It’s the little things that make me crazy at 5 a.m. I define “little things” as picking up my daily newspaper from the porch and seeing a pair of quotes from two purported New Jersey leaders that show me just how pathetic a state this state is in.
Gov. Jon Corzine delivered his State of the State address on Jan. 9, and the primary topic of his remarks was property tax reform. It is the one issue that residents of New Jersey have been talking about, calling radio shows about and writing letters to the editors of newspapers about for years.
Getting past what Corzine said, essentially that the time to act on property taxes is now (really!!??), I was dumbfounded by quotes attributed to state Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex) and state Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts (D-Camden). There they were on page 1 of the Asbury Park Press:
Codey: “The message is clear. Get to work. Get it done. The public has been skeptical.”
Roberts: “The people are fed up with politicians promising that relief is ‘just around the corner.’ “
Are these guys for real? These statements have to be the biggest “Duh, no kidding” quotes I’ve read in months. These “answers” come from the leaders of the two houses of the state Legis-lature, the men who have the power to make things happen.
And therein lies the problem. Codey and Roberts, who may be swell guys, have come up woefully short at delivering the goods for many New Jersey residents. Unfair school funding is killing suburban districts – sending property taxes soaring – and state spending is an open spigot – moving revenue out the door as soon as it arrives and never saving a penny that is collected in one of the nation’s wealthiest states.
Hello? Anybody home in Trenton?
I think one problem in this situation is the fact that Codey and Roberts do not come from largely suburban counties. Two of the biggest drains on state education dollars are in their backyards – Newark in Essex County and Camden in Camden County.
What chance is there that Codey and Roberts give a damn about municipalities like Manalapan, Marlboro, Freehold Township, Holmdel, Jackson, Howell, Lakewood East Brunswick, Old Bridge, Sayreville, Plumsted or Brick Township?
Not much, it appears.
Population estimates for July 1, 2005, showed that Essex County had about 791,000 residents and Camden County had about 518,000 residents. Those same estimates showed that Middlesex County had 790,000 residents, Mon-mouth County had 636,000 residents and Ocean County had 558,000 residents.
The population is shifting in New Jersey, but the power is not, and that must change. I’m sure I am woefully naive when it comes to understanding the machinations that make someone a leader in the Senate and Assembly.
But I do know this: Richard Codey and Joseph Roberts don’t do it for me when I think about who is going to lead the move for property tax reform.
The legislative delegations that get elected from Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex counties this November need to seriously consider who they will support as the Legislature’s leaders. These counties need to have their interests considered by New Jersey’s highest-ranking public officials.
Mark Rosman is the managing editor of the Tri-Town News.