Christie On “Meet the Press”

Governor Chris Christie will be interviewed by David Gregory Sunday morning on the NBC show, “Meet the Press.”

The show airs on channel 4 at 10:30 am in the New York market, and on channel 10 in the Philadelphia market.

NBC 40, Atlantic City airs the show at 10:00 am.

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Governor Chris Christie’s 2012 State of the State Address, As Prepared For Delivery

“The New Jersey Comeback Has Begun”

Trenton, New Jersey

January 17, 2012

Lt. Governor Guadagno, Madam Speaker, Mr. President, Members of the 215th Legislature, Members of our Congressional Delegation, Members of the Supreme Court, our former governors and the people of the State of New Jersey:

This has been a difficult week for all of us who work in this State House and are committed to public service.  Over one week ago, we lost our friend Alex DeCroce.  During this week, we have celebrated his life in this chamber, at his wake, at his funeral mass and, undoubtedly in the homes of the thousands of New Jerseyans whose lives he touched during his 23 years of service in the Assembly.  We cap that week of recognition today by flying all flags on government buildings across our State at half staff in Alex’s honor.  Now, if you will all please join me in a moment of silence to honor Alex’s life and legacy.

Knowing Alex as well as I did over the last 19 years, I know he would tell me, “Enough of this now, Chris.  Let’s get back to work.”  That is exactly what I intend to do.

It is a pleasure to return to this chamber to report to you on the State of our State.

Today, I am proud to report that the New Jersey Comeback has begun.

How do we know it has begun?  Just look around you.

In the last two years, we have come together to address the mess that was our budget.  The decline, deficits, and departures that plagued our State just two years ago have been reversed.  The budget is balanced.  Our unemployment rate is no longer going up, it is coming down.  Job growth has been restored – in the private sector, where we want it.  New Jersey is back.

We have restrained the growth of property taxes.  We have put our pensions on a more stable and sustainable footing.  And in doing all this, we have restored confidence and pride in New Jersey.

The New Jersey Comeback is taking place in large part because of what we have done in this chamber.  Together, we have done something that Trenton hasn’t seen in a very long time. We worked together. We achieved compromise.  And we put New Jersey and its people first.  

For New Jersey, the corner has been turned.  Today, the debate is not about who to blame for our failures, it is how to build on our successes.

It is no longer about how to deal with devastating decline; it is now about how to push New Jersey even further ahead. To be better than we thought we could be.

In these last two years New Jersey has set the standard for governance in America: be honest; don’t mince words; and do the big and difficult things.   Not only because it is right, but because it lays the foundation for future greatness. Now it’s our job to finish the task.

 ***

 Job one is the economy.

 Consider where we were just two years ago.

When I raised my hand to take the oath of office then, I could not say with confidence that the State would meet its payroll within two months.  Imagine that, New Jersey unable to meet its payroll.  That was the gravity of the mess we were left to deal with due to the mismanagement which reigned in this town before our arrival.  Our deficit for that fiscal year, already more than half over, was more than two billion dollars.  The budget problems for the next year, fiscal year 2011, was a record deficit of $11 billion.

The solution was not easy, but it was also not complicated.  We had spent too much as a state.  We had lived beyond our means.  And by trying to tax their way out of it, previous governors and legislators had left New Jersey in 50th place – dead last among the states – in the total tax burden it placed on our citizens. 

We had the highest tax rate in the nation, the highest unemployment rate in a quarter century, and the largest budget deficit per person of any state in the nation.

So step one was to stop the bleeding – by stopping the spending.  We cut 375 programs in that first fiscal year, saved two billion dollars for the taxpayers, and brought Jon Corzine’s budget into balance.  Next, with your help, we enacted a budget that imposed discipline, in the form of another cut in spending, for the second year in a row:  cutting spending for each and every department of state government.

That was tough medicine – but it was the beginning of better health.  Last year, because we took that medicine, we were strong enough to reduce business taxes and improve New Jersey’s climate for job creation.  I want to thank this legislature for joining me in recognizing that – for New Jersey to grow private sector jobs again – we must reduce the tax burden on our citizens and our businesses.

Step two was controlling property taxes.  As everyone in New Jersey already knows, they had risen 70% in the ten years before I became governor.  Rising property taxes were driving people out of this state.

And so we joined together – and again I thank this legislature and in particular your leaders, Senate President Sweeney and Speaker Oliver – to cap property tax growth at no more than 2% a year.  And we put the same 2% cap on the interest arbitration awards that were giving rise to higher taxes. 

We must never forget that the root cause of rising property taxes is always excessive government spending. As with all problems, you must get to that root cause – and together, we did it.  

And here’s the good news: it is working.

Last week, the state’s largest newspaper announced the results of its comprehensive study of property taxes in New Jersey. The headline said it all: “At long last, tax relief.”

