HANDLIN AND THOMPSON: CORZINE ONCE AGAIN IGNORES THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE IN TOLL-RAISING QUEST

GOVERNOR ADMITS HE IS STILL CONSIDERING TOLL HIKE AND BORROWING SCHEME THAT HE SEEMINGLY ABANDONED AFTER PUBLIC OPPOSITION

      Assembly members Amy H. Handlin and Sam Thompson said today that Governor Corzine has been disingenuous with the public by secreting working on his plans to raise tolls 800 percent and borrow $40 billion with false promises of reducing state debt after he had promised not to proceed with it.

      "After Governor Corzine wasted millions of dollars on private lawyers and consultants to study this plan, people made it clear that they can't afford more toll increases, borrowing and complicated shell games," Handlin, R-Monmouth and Middlesex, said. "This plan made no sense when the governor first proposed it and makes less sense now that the national economy has crumbled and has put further strain on the state's mismanaged finances."

      This year, tolls on the Garden State Parkway increased by 30 cents to $1 and will climb to $1.50 by 2012 - a $650 annual increase for a commuter. If Corzine's original monetization plan were enacted, annual commuter costs would rise by more than $1,000 on the Parkway. That plan had strong opposition from the public and Republican legislators, who have proposed reducing state debt through a comprehensive plan that entails restricting government's ability to borrow what taxpayers cannot afford to repay and other responsible budgeting reforms, but Corzine told The New York Times he is reconsidering the plan.

      "Sometimes, the simplest solution is the best one," Thompson, R-Middlesex and Monmouth said. "Instead of working secretly on a plan that will only take more money from middle class New Jerseyans to give to Wall Street investors, the governor should listen to the people and manage the state's finances openly, honestly and directly."

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