Two of the prime competitors for the right to succeed Chris Christie tuned into Tuesday’s budget address, Save Jerseyans, but they also walked away with very different impressions.
Or at least that’s judging by their postmortem statements to the media.
Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno aimed her fire directly at her boss over his spending priorities and inferred lack of accountability.
“My reaction to the governor’s budget address: I have deep concerns that we are wasting money on television ads and renovating the State House while failing to provide property tax relief. I agree that we need action now to make school funding fairer for our kids, but we also need to audit Trenton and focus on making New Jersey more affordable by giving the savings back to struggling taxpayers,” said the LG, referring to her ‘Audit Trenton‘ plan.
Asm. Jack Ciattarelli, on the other hand, unleashed on both his Republican and prospective Democrat rival, Phil Murphy, for what the GOP challenger describes as “nauseating” half-measures and, where Guadagno is concerned, “more of the same old poll-driven platitudes masquerading as a plan.”
“When I was diagnosed with cancer, my medical team was clear and direct: The only way to get better was through aggressive treatment that would cure the disease, which, thankfully, it did. It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t fun. It wasn’t pain free. In many ways, New Jersey is in the same situation. Any candidate for Governor who refuses to provide a specific plan, and misleads taxpayers about the pain and sacrifice involved, is being dishonest,” opined Ciattarelli. “My five-point plan is full of tough medicine, but that’s exactly what our state needs right now. The difference between Murphy and Guadagno and me is that I have the courage to tell voters the truth and outline a clear prescription for how to fix our state. I am glad Murphy and Guadagno were not my doctors.”
Welp.
Three months to go before Primary Day….
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