Step three was to get a grip on our long-term liabilities.  Our pension system was $54 billion in debt at the start of 2011, and scheduled to be underwater by $180 billion in three short decades without a change in course.  It was imperative that we save these pensions for our middle class and at the same time lift the burden off of our taxpayers created by the unrealistic promises made by career politicians.

And so we confronted the obvious, negotiated a solution and saved taxpayers over $120 billion dollars.  The pensions of every state worker, of every teacher, and of every retired municipal employee are more secure today.  By the tough choices we made together, we saved their pensions.

Again, the solutions were not easy, and not always popular, but they were also not complicated.  We had to raise the retirement age a bit; we had to get a grip on the effect of COLAs; we had to make sure that the contributions of employees were fair, and that the state kicked in also. But by taking these steps we made a big dent in the problem.

At the same time, we had a public employee health system that was $67 billion in deficit in January of 2011.  To right this wrong, we relied on two simple principles: we should give employees more choice and everyone must pay their fair share.  We, once again, compromised with each other to right a failing system and, in the process made political history in New Jersey.  We came together. We took on the special interests. We put our citizens first.

At the time, the New York Post said we had pulled off “something of a miracle” in pension reform.  But it wasn’t magic.  In a country dominated in so many places by partisan bickering, we just had to be honest and realistic about the math, and grown-up about the answers.

And the good news is this – the people of New Jersey can take it. We’ve shown the rest of the country that we are Jersey strong. Today, the results of that Jersey strength and that Jersey attitude are beginning to show.

Since our administration came into office, New Jersey has added over 60,000 new private sector jobs.  Remember, in 2009, the state lost 117,000 jobs. According to Rutgers University economist Joseph Seneca, 2011 was the best private sector job growth year in New Jersey since 2000.  60,000 new private sector jobs since we took office.  The best job growth year in more than 11 years.  Here is my promise to the people of New Jersey:  We will keep the momentum going.  I will not permit anyone to re-impose the tax raising, overspending, irresponsible ways of our past which led to our dark decade of joblessness in New Jersey.  Stand strong with me and I will stand up for you.  We are going in the right direction and I will oppose any move to return us to the despair those policies brought to New Jersey and its citizens.

The new direction is clear.  We have changed the business environment in this state and, as a result, we are changing the jobs environment.

From Asurion (which established its regional headquarters in Bridgewater), to Allergan (which picked New Jersey for its northeast research and development center), we have been able to attract new jobs from around the country to New Jersey.

From Watson Pharmaceuticals (which moved to Parsippany), to Pinnacle Foods (which moved to Cherry Hill), employers are beginning to understand that New Jersey is once again a friendly state for businesses and jobs – a great place to work and raise a family.

And it’s not just around the country. People are recognizing the New Jersey Comeback all around the world… Bayer put its North American headquarters in Morris County, Novo Nordisk in Middlesex County, and LG Electronics in Bergen County.

We have begun this turnaround in the face of strong national headwinds.  

Across our country, growth is still anemic. There has been no national solution to our debt and deficit problem, no catalyst for growth, no leadership on the economy. 

The politics of envy have overtaken the imperative of opportunity.  Our economy suffers while Washington politicians – in both parties – fiddle. America’s position of strength and leadership around the world deteriorates while our leaders bicker and blame.

Over the last two years New Jersey did the exact opposite.  We achieved results because we did it together. 

Over the last two years we’ve said – let’s put aside our differences on some issues so we’re able to work together on others.

Now it doesn’t mean we didn’t shout at each other. It doesn’t mean we didn’t get angry.  You may even recall that even some of my friends had some very colorful nicknames for me.

Now, that anger is natural, that passion is good, but we have shown that on the important issues, on the really big things, we can still come together to lead the people of New Jersey to a better outcome.

We’ve shown that it’s possible to hold fast to key principles, but still reach compromise. 

We’ve shown New Jersey, and the nation that there is a better way. That divided government can work; that Democrats and Republicans working together is possible. And in fact it’s necessary.

Two years ago at my inaugural, I asked Senator Sweeney and Speaker Oliver to join me in a handshake to demonstrate our commitment to working together – sticking to our principles, but finding common ground for the good of the people.  Our handshake that day was a symbol, because it could be nothing more than that.

Back then, we had nothing to show the people but our good faith and the promise for tomorrow.  Today, no symbolic handshake is needed.  Thankfully, we have shown through our deeds that we are willing to work together.  Substance over form.  Accomplishments over partisanship.  Thank you, Steve.  Thank you, Sheila.

So in this year, in 2012, let us continue to show the state and the nation what is possible.  Let New Jersey continue to set the example.  Let New Jersey continue to lead the way.

 And let us do it together.

