Assemblyman Richard Merkt, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor, is calling on his fellow state lawmakers to give themselves a paycut.
Merkt, of
“With the state now experiencing a severe budget crisis and asking state employees to sacrifice to help, the entire Legislature should lead by example and accept a modest reduction in legislative salaries,” said Merkt, a corporative executive with an electronic components manufacturing firm in
Merkt said that by giving themselves a paycut, legislators would “send a powerful message to both state employes and taxpayers in general that the Legislature understands the gravity of the situation andi s serious about solving the current budget crisis. It would also show that legislators are willing to sacrifice something, rather than merely asking others to bear the burden of the state’s budget woes.”
The last time
“At a time when hundreds of thousands of our state’s residents have lost their jobs – and many more are taking wage cuts, it’s just not good enough for lawmakers in Trenton to stick to ‘business as usual,’ without any personal sacrifice at all,” Merkt said. “If legislators take a small hit to their own wallets, perhaps they will gain a deeper sympathy for what the average
Merkt is not the first lawmaker to propose a legislative paycut. State Sen. Stephen Sweeney, a Gloucester County Democrat, proposed a paycut of 15 percent in 2006. He offered the proposal after angering unionized state workers with a proposal that they accept a paycut. The proposal received some support from Republicans, but ultimately failed.
Merkt said a fellow Republican Assemblyman had told him he agreed with the proposed paycut. But Merkt added he doubts the proposal will go anywhere.
“The atmosphere in
More recently, Gov. Corzine has proposed an 18-month wage freeze for state employees to help close the $2.1 billion budget shortfall.
Merkt called that idea a mere Band-Aid, saying that the core of the problem is that government in Click here for Philly.com's politics page.
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Hope springs eternal among the pols in the Garden State. Despite a budget crisis, legislators had time for New Year's resolutions. Here's a sample:
State Sen. and Congressman-elect John H. Adler (D., Camden): “My first one is to keep my family healthy and happy. My second one is to try to help restore hope and prosperity to the American people as I go to Congress in January.”
Senator Diane Allen (R., Burlington): Two with a similar theme: I want to work harder on the state’s fiscal health. It’s greatly in need of focus and work and also on my own health.”
Former U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie, who may be running for governor: “To end my unemployment.”
Senate President Richard J. Codey (D., Essex): “Not to look at my monthly statements from my stock broker.”
Assemblyman Richard Merkt (R., Morris): “To leave my new granddaughter, Cecilia Claire, a happier, healthier, and more peaceful world.”
Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr. (D., Camden): “Exercise more. I’m good for about 30 days.”
Senator Stephen Sweeney (D., Gloucester): “To try to live a healthier life.”
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Senate Republicans sued the Corzine administration today to try to compel the release of data showing what state spending has been frozen by the administration. The complaint was filed in Mercer County Superior Court.
The Republicans sued after they filed a written request on Dec. 2 under the state’s open public records law. The Department of Treasury initially requested an extension until Dec. 24 to respond and then requested an additional 11 days, until Jan. 12, citing a need for a legal review of records.
The state’s budget shortfall was $459 million as of November for the fiscal year that began July 1. Administration officials project a $1.2 billion budget hole, which means Corzine will likely need to cut spending to balance the budget.
State senators Tom Kean Jr., Anthony Bucco, Kevin O’Toole, Steve Oroho and Phil Haines sent a letter to Corzine warning they intended to file the complaint. The senators said they want assurances the governor is “adequately preparing for revenue losses and the more than $100 million in new spending legislation you signed in the last several weeks.” Republicans say they want to know whether Corzine has frozen enough spending to balance the budget, and also what spending he has chosen to freeze.
The governor has said he will detail his plan to deal with the budget after the New Year.
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Assemblyman Richard Merkt is not only running for governor, he’s running across New Jersey.
The Morris County Republican is hoping to run in all 566 of the state’s municipalities before next year’s primary. So far, he’s hit about 340 towns, covering about 400 miles in his New Balance sneakers, he said.
“Part of the message I’m trying to send is that I’m willing to work for this nomination,” Merkt said. “This has been a lot of time and a lot of effort.”
