Real-Time BNB Signal Analytics
Real-Time BNB Signal Analytics
Let's get one thing straight. When you see a press release about a high-level executive moving from a quasi-governmental "business attraction" group to the state's biggest utility, you're not reading a hiring announcement. You're reading the final chapter of a job interview that's been going on for years.
Wesley Mathews, the now-former CEO of Choose New Jersey, is heading to PSEG to be their new vice president for state government affairs. And everyone, from Governor Murphy to PSEG's own CEO, is tripping over themselves to tell us what a brilliant, visionary leader he is.
They talk about the 14,000 jobs he helped create and the $6.7 billion in "economic impact." They gush about the international offices he opened and the slick "This is New Jersey" ad campaign. It all sounds fantastic. A real home run for the Garden State.
But let's be real. That ain't the full story.
So what does a "vice president for state government affairs" actually do? I'll give you a hint: it doesn't involve helping senior citizens prepare for storms, even though PSEG loves to put out press releases about things like how a PSEG Long Island program helps seniors stay safe and storm-ready. No, this is the job you give to someone who knows how to work the halls of Trenton. It's the role for a guy who has the governor's cell number and knows every key staffer by their first name.
This isn't just a job hop. No, 'bad' doesn't cover it—this is a graduation.
Think about it. Mathews spent the last few years as the state's top salesman, using his connections and the governor's blessing to sell New Jersey to the world. He headed missions to India, Japan, Korea, and the Middle East. He was, for all intents and purposes, an extension of the state's economic authority. Now, he's taking that exact same skillset and, more importantly, that exact same rolodex, and putting it to work for a publicly-traded utility. A utility that, by the way, is constantly negotiating with the state over everything from power line projects to energy affordability. A utility that just last week was in court, where news outlets reported that PSEG seeks to prohibit hunting on properties while it does surveys for power-line project. You think having a guy like Mathews on speed dial will hurt their cause?
The whole setup is like a perfect corporate farm system. Choose New Jersey is the Triple-A team where you groom your future political operators. You let them build relationships, learn the levers of power, and get cozy with lawmakers, all under the noble banner of "helping the state." Then, when they're fully seasoned, you call them up to the big leagues—PSEG—where they can use those exact same connections to benefit the corporate bottom line. And who is the chairman of this Triple-A club, Choose New Jersey? Why, it's Ralph LaRossa, the CEO of PSEG. Offcourse it is.
Are we supposed to just ignore that? Are we supposed to believe it’s just a happy coincidence that the head of the state's biggest "nonprofit" business group, chaired by the PSEG CEO, ends up as PSEG's top lobbyist? Give me a break.
You have to admire the language in these announcements. It's a masterclass in saying nothing while sounding important. PSEG's Senior VP Rick Thigpen says Mathews will help them "navigate the increasingly dynamic public affairs environment."
Translation: "We need someone who can kill bills we don't like and push through the ones we do."
Thigpen also says Mathews will "support the governor-elect to ensure a seamless transition for New Jersey."
Translation: "We're going to make damn sure the next administration knows who butters their bread."
It's all wrapped up in the warm, fuzzy blanket of "corporate citizenship," a term so meaningless it makes my teeth ache. PSEG has a whole "corporate citizenship organization." It's the kind of Orwellian department name that big companies create when they need to put a friendly face on raw corporate influence peddling. They know "Department of Lobbying and Political Arm-Twisting" doesn't poll well. I swear, these guys could sell water to a drowning man and call it a "hydration initiative." They call it 'corporate citizenship' and expect us to just nod along, but...
Mathews himself calls his time at Choose New Jersey the "most rewarding chapter of my professional journey." I'm sure it was. It's probably very rewarding to know your next gig is already lined up and waiting for you. The whole thing feels less like a career move and more like a perfectly executed chess move, planned out long in advance. You can almost picture the quiet, celebratory dinner at some overpriced steakhouse in Trenton, the handshakes all around.
So what happens to Choose New Jersey? Don't worry, they'll just slot someone else into the role. The machine keeps running. The door keeps revolving. And the line between serving the public and serving corporate interests gets a little bit blurrier every single time it spins.
Look, this isn't a hit piece on Wes Mathews. I'm sure he's a smart, capable guy. This isn't even really about PSEG. This is about the system itself. It's a system designed by and for the powerful, where public service is treated as a stepping stone to private wealth and influence. They don't even bother to hide it anymore. They write it all down in a press release, send it out to the world, and dare us to call it what it is: a perfectly legal, perfectly cynical, and perfectly Jersey way of doing business.