 ***

Over the last two years we’ve had to make some tough choices.  It was important to do what was difficult and what was necessary to get New Jersey out of its hole. But, because of these hard decisions, the shared sacrifice and because we stuck to our discipline we can now focus on our priorities.

We will have to continue to hold the line on spending.  And I guarantee you this:  the budget I submit, and any budget I will ultimately sign into law in June, will be truly balanced. 

But we have been working to get to this moment. To finally have New Jersey right side up, so we can focus on the big things. To challenge ourselves to be better. To strive for greatness. To ensure that every New Jerseyan is given the opportunity to have the life they want.

So in my budget, I will fulfill a promise I made to all the people of New Jersey in 2009.  Real relief from the heavy income tax burden that has strangled our families and forced many to move away.

I propose to reduce income tax rates for each and every New Jerseyan. In every tax bracket.   By 10% across the board.

I also propose to fully restore the earned income tax credit for New Jersey’s working poor, which we were forced to cut during the dark days of 2010, when growth was gone and we had no money. Understand what this means – every New Jerseyan will get a cut in taxes.  The working poor.  The struggling middle class.  The new college graduates getting their first job. The senior citizens who have already retired. The single mom.  The job creators.  The parents trying to afford to send their son or daughter to college. 

Everyone made the sacrifice.  Everyone will share in the benefit. 

This will send a loud signal to New Jerseyans and would-be New Jerseyans, to families here now and families who have left, to businesses and job creators thinking of coming here and those who have struggled to stay:  New Jersey is once again a place to plan your future, raise your family, grow your business and someday retire.  The New Jersey Comeback has begun.

Let’s be under no illusions – our job in turning New Jersey around is far from finished.  We have improved our tax climate – but, there is much work to be done.

For make no mistake – we are in a competition.  A competition for jobs – among countries, yes, but also among states.  In the last decade, two-thirds of all companies which moved jobs to a new location did not move to other countries – they moved from one state to another.

Here in our region, our most direct competitors are making very different choices.  In Connecticut, the governor has raised income tax rates on top earners and job creators.  And New York last month enacted legislation to do the same.

Other big states are also raising taxes.  California’s governor has proposed to raise the top rate – already among the highest in the nation, by up to two percentage points.  Illinois has already adopted a law to raise all income taxes by 67%.

In this environment, the best way to compete is to show a different direction.  Let others choose tax increases.  We choose responsible tax cuts to give our overburdened citizens real relief. And to help New Jersey grow.

Now some will argue, “Wait a minute: New York only raised taxes on the rich.  Why not adopt Governor Cuomo’s package for New Jersey?”

Here are the facts.  If we enacted the exact same income tax rates put into law by New York last month, every person earning below $100,000 a year would face a tax increase – of anywhere from 150 to 200%.  And, by the way, those earning a million dollars would get a tax cut.  Is that what we want?  Is that fairness?

I don’t think so. An across the board tax cut is fair – every New Jersey taxpayer will benefit. Every New Jerseyan’s rates will go down. Every New Jerseyan will see relief.

This is exactly what I was talking about when I took office; that the tough choices would lead to the right ones.

Today, because we have put our fiscal house in order we can budget for our priorities and give tax relief to all of our people.  Tax relief that will lead to better lives for our citizens and more jobs for our state.

Job number two is to reform our education system – to strengthen our schools.

Over the course of the last year, since outlining my proposals from this podium, I have worked with this legislature – on a bipartisan basis – to put in front of you a package of bills that will address the biggest challenges facing public education in New Jersey.  We have had a year to debate, discuss and deliberate.

Now, in 2012, it is time to act.

New Jersey, in so many ways, is blessed.  The majority of our schoolchildren continue to perform well, above most other states, on national student assessment tests.  New Jersey has so many great teachers producing so many great students. 

Too many in the educational establishment, however, use that very real success as a camouflage for abject failure elsewhere in New Jersey.  To use the success of others as an excuse to block change for those we are failing is not only wrong, it is immoral.  Too many of our schools are failing our children, and they have been failing for far too long.

We live in a time when educational attainment and economic success are correlated as never before.  That is a good thing. It means that for this generation of Americans, what you can achieve will be driven not by who you know, but by what you know.

You need to look only at the recent Harvard/Columbia study of 2.5 million students over 20 years in America.  Its independent research supports what I told you from my heart, from this podium, one year ago. 

Great teachers have a more significant impact on their student’s future success than average ones.  Even more importantly, average teachers have an even greater effect on their students when they replace underperforming teachers.  Research that confirms our own common sense. 

Tenure reform will lead to even greater student achievement because replacing underperforming teachers with even an average teacher raises each classroom’s lifetime earnings by over a quarter of a million dollars.  Let’s act on real tenure reform now.  Let’s replace despair with hope in every classroom in New Jersey.

