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TagsGovernor says critics playing politics
BY TOM HESTER SR.
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
UPDATED
Gov. Chris Christie Friday said he acted within his powers Thursday when he declared New Jersey's state government in a financial state of emergency and then announced $2.3 billion in spending cuts and freezes to eliminate a $2.2 billion deficit facing the 2009-10 state budget.
The governor described the comments by Assembly Speaker Sheila Y. Oliver (D-Essex) and Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) questioning the legality of the declaration and seemingly eliminating the role of the Legislature in the fiscal issue as politics.
"Is it legal (his executive order declaring the fiscal emergency), absolutely,'' Christie said in a radio interview. "Some of the reaction I got yesterday was politics. I absolutely believe the Senate president and speaker are willing to work with me to get things done.'' He added, "I'm not a dictator.''
Commenting on comments by lawmakers that they were not made aware of the emergency declaration before his address to a joint session of the Legislature, Christie said he briefed Democratic and Republican legislative leaders on his budget solutions in phone calls on Wednesday evening. He did not say if he told them of the emergency declaration."I did not give them all the details because frankly I didn't want it in the newspapers,'' Christie said. "I did give them some exact numbers on the freezes I wanted to do. So this is not a dictatorship.‘'
Christie said the Democratic-controlled Legislature had the opportunity during the so-called lameduck period of November and December to cut into the budget deficit.
"They showed they had no appetite for doing this,'' Christie said. He added, "I take responsibility for all we did. Everything we did is sound from a fiscal basis and everything is legal. I had an opinion from my counsel and the attorney general before I did it.''
Christie stressed that he believes $2.3 billion in spending cuts and freezes should not lead to property tax hikes. "I want to make a very, very strong statement to the people of the state,'' he said. "We have a real financial disaster here. I had to do what I did yesterday. I said I will get the job done and if that means being a one termer, that's fine with me.''
The governor said his decision to cut $475 million in state aid to over 500 school district should not lead to property tax hikes or hinder the education of children if school boards react properly.
Assembly Budget Chairman Lou Greenwald (D-Camden) announced Friday his panel will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Statehouse Annex in Trenton to hear testimony on Christie's plan to close the deficit.
Greenwald said the plan includes cutting aid for schools, charity medical care, colleges, public transit and job creation and "was done through executive order with neither public analysis nor debate.''
Oliver on Thursday directed the committee to meet so it can begin analyzing the proposed budget solutions and "give it the transparency that it so far has lacked and the public deserves."
"Governor Christie's ill-advised plan steers New Jerseyans toward property tax increases, potential hospital closures and the possibility of higher tuition and transit fares that are no different than tax hikes," Greenwald said. "It also kills job creation. On top of all that, Governor Christie kept his plan secret and executed it without any public discussion. This is undemocratic and an affront to residents and businesses alike."
Greenwald said legislators have questions about the proposals. "The Assembly and the budget committee have long been committed to transparency and engaging the public at every turn,'' he said. "Governor Christie may not want this plan to undergo public scrutiny, but that's what the public expects and deserves."
Later Friday, Assembly Transportation Chairman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) announced his panel will meet at 10 a.m. Thursday in the Statehouse Annex to hear testimony on what he described as the potential impact of the governor's plan to cut NJ Transit and the fare hikes and service cuts that may result.
"Governor Christie's plan will a have wide-ranging negative impact and may well equate to a hefty tax increase on lower- and middle-class New Jerseyans who have no other choice but to rely on NJ Transit to get to work," Wisniewski said. "This would also lead to more highway congestion and impair smartly planned economic development around transportation centers."
Christie intends to withhold $32.7 million from NJ Transit. He conceded the action could lead to service reductions or fare increases but on Friday described NJ Transit as a patronage hole and that he has directed the agency's new director to shape it up.
