In the final hours of the lame duck session that ended January 12, legislators passed a measure to provide up to $300 million in tax breaks to the billionaire owner of the New Jersey Devils, a tax break progressive organizations argued should go instead to deal with the healthcare, housing, transit, and other needs of the state’s working families.
Widely considered a giveaway by New Jersey’s progressive watchdogs, the tax break for the Devils’ owner was quietly orchestrated by two lobbying firms, Public Strategies Impact (PSI) and 1868 Public Affairs. PSI’s co-founder and managing partner is a top New Jersey Republican, while 1868 Public Affairs was founded by LeRoy Jones, New Jersey’s top Democratic official and chairman of the Essex County Democratic Committee, Inc. And 1868 Public Affairs utilized another top Republican operator for the project, records uncovered by The New Jersey Democrat reveal.
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