Because I believe it is obscene to be satisfied.  When the chance for a life filled with hope and opportunity is determined not by how hard you are willing to work but by where you happen to live. Not by your intelligence, but by your zip code.

Let’s face it: more money does not necessarily lead to a better education. Today, in Newark, we spend $23,000 per student for instruction and services.  But only 23% of ninth graders who enter high school this year will receive high school diplomas in four years.  Asbury Park is similar: per pupil costs, at almost $30,000 a year, are nearly 75% above the state average.  But the dropout rate is almost 10 times the state average.  And math S.A.T. scores lag the state average by 180 points. 

It is time to admit that the Supreme Court’s grand experiment with New Jersey children is a failure.  63% of state aid over the years has gone to the Abbott Districts and the schools are still predominantly failing. 

What we’ve been doing isn’t working for children in failing districts, it is unfair to the other 557 school districts and to our state’s taxpayers, who spend more per pupil than almost any state in America.

Basic human decency and simple common sense say it is time for a different and better approach.

The tools to give our children and their parents who are confronted with failing schools the chance for a better outcome are before you.

They are embodied in bills which are bipartisan in nature and consistent with the reform advocated by President Obama, Education Secretary Duncan and most recently by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo.

 My proposals reflect the input the administration has received at hundreds of meetings with educators, parents and professionals around the state.  They are supported by independent research done at Harvard and Columbia.

Most importantly, they reflect the intention we should all have: to put children first.

The momentum to put children first began last week when you passed, and I traveled to Camden to sign, the Urban Hope Act. This new law will allow school districts in Newark, Camden and Trenton to partner with experts in the private sector to build and operate renaissance schools in these districts so in need of change. 

We have given some of our urban schools a signal that hope is on the way.  I want to thank Senator Donald Norcross and Mayor Dana Redd for their bi-partisan support of this idea.  You and I both know that this is a good start, but only a start.  There is much more work to do.

Here is what I propose:

• First, reform tenure – by measuring teacher effectiveness, both with professional observation, and objective, quantifiable measures of student achievement – and then by giving tenure to those with strong evaluations, and taking it away from those whose ratings are unacceptably weak. We cannot ask parents to accept failure in teachers when their children’s lives hang in the balance;

• Second, if layoffs are necessary remove the least effective teachers instead of just the most junior ones. It is time to end the system of “last in, first out,” which protects some of the worst and penalizes some of the best;

• Third, pay teachers more when they are assigned to a failing school or to teach a difficult subject. Compensation should be designed to attract and retain effective teachers where we need them most;

• Fourth, end forced placements. Teachers should not be assigned to schools without the mutual consent of the teacher and the principal. If an acceptable placement can’t be found in 12 months, the school district should have the right to place the teacher on permanent unpaid leave;

• Fifth, we should reform our process for authorizing charter schools to attract the best operators to New Jersey, to streamline the process for the best performers, to focus on our failing school districts and to encourage innovation. We must give parents and children in failing schools an alternative; and

• Last, and perhaps most importantly, establish tax credits to provide scholarships for low income students in the worst-performing schools in the state to enable them to attend a better school, either out of the district or a private school. Opportunity should not be offered to only those in an excellent school district or with parents who have the money to release their children from the prison that is a failing school. Let’s pass the opportunity scholarship act now.

These are not radical reforms; they are common sense.  They are not rash; they are long overdue.  And they are not luxuries which can afford to languish for another six months or another year; they are essential for New Jersey’s success.

I have a message that is not from me, but from the single mom in Newark, and the struggling parents in Camden, as well as the employers in our state: education reform has waited long enough.

 ***

New Jersey is one of America’s most diverse states.

This means we have diverse problems, but also diverse opportunities.  It means we must build the skills and improve the opportunities for many types of people, from all backgrounds and all walks of life.  And it means we must work in multiple ways to improve the quality of life for everyone.

Creating jobs and fixing the schools are probably the two most important ways to do that, but there are other steps we can take as well to improve the quality of life in New Jersey.

This leads me to job number three.   We need to reclaim our inner cities, respond to underserved regions, and engage our most vulnerable citizens.

A few months ago, I hosted a town hall meeting in Union City with Senator Brian Stack. A woman from Newark was there. A mother. A neighbor. A concerned citizen.

That day, she asked me a very direct question – and actually, I believe it was a question for all of us.

She said, “I just wonder if the amount of violence, the amount of shootings, the amount of murders that take place in the City of Newark. I just wonder sometimes if it bothers you like it bothers us. Particularly the mothers who have lost their children.”

And she ended her question with a plea. ‘Help us,’ she said, ‘Help us.’ Well, that woman was Cassandra Dock. And I met with her and her neighbors. She is here in this chamber today.

I ask all of you to send a message that in New Jersey we are creating a place where everyone is given the opportunity to live the life they want. I ask all of you to join me in saying to Cassandra. Yes, we will help you.

