Governor forced to shut down road work

Good job, Andover Township.  Thanks to the backroom chicanery of the Andover Township Committee (John Jack Burke, Tom Mo-Mo Walsh, et al) and others, the state's ability to fund road and bridge maintenance and repairs is at an end.  The Governor issued Executive Order 210 late yesterday and it was released this morning.  The main points of the order are as follows:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, CHRIS CHRISTIE, Governor of the State of
New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the
Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, DO DECLARE and
PROCLAIM that a State of Emergency exists in the State of New
Jersey and I hereby ORDER and DIRECT the following:

1. The Commissioner of DOT and the Executive Director of New
Jersey Transit are instructed to plan an immediate and orderly
shutdown of all ongoing work that is funded by the TTFA, with the
understanding that any work that is funded by federal funds may
continue.  The respective plans for such orderly shutdown shall be
completed no later than 11:59 pm on Saturday, July 2, 2016.

2. All work that is funded by the TTFA shall cease according
to the shutdown plans established respectively by the Commissioner
and Executive Director, with the understanding that any work that
is funded by federal funds may continue.   
 
3. The Commissioner of DOT shall take all appropriate steps
to ensure that work performed at the municipal level that is funded
by the TTFA, through grant or otherwise, shall cease in a manner
consistent with this Executive Order, with the understanding that
any work that is funded by federal funds may continue.
     
4. Notwithstanding the above paragraphs, transportation
project work may continue when it is, in the discretion of the
Commissioner and Executive Director, respectively, after
consultation with the Office of the Governor, determined that such
projects are absolutely essential for the protection of the health,
safety, and welfare of the citizens of the State of New Jersey, or
are required to ensure the receipt of federal funding.  

5. I authorize and empower the Attorney General, pursuant to
the provisions of N.J.S.A. 39:4-213, acting through the
Superintendent of State Police, to determine the control and
direction of the flow of vehicular traffic on any State or
interstate highway, municipal or county road, and any access road,
including the right to detour, reroute, or divert any or all
traffic, and to prevent ingress or egress and further authorize all
law enforcement officers to enforce any such order of the
Superintendent of State Police within their respective
municipalities.

6. All State officials and agencies shall cooperate fully in
the implementation of this Order.

7. In accordance with N.J.S.A. App. A:9-34 and -51, I
reserve the right to utilize and employ all available resources of
the State government and of each and every political subdivision of
the State, whether of persons, properties, or instrumentalities,
and to commandeer and utilize any personal services and any
privately owned property necessary to protect against this
emergency.

8. In accordance with N.J.S.A. App. A:9-40, no municipality,
county, or any other agency or political subdivision of this State
shall enact or enforce any order, rule, regulation, ordinance, or
resolution, which will or might in any way conflict with any of the
provisions of this Order, or which will in any way interfere with
or impede the achievement of the purposes of this Order.

9. It shall be the duty of every person or entity in this
State or doing business in this State and of the members of the
governing body and every official, employee, or agent of every
political subdivision in this State and of each member of all other
governmental bodies, agencies, and authorities in this State of any
nature whatsoever, to cooperate fully with the Commissioner in all
matters concerning this state of emergency.

10. This Order shall take effect immediately and shall remain
in full force and effect until such time as it is determined by me
that an emergency no longer exists.

The New Jersey League of Municipalities and the New Jersey Association of Counties issued the following statement:

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS URGE STATE LEADERS TO RESTORE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING
For Immediate Release:  July 1, 2016
_______________________________________________________________________________

(Trenton) The New Jersey State League of Municipalities (NJSLOM) and the New Jersey Association of Counties (NJAC) are urging State leaders to reach a fair and equitable compromise on reauthorizing the insolvent Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) in the wake of Governor Chris Christie’s decision to declare a state of emergency and shut down all work funded by the TTF, which includes vital local road and bridge projects.  

“The declared state of emergency is forcing county and municipal governments across the State to shut down operations on critical road and bridge projects that will jeopardize local businesses and economies and place the safety of residents at risk,” said NJSLOM Executive Director Michael Darcy.  

County and municipal roads and bridges carry over 55% of the State’s overall traffic and depend on $190.0 million each year in Local Aid Allocations from the TTF to repair, replace, and rehabilitate functionally obsolete and structurally deficient bridges, and to pave, resurface, and construct local roads and highways.   

