New Jersey Attorney General’s TRUST Commission to hold public listening sessions in June
New Jersey residents will have two chances this month to weigh in on government transparency and ethics reforms during public listening sessions hosted by the New Jersey Attorney General’s TRUST Commission, officials announced Friday.
Attorney General Matthew Platkin said the sessions — scheduled for June 24 in Mount Laurel and June 26 in South Orange — are part of a broader effort to strengthen public confidence in government institutions and ensure greater accountability among public officials.
The TRUST Commission, short for Transparency and Reliability Uniting to Secure Trust, was established to develop recommendations that would help reduce the misuse of public funds, increase transparency, and promote ethical governance. Community feedback collected during the two sessions will shape the panel’s final report, which is expected this summer.
“When the actions and decisions of public officials are not centered on doing what is best for the public good, it’s bad policy, a disservice to residents, and it feeds cynicism about government and the public workforce,” Platkin said in a statement.
The first session will be held on Tuesday, June 24, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Rowan College at Burlington County’s Votta Hall in Mount Laurel. The second session will be held Thursday, June 26, at the First Baptist Church in South Orange, during the same evening hours.
Speakers are encouraged to offer concrete proposals for improving oversight, reducing misconduct, and strengthening institutional trust. The commission includes 12 members representing a range of professional and civic backgrounds, including scholars, former judges, prosecutors, and community advocates.
Additional details, including how to register for the sessions, are available online.
Krystal Knapp is the founder of The Jersey Vindicator and the hyperlocal news website Planet Princeton. Previously she was a reporter at The Trenton Times for a decade. Prior to becoming a journalist she worked for Centurion, a Princeton-based nonprofit that works to free the innocent from prison. A graduate of Smith College, she earned her master's of divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and her master's certificate in entrepreneurial journalism from The Craig Newmark School of Journalism at CUNY.