N.J. GOP sues governor for e-mails

N.J. GOP sues governor for e-mails

	Published : Thu, 31 May 2007 22:24 By : Agencies Print this Story

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - The state Republican Party chairman sued Democratic Gov. Jon S. Corzine on Thursday to force the release of e-mails between the governor and a state union leader he once dated and lavished with gifts.

GOP chief Tom Wilson said he particularly wants messages that Corzine and his staff exchanged with Carla Katz, the leader of a state workers union, during recent state employee contract talks.

'The people have a right to know whether or not his personal relationship with Ms. Katz unduly or inappropriately influenced Jon Corzine's actions,' Wilson said.

Corzine's office has denied public records requests by Republicans and news outlets, including The Associated Press, for the e-mails, claiming they are private.

Katz, who declined to comment, is president of Communications Workers of America Local 1034, the largest state workers union chapter, representing 8,000 state government employees.

The contract, which Katz opposed, increased salaries but cut health and pension benefits for state workers.

Corzine spokesman Anthony Coley referred comment to Joseph Cryan, the state Democratic Party chairman, who blasted the litigation as 'an act of political voyeurism wrapped up in a meaningless lawsuit.'

Katz and Corzine dated from 2002 to 2004 when Corzine was a U.S. senator. The relationship came under scrutiny after it was learned the multimillionaire Corzine gave Katz large sums of money when their relationship ended just before Corzine began his gubernatorial bid.

Last week, The New York Times reported that Corzine's gifts to Katz after their breakup were worth more than $6 million and included money to buy a $1.1 million waterfront condo in Hoboken, a college trust fund for her two children and a flashy sport utility vehicle. The fact that Corzine also gave her $470,000 to buy a country home has been public since 2005.

Corzine and Katz have refused to discuss the gifts but contend the relationship posed no conflict, and Corzine's two-person ethics advisory panel recently agreed. Corzine said Katz contacted him several times to talk about the pace of the negotiations, not a bargaining position, the panel found.