So Maybe Chris Christie Doesn’t Need to Worry About the State Ethics Panel

It's dominated by his friends.

NJ Spotlight reports: “The state Ethics Commission, which would rule on any ethics complaints against state officials in Bridgegate or other Christie administration scandals, yesterday approved Gov. Chris Christie’s recommendation for its new executive director — Susana Espasa Guerrero, a former governor’s counsel who served in the governor’s office with all nine Christie aides subpoenaed in Bridgegate.”

A Seton Hill law professor, Paula Franzese, said it’s time for the governor’s office to get out of Ethics Commission appointments:

“The Ethics Commission was created in the 1970s and its tradition of independence endured for 40 years,” Franzese said. “It always had a strong, independent executive director, and it usually appointed successors from within the ranks who had had the opportunity to gain expertise and experience and who understood the importance of maintaining the commission’s independence from the governor’s office. It was always the tradition that the governor’s office would not intercede in appointments because the governors were mindful of avoiding the appearance of impropriety.

But that has changed under the Christie administration.

New Jersey: Where even the Ethic Commission has the appearance of impropriety.