Merkt said that he’s “running” in his first run for the governor’s office because he wanted to learn more about the state. What better way, he thought, than to hit the pavement one town at a time.
Monday, Merkt ran through parts of Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth and Burlington Counties. Tuesday, he’s in Passaic County. He typically runs anywhere from half a mile to three or four miles at a stretch, stopping along the way to introduce himself to people, ask questions and ask for their support.
Merkt said he’s learned just how diverse the state is in terms of people and neighborhoods. He was surprised to hear one consistent message from the people he’s met, he said, which is that people lack confidence in Trenton.
“They’re worried about jobs, the economy - those are really the top issues,” Merkt said, adding that the concerns were the same from Bergen County down to Cape May.
Most people are surprised when the casually-dressed Merkt introduces himself, mid-run, as a state legislator and candidate for governor.
Merkt admitted he had a secondary motive to launching his running campaign. He says he’s lost about 10 pounds so far – not as much as he would have liked, because the exercise increases his appetite, so he ends up eating more.
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In case you missed it over the holiday weekend, the Inquirer's Cynthia Burton had an insightful profile of Gov. Corzine's new chief-of-staff, Ed McBride.
McBride, as Burton writes, has strong Philadelphia and South Jersey ties. He was Corzine's chief counsel and before that worked with Democratic Govs. Florio and McGreevey.
From dealing with property tax rebate plans then, to the government shutdown in 2006 to ethics reform proposed in September, McBride is a person who knows the details of policy, down to the granular level. Having served as Corzine's chief counsel in his 2005 gubernatorial bid, McBride is also no stranger to elections. Corzine is up for re-election in November.
Here's Burton's story: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/36739989.html
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Gov. Corzine met with reporters for about 35 minutes this afternoon to look back at a year that included a number of setbacks (his toll plan, pension deferral) and accomplishments (cutting the budget, limiting borrowing, moving his economic recovery plans quickly).
Corzine acknowledged that the overriding story of the year, and what has overshadowed nearly everything state government has done, has been the nation's recession and its fall out.
Among the highlights of a very interesting year-end press conference:
- Corzine said he has identified spending cuts nearly equal to the $400 million reduction his administration announced earlier this year to help close a $1.2 billion budget shortfall. He said he will offer details after New Year's, but several times stressed that he will have to see how hoped-for federal aid fits with the state's needs.
- He said furloughs, wage freezes and lay offs are all on the table. He said he hopes for cooperation from workers under contract (read: labor unions), adding that if they don't come to the table, lay offs are his only option to labor costs.
- He called the nation's economic problems "the most unprecedented" he had seen in his life, but hoped that things could start to turn around withing six or nine months.
- Corzine acknowledged his proposed ethics reforms have "less than whole-hearted support in the Legislature."
- He said he would normally not propose something like the pension deferral he recently pitched - "I think it's bad long-term fiscal policy" - but that it's a better alternative than property tax hikes.
- Corzine strongly indicated that he would not extend the Dec. 31 deadline for affordable housing plans, although he did not give a concrete final answer.
We'll have more details in Tuesday's Inquirer.
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Earlier this month, when President-elect Barack Obama and most of the nation's governor's convened in Philadelphia, there was much pomp, a lot of talk, a ton of coverage and few specifics, except from Gov. Corzine.
While most of the governors and nearly all of the media gathered up for one massive press conference after the meeting with Obama, Corzine held his own gaggle outside with the Trenton press corps. He wouldn't put exact figures on the stimulus plan that might come from an Obama administration, but he got more detailed than any other state leaders that day, saying he envisioned a plan that could top $700 billion, with around $400 billion for infrastructure investment, over two years.
Now, the Washington Post reports that the Obama team is crafting at a $670 billion to $770 billion plan that could grow to $850 billion by the time it gets through Congress. Included in that amount is at least $350 billion in investments.
Sounds much like Corzine described, which sure makes it seem like he has an inside line on the administration's plans.
That could be a big asset, not just for New Jersey as it seeks a piece of the Obama plan, but also for Corzine himself as he heads into an election year in which Democrats expect fiscal credentials to be the top issue.
The Washington Post story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121804204.html?hpid=topnews
Inquirer story after Obama's visit: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/35457489.html
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