pressure is mounting on Governor Murphy to use the power of his pen on a controversial Bill that'll change how the public access is government records the latest from the mayors of New Jersey's two largest cities Jersey city mayor Steve Fulop and Newark mayor Ras Baraka who were both running in the 2025 Democratic primary for governor they're slamming the bill and calling on Murphy to veto it outright calling it a step backward for transparency and accountability the legislation was fast-tracked landing on the governor's desk more than a week ago critics say they're frustrated over among other things a change that'll shift fees putting the cost burden on the public and allowing the government to charge more for records while supporters say the decades old law is in dire need of updating because Municipal clerks are being buried in requests and after a closed door meeting with a large group of opponents this week it appears Governor Murphy is no closer to making a decision on whether he'll sign it senior political correspondent David Cruz reports while they weren't sworn to secrecy very few of the dozen or so Advocates who were there would speak on the record about the State House session but Jesse Burns of the League of Women Voters who was there said it was a useful meeting for Advocates to remind the governor about what's at stake the governor was very clear that he was there to listen so we didn't receive much feedback but I do feel like our concerns were heard and we had the opportunity to express them the things that the that Governor Murphy has been able to achieve in a pro-democracy agenda for the state and how this decision that is now in front of him could really you know stain that that Legacy of of pro democracy work this could really take our state backwards other Advocates at the hourong session said the governor seem to know the issue well and noted The Advocates objections to items like fee Shifting the exclusion of metadata and rules that discourage multiple OPRA requests pressure for the governor to veto the bill has been mounting mayors of the state's two largest cities have taken to social media to urge the governor to kill it we do not have to get rid of OPRA we do not have to gut Oprah in fact OPRA is a testament to our transparency the design desire for us to have democracy and our Unity around what's right and what's just Legacy is a word you start to hear more often as the governor heads into the home stretch of his tenure former Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg has been a frequent critic of the bill and the process undertaken to pass it like many progressives she says democracy itself is on the ballot in the fall and the governor's signature would send a terrible message this is not only a legacy issue for governor Murphy and I hope his legacy remains intact because he did many good things and I hope continues to me to do many good things over the next two years but it's not only his legacy it is about our democracy and I can't overstate enough how important transparency and accountability is to that democracy is on the ballot saladine ambar the senior scholar at the Eagleton Center on the American Governor at ruter says there's a lot writing on the governor's reaction to a bill that has drawn such negative response from the public and transparency Advocates this is not a bill that I think um um you know is going to do anything but sort of leave a bit of a you know bad taste in the mouth of people thinking back on your on your legacy if I were advising the governor and I don't advise the governor but if I did I would suggest he veto this bill the governor today said that he had no news to make um we've had a lot of incomings we had a very constructive meeting with a lot of Advocates the other day and I give them a lot of credit for making their case I've heard from a lot of Mayors uh but no news to make today it's unclear what Murphy will actually do here although an unofficial poll of those at the med meeting reflects a belief that given the transactional nature of Trenton and with so many other issues tied into the bill and the state budget Murphy is likely poised to hold his nose and sign it I'm David Cruz NJ Spotlight news [Music]