Christie's tax comment on radio angers Medford officials

Medford Township officials are furious at Gov. Christie for suggesting on a radio show this week that they are trying to scare voters into approving a tax increase that exceeds the state's 2 percent cap. Christie urged voters to "call the bluff."

Councilman Jeff Beenstock fired off an e-mail Tuesday to the governor saying, "I do not believe your statement last night with respect to Medford was accurate or fair, and is likely to result in people voting against the referendum without understanding the situation we are in."

Beenstock did not receive a reply.

The all-Republican council has warned residents that the affluent Burlington County community's finances are in crisis and that municipal trash collection would be eliminated if voters rejected a proposed 25 percent increase in the municipal portion of the tax levy.

Christie's comments "muddy the waters," said Mayor James "Randy" Pace. The town is not bluffing, he said: "This is not a political game being played to manipulate the public."

The five council members, all political newcomers, inherited a crippling $6 million budget deficit in January after previous councils failed to curb spending and also failed to raise taxes for five years. Police were laid off last month and other cuts were made, Pace said, but there is no place else to trim.

Medford and Lawrence Township, Mercer County, are the only municipalities holding referendums April 17 to ask voters for permission to raise taxes more than 2 percent.

Lawrence's all-Democratic township council also has informed voters that municipal trash pickup is at stake. Township Manager Richard Krawczun said that "a high level of tax appeals" there had lowered revenue and sapped the surplus the town must maintain. If the question is defeated, he said, residents will be assessed a trash fee.

On this week's Ask the Governor program on WKXW-FM, New Jersey 101.5 radio, a listener from Lawrenceville, in Lawrence Township, asked Christie for his opinion on the referendums.

It sounded like Christie said: "There are literally now, out of the 566 towns, only two towns this year [that] are trying to get around the cap. Lawrenceville [sic] and Medford are the only two that I'm aware of that are trying to get around the cap. And I think you call their bluff."

But Kevin Roberts, a Christie spokesman, provided a transcript that read slightly differently.

Christie was not talking about Medford officials, Roberts said. He was saying "he would call the bluff on trash collection and vote no."

On the broadcast, Christie went on to say that "politicians copy other politicians who are successful," suggesting that towns threatening to stop trash pickup took their cue from Brick Township. Residents of the Ocean County town voted in support of a tax hike last year in order to keep their municipal trash service. Christie said the towns should "find other things to cut."

Beenstock was driving to a friend's house when he heard Christie's remarks on the radio.

"I heard the word referendum, so my ears perked up. And I heard him say Medford Township, and then I heard him say vote against it," Beenstock said, "and I almost drove off the road."

Beenstock said the council has worked hard to explain to the public why it needed to exceed the tax-hike cap. Christie's remarks, he said, are "frustrating, to say the least."

In his e-mail, Beenstock urged Christie to "advise residents to learn about the budget and the reasons for the referendum, rather than simply urging them to vote against it."

Roberts, Christie's spokesman, said the governor believed that "it's up to the town to make the case to the people."

Last year, when 14 towns held referendums, Christie also held them up for scorn. At the time, several mayors grumbled that Christie was undermining their efforts to address their budget problems in a tough year. Brick and only one other town were successful in gaining approval for the higher tax increase.

Pace, Medford's mayor, said the governor should show respect to municipal officials faced with unique situations and difficult finances.

"Years of neglect have brought us to this point. It is a well-documented fact that prior councils tripled the debt and created a $5.7 million annual deficit on a $23 million budget. . . . We're doing everything possible, in spite of the never-ending state and county regulations, which make it virtually impossible to create and manage a frugal budget," Pace said.

If voters approve the referendum, taxes will rise $344 on a home assessed at $333,000, the township average. Passage, Pace said, would put Medford back on the road to solvency.