Support Privatization Oversight
Please vote to override Gov. Christie’s veto of S-770, which establishes sorely needed accountability and transparency in the privatization of government services. One need look no further than the privatization of the country’s most successful lottery to see that such oversight is urgently needed. The lone bidder won a 15-year contract to run our state lottery, and Gov. Christie got a one-time $120 million check, which he used to help close a looming state budget hole. Further, the consortium of “winning” bidders includes a company that hired two of Christie’s closest confidantes to do millions of dollars’ worth of lobbying and PR work to seal the deal. The vendor, Northstar, was fired as the operator of Illinois’ lottery in August after missing revenue targets. Now Northstar is struggling with weak sales here. We must stop politically connected firms from being rewarded at taxpayers’ expense. This legislation does not prohibit privatization. It simply requires a government agency to demonstrate to taxpayers that turning over a government service to a private vendor is a good deal for them, and that displaced workers have the opportunity to work for the new private operator at comparable wages and benefits. The audits required in this bill make good business sense. As your constituent, I respectfully urge you vote to override the governor on S-770. Privatization of services is too important an issue to leave to chance. We demand oversight!
Sign with Facebook
Or sign with email
First & Last Name
Email
please leave blank
Address
City
Zip
Phone