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Star Ledger ‘Gov. Christie, Democratic lawmakers remain deadlocked on latest property tax cap reforms’
The Auditor/The Star-Ledger ‘Democrats weren’t the only ones out of the loop’
Anybody there?
The exodus of senior staffers at the state Department of Education has turned into stampede, frustrating local school leaders who say it is undercutting chances of reform.
“It’s a threadbare department and it’s been rendered useless by the governor,” one superintendent told The Auditor...An exaggeration? Not by much...This week deputy commissioner Willa Spicer will retire. Several division directors have left in recent weeks and months, including Janis Jensen (academic standards), Roberta Wohle (special education) and Sandra Alberti (math and science). Five of the six assistant commissioners have left, leaving only Barbara Gantwerk at that level...“This is a big deal,” says Lynne Strickland of the Garden State Coalition of Schools. “How can they possibly push reforms? Who’s going to really understand it[reform intiatives] and carry it out so it has even a chance?...”
Star Ledger ‘Gov. Christie, Democratic lawmakers remain deadlocked on latest property tax cap reforms’
The Auditor/The Star-Ledger ‘Democrats weren’t the only ones out of the loop’
The Auditor/The Star-Ledger ‘Democrats weren’t the only ones out of the loop’ Sunday, December 05, 2010, 5:05 AM
’Tis the season of peace and good will ... unless you voted for the other guys.
Such was the spirit on display in Newark this Thanksgiving when Mayor Cory Booker did not buy turkeys for residents in the South and Central Wards — the two districts that sent Booker’s political enemies, Ras Baraka and Darrin Sharif, to the City Council.
While the mayor told WBGO radio last month that he had “too much on his plate” for the annual tradition of passing out turkeys to needy residents, he managed to use private funds to send 100 turkeys apiece for his allies on the council.
Baraka and Sharif did raise money for turkeys in their wards, the two poorest in the city, but were not pleased at the snub.
Booker declined to answer The Auditor’s queries surrounding the dearth of holiday birds, but a staffer indicated Baraka and Sharif failed to request the turkeys in a timely fashion.
Booker’s opponents told The Auditor they weren’t holding out hope for a mayoral change of heart this holiday season. Barring a visit from three spirits, Councilman Sharif said, “I’m probably not on his Christmas list either.”
Anybody there?
The exodus of senior staffers at the state Department of Education has turned into stampede, frustrating local school leaders who say it is undercutting chances of reform.
“It’s a threadbare department and it’s been rendered useless by the governor,” one superintendent told The Auditor. “The department has basically been shut down, that’s the bottom line.”
An exaggeration? Not by much. Since Gov. Chris Christie fired Commissioner Bret Schundler in August, the department has been led by an acting commissioner, Rochelle Hendricks.
This week deputy commissioner Willa Spicer will retire. Several division directors have left in recent weeks and months, including Janis Jensen (academic standards), Roberta Wohle (special education) and Sandra Alberti (math and science). Five of the six assistant commissioners have left, leaving only Barbara Gantwerk at that level.
Hendricks wouldn’t discuss this, but The Auditor is told she doesn’t feel she has the authority to fill these posts. And what reckless soul would take a job when it’s not clear who will be the real boss?
“This is a big deal,” says Lynne Strickland of the Garden State Coalition of Schools. “How can they possibly push reforms? Who’s going to really understand it and carry it out so it has even a chance?”
Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts disputed the notion that the department is in big trouble. “Rochelle Hendricks is doing a terrific job managing the department while we undergo the process for selecting a permanent commissioner,” he said.
Bad at bearing bad news?
Speaking of education, when news broke last week that the state had missed out on $14 million in federal grant money for charter schools, it conjured memories of the summer’s Race to Top debacle that cost New Jersey $400 million.
A prime talking point for Democrats taking aim at Christie was that the feds actually denied the state’s application in August — a date confirmed by both the state and national education departments — but no one knew about it until last week. Democrats accused Christie of keeping them in the dark.
Turns out, Democrats weren’t the only ones out of the loop. When Christie took to his Twitter account Tuesday to defend his administration, he wrote that he had only found out two days before.
Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak said the governor tweeted the truth: the Department of Education did not actually pass the bad news to the front office until recently.
“While departments do report back to the governor’s office daily, they also operate and execute on their own every day to carry out the governor’s vision,” Drewniak said.
