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Pay-to-Play Reform Victory in Somerville

CHANGE, in a collaborative role with Rob Bayait of the Citizens' Campaign, achieved its first public policy victory last week in Somerville (Somerset County).  On Monday, May 10, the Somerville Borough Council voted 6-0 to extend pay-to-play restrictions to include limitations on campaign contributions to the County Democratic and Republican Parties.  This marked a significant shift from the previous positions of both the Republican Mayor and Democratic Council members.  CHANGE and Citizens' Campaign activists, led by Rob Bayait of Somerville and Ryan Szuch of Raritan, worked diligently over the past several months to bring about this move towards more accountable and open local government.  Somerville, and its leaders, now join the ranks of New Jersey municipalities committed to good government through restriction of pay-to-play.

Pay-to-play reform was initiated in Somerville due to the efforts of Rob Bayait, with guidance and support from the Citizens' Campaign.  Rob organized a petition drive to signal support for pay-to-play reform, and he persistently appeared at Council meetings to urge passage of the Citizens' Campaign's model ordinances for pay-to-play reform.  In the fall of 2008, the Somerville Borough Council passed two out of three of the Citizens' Campaign's model ordinances - the two ordinances on borough campaign contributions were passed, but the ordinance restricting county contributions was left for discussion in 2009.    Earlier this year, the Council and Mayor had suggested a "gentleman's agreement" rather than a formal borough ordinance to restrict pay-to-play at the county level.  CHANGE and Citizens' Campaign felt that such an "agreement" fell short of the necessary reform and continued to push for an ordinance requiring county-level restrictions.  Over the past several months, CHANGE leaders and Citizens' Campaign kept the pressure on the Council through a public forum on pay-to-play at Rob's home and meetings with Mayor Gallagher.  Our collaborative effort and determination paid off with the policy victory last week.  Rob Bayait, the Somerville resident who championed this effort from the beginning, says, "I am very excited and proud.  As President Obama said "change comes from the bottom up."  Grassroots organizations like the Citizens' Campaign and CHANGE is where it all begins.  This is a victory we all should be proud of because it could only happen when we all work together."