Clean Water Dirty Hands: Corruption, A Jersey Thing

Clean Water, Dirty Hands:

By Toyosi Dickson

Corruption, A Jersey Thing

The state of New Jersey is no stranger to scandal. It can range from secret affairs, racketeering, u n a u t h o r i z e d w a s t e d u m p i n g , chicken farms, and bribes that made millions (Salant). Some would say that the average citizen has become numb to the dismal headlines on the ethics of elected officials. Corruption seems so out of reach when the only connection to the common man is that it abuses their tax dollars. It is only when unethical practices lead to disastrous consequences, is the public made aware of how vulnerable they can be to unscrupulous decisionmakers. A prime example of this phenomenon is the city of Newark, which is currently facing a water contamination crisis that is over seven years in the making.

The crisis came to notice in 2010 when Newark Public Schools began testing water samples for lead. Approximately 11.7% of samples w e r e f o u n d t o h a v e l e a d concentrations of over 15 ppb, the a c t i o n a b l e l e a d l e v e l . L e a d concentrations would rise and fall with a peak of 15.27% for the 20152016 school year and went below 10% the subsequent school year. By 2017, citywide water samples taken at 10% of Newark households had elevated concentrations of lead. As of this year, over 15,000 water service lines, which were made of lead, were found contaminated with elevated levels of lead that leached from the pipes, (Scutti). This series of events occurred because the anti-corrosion treatment applied to the potable water was rendered useless as the water’s pH was changed to avoid violating another law, (Yi & Salant). The big question now is: Why did it

The Newark-Pequannock Watershed

have to occur? Where were the w a r n i n g b e l l s ? W a s t h e r e a n y oversight at all? The answer may partially lie with the not-for profit consultancy agency known as the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation (NWCDC).

In 1973, the NWCDC entered a service contract with the city of Newark to manage the NewarkPequannock watershed properties. This partnership was possible because t h e c i t y a d o p t e d a n o r d i n a n c e whereupon municipal responsibilities could be delegated to a non-profit entity rather than city department. By 1998, the NWCDC entered a renewed contract that entailed an expanded set of responsibilities where the semipublic agency would handle the water t r e a t m e n t f a c i l i t y a n d s t o r a g e reservoirs. It was not until 2008 that the NWCDC would have control over the water delivery and the planners and engineers that worked in city hall. To manage Newark’s water assets, the NWCDC would in turn delegate work through service contracts that totaled $10 million a year funded by the city, (Office of the State Comptroller). The nature of these service contracts later proved to be dubious at best. It was found that the former executive director, Linda Watkins-Brashear and other employees including board members were implicated in a massive kickback scandal, (Moriarty).

From 2008 to 2011, the state comptroller found that WatkinsBrashear had been giving contracts to associates that she had a personal and/ or preexisting relationship with, thus violating the local government ethics law. These associates ranged from family members of the board to former employe es of th e NWCDC. For example, Watkins-Brashear would give no-bid contracts to her exhusband without board knowledge or approval. Watkins-Brashear also gave h e r s e l f s e v e r a n c e p a c k a g e s t h e Comptroller’s Office found malapropos. The first package was at $200,000 for her resignation of three weeks in 2006, and a separate package of more than

$450,000 in 2013 when the board voted to dissolve the agency. Later, in federal court, it was found that the former director and other employees, like senior project manager Donald Bernard Sr., received kickbacks from the inflated contracts they doled out, (Office of the State Comptroller). Together, both skimmed nearly $2 million from Newark’s public funds. The scandal falls in line with a practice in the agency where it assumed more responsibilities than n e c e s s a r y , r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s t h a t belonged to the city of Newark. This practice may have given the agency the opportunity to create more service contracts while skimming off the top of public funds, (Moriarty).

