NJEA President Sean Spiller’s personal vanity project just got a whole lot more expensive for New Jersey teachers.  And for what?  A weak and compromised candidate, according to the Star-Ledger‘s estimable Tom Moran.

In its latest IRS filing, the NJEA’s Super PAC, Garden State Forward reported the contribution of another $10 million to the pro-Spiller, NJEA-run Super PAC Working New Jersey (screenshot below).  That brings the total contributions from Garden State Forward to Working New Jersey to $17.25 million — more than the rest of the field of gubernatorial candidates combined.  Added to the previous $5 million contributed to Spiller’s personal Super PAC, Protecting Our Democracy, this brings total amount backing Spiller’s run to an astounding $22.25 million.  ALL of this comes from teachers’ regular, annual dues.

But that’s not the worst of it. Working New Jersey indicated that it planned to spend $35 million backing Spiller and it’s clear that they meant it: they’re already halfway there in only three months! It’s looking very much like NJEA leadership (including Spiller) will spend a total of $40 million backing Spiller.  The current $22.25 million is surely the most ever spent (by far) for a gubernatorial primary campaign in the history of New Jersey politics, and $40 million will dwarf that.

It gets worse still: NJEA leadership (including Spiller) is spending these tens of millions of dues while hiding the truth from the very teachers who fund it. As Sunlight has documented thoroughly, NJEA leadership hides the existence of Garden State Forward from teachers, so that very few, if any, know that their regular dues are being spent on politics, including Spiller’s vanity project. Nor has Garden State Forward or Working New Jersey made any filings on this flow of money with ELEC, New Jersey’s elections watchdog. (Sunlight must go to the IRS website to get the information).  In effect, these millions are flowing in secret.

And for what?

A weak and compromised candidate, according to the Star-Ledger‘s estimable Tom Moran. In his last column on New Jersey politics, Moran surveys the field of Democratic candidates for governor, describing Spiller as the “runt of the litter” and as an “ineffective as mayor of Montclair,” and noting that he pleaded his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination due to the state criminal investigation into his misuse of state health benefits.  Importantly, Moran correctly states that Spiller is “the big spender” of the campaign by “relying indirectly on teachers’ dues.”  Moran is exactly right and confirms what Sunlight has been saying all along (and shows the New Jersey Globe‘s Joey Fox what real journalism looks like).

“Runt of the litter” nails it because when it comes to fund-raising, Spiller is indeed the runt of the litter, raising a mere 1% ($182,000) of the $15.6 million raised by the top nine candidates for governor.  The $182,000 makes up a mere 0.8% of the $22.25 million that makes Spiller is the big spender among all the candidates.  Clearly, New Jersey voters don’t think much of Spiller the candidate but Spiller is undeterred.  

All of which is to say that Spiller’s run looks very much like a personal vanity project, and a very expensive one at that. No wonder NJEA leadership (including Spiller) hides the truth from teachers.  It’s a scandal and more people ought to call Spiller and NJEA leadership out.