Liar, Liar, Connie Wagner’s Skirt is on Fire!

Back in 2009, after running what The Bergen Record deemed one of the ugliest negative campaign in state legislative history, Assemblywomyn Connie Wagner (D-38) told political report Matt Friedman that “I think that I’ve matured as a candidate and as an assemblyperson, and if I choose to run again in the future, I will only do positive pieces. And you can hold me to that.”

It only took Wagner two years to break her promise! Wagner and her running mates, Sen. Bob Gordon and Asm. “Tiny Tim” Eustace, are spending a gazillion dollars accusing Republican challenger Richard Goldberg of raising his salary as the Mayor of Hawthorne back in 2003:

In his decade-plus time on Hawthorne’s governing body – as councilman and mayor – Goldberg has voted on and presided over budgets that more than doubled the municipal tax rate from 1998 to 2010. Property taxes in the borough increased 5.7 percent in 2009, 5.27 percent in 2010 and 1.9 percent this year. And the estimated increase is pegged to be 4.4 percent next year and 5 percent by 2013 – more than double the state-mandated 2 percent cap – meaning that residents will be looking at drastic cuts in essential services, even while paying more in property taxes.

But the real kick in the pants comes from the fact that while he was asking residents to pay more in property taxes, Goldberg even voted himself a 13 percent pay hike on the council. (Source: October 6, 2011 Gordon/Wagner/Eustace Press Release).

The primary problem with this attack line is that Goldberg did not become Mayor until 2008! That’s a five year difference for those of you who learned math from Lou Greenwald. Moreover, Hawthorne officials’ salaries have not increased since he joined the Council in 1997.

The minutes (See pdf) blow the Dem claim to pieces, Save Jerseyans. In 2010, the Mayor of Hawthorne earned $7.5k, the Council President earned $5k and the other council members took home $4k (See this 2010 ordinance in pdf format). Seven years earlier? You guessed it – the exact same salaries: the Mayor of Hawthorne earned $7.5k, the Council President earned $5k and the other council members took home $4k (See 2003 ordinance).

So if you’re going to get nasty, Connie, it helps to get your facts straight first. Or at least learn how to count for the love of God!

For those of you out there in Save Jersey Land shocked and appalled by Wagner and her running mates’ behavior, watch Brian McGovern’s interview with Rich Goldberg and learn how to help bring much-needed change to LD38. Judging by what I’m hearing on the ground taken together with the intensity of these Democrat smears, this race is now undoubtedly a lean-Republican pick up opportunity on November 8th.

Matt Rooney
About Matt Rooney 8403 Articles
MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com's founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of 'The Matt Rooney Show' on 1210 WPHT every Sunday evening from 7-10PM EST.

1 Comment

Comments are closed.