Town puts Christie on blast

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — A subdued and sparsely-attended town hall meeting with Gov. Christie in this Middlesex County township Wednesday had one noteworthy bit: several anti-Christie electronic traffic signs, set up by town workers at the behest of the Democratic mayor in apparent violation of state regulation.

If you paused long enough as the words scrolled through, the signs read: "Welcome to P-Way Governor ... Please return ... 3.4 mil. in energy money back to taxpayers."

Another sign on the way out of the church where the event was held read: "Come back soon Gov. with energy money in hand."

The signs refer to the "energy-tax receipts" paid by utility companies and collected by the state but traditionally returned to towns for property-tax relief. Mayors have said that because Christie cut the amount of energy-tax-receipt money sent back to towns, they are having trouble controlling taxes and staying under Christie's 2 percent cap on tax hikes.

"The mayors around the state … are banding together to let people know about the energy receipts money," Piscataway Mayor Brian C. Wahler said in an interview after the town hall meeting. "They took 20 percent from us. … If I had that money there would be no property-tax increase in our town."

Christie apparently saw the signs on his way into the town hall because he mentioned the mayor during his opening monologue (although not by name), saying Wahler didn't support pension and benefit reform legislation last year.

"He's got a big mouth on everything else, but he gets mute when it comes to this," Christie said.

Wahler responded: "That's the job of mayors. You're supposed to be big-mouth advocates for the community. And if you're not, you should get out. I don't think he understands the role of the mayor. They're probably just upset it got a little more notice in the media than they anticipated."

But Christie's state Department of Transportation said the mayor may not have used that mouth appropriately.

The portable signs — called "dynamic message systems" — are regulated by the state, and can only transmit messages about traffic, accidents, construction, and safety measures, according to a department spokesman. An extensive state manual lays out what the signs are allowed to be used for.

"The law says that we follow the manual," DOT spokesman Joseph Dee said. "And the manual is very specific about what is permitted."

Wahler scoffed at the idea that he could not use public resources to post signs advocating for money that his town needs. And he noted that Christie's town halls, in which he advocates for his policies, also are paid for by taxpayers.

"So what? Big deal. What do you think he's running around doing with the town hall meetings? Who drives him to the town hall meetings?" Wahler asked.