BODINE AND COMPANY ARE BEING DISHONEST WITH PLEDGE ON TURNPIKE

For Immediate Release                                        Contact: Rich Levesque

June 27, 2007                                                      609-267-3432

HAINES/ADDIEGO/RUDDER:  BODINE AND COMPANY ARE BEING DISHONEST WITH PLEDGE ON TURNPIKE   

Eighth District Senate Candidate Phil Haines, along with Assembly Candidates Dawn Marie Addiego and Scott Rudder want to make sure the residents of the District know  where they stand on the sale or monetization of State assets such as the New Jersey Turnpike.

The Haines/Addiego/Rudder Team stated in no uncertain terms that they oppose any sale, lease, monetization, or whatever else you want to call of it, of the Turnpike or any other state asset. Our opponents have been very deceptive in their recent pledge which does not address the selling of the Turnpike to another state agency or creating a new state authority to accomplish the Governor’s goal of putting our state’s assets up for sale. 

“I will not support the sale, lease or any other term which the spin doctors come up with, to liquidate our state assets,” said State Senate candidate Phil Haines.  “This is a ponzi scheme, and the people know it.”

“The pledge signed by Assemblyman Bodine and his running mates is not worth the paper it is written on,” said Haines. “The Bodine team’s pledge is limited to the sale or lease of the Turnpike to a private or foreign company. While Governor Corzine talks about selling the Turnpike to another state agency or creating a new public entity that will have the power to sell bonds based on a Turnpike toll increase. I find it suspicious that this is not something covered by their pledge.”

“The sale of state assets such as the Turnpike, is dead on arrival as far as I am concerned,” added Burlington County Freeholder and Assembly candidate Dawn Marie Addiego. “I could not in good conscience support such a fool hardy proposal.”

“The Democrats are merely trying to do damage control,” said Addiego.  “They have seen the Farleigh Dickinson University poll which shows growing public anger over this deal with the Turnpike.”

“Unlike my opponents, I will not place a caveat on my opposition to the Turnpike sale,” said Medford Mayor and Assembly candidate Scott Rudder. “I don’t support this proposal any way, shape or form.”

“If they were serious about their opposition to the Turnpike scheme, they would have been camping out at Drumthwacket, demanding that the Governor remove this language from the budget,” said Rudder.  “They need to stop trying to fool the public and take a real stand on this issue.”

“First Bodine votes to allow language in the Budget for this scam to move forward, now he leaves wiggle room for himself to vote for this initiative in the future,” concluded Haines. “Fran really has lost his way - now that he is a Democrat.”

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