In Democratic stronghold, 8 of 9 Elizabeth school board members back Christie

In a city that Jon Corzine carried 74%-22% four years ago, eight of the nine elected members of the Elizabeth Board of Education today endorsed Republican Christopher Christie for Governor.

"Many of the Board members endorsing Chris today are Democrats, but we all know that when it comes to providing a quality education and a hopeful future for our children, party and politics aren't a factor," said school board president Francisco Gonzalez.  "Governor Corzine has failed our kids in the last four years when it comes to education policy in our state and it is time for a change in leadership if we're going to ensure our children receive the quality education they deserve."

Joining Gonzalez in backing the Republican candidate are Carlos Trujillo Raul Burgos, Armando DaSilva, Rafael Fajardo, Marie Lynn Munn, Fernando Nazco and Elcy Castill-Ospina.  Joining the elected officials were former Union County Freeholder Donald Goncalves, former Elizabeth City Councilman Robert Jaspan, and former Board of Education member Tony Monteiro.  All three are Democrats.

In 2005, Corzine defeated Republican Douglas Forrester by 8,014 votes in Elizabeth, one of the state's largest Democratic strongholds. 

The Christie campaign says the mostly Democratic school board members are frustrated with Corzine's failure to assure funding for critical education programs as their reason for supporting the GOP candidate.   

"Corzine heavily favored stop-gap measures to fill the gaping holes in his FY 2010 budget, including funding roughly 10 percent of the education budget with one-time federal stimulus funds.  This reckless accounting puts New Jersey children's education at risk by funding the education budget with $1 billion that will not be there next year," the Christie campaign said in a statement.

State Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Elizabeth) says that Christie's new supporters are the "same Board Members were recently slapped around by the New Jersey Appellate Division for spending over $80,000 of tax dollars for political purposes"

"If they cared about education instead of politics, they wouldn't be supporting Christie who would turn down $2 billion of federal funds for education," Lesniak told PolitickerNJ.com.

In August, the state Appellate Court ruled that the Commissioner of Education could withhold $88,373 of state funding -- the amount the school board used to pay for brochures and TV commercials that Lesniak says are "only the tip of the iceberg of illegal expenditures by the Elizabeth Board of Education."

Elizabeth Mayor Christian Bollwage today praised Corzine's commitment to public education.

"Corzine has made investment in education a priority since taking office because he recognizes the importance of ensuring our children are best prepared for the ever-changing job market." Bollwage said in a statement released by the Democratic State Committee. "His commitment to our children is evident in his dedication to providing increased education funding in the classrooms as well as his authorization of almost $4 billion to build schools and provide the best possible learning environment for students across the state."