Politics & Government

Gov. Chris Christie Makes Pitch for Tax Reform Plan

The governor brings his "Town Hall" style meeting to his hometown of Livingston and gets a warm reception

Governor Chris Christie came to his hometown of Livingston today to pitch support for his tax reform plan and to urge the legislature to pass bills limiting public pensions and requiring public employees to pay more of their health insurance costs.

But this "Town Hall" style forum was not the contentious environment of past meetings. The governor spoke to a friendly crowd of supporters and the meeting stayed civil through the Question and Answer session.

"I think he's doing a heck of a job," said former West Caldwell Councilman Joe Fisher. "He's tackling some of the major financial problems that have grasped the state. You've got to give a little and take a little. He's not asking the impossible of people."

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Christie showed off his direct style and sense of humor he has exhibited in his 15 pervious Town Hall meetings throughout New Jersey, but also gave blunt reasons why his budget cutting measures are necessary.

The governor cautioned that if the current public employee pension system wasn't overhauled, it would be bankrupt in nine years. And he said the current system of employees picking up 1½ percent of the costs of their health insurance "unsustainable" and said health insurance for public employees is currently underfunded by $67 billion.

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The governor said his proposal would require public employees to pay 30 percent of the cost of their premiums. "I want people to have health insurance, I want them to have good health insurance, I want them to have what they can afford," he said.

Christie also called for reforms to public schools, saying the state pays the highest per-pupil costs in the nation, but many of the public schools are failing their students. He said students -- particularly in Abbot districts -- are not performing up to state standards.

He said he sympathized with public workers like Maria Brush of Livingston, who described herself as a single parent who works at a sewage treatment plant in Morris County and is worried about her pension.

"I want you to get your pension," Christie said. "We have a choice now between a little bit less or zero," he said, "and zero is coming down the track."

He chastised the state Legislature for not acting on his tax reform plans and instead spending its time trying to pass what he called frivolous bills, involving stray animal neutering, disposal of contraband tobacco products, punishing lock-pickers, and notifying dental patients if their dentures are foreign made.

"I can't wait to get that bill on my desk," Christie said tongue in cheek.

The Livingston event was Christie's 16th town hall meeting, coming 13 days before the Legislature is to act on 33 bills called the tool kit. He expressed frustration that the legislature has held only 42 hours of public debate on his proposals.

"Don't let the legislature fool you that they can't get things done," he said, citing the 14 days it took for passage of the statewide anti-bullying bill. "They can act when they want do."

"They've had the tool kit for seven months. Something is stopping them (from acting). I wonder what it is."

He accused legislators of pandering to special-interest groups that have driven up property taxes in the state. The governor warned the audience not to believe in any alternate plan proposed by the Democratic leadership of the Senate and Assembly. "No one has seen the bill. We don't know the details of that bill, but they are not going to be good for you," he said.

Christie warned if reforms are not enacted immediately, pension costs and other costs for public employees will remain out of control. "If we don't do it, we are headed for disaster," he said.

Christie's town hall forum was held at the Salaam Shriners Center on Mount Pleasant Avenue.

Born in Newark, Christie said his family moved to West Northfield Road so he and his siblings could have a good education and grow up in a nice community.

"Who I am and what I'm about come from two sources," the governor said. "My parents and this town."

 Union Township resident Phyllis Williams said the controversial governor has her support. She said she agrees with his cuts to high salaries among superintendents and other public employees. "I like what he's doing, I'm an advocate that we're all in this together."

In a rare contested moment, David Makkar of Springfield asked the governor why he lacked the "courage and honesty" to cut down the number of municipalities in the state.

Christie said he supports shared services, but "I'm not going to tell Livingston to merge with Roseland. "

"Should West Orange merge with Orange? Should Irvington with Newark?," he said. "I don't know. I think those decisions should be made at the local level."

The give and take included Arne Kellstrom of Morristown, a critic of  "ObamaCare" who asked the governor to take up the fight against the federal health care law.

"I want New Jersey to get a free ride for once," said Christie, explaining that 20 states have already filed suit. "If they win, we win."

The public question forum was wide ranging, with Geraldine Silberman of Millburn speaking out against medical marijuana, to others commenting on the halted tunnel project.

Christie ended his talk by describing how he went to New Brunswick Tuesday night for a Hannukah celebration at the Chabad House that was attended by a surprise guest - former Beatle Paul McCartney.

He said he was mortified to be introduced to the crowd as "a rock star" and joked that he spent the first part of his speech apologizing to the famous singer, "To look like me and act like me and to be in the same room as Paul McCartney . . .  Only in New Jersey, ladies and gentlemen, only in New Jersey."


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