Lisa McCormick, an advocate for democracy and responsible citizenship, has called for the removal of state lawmakers who voted for controversial legislation that weakened the Open Public Records Act (OPRA), enabled corruption, and eroded trust in our democracy.
McCormick, who garnered nearly 40% of the vote against US Senator Bob Menendez in the 2018 Democratic primary, posted a strongly worded article on her website titled, “New Jersey lawmakers betray public trust: It’s time for citizens to act.”
“In a stunning betrayal of public trust, New Jersey lawmakers have voted to weaken the Open Public Records Act (OPRA), once a hallmark of government transparency and accountability,” said McCormick. “Historically, New Jersey has boasted one of the strongest freedom of information laws in the country, ensuring that citizens had the right to know what their government was doing. But now, that right has been severely undermined by the very people elected to protect it.”
The League of Women Voters called it “a dark day for our democracy” when Governor Phil Murphy signed the controversial bill on June 5, 2024, a move that has drawn widespread criticism for curtailing public access to government documents and data.
The legislation limits access to government emails and text messages, allows public agencies to charge hefty fees for information without guaranteeing its completeness, and makes it nearly impossible for citizens to challenge unlawful records request denials by eliminating their ability to recoup attorneys fees from agencies that wrongly deny access.
“Gutting OPRA makes it harder for reporters to get truthful information to the public, which is alarming given the state of disinformation today,” said CJ Griffin, director of the Justice Gary S. Stein Public Interest Center at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden law firm.
“Murphy is term-limited, so he cannot run for re-election, and his performance should disqualify him from any position that is accountable to voters,” said McCormick. “But he could not have committed this betrayal of public trust without the cooperation of New Jersey lawmakers who deserve to be fired.”
McCormick emphasized the importance of the upcoming 2025 elections, noting that the entire New Jersey General Assembly will be on the ballot.
“It’s shameful that despite overwhelming concerns from their constituents, lawmakers fast-tracked, and the governor signed, a bill that severely restricts access to government records and limits the public’s ability to hold elected officials accountable,” said Sarah Fajardo, policy director of the ACLU of New Jersey, who spoke on the day Murphy signed the measure into law. “But we know that voters will have the last word at the ballot box next year — and maybe then Legislators will remember who they are meant to serve.”
However, McCormick declared that the most significant opportunity for change lies in the primary elections in June, where lawmakers who voted to weaken OPRA are most vulnerable.
“These primaries often fly under the radar, unnoticed by the majority of citizens, but they are where the most significant impact can be made,” said McCormick. “If they survive the primaries, gerrymandering may render them nearly invulnerable in the fall general election.”
McCormick identified the lawmakers who voted to gut OPRA as Reginald Atkins, Linda Carter, Craig Coughlin, Joe Danielsen, John DiMaio, Margie Donlon, Kevin Egan, Victoria Flynn, Louis Greenwald, Garnet Hall, Dan Hutchison, Robert Karabinchak, Sean Kean, James Kennedy, Pamela Lampitt, Yvonne Lopez, Julio Marenco, Antwan McClellan, Cody Miller, William Moen, Carmen Theresa Morales, Luanne Peterpaul, Eliana Pintor Marin, Annette Quijano, Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, Gabriel Rodriguez, William Sampson, Gary Schaer, Gerry Scharfenberger, Alexander Schnall, Erik Simonsen, William Spearman, Shanique Speight, Sterley Stanley, Shavonda Sumter, Lisa Swain, Cleopatra Tucker, Chris Tully, Michael Venezia, Anthony Verrelli, Jay Webber, and Benjie Wimberly.
“This is a call to action for every New Jersey citizen who values transparency and accountability in government,” said McCormick. “It is imperative to organize and mount challenges to those candidates who voted to diminish our right to know. The urgency cannot be overstated. Without a concerted effort to remove these officials in the primaries, we risk cementing their positions and further eroding the public’s ability to hold the government accountable.”
McCormick’s impassioned plea underscores the critical nature of the issue.
“The weakening of OPRA is not just a legislative change; it is an attack on the fundamental principles of democracy,” said McCormick. “Access to public records allows citizens to expose corruption, inefficiency, and misuse of power. By curtailing this access, lawmakers are telling the public that government actions should not be scrutinized and that they should operate in the shadows.”
McCormick concluded with a powerful call to action:
“The 2025 elections are a pivotal moment for New Jersey. Let us not allow this opportunity to pass by unnoticed,” said McCormick. “Organize, campaign, and most importantly, vote in the primary elections. Show these lawmakers that betraying the public trust has consequences. Our democracy depends on it.”