We may never learn the names on Schundler's List, but we have learned something about Schundler. He is not the reformer he pretends to be. All these fund-raising vehicles rest on the legal fiction that the money is spent to advance causes, not candidates. The bill to force disclosure is a good first step, a needed supplement to the federal ban on 527s. The prime sponsor, Sen. William Gormley, said he will amend it to include donations raised by candidates under any provision in the tax code, so Schundler's fund would be affected.
Full disclosure is a starting point for any reform.
It should also be a litmus test for any candidate in either party who wants to be our next governor. The sniping continues between the campaigns of Acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco and Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler, rivals for the Republican nomination for governor. DiFrancesco's campaign called on Schundler to divulge the contributors to his charitable organizations. Smith noted Guarini's development firm has obtained tax abatements for several projects in Jersey City. The voters of New Jersey deserve to know whether these organizations are being used to avoid compliance with state election law contribution limits.