Sen. Barbara Buono said she will introduce a resolution that would grant the oversight committee subpoena power
Gov. Chris Christie, left, and Education Commissioner Bret Schundler speak at the E. Raymond Appleby Elementary School in Spotswood in this file photo. TRENTON — Senate Democrats plan to invoke subpoena power to force top members of Gov. Chris Christie’s administration to testify on the state’s bungled “Race to the Top” application.
Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D- Middlesex) said she will introduce a resolution Monday that would grant the Senate Legislative Oversight Committee that power, which has only been invoked only five times in the last 20 years. The committee will also subpoena documents the administration did not provide in response to an Open Public Records Act request, Buono said.
“This is an absolutely necessary step that we need to take in order to do our job,” said Buono, who added that Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), who will have to post the resolution for a vote, supports the move. “And it should come as no surprise given the administration’s disturbing pattern of rejecting requests for information.”
Buono said she has not heard back from two top Christie administration officials she asked to testify at the Thursday Legislative Oversight Committee hearing: Richard Bagger, Christie’s chief of staff, and Maria Comella, his communications director. She has also not heard back from former education commissioner Bret Schundler, who Christie fired last month.
All three declined to testify at an earlier Assembly Appropriations Committee hearing on “Race to the Top.”
Wireless Generation, a private company hired to help put together the application, has also refused to provide someone to testify.
“The reason I’m pursuing it is because, first of all, it’s not about assigning blame. It’s about assuming responsibility,” said Buono. “Unfortunately we’re forced into this position, and if the governor had cooperated we wouldn’t be.”
New Jersey's application fell 3 points short of winning up to $400 million in the competitive grant program. Though the state lost points in various sections on the 500-point application, it lost nearly 5 points on one question because it provided data for the incorrect years.
Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak did not say whether Comella and Bagger would testify.
“We are in receipt of the correspondence from Senator Buono and we are reviewing it," he said.
Previous coverage:
• Fired N.J. education chief Bret Schundler says he made 'Race to the Top' error
• Future of N.J. school reform remains uncertain without federal funds, permanent education chief
• Error on 'Race to the Top' application costs N.J. $400M in federal funds
• N.J. expects to hear on federal Race to the Top application
• Gov. Christie says N.J. education chief made mistake with Race to the Top compromise
• Tom Moran: Christie faces ugly political ramifications of 'Race to the Top' error, Schundler firing
| Ledger Live: Race to the Top Redux and Chris Christie "superhero" |