Here is one example: we can only improve our quality of life by keeping the most violent criminals off the streets. So, I ask you to approve my bail reform package, which would mirror the federal system. It would keep offenders with a history of violence who are a danger to our communities in jail until the time of their trial, instead of releasing them into society to prey on the public.

This may require a constitutional amendment but it is reform that is long overdue.  Do you know that if a person is arrested with a long record of violence we cannot detain that person in jail pending trial?  We must release that person, regardless of how dangerous they are to potential witnesses against them or innocent members of our society.  Let us amend our bail laws to allow judges to consider the factor of dangerousness to our communities before we release a violent person back on to the street to maim or kill while they await trial.  This, too, is just simple common sense.

At the same time, let us reclaim the lives of those drug offenders who have not committed a violent crime.  By investing time and money in drug treatment – in an in-house, secure facility – rather than putting them in prison. 

Experience has shown that treating non-violent drug offenders is two-thirds less expensive than housing them in prison.  And more importantly – as long as they have not violently victimized society – everyone deserves a second chance, because no life is disposable.

I am not satisfied to have this as merely a pilot project; I am calling for a transformation of the way we deal with drug abuse and incarceration in every corner of New Jersey. 

So today I ask this Legislature and the Chief Justice to join me in this commitment that no life is disposable.

I propose mandatory treatment for every non-violent offender with a drug abuse problem in New Jersey, not just a select few.  It will send a clear message to those who have fallen victim to the disease of drug abuse – we want to help you, not throw you away.  We will require you to get treatment. Your life has value.  Every one of God’s creations can be redeemed.  Everyone deserves a second chance.

 ***

These are the big things I’d like us to focus on in 2012.  These are my priorities.

We know in our hearts that we represent some of the toughest, the most direct and honest people in America.  A group of people who are destined for great things if we just give them the opportunity.  But we also know that for too many years these same people were depressed about what New Jersey had become. 

Our leaders disappointed us in many different ways.  Promises were made that weren’t even attempted to be kept.

Our economy suffocated under the wet blanket of overtaxation, overspending, overborrowing and overregulation. 

Our education systems failed those who needed it the most, and our leaders stood by and said, “be patient, and we’ll fix it.”  In popular culture, New Jersey had become a punch line, rather than a place of pride.

What’s happened in the last two years?

Over the last two years, New Jersey is now seen around the country once again, not exclusively as the butt of late night jokes, but as a focus of the evening news and the Sunday talk shows. Why? Because, once again, we are leading America – by taking on the big things in public policy.

We’ve known all along that our State is destined for great things.  We just needed to give the people of our State the confidence that can come from watching leaders work together and from a state rising again all around them.

To everyone in this room, to everyone watching in their home or listening in their car, I have one simple message:  for the New Jersey Comeback to continue and grow, we must all come together.

This obligation is not just mine and it is not just Kim’s.  It is not just Steve’s or Sheila’s, not just Tom’s or Jon’s.  The New Jersey Comeback is not about what happens in Trenton alone.  All of you are in this too.  Our wins and losses are your wins and losses.  Our successes and failures are your successes and failures.  The New Jersey Comeback didn’t start just here and it won’t be sustained just here.  The New Jersey Comeback is yours, too.

And so I say to all of you, regardless of where you are, regardless of what region of our State you come from, regardless of what political party you call home, you have had a stake in what has happened over the last two years, and you have contributed to making it happen. 

Now is not the time to stop, now is the time to double down.  Now is not the time to put the brakes on New Jersey’s growth.  Now it is the time to put the foot down harder on the accelerator.  Now is not the time to turn back. Now is the time to make New Jersey greatness a reality again.

That is what the next two years of my governorship will be dedicated to every day.  We have climbed out of the hole that was left to us – together.  Now it is time to raise the great flag of the State of New Jersey as high as we can – together.

I cannot do it alone.  Republicans cannot do it alone.  Democrats cannot do it alone. 

Because, as Martin Luther King once said, “We may have come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”

We must do this together in every town, every city and every county across our state.  If you are ready to join that fight with me in the next two years as you have in the last two years, we will be here two years from now looking at a state that once again is a leader for a rejuvenated America. 

If you are willing to join that fight, so am I – on your behalf.  That is what you elected me to do.  And that is the solemn commitment I make to you again today.

Thank you, God bless you, God bless America and God bless the great State of New Jersey

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Governor Chris Christie: The Jersey Comeback Has Begun

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State of the State

Governor Chris Christie will deliver his State of the State address this afternoon, 3PM, before a joint session of the legislature.

The address, orginally schedule for last Tuesday, was postponed due to the untimely death of Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce.

The address will be livestreamed here:

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Christie and Oprah

Governor Chris Christie’s interview with Oprah Winfrey will be broadcast on Oprah’s OWN network Sunday evening at 9PM.

