To: The New Jersey State House, The New Jersey State Senate, and Governor Phil Murphy

No cronyism in Sandy cleanup

It’s time to clean up the Sandy cleanup process. Cut ties with Ashbritt and establish a fair, transparent and competitive bidding process for all contracts related to disaster relief efforts.

Why is this important?

After Sandy, Governor Christie awarded a $100 million no-bid contract for hurricane cleanup to AshBritt Inc., a Florida-based company with deep political connections and a reputation for overcharging for their services. Then AshBritt hired key political players to help convince local governments to follow the Christie Administration and give them yet more no-bid contracts.

And it’s not over. The most recent contract for AshBritt doesn't just cover Sandy cleanup -- it's for all future disasters.

Even worse, the head of AshBritt's lobbying firm is giving Governor Christie a $3,800 a plate fundraiser this month.

This is everything that’s wrong with New Jersey politics and it has to stop. The state should cancel its contract for future work with AshBritt and investigate the Sandy cleanup process to make sure taxpayer dollars were well spent.