Taxation & Estate Planning

Checkup on Gov. Christie's 88 Campaign Promises

By Deirdre Wheatley-Liss

It is indisputable that Governor Chris Christie has been cutting a path through New Jersey's fabric since January.  Whether a support, a detractor, or somewhere in between, this administration has and will continue to effect all New Jerseyans in material ways.

One question of interest always for all politicians is "how is the rhetoric matching the deliverables?".  Northjersey.com recently took a look at "How is N.J. Gov. Christie doing on his 88 campaign promises?"  Of the 88, they take a look at Promises Kept, Promises on Track, and Promises Not Met, with analysis of the impact of each.

Some Promises Kept:

• No. 4: I will make full use of my veto pen — the absolute veto, the conditional veto and line-item veto — to shape legislative budget policy.
• No. 18: I will require all new state workers and state retirees to contribute to their health insurance costs.
• No. 53: I will appoint a commissioner of the Department of Education whose priority will be approving high-quality charter school applications.

Some Promises on Track:

• No. 20: I will implement aggressive economic growth strategies via public-private partnerships like the "New Jersey Partnership for Action."
• No. 27: I will strengthen our weak "pay-to-play" laws by eliminating special-interest labor union loopholes to ensure labor unions are treated just like any other entities that have contracts with government.
• No. 30: I will increase honesty and openness in government by requiring fully searchable and transparency websites for all state and local governments and school districts, providing links to property records and taxes, government payrolls, expenditures, school-performance report cards and other information.

Some Promises Not Met:

• No. 5: I will rely only on recurring revenue to balance our state budget, not one-shot gimmicks like federal stimulus aid or other revenue unlikely to recur in the future.
• No. 23: I will fully eliminate dual-office holding by our state's elected officials by proposing immediate changes to state law.
• No. 33: I will cut New Jersey's income taxes across the board for all taxpayers.
• No. 83: I will consolidate all renewable energy manufacturing efforts under the "Renew NJ" program, which will promote and market the state to prospective energy manufacturers both at home and abroad and deliver grants, loans and other state incentives in an efficient and timely manner.

Full post as published by New Jersey Estate & Elder Planning Blog on August 02, 2010 (boomark / email).