The Destruction of New Jersey Open Government — The End of Public Transparency and Accountability
By: Jeff Tittel | Published: 2025-12-06 00:01:00 | Source: www.insidernj.com
The hearing on S4924 (Scutari) was one of the most shameful displays of legislative contempt for the public. It is the worst I have seen in all my years of coming to the State House — 50 years.
The bill itself, gutting the Comptroller’s Office and its powers, is just another step in dismantling public oversight and transparency. There is a war against open government, and it has been going on since about 2010. We have seen rollback after rollback, the gutting and elimination of watchdog agencies, and the erosion of public involvement.
They are not just closing the door on open government — they are bolting it permanently shut.
People are outraged by what’s happening in Washington, but that same abuse of power is happening in Trenton. The Democrats got a mandate in the last…
