Two Republican legislators are asking the state Ethics Commission to investigate an e-mail written by one of Gov. Jon Corzine's top aides asking cabinet members to come up with creative ways to spin the governor's record on job creation.
Assemblywoman Amy Handlin (R-Middletown) wants to know if Mark Matzen, Corzine's Deputy Chief of Staff, violated state ethics laws by asking cabinet members to "be creative" in justifying the administration's accomplishments. Handlin wrote the letter with another Monmouth County GOP legislator, David Rible (R-Wall)
"This revelation is disturbing on so many levels," Rible said. "Not only does it question whether the Governor and his staff adhere to the New Jersey's ethics laws, it suggests that the Governor and his staff are more concerned about their ‘message' than the fact that unemployment is approaching ten percent under their watch.
Handlin says that next month's election must be conducted "without a trace of impropriety."
"The public deserves the assurance that can only be provided by an independent ethical arbiter," Handlin wrote.
Assembly Minority Leader Alec DeCroce (R-Parsippany) says that a state Labor Department report that unemployment is now at 9.8% is evidence that Corzine's claim of creating new private sector jobs is bogus.
Tags: Amy Handlin, Arbiter, Cabinet Members, County Gop, Deputy Chief Of Staff, E Mail, Gov Jon Corzine, Impropriety, Job Creation, Jon Corzine, Matzen, Minority Leader, Monmouth County, New Jersey Politics, Parsippany, Quot Quot, R Wall, Republican Legislators, State Ethics Commission, State Ethics Laws, State Labor Department