August 20, 2009 - 3:57pm
News

GOP chief slams back at Corzine surrogate

The average property tax bill in Garfield is up from $610 since Jon Corzine became governor, says GOP gubernatorial candidate Christopher Christie, who held a community meeting at the Frank B. Calandriello Senior Center in the Bergen County municipality today as part of a campaign swing concentrating on claims that Corzine is responsible for higher taxes and growing unemployment.

Christie noted that Bergen County's unemployment rate is up from 4.1% to 8.2% over the last three years.

In a statement released by the Democratic State Committee, Bergen County Freeholder Director Chairman James Carroll said that Christie "has never been in a position to create jobs for New Jerseyans. 

"This simple fact makes it even more important for him to have a plan, but he does not," Carroll said.

But Bergen County GOP Chairman Robert Yudin simply dismissed Carroll, the mayor of Demarest, as a dual officeholder who will be "out of one of his jobs" when Christie becomes governor.  He also took a clear shot at Carroll's political alliance with former Democratic Chairman Joseph Ferriero, whose federal corruption trial is set to begin this fall.

"Carroll has never created a job other then within the corrupt Democratic Bergen County controlled political scene where everything is for sale to the highest bidder," said Yudin.  "The people want a change both at the state and county level.  Starting next January we are going to see a return to the two party system."

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