This summer Governor Murphy hired someone who served time for taking bribes as a Passaic councilman to work as a special assistant to the State Commissioner of Education.

Marcellus Jackson will serve in the office of civic and social engagement for the department. Whatever the f@$# that is! What it is, is another $70,000 a year job to add to the public payroll and add to Murphy's resume of pandering to minority groups and special interests. This conviction wasn't the result of a youthful indiscretion of being involved with drugs or mischief. No! This was taking $26,000 worth of bribes for special favors in the city he was elected to serve. A clear breach of public trust and a major no-no. The kind of thing that should preclude one from serving in a public capacity in the future. Not now. Not in the Murphy administration.

Our own Dino Flammia participated in a press conference with the Governor today, and he essentially says it may be "the new norm" to see convicted officials back in state government.

When asked about the hire of Marcellus Jackson, Murphy said, "I hope we see a lot more than this -- that somebody made a mistake, they admitted it, they repented, they paid their price. We have to get these folks back up on their feet in society in this state. We have one of the harshest states in the nation in terms of allowing what I just said to happen. Marcellus has done all of the above and I think we should all accept that that should be the new norm." Murphy went on to say, "We feel completely comfortable with the process that Marcellus went through."

If all of this makes Murphy look like a compassionate liberal who believes in second chances and ups his street cred with the base, then it's good thing in his eyes. Yes, the world is upside down. Which makes it all the more easy for your money to fall out of your pockets and into the coffers of the state government. When he met the fake official in a parking lot back in 2007 to take a $6,000 payment, Jackson said "I appreciate it, baby...good things is gonna happen," That didn't turn out as well as he hoped that day. But on the day of his sentencing in December of that year, he said "I shall return." And he has. Lucky us!

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