Bergen County, New Jersey County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan has vetoed the Board of Chosen Freeholders’ new pay-to-play ordinance that passed on May 1.

This is the second pay-to-play ordinance vetoed by the county executive in the last eight months. On October 5, 2012, Donovan had vetoed a prior pay-to-play measure passed by the Board.

In her press release, the county executive called the newer legislation “an ill-conceived attempt to weaken what has been described as one of the strongest ordinances banning pay-to-play in the State of New Jersey.” Among the reasons cited by Donovan for the veto of Freeholder Ordinance 13-06 are the increase in contribution limits and the weakening of penalties for those found in violation of the pay-to-play law.

Because the new ordinance initially passed by a 6-1 vote, the veto could be overridden by the Board in a future vote.