“Our state leaders must act now to establish a stable, dependable, and long-term source of dedicated funding for the TTF, and must further restore Local Aid allocations to reduce the reliance on the collection of property taxes, promote economic growth and job development, and ensure a safe and reliable transportation network,” said NJAC Executive Director John Donnadio

As county and municipal governments continue to struggle with delivering essential services in a cost effective manner, a declining ratable base, and unfunded State and federal mandates, failure to reauthorize the TTF and restore Local Aid allocations will force local property taxpayers to inequitably bear the burden of an expense that is not entirely a local one.  Please contact the NJSLOM’s Assistant Executive Director Michael Cerra at (609) 394-3481 or John Donnadio at (609) 394-3467 with any questions or concerns.  

Andover Twp picks fight with Governor

Facebook is the destroyer of political careers -- and it just isn't those politicians who use it to advertise their private parts.  For every Congressman Weiner there is a Committeeman John Jack Burke, a guy who takes up some issue and goes off half-cocked on Facebook, and only afterwards collects together a reason -- or an excuse -- for doing so. 

John Jack or, rather, Mr. Burke, is a corporate factotum who was elected to the Andover Township Committee in 2014.  His method of covering up his Facebook faux pas is to implicate his entire Township -- its committee and people -- in an uninformed pissing contest with the Governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie.  Oh, and by the way, he also managed to put Andover Township on record as pissing on the Speaker of the Assembly, the Republican Leader of the Assembly, the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, the New Jersey Business & Industry Association, the New Jersey Association of Counties, and the New Jersey League of Municipalities. 

Committeeman Burke or John Jack or... whatever he calls himself, doesn't like the gas tax.  Hey, nobody does.  New Jersey has kept its tab on an open credit card since 1988 just to avoid raising the gas tax.  When states like Pennsylvania raised their gas tax to 50 cents a gallon to pay for their roads and bridges, New Jersey kept it right at 14 1/2 cents and put the rest on the credit card -- and kept right on doing it for three decades. 

Think of it this way:  The same burger that cost you a $1.70 in 1988 now costs over $5.00.  Just try buying food for your family at 1988 prices and see how far you get.  Why should roads be any different? 

Nobody faults Committeeman Burke for opposing higher taxes.  Opposing taxation is a very Republican thing to do.  We just wish that more Republicans would oppose spending as well. That's the problem with so many suburban Republicans.  They always want more -- but never want to pay for it. 

What we fault Committeeman Burke for is not telling the truth.  You see, Committeeman Burke talked the other people in Andover Township's local government into attacking Governor Chris Christie for his proposal "to increase the gas tax by $0.23 per gallon."

But that's not true.  That's not the Governor's proposal.  And people who purport to represent a town as upwardly mobile as Andover Township should have the brain power to know that it's not true. 

You see, state legislation isn't some words that the town committee of Andover Township throws together and then imposes on both chambers of the Legislature.  Legislation can only be proposed by members of the Legislature who have been elected by the people of their districts.  Committeeman Burke should try running and find out.  That's how it works. 

The legislation in question is a bill called A-12.  Yes, it does contain a 23-cents per gallon increase in the gasoline tax, as well as a 1 percent cut in the sales tax, and the elimination of taxes on retirement income for more than 80 percent of retirees.  As members of a T-O-W-N committee, the voters have not given you the authority to split this legislation.  You support A-12 or you oppose it -- the whole thing.  And you live with that.  That is the honest way.

The dishonest way is to act as though legislators can vote for part of it and then against another part.  That is misleading.   

But what is more  disconcerting is the juvenile way in which this handjobbery was conducted.  Andover Township is very fortunate to have a member of the Legislature as both a resident and a former mayor and township committeewoman.  As far as we know, all the members of the Andover Committee are Republicans. 

Now we all know that John Jack jumped the gun and started spraying on Facebook, but a more adult crowd would have contained his juvenile urge and then would have brought their concerns face-to-face to make strong and reasoned arguments against this proposal supported by the Governor, the Assembly Speaker, and the Republican Assembly Leader.  Unlike most towns, you actually have a legislator in your town to facilitate it. 

Instead, by appearing to be afraid of making your arguments face-to-face, and then by misrepresenting the legislation, you strike a dubious, dishonest pose.  It is as if you dare not make your case face-to-face for fear it will be refuted.

Be honest, be forthright, make your case.  Republican-to-Republican.  Face-to-face.

Update on Thursday, June 30, 2016 at 9:56PM by Sussex County Watchdog

Governor Christie destroys Andover Township surrogate Spadea.