You can find OWN on your TV by entering your zip code here.

First Look: Governor Chris Christie on Politics Today

While talking openly with New Jersey’s governor, Chris Christie, Oprah asks if he thinks Congress will ever not be at war (based on a quote from Governor Christie). Watch him share his thoughts on Washington politics and President Barack Obama’s chances for re-election. Tune in on Sunday, January 15, at 9/8c to watch their entire discussion on Oprah’s Next Chapter.

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Remarks of Governor Chris Christie as Prepared for Delivery

Ceremony in Honor of Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce

The State House

Trenton, New Jersey

January 10, 2012

Speaker Oliver, President Sweeney, Leader Kean, Betty Lou and your family, friends gathered here today:

As you know, I had intended to come before you today to give a report on the State of our State.

And I will fulfill that constitutional obligation by addressing you and our citizens more fully next week.  For today, it is enough to say that the State of our State is getting better, but today our hearts are filled with sadness.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck late last night.  Our colleague, our friend, Alex DeCroce passed suddenly.  Our State House flag is at half mast today in his honor.

He passed doing what he loved – serving the people of New Jersey.

But it does not lessen the pain.

To Betty Lou, to PJ and Christopher, to Jessica and Erin, and to Alex’s grandchildren Connor, Kayla and Noah, we offer the most sincere condolences possible.  We join you in deep sadness.  And we express to you thanks for supporting Alex in a life well lived.

For me, Alex was a close family friend and a mentor for almost two decades.  He helped me get my start in elective office as a freeholder in Morris County back in 1994.  And ever since, he was a valued advisor, an unshakable ally, and a source of all that is good in politics and in public service.  I had no more loyal friend in Trenton than Alex DeCroce. Mary Pat and I will miss him greatly.

Alex devoted much of his life to the public – to making Morris County and New Jersey a better place.  He did it through business, as a partner with the late Congressman Dean Gallo.  He did it through his service to many charitable boards and foundations.  And he did it through government service.  He was a Morris County Freeholder.  And, since 1989, he was a member of this legislature.

He was loved by his constituents enough that he was re-elected eleven times.  And he was respected by the members of his caucus enough that he was elected Republican Leader.

In government service, just as he was in business and in the community, Alex was incredibly hard-working.

He was a leader in this body on transportation issues – a former Chairman of the Transportation Committee, a sponsor of the laws to renew the Transportation Trust Fund and to dedicate the gas tax to transportation projects.

He fought hard for the rights of victims of crime and their families.  He was, in many ways, the pioneer in this chamber of the modern victims’ rights movement.  His commitment was born out of his sense of fairness and his huge heart for those who had suffered a great personal loss.  The victims of crime and their families have lost their greatest advocate.

He was a fierce competitor in the political arena.  While Alex always had a smile and a kind word for everyone in this business, behind that genuine friendliness was the ferociousness of someone who had deeply held convictions.  Alex was a fighter.  He knew how to win and lose in this arena gracefully.  He knew how to wage a good battle.  But unlike many in this business today, waging that good battle did not prevent Alex from inviting you out after the battle was waged for a steak and a drink.  He was a representative of an era that is slipping away and that his passing I hope motivates us to revive—that we are all in this together, disagreements and all, and none of it should make us forget our essential humanity or who we were sent here to fight for every day.

Frankly, in all that we have accomplished together in these last two years—we owe a major debt to Alex DeCroce.  None of it would have been possible without his help.

Perhaps his greatest accomplishments were personal.  In a business that is sometimes rough and tumble and replete with broken commitments, he was one of the kindest, most gentle and most trustworthy people I have ever known.  Due to all of these extraordinary traits, you couldn’t find anyone, on either side of the aisle, that didn’t like Alex DeCroce.

He was a friend to all of us – regardless of our position, regardless of our party, regardless of our station in life, regardless of whether the political winds were at our back or squarely in our face. Alex was a man who understood loyalty.  When you were his friend, you were his friend—regardless of whether he thought it helped him or hurt him politically.  Having caused him both over the years, believe me, I speak from experience.

He was dedicated, honest and down to earth.  A source of advice.  A source of insight.  A source of consolation for friends, and the object of admiration even from political adversaries.

Somehow, standing here, it seems fitting that we should honor Alex in the chamber where he spent so much of his life, the chamber to which he was so dedicated, and in which he accomplished so much.

He loved this chamber.  He loved all of you.  He loved the people of New Jersey.  And we loved him back.

Alex had intended to speak here today.  I was given his planned remarks this morning when I arrived at the State House by his former colleague Rich Bagger.  Here was his message:  “We will solve more problems by working together than apart.”

Alex had planned to tell us to “reach across the aisle to work cooperatively toward solving our biggest problems.”  His closing words were to be:  “We owe our constituents nothing less.”