Turner’s bully pulpit
The Auditor has learned that as Democrats caucused behind closed doors before voting on the “Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights” late last month, state Sen. Shirley Turner (D-Mercer) proposed a last-minute change: “I was just asking if we could amend the bill ... to include the governor’s office,” she said.
Turner confirmed this, saying her fellow Democrats — who have taken a drubbing from Christie this year — erupted in laughter. So does Turner really think Christie’s a bully?
“It’s all in the eye of the beholder. I don’t view him as a bully because he can’t bully me, but I guess some people are intimidated by him,” she told The Auditor
Christie spokesman Roberts responded: “When you’ve treated Trenton and the state treasury like your own playground for so long, you’re bound to mistake strong leadership and fiscal discipline for bullying.”
Star Ledger ‘Gov. Christie, Democratic lawmakers remain deadlocked on latest property tax cap reforms’
Published: Monday, December 06, 2010, 6:30 AM by John Reitmeyer/Statehouse Bureau
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TRENTON — New Jersey’s latest cap on local property tax hikes goes into effect in less than a month, but Gov. Christie and Democratic lawmakers remain deadlocked on reforms that both sides concede are crucial to make the cap work.
The new limit, passed in July by Christie and the Legislature, lowers the current 4 percent cap down to just 2 percent. It goes into effect on Jan. 1.
Both Christie and Democratic legislative leaders stressed during the summer that local government reforms also had to be enacted to give local officials enough room to cut costs while preserving their ability to deliver services.
Those companion bills, however, are still not in place. Both sides say they are confident a compromise can be reached, and the latest meeting on the issue is scheduled for today.
While some proposed reforms have already moved easily through the Assembly and Senate since July, key legislation — including proposed changes to the arbitration process that governs contract disputes between police officers and firefighters and their local government employers — has not.
Christie, who offers a near-daily countdown to Jan. 1, has repeatedly pressed the Legislature to pass the package of 33 bills he put forward earlier this year, reforms he calls the “tool kit” for local leaders.
“We’re now five months since that agreement, where everybody stood up here and said, ‘We’ve got to have that tool kit,’” Christie said during a Statehouse news conference on Friday.
“So now we’re getting down to brass tacks and it’s time to make some decisions,” he said.
But Democrats have their own ideas on reforming local government and are also questioning whether Christie’s reforms can do much to lower the state’s high property tax bills, which averaged a statewide record of $7,281 in 2009.
The most visible disagreement thus far has been on the bid to reform the arbitration process, which helps guide contract negotiations all over the state.
Christie wants to see arbitrators bound by a new law that would prohibit them from awarding annual raises that would push local governments above the new 2 percent cap on property tax hikes.
A compromise bill put forward by Democratic leaders also includes the 2 percent limit, but takes other costs, such as health care, outside of the cap. And the Democrats’ legislation would sunset in three years unless renewed.
Minutes after Democrats release 'toolkit' compromise, Christie threatens to veto it Ledger Live for Tuesday November 23, 2010 - Ledger Live with Brian Donohue. The Democrats presented a compromise proposal to Gov. Chris Christie's 'toolkit' today in Trenton. Minutes after they announced their plan, where the Democrats seemed confident that Christie would like their plan, Christie held his own press conference where he called their plan 'watered down' and said it was full of holes like swiss cheese. This puts the legislature and the governor back where they started with Christie saying they aren't doing their job. Watch video
“We’ve built a strong consensus around a responsible plan that will help taxpayers and protect the rights of police and firefighters,” said Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, D-Essex. “It’s now time for everyone to put the theatrics aside and join us in doing what’s best for New Jersey.”
Democrats have also warned that even if all 33 bills put forward by Christie become law by Jan. 1, they will not offset the cuts in aid that local governments suffered in the latest state budget — cuts they pin on the governor. Municipalities, school boards and county governments have all said layoffs are looming.
“Unfortunately, the tool kit will help, but it’s not going to fix [the problem],” said Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, at a recent meeting of local leaders in Atlantic City. “The cuts are what caused taxes to go up.”
Property owners who are frustrated by Trenton’s inability to address the property tax issue don’t have to just sit on the sidelines as their bills continue to go up, said Hackensack-based attorney Carl Rizzo, who specializes in tax appeals.
Many properties are assessed too high right now due to the poor economy and property owners could see their tax bills reduced through an appeal, Rizzo said.
Most tax attorneys will offer a preliminary analysis for free and many towns are willing to settle before a long and costly court battle, he said.
“You’re just dumping money down the drain by not even looking at it,” he said. “There’s money out there to be had.”
