newjerseynewsroom.com

BY ADELE SAMMARCO

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

As Governor Christie prepares for his keynote speech at the Republican National Convention this evening in Florida, political insiders say the term “reform” will most likely be high on his list of priority mentions.

However, what the New Jersey Governor will most likely not reveal during his speech is the archaic and costly tradition of “double-dipping”, which allows government employees to collect a pension at retirement, then return to work, often within days.

So far, the Garden State hosts a higher unemployment rate than the rest of the country, at 9.8 percent.

It’s a three and a half decade high of joblessness for struggling New Jersey residents and as some state officials collect as many as two paychecks, the unemployed continue to battle to make-ends-meet with little to no pay.

Christie says people who listen to his speech tonight will believe he "seems genuine" and "will like the vision he’s laid out for them." But to opponents, it is a thinly veiled façade of what is actually going on with the economy, especially in his own state, which many say is certainly not witnessing a “comeback” anytime soon.

According to the non-profit New Jersey Watchdog group, the people who are enjoying the multiple fruits of their labor are at least 60 double-dippers who collect nearly $10 million a year from the state. That’s $4.4 million in pensions in addition to $5.5 million in state salaries.

At least one-third were hired under Governor Christie’s watch with duties that include protecting taxpayers from fiscal misconduct.

Three investigators for the Office of State Comptroller: John Silver, Joseph Celli and Richard Nuel, collectively receive $262,415 in pensions a year, plus $276,000 in salaries.

The comptroller’s office is in charge of uncovering government abuses and wasteful spending.

Assistant Insurance Commissioner Joseph Brennan receives $204,857 a year, $123,000 in salary and $81,857 from pension. Brennan heads a unit that investigates insurance fraud.

Medical Marijuana Director John O’Brien gets $167,889 a year, including $83,889 in pension, plus an $84,000 salary from the Department of Health.

Thomas Flarity, director of security, investigations and audits for the Motor Vehicle Commission, receives $188,544 a year, $105,000 in salary and $83,544 from pension.

The Governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff Louis Goetting receives $228,860 a year, $140,000 in salary plus $88,860 from pension. Goetting also receives an annual raise of $10,000.

Despite Christie's top earners, the 'no nonsense' Governor continues to ride a wave of widespread popularity. According to a Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll, voters approve of Christie 56 percent to 33 percent.

The most recent PublicMind survey of New Jersey residents found that more than half (55 percent) of all registered voters approve of the job he is doing as Governor, a number that has remained virtually unchanged since the beginning of the year.

When asked to rate the job the Governor is doing, almost half (49 percent) of all registered voters say he’s doing an “excellent” or “good job,” and the same percentage believe the state is moving in the right direction.

After a coy cat and mouse-type "will he or won't he" run as Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's second in command, the GOP thrust Christie into the national spotlight as their keynote speaker as Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan readies to accept the Vice Presidential nomination. Some pundits predict tonight's speech may even be a prelude to a Chris Christie 2016 run at the White House.