God has a way of taking the best away from us before we are ready to see them go.

The Prophet Isaiah says, “Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest even as they lie in death.”

Alex walked uprightly to the end.  Last night, he fought the good fight on this floor right to the very end of his life.  That is often said metaphorically about some in our business.  For those of you who were here last night, you know it was literally true about Alex.

He fought for his beloved colleagues, for his steadfast principles, for his belief in this chamber and for the people he was elected to serve until the very last moments of his life.

When his work was done last night, the Lord took Alex, still hard at work on behalf of the State, still giving his all to the people of New Jersey.  And we know that He took him in peace, and will care for him gently in the palm of His hand.

To Betty Lou, and to Alex’s family, we send our condolences.  And to Alex, no doubt watching down on us as we sit here now, we send our love, our respect, and our eternal gratitude.  We will do our best to make you proud.

Thank you.  God bless you.  And God bless the good and kind soul of Alex DeCroce.

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Alex DeCroce Dies While Doing The Job He Loved

Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce died last night shortly after the final voting session of the 214th legislature.  He was 75 years old.

DeCroce collapsed after 11PM in the legislative wing of the statehouse.

Governor Chris Christie said, “Tonight I lost a dear friend, colleague and mentor -– Assembly Republican Leader Alex De Croce.

“I have known Alex for nearly 20 years,” the governor said. “He helped to give me my start in elective politics in Morris County in 1993. He was one of the most kind, considerate and trustworthy people I have ever had the pleasure to know. He was an enormously accomplished legislator and a tremendous servant to the people of New Jersey.

“Mary Pat and I offer our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Department of Community Affairs Deputy Commissioner Betty Lou De Croce, and to Alex’s entire family,” Christie said. “This is an enormous loss for our state and for me personally.”

The ceremonial swearing in of the 215th legislature and the Governor’s State of the State address scheduled for today have been canceled.   There will be an informal swearing in and the Governor will briefly address both houses of the legislature in order to fulfill the constitution requirement that he address them today.

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2012 Predictions

Serena DiMaso will be elected Monmouth County Freeholder at the Title 19 convention of the Monmouth GOP Committee on January 14.   Bob Walsh will withdraw during his speech before the convention.

Bill Spadea defeats Donna Simon and John Saccenti at a Title 19 convention of the 16th legislative district to fill the assembly seat vacated by the death of Peter Biondi.  After recounts and law suits, the November special election for the seat is declared a tie between Spadea and Democratic Princeton Committeewoman Sue Nemeth.  Another special election is scheduled for January of 2013.

Joe Oxley will be named Township Administrator and In House Attorney for Wall Township.  The appointment will forward a statewide trend of municipalities hiring either attorneys or engineers as their administrators as a cost saving measure.   Oxley is reelected GOP County Chairman by acclamation.  Senator Jennifer Beck will give the nominating speech.  Christine Hanlon will be Vice Chair.

Middletown will get a new Parks and Recreation Director.  It won’t be Linda Baum or Pam Brightbill.

Jim McGreevey is ordained an Episcopal priest.

Jon Corzine remembers where he put the $1.2 billion.

Senator Joe Kyrillos will be the GOP nominee for U.S. Senator, defeating Anna Little and Joseph Rudy Rullo in the primary. 

Congressman Steve Rothman defeats Congressman Bill Pascrell in the Democratic primary for the 9th Congressional District nomination.  In the only surprise of the primary, former Bergen County GOP Freeholder Anthony Cassano, who had agreed to take one for the team in the 9th, was defeated when the Bergen County Tea Party Group organized a write-in campaign for Anna Little.  Little was on the ballot as a U.S. Senate candidate.  Having lost the Senate nomination to Joe Kyrillos, Little accepts the nomination, asks Kyrillos to host a fundraiser for her, and promises to move into the district if she wins.   She doesn’t.

Maggie Moran defeats Vin Gopal and Frank “LaHornica” LaRocca in a close election for the Monmouth County Democratic Chairmanship.

James Hogan of Long Branch is the GOP nominee for Congress in New Jersey’s 6th Congressional District.  Frank Pallone is reelected by 8%.

Jordan Rickards of North Brunswick  is the GOP nominee for Congress in New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District.  Rush Holt is reelected by 15%.

On August 28, the second day of the Republican National Convention, the National Weather Service warns that Hurricane Chris is heading towards the Jersey Shore.  Acting Governor Kim Guadagno gets on TV and says, “Get the heck off of the beach please.”

Mitt Romney will be the GOP nominee for President of the United States.  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will be the Vice Presidential nominee.

