toll hike

   Senator Phil Haines, Assemblywoman Dawn Addiego and Assemblyman Scott Rudder said they are greatly concerned that the new toll hikes pushed through today by Governor Corzine and the Trenton Democrats will hurt the state’s fragile economy and force big trucks on to local roads.

            “In the last few days, people have seen their 401K’s drop to 201K’s. Now we’re going to put a driving tax on them?” asked Assemblyman Scott Rudder, a member of the Assembly Transportation Committee.

Calls On Governor to Convene a Special Summer Session to Address Transportation Funding

Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean (R-21) is calling on Governor Jon Corzine to convene a special summer session of the Legislature to address much-needed transportation funding:

Fifty days ago today, Star-Ledger reporters Josh Margolin and Deborah Howlett broke the story that “Frank Lautenberg's opposition to Gov. Jon Corzine's highway toll plan has opened a rift between the two men that could affect the senator's re-election bid.”

“Lautenberg's announcement was a surprise and led one senior Corzine aide tell top Democrats that the governor would retaliate by ceasing his fund-raising efforts for the senator's re-election campaign,” wrote Margolin and Howlett.

"High-Priced Lawyers Are NOT More Important than Farmers"

Senator Steve Oroho (R-24) once again criticized Governor Corzine for wanting to eliminate the state Department of Agriculture.

"I find it absolutely appalling that Governor Corzine would suggest cutting the Department of Agriculture, which he purports will save $500, 000, while at the same time he is spending over $9 million on politically connected lawyers and consultants, to study the toll hike scheme, " Oroho stated. "The Governor needs to get his priorities straight."

Among the donors to Save Our State NJ, the issue-advocacy group essentially formed by Governor Jon Corzine to advocate his plan to raise tolls, is Public Service Electric & Gas. PSE&G has contributed $100,000 to the effort, according to sources familiar with the SOS group. That might explain Corzine’s reluctance to quickly release the list of SOS donors.

Editor's Note: The Inside Edge strongly stands behind our original report that PSE&G pledged $100,000 to Gov. Corzine's Save Our State NJ toll hike advocacy group, despite communications that seek to demonstrate otherwise and a release of their donors at the end of the day.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr. says that comments by a senior Democratic legislator, Raymond Lesniak, suggesting that Gov. Jon Corzine’s toll hike plan is dead, means the state should look for a budget that doesn’t rely on revenues from toll increases. 
<!--[endif]-->

“Prominent Democrat Senators have now pronounced as DOA in the Senate any gas tax increase, any toll increases for debt, and now the Governor's ill advised and quite likely unconstitutional PBC. It's clear that the members of his own party are now following of the lead of republicans in the legislature in rejecting the Governor's vision,” Kean said in a statement released today.

The mini-feud between Governor Jon Corzine and U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg isn’t likely to erupt into a major war in the June Democratic primary, but one Democratic staffer suggested that the senior Senator’s opposition to Corzine’s toll hike plan should be taken seriously.  Lautenberg has spent much of his more than 23 years in the Senate as an expert of transportation and budget issues, he served as a Commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and like Corzine, he was a hugely successful CEO before getting into politics. So when Lautenberg decides to buck his own party – not something he’s done often over the years –  perhaps its reasonable to wonder if he’s right.

Senator Anthony Bucco (R-25) slammed New Jersey Policy Perspective for its recently released report that said increasing the gas tax 20 cents, hiking fees for driver’s licenses, doubling registration fees for new cars and boosting a tax on expensive vehicles would help solve New Jersey’s fiscal crisis.

Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan issued a statement yesterday slamming Republican legislators for their “closed-minded posture” on Governor Jon Corzine’s proposed toll hikes – or “finance reforms” as Cryan calls them. As a convenience to Cryan, PