Gabriella Morris

Gov. Jon Corzine today nominated Amos Saunders, a 76-year-old retired Superior Court Judge from Passaic County, to serve as the new Republican member of the Election Law Enforcement Commission. The Republican seat has been vacant since December 2006. Corzine’s last attempt to fill it was in October 2007, when his nomination of Gabriella Morris was quickly withdrawn after realizing that Morris, who handles government affairs for Prudential, could not hold the post because ELEC also regulates lobbyists.

The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission will discuss a request by former State Senator Wayne Bryant’s attorney for an advisor opinion on whether Bryant can use leftover campaign funds to pay for his legal defense.  Bryant, who left the Senate yesterday, faces a 20-count federal criminal indictment.  Bryant has nearly $650,000 in his campaign account – accrued through years of non-competitive campaigns in a safe district.

ELEC has placed the Bryant matter on its January 15 agenda.  State law requires the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission to be equally divided among both political parties, but in the months preceding the 2007 general election, Democrats have a 2-1 majority. The second Republican seat has been vacant since Corzine named retired Judge Theodore Davis to serve as the Chief Operating Officer of the City of Camden in December 2006. 

Gabriella Morris is the new Republican ELEC memberGov. Jon Corzine will name Gabriella Morris, the president of The Prudential Foundation and corporate vice president of the Community Resources unit of Prudential Insurance Company of America, to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. She will take the seat of Judge Theodore Davis, who resigned to become Chief Operating Officer of Camden.