President Obama nominates Vice President Joe Biden to be Secretary of State.  Biden submits his resignation as VP effective upon both houses of congress confirming his successor.  President Obama nominates Hillary Clinton as Vice President.   Speaker of the House John Boehner refuses to schedule confirmation hearings for the VP nomination on the constitutional grounds that their is no vacancy in the office.   Obama makes them both recess appointments.  Clinton is nominated for VP at the Democratic National Convention and Secretary of State Biden spends October in China.

Despite losing their home states of Massachusetts and New Jersey, the Romney-Christie ticket wins the electoral college by one vote, 270-269.   The winning vote comes from Maine, one of two states that awards electoral votes by congressional district.  Romney-Christie lose Maine 3-1 but win the election.  Obama-Clinton file suit to challenge Maine’s method of awarding electoral votes.  Romney-Christie counter with a suit in Nebraska, which they won 4 electoral votes to 1, using the same arguments that Obama-Clinton use in Maine.  The U.S. Supreme Court decides both cases for the plaintiffs, 5-4, and determined that in all future presidential elections that electoral votes are awarded on a winner take all basis nationally.  Tea Party leader Dwight Kehoe calls for the impeachment of the Justices who voted affirmatively, claiming that they don’t understand the 10th Amendment.

Robert Menendez defeats Joe Kyrillos for U.S. Senate by 1%.

U. S. Senator Frank Lautenberg resigns.   In one of his last acts as Governor before ascending to the Vice Presidency, Chris Christie appoints Kyrillos to Lautenberg’s Senate seat.

What do you think will happen?

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How can we sustain this system?

Wall Township Administrator Joseph Verruni is retiring from his $179,000 per year job, after 20 years of service, on June 1, 2012.   He is 54 years old.  His pension will be between $80,000 and $90,000 per year, according to a report in The Asbury Park Press.

This rant is not about Verruni. 

As Wall is a wonderful place, I’m sure he did a terrific job over the last 20 years.   I don’t necessarily begrudge him the $179,000 salary for the work he did (even though Monmouth County Administrator Teri O’Connor makes significantly less)  But he’s 54 years old, starting a new career in the private sector,  that will be supplemented by $2,500,000  if he lives another 30 years!   That doesn’t include the tax payer funded health insurance that will keep him alive, hopefully for his sake and that of his family, more than 30 years!

If Verruni collects $85,000 per year for 30 years, he will have “earned” an additional $127,500 for every year he worked as Wall Township’s administrator.

I really should have taken a government job when I graduated from Georgetown in 1980.

This is not about Verruni.  It is about a system that pays adults in the prime of their earning years the equivalent of full time wages not to work.  Like my high school buddy who retired from the Bergenfield Police Department at 53 and takes home $20 per month less per month than he did when he put the uniform on every day.  Or like the retired State Police Investigator, 47 years old, collecting  a pension of $84,300 per year, who is Acting President of Brookdale Community College with a salary of $150,000 per year.

This system is not sustainable and it is not equitable.

The pension and benefit reform package that Governor Christie negotiated with the Democratic Legislature is an improvement of the previous system.  Yet the new system is not sustainable over time either.  We’re not feeling any of the pain yet.

Over the next 30 years, the state pension contribution will be $4.9 billion per year.  The local government contributions will be $2.3 billion per year over the next 30 years.  Both figures are on average.   We’re “enjoying” the savings now with smaller pension contributions that must increase by $500 million per year until we’re “caught up” with all the contributions we haven’t made since 2000.

Unless there is significant economic growth, soon, we won’t be able to sustain this system without significant tax increases. 

Who is going to be left to pay those taxes?

If we’re going to have a pension system for government employees, we shouldn’t be paying out until the retirees are 65 years old, or older as life expectancies increase.

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MMM Year in Review – May

Seal Team 6 killed Osama Bin Laden.

Having lost the legislative map battle, Governor Christie made a deal with Senate President Stephen Sweeney over Supreme Court Justice nominees’ confirmation hearing.  In making the deal, six months before the general election, Christie implicitly conceded that the Democrats would retain control of the State Senate and the Sweeney would remain Senate President.

Howard Birdsall resigned as chairman of the Brookdale College board of trustees.

The world did not end.  The Rapture was rescheduled for October.

The State Supreme Court reaffirmed the Abbott decision, assuring that New Jersey’s educational system would remain racially segregated  and funded by the highest property taxes in the nation.

The Neptune Board of Education made a deal with the ACLU that prevented litigation and kept the high school graduation at the Ocean Grove Great Auditorium.

Governor Christie pulled New Jersey out of the RGGI cap and trade scheme.

86 veterans of the Battle of the Bulge and their families attended a Survivors Reunion and Monument Rededication Ceremony at Thorne Middle School in Middletown.

Rutgers paid Snooki $32,000 to bestow her wisdom upon the student body. They paid retiring University president Richard McCormick $550,000 to take a year off and will pay him $335,000 per year to teach history when he returns.

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