Trenton – Senator Raymond Lesniak issued the following statement on Thursday in response to Governor Christie’s return trip to New Jersey for one of his routine town hall meetings:
“It’s nice that the governor is interrupting his out-of-state travel on behalf of Republican candidates, but cameo appearances in New Jersey are obviously failing to do the job that needs to be done to repair his economic record. His misplaced priorities have him spending far too much time and energy campaigning for Republicans elsewhere and working to boost his national political profile when he should be facing up to the economic and fiscal needs here in New Jersey.
“Unemployment is at record levels under his tenure and he tries to parse the numbers as a way of avoiding responsibility. We have the second-highest rate of mortgage foreclosures and his administration made the problem worse by mismanaging the federal program that would help ease the crisis. His continued advocacy for an immediate tax cut before he knows we can pay for it shows a reckless disregard for fiscal responsibility. State revenues are far below his inflated projections, causing credit agencies to warn of a costly downgrade. And the list goes on, with increased property taxes, stagnant economic growth, a shrinking middle class, a widening wealth gap and a growing poverty rate.
“Town hall meetings and YouTube sound bites won’t repair the state’s economic and fiscal problems. The governor needs to get serious about these needs and stay at work to address them.”