Look Ma! I Made the Times

The Paper of Record, The Gray Old Lady, All the News That's Fit to Print - yep, the New York Times front page - 11 Officials in New Jersey Snared After 4-Year Operation by F.B.I (subscription required).

These guys will make a formidable 3-on-3 team on the penitentiary b-ball court. From left to right: Hazlet Mayor Paul Coughlin (R), Keyport Mayor John J. Merla (R), West Long Branch Mayor Paul Zambrano (D).



Thanks to Patrick at Jerseystyle for the pics.

More stories from the Asbury Park Press here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

Stories from NJ.com here (of note, NJ.com reports that the contractor used in the sting was Robert Steffer, of Steffer Industries), here and here.

And now, ladies and gentlemen...the perp walk.

So, now what? Well, I have to imagine that these arrests will shake up Monmouth County politics for a very, very long time. The implications of these men's actions will be felt by the constituents they represent even longer. I've followed local campaigns in Atlantic Highlands and have witnessed the hard work that volunteers put in for their candidates and have to imagine there are a lot of angry people in Keyport, Hazlet and West Long Branch right now.

I encourage all residents of Atlantic Highlands that read The Muse to attend tonight's Borough Council meeting at 7:30. The issue of ethics reform, including the introduction of a pay-to-play ordinance, is going to be addressed during the public hearing portion (note - the item was on the agenda before yesterday's arrests). The introduction of these ordinances are the result of a year's worth of diligent work by two sitting Council members, Lou Fligor (R) and Stephanie Ladiana (D), and a member of the Planning & Zoning board, Benson Chiles. Perhaps AH can set an example for the rest of the County on how to proactively preserve the integrity of our local political system.