newjerseynewsroom.com

BY TOM HESTER SR.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

FIFTH UPDATE

Republican Chris Christie became New Jersey's 55th governor at noon, Tuesday and in his inaugural address repeatedly declared "change has arrived,'' and that he is the person who will bring it about. He also stressed that he intends to try to end what he sees as an era of partisan politics at the Statehouse.

Christie said that as his first action as governor, he would sign several executive orders Tuesday that "will make our finances, our budgeting, and our processes more transparent for all citizens to see.''

Instead, it was decided later in the day that the executive orders would be signed at 11 a.m., Wednesday.

Christie was sworn in by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner on the stage of the crowded Patriots Theater at the War Memorial Building in Trenton. As applause and cheers filled the theater, New Jersey National Guard artillery fired a 19-gun salute outside that echoed through the state capital.

Christie's swearing in drew a standing ovation.

Christie declared, "to the hard working men and women of New Jersey, I stand here today as your governor. I understand the task before me and I am well aware of your expectations for me and this government. You voted loudly for change and you have entrusted us with what may be our last best hope for a stronger New Jersey — the New Jersey of our youth, full of hope and opportunity. New Jersey, you voted for change and today change has arrived — right here, right now.''

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The new governor, who was sworn in before 1,900 people, an audience that included legislators, Supreme Court justices, and New Jersey's congressmen and U.S. senators, said changes for the financially-struggling state government and tax reduction will not come immediately, but he stressed that he will personally work to attempt to revive economically-stricken New Jersey.

"The problems will not be solved if we retreat into a corner, or if we shrug our shoulders in the belief that one person cannot make a difference,'' Christie said. "This is not a time for just another season of cynicism. With a state in crisis, we must cast aside blame and embrace action. One person can make a difference. I will make a difference. And each of you will make a difference too, if you believe in a better tomorrow. Believe me, I did not come to this office for failure. I came here for success, the kind of success that only comes from putting public service ahead of self-service.''

Midway in his 25-minute address, Christie invited Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex), the leaders of the Democratic-controlled Legislature, to join him in the center of the stage to take part in what he described as "a handshake of commitment.'' The action was met with loud applause.

"Let us shake hands as a symbol for our citizens of all that is possible in a future that demands that who gets the credit finally takes a back seat to doing something worth getting credit for,'' Christie said. "Senator Sweeney and Speaker Oliver — I offer you my hand and my commitment.''

After the ceremony, Assembly Speaker Oliver said she foresees a bipartisanship effort between the Democratic-controlled Legislature and Christie.

Governor Christie's inauguration is yet another sign that great change has come to New Jersey and that the old ways of doing things are no more,'' she said. "I know everyone in the Assembly wishes him the best. As we move forward in the months and years ahead, we'll see great progress if we all endeavor to find common ground and work together to improve the lives of all New Jerseyans.''

Senate President Sweeney said, "Today is Governor Christie's day to enjoy. Come tomorrow, however, the real task begins and my colleagues and I are anxious to get to work with the new governor and his team. Governor Christie has outlined an ambitious agenda that will require us to work together on many different issues and at many different levels simultaneously. While I am sure there will be areas in which we will differ philosophically, we must approach every issue pragmatically. The people of New Jersey are tired of political back-biting and scapegoating. Divided government does not have to mean partisan gridlock. Together we must make the tough decisions that will move New Jersey forward ...''

Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce (R-Morris) said he is confident New Jersey will improve under Christie.

"Governor Christie's promise to make New Jersey a more affordable place to live by reducing the burden government has placed on taxpayers are words that people have been waiting to hear,'' DeCroce said. "There is no doubt that in order for our state to have a brighter future, we must change our course. It is time for us to put aside partisanship and put forth our best ideas for solving our problems. The challenges we face are great, but not insurmountable, if we work together.''

Shortly after the handshake, Christie said in his address, "For the choice before each of us is now clear: either to work together to move our state forward, or to get out of the way of those who will.''

He promised to confront long-festering education problems in inner city schools, hold educators responsible, and enable parents to choose the public schools they want their children to attend. He also said he intends to end what he described as runaway state and local government spending, attempt to restore the state's economy, work to revive the cities and fight crime.

And he thanked former Gov. Jon Corzine for his decade of service to the state as governor and U.S. senator. "Your focus on the health of our children is something for which many New Jerseyans will long be grateful,'' Christie told Corzine.

Christie said, "The era of runaway spending and higher and higher taxes has not worked. We have the largest budget deficit per person of any state in the Union. We have the highest tax rates in the nation. We have the highest unemployment rate in over a quarter century. Our economy is stagnant and our people are suffering under the burden government has placed on them. And we cannot continue to mortgage our future if we hope to improve it. Today, we are taking a new direction. Today, a new era of lower taxes and higher growth will begin. Today, change has arrived.''

Christie said that if New Jerseyans work with him, the state can build a stronger economy.

"Now, we must once again be the home for growth,'' he said. "We can become that through the choices we make. Together, we must take the future in our own hands and shape it to our liking. We are not a state of passive observers; we are a state of builders and doers. Together, we can build a stronger economy. Yes, we will have to cut some programs and transform others to get our budget in balance. Yes, we will have to curb spending in municipal governments where there has been too little control. Yes, we will have to restrain state government, even as we invest to be prepared for the economic competition ahead. But we can do these things-and once again be a home for growth.

"With Lieutenant Governor Guadagno in the lead, we must revisit the complex web of rules woven by various special interests over many years,'' Christie said. "But that is a long overdue visit if we are once again going to be the home for growth.''

Christie said he is willing to work with the federal government for the benefit of the state but added, "The era of expensive and sometimes thoughtless mandates from Washington must end. After all, the States are supposed to be "laboratories of democracy", not guinea pigs for failed federal experiments.''

He said the state's financial problems have been building for decades and change will not come quickly.

"I am not going to pretend to have all the answers myself, because I do not,'' the governor said. "But I am ready to work with all of you. I am ready to make change happen. And like the people of this great state, I believe that real change can bring us real hope for a better tomorrow.''

Christie concluded his address by quoting President Abraham Lincoln.
"When Abraham Lincoln came to New Jersey in February of 1861, awaiting his swearing in as president of a nation on the verge of rupture, he said while visiting the people of Newark: "Without the people I cannot hope to succeed; with them I cannot fail."

Christie's inaugural began at 8 a.m. in Newark, the city where he was born and earned his reputation as a crimebusting U.S. attorney for New Jersey, with a special mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart conducted by Archbishop John J. Myers before pews crowded with invited guests.

This evening, hundreds of people, at $500 a-ticket, will join Christie and Guadagno for what is billed as an informal cocktail party at The Prudential Center in Newark. A large portion of the revenue will go to charity.

Christie, 47, of Mendham, gained his name recognition as U.S. attorney for New Jersey from 2002 to 2008, a period in which he oversaw the prosecution and conviction for public corruption of over 120 state and local politicians. He defeated Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine in a three-way gubernatorial election, gaining 48.5 percent of the vote.

From 1994 to 1998, Christie was a Morris County freeholder. From 1999 to 2001, he was a lobbyist who represented, in part, Hackensack University Medical Center, the University of Phoenix, and the Securities Industry Association.

The new governor is married to Mary Pat Christie. The couple has four children.