Editorial: Who wants tickets?

A recent report revealed yet another perk of political office in New Jersey: reserved concert seating.

The state Sports and Exposition Authority held hundreds of seats at its venues last year for distribution by politicians, according to Bloomberg News. The offices of then-Gov. Jon S. Corzine and 21 other elected officials got special access to sellout performances by, among others, boy band the Jonas Brothers and hard-rock has-beens AC/DC.

The problem here isn't just that New Jersey politicians have bad taste in music. It's that they believe they are entitled to extraordinary privileges. Like legislator license plates, the concert tickets are a small example of a self-serving political philosophy that has big repercussions for the state.

From July to October, elected officials reserved a total of 350 tickets to 15 concerts at the sports authority's two North Jersey venues, Giants Stadium and the Izod Center. This being New Jersey, 150 of the tickets were for Bruce Springsteen.

Such shows sell out quickly, leaving most commoners to pay steep markups or stay home. But the politically connected were able to pay face value for the held seats, which weren't available to the public.

Several officials who gave out tickets, including Corzine and then-State Senate President Richard Codey, said they never personally used the perk. Among those who did use it to see shows was State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D., Bergen), whose 68 reserved tickets also made him Trenton's top groupie.

The VIP access is that much more embarrassing given the state's attempts to police the ticketing business. In fact, the arrangement came to light because of a state lawsuit against online ticket brokers.

Several officials argued there's nothing wrong with the arrangement. Spokesmen for Corzine, Sarlo, and the sports authority attempted to justify it by noting that it had been going on for a long time. Of course, calling something standard Garden State government is more of an indictment than a defense.

State Ethics Commission chairwoman Paula Franzese offered a more clear-eyed analysis, telling Bloomberg that the perk "has everything to do with undue access and using official position to secure an unfair advantage." Her panel is expected to review the matter.

The state's current governor and chief Springsteen fan, Christopher J. Christie, also promised a review, though his office declined to tell Newark's Star-Ledger whether it had used the perk.

Meanwhile, the state turnpike agency took the admirable step of stopping such holds at its Monmouth County arena, PNC Bank Arts Center. Fittingly, the Boss himself once used a character speeding down the turnpike to make a strong statement about personal ethics vs. standard practice: "License, registration,/ I ain't got none./ But I got a clear conscience/ 'Bout the things that I done."