connie Wagner's unfinished term as Freeholder. Similarly, incumbent David Ganz seeks re-election to county office after having lost in Fair Lawn.
So, how can a Party Boss convert local losers into County winners?
Quoting David Sivella, the Mayor Michael Wildes' 2006 campaign manager:
Joe Ferriero controls the money going to Democratic candidates for county offices the way the player with the most real estate in Monopoly has all the cash come to him...the valuable real estate is Column 1 [on the ballot], the party line. He owns it, and when you land on it, if you want to be there, you have to pay a hefty price.
The "hefty price" a politician must pay to the Boss comes from our public treasury (patronage, tax deals and no-bid contracts to the Boss and his "friends") and on our quality of life (favors, permits, variances, etc for political, not public, reasons). Data released by the NJ Election Law Enforcement Commission "...show that 669 firms that gave $15 million in political contributions received $5.17 billion in contracts from all levels of government. That's a return of $345 for every dollar donated." (Asbury Park Press, April 17. 2008)
Financing the Boss's political machine returns 34,500% on investment. That's quite an incentive.
Next time: The Englewood Primary...it's silly season right here in our city.