Scandals serve as a reminder that the public must stay vigilant in the case of corruption, just as the Newark Water Group did. Without the effort of the Newark residents and of the Newark Water Group, the scandal may never have broken the news, (Giambusso). Before the Comptroller’s Office wrote its report on the NWCDC’s shady finances in 2013, and before The StarLedger did their own research on the NWCDC in 2012, the Newark Water Group released their report Hog Wild in 2011, (Giambusso). With the help of experts like Dan O’Flaherty, Cory Booker’s former finance director, the Newark Water Group created a report that centered on the NWCDC’s blatant enrichment of their associates, while the agency neglected to improve the water infrastructure, (The Newark W a t e r G r o u p ) . T h i s f e a t w a s completed at a time when there was not even a city official sent to oversee NWCDC board meetings and represent the interest of the citizens of Newark, even though it was required. Other activist organizations include the Newark Water Coalition, which focuses on educating the citizens of Newark on the dangers of contaminated water (Office of the State Comptroller). T h e N e w a r k W a t e r

Coalition also collects water filters for distribution to the affected citizens, and they currently host a GoFundMe page to raise $25,000 for water-point-entry water filters for the affected families. Thus far, they have raised $13,658 of their goal and have claimed to provide service to over 300 families.

Apathy and corruption are a dangerous combination in an elected official to the well-being of the average citizen, but vigilance and activism are strong countermeasures. The citizens who form the Newark Water Group and the Newark Water Coalition reaffirm the notion that it is up to the citizens to hold elected officials accountable for their negligence and greed. Without the n e c e s s a r y o v e r s i g h t , t h e m o s t underprivileged citizens would be left vulnerable to the worst decisions of government officials. New Jersey may have a long history of scandal and corruption, but it can be said that this has conditioned an environment of vigilance in its citizens who know that they must advocate for change in the face of injustice.

The Newark Water Coalition Work Cited:

Giambusso, D. (2016, January 6). Newark watershed corruption 'staggering' even to jaded observers. Retrieved November 17, 2019, from https://www.politico.com/states/ new- j e r s e y / s t o r y / 2 0 1 6 / 0 1 / n e w a r k -w a t e r s h e dcorruption-staggering-even-to-jaded-observers-029688.

Giambusso, D. (2019, March 30). Funds flowing through Newark Watershed power escalating battle over city's most precious asset. The Star-Ledger. Retrieved from https://www.nj.com/news/2012/01/newark_water.html

Moriarty, T. (2017, July 14). Newark watershed manager gets 8 years for kickback scheme. Retrieved November 15, 2019, from https://www.nj.com/essex/2017/07/newark_ watershed_consultant_gets_8_years_for_kickb.html.

Office of the State Comptroller. (2014). Investigative Report Newark Watershed Conservation And Development Corporation. INVESTIGATIVE REPORT NEWARK WATERSHED C O N S E R V A T I O N A N D DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (pp. 1–45). Trenton, NJ : Office of the State Comptroller. Retrieved from h t t p s : / / w w w . n j . g o v / c o m p t r o l l e r / n e w s / d o c s / newark_watershed.pdf

Salant, J. D. (2015, May 3). State of corruption: N.J.'s most infamous political scandals. Retrieved November 14, 2019, from https://www.nj.com/politics/2015/05/ state_of_corruption_njs_most_infamous_political_scandal s.html.

Scutti, S. (2019, August 15). How the Newark water crisis unfolded. Retrieved November 13, 2019, from https:// www.cnn.com/2019/08/13/health/newark-water-crisiswhat-we-know/index.html.

The Newark Water Group. (2011). Hog Wild: An Analysis of the Activities of the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation. Retrieved from h t t p s : / / m e d i a . n j . c o m / e s s e x _ i m p a c t / o t h e r / 2 0 1 4 / 0 2 / hogwild.pdf

Yi, K., & Salant, J. D. (2019, August 18). Booker left Newark years before water lead levels spiked, but what happened under his watch? Retrieved November 18, 2019, from https://www.nj.com/essex/2019/08/booker-leftnewark-years-before-water-lead-levels-spiked-but-whathappened-under-his-watch.html.