By The Staff | The Save Jersey Blog
With the state-appointed emergency manager warning of insolvency and Mayor Don Guardian predicting bankruptcy for the long-suffering resort town, Governor Chris Christie‘s office hit back on Wednesday afternoon with a direct statement.
“The Governor did not sign the PILOT legislation for one simple reason: Atlantic City government has been given over five years and two city administrations to deal with its structural budget issues and excessive spending. It has not,”
said Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts. “The Governor is not going to ask the taxpayers to continue to be enablers in this waste and abuse. The Speaker is well aware of these facts, as the Governor has discussed it with him repeatedly. There is no mystery. It’s that simple.”
Power politics is driving events.
Christie vetoed the controversial measure on Tuesday, prompting Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto to sit down with Guardian, a Republican, and A.C.’s council president Marty Small, a Democrat, to allow them to voice their concerns. All of this comes as Senate President Steve Sweeney has raised the specter of a state-takeover. Prieto and Sweeney recently scrapped over competing versions of a North Jersey gambling expansion package, a battle in the larger North vs. South war that Sweeney ultimately won with Christie’s backing.
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Fire the legislature
HANG the legislature.