Why not bound and gag the state comptroller?

The attempts to water down the property tax reforms recommended by four legislative committees back in the fall get more nauseating by the day. One of the most offensive is the Senate's attempt to defang the proposed Comptroller's Office by limiting its scope. Gov. Corzine has agreed to the "compromise." The creation of the office, which would have virtually unlimited power to audit all government entities, was one of Corzine's top anti-corruption initiatives.
But the compromise Senate version of the bill, which was held Monday because Senate President Richard Codey couldn't come up with the one additional vote needed for passage, is worse than no bill at all. Among other things, it prohibits the office from reviewing local land deals, including redevelopment agreements, and restricts audits of municipal governments and schools. The only Democrat to oppose the bill, Sen. Barbara Buono of Middlesex County, says recent amendments have emasculated it.
Two questions: Why would a governor and a Senate president truly interested in cracking down on corruption and cozy development deals exempt land deals from independent scrutiny? The answer is depressingly obvious. The other question: Why isn't professed corruption fighter Ellen Karcher, D-Monmouth, getting up on her soapbox on this issue?