Governor Chris Christie‘s plan to renovate the New Jersey State House – at a price tag of $300 million – has attracted plenty of scrutiny from the public.
One of the critics is a Republican legislator running to succeed him next year.
On Tuesday, Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli (R-Somerset) issued the following statement panning the Governor’s planned renovations particularly in light of ongoing state fiscal strife:
The governor’s plan to renovate the Statehouse begs more questions than it answers. We just finished debating a massive but avoidable 23 cent increase in the gas tax. Now, suddenly, $300 million more debt for a Statehouse renovation without a dedicated funding stream?
“Even if there is dedicated funding, we simply cannot afford any more debt. Our crippling debt is the reason we recently suffered our tenth credit downgrade. It also raises the constitutionality of the plan. Why isn’t this debt going before voters?
“The governor’s plan lacks innovation and resourcefulness. Counties and municipal governments plan ahead on big projects to minimize debt by budgeting smaller portions over a 3 to 5 year period. The governor didn’t and also ignored restoring the Statehouse with public-private partnerships or private donations.
“The Statehouse needs to be renovated and workers deserve safe working conditions. However, the proposed plan is emblematic of New Jersey’s irresponsible fiscal policy and cause for taxpayers’ continued frustration and anger.”
Ciattarelli is a long-time antagonist of the Governor; back during the 2016 Election, he even asked Christie to consider resigning given his seemingly full-time Trump campaign surrogate job that kept him on the trail outside of the state.
Assemblyman Ciattarelli’s expected opponents for the 2017 GOP gubernatorial nomination include Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno, Nutley Township Commissioner Steven L. Rogers, social media activist Joe Rullo, and veteran SNL comedian Joe Piscopo.
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