Attorney General Paula Dow, above, will chair the commission
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Attorney General Paula Dow and Gov. Chris Christie in a February file photo. TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie today created a commission to examine a potential overhaul of county prosecutors’ offices, responding to concerns from county leaders who say the state should be footing the bill.
The governor signed an executive order at a Statehouse press conference to authorize the commission, which will be chaired by Attorney General Paula Dow. He said the panel will review a range of options, from a total takeover to eliminating redundant functions.
The commission, whose report is due Dec. 15, also will examine whether laws are being prosecuted in a uniform way in each county, as well as potential disparities in resources among the offices.
"We’ll be able to get a full picture," Christie said. "At times like this, we need to look at every place for efficiencies."
Led by Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., county leaders have pushed for a total takeover, with the state paying for and directly controlling all 21 prosecutors’ offices. The cost of the offices was most recently estimated at $475 million a year, including fringe benefits like health care.
"It took me 10 years to get where we are today," DiVincenzo said. "This is what needs to be done."
DiVincenzo will serve on the commission, along with Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow, who has expressed skepticism about the idea.
"It’s nothing you could do in a short period of time," he said.
Other commission members include leaders from Mercer, Morris, Atlantic, Hudson and Burlington counties, as well as state Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes, state Criminal Justice Director Stephen Taylor, former Attorney General Cary Edwards and Seton Hall law professor Patrick Hobbs.
DiVincenzo and other county leaders met with the governor last month to push for a state takeover that would include funding their total cost.
Proponents model their proposal off changes to the Superior Court system, where the state began running the courts and then picked up the costs.
A similar takeover would allow the state to significantly change how county prosecutors operate. Instead of one prosecutor per county, prosecutors could be assigned districts. The state could also consolidate some functions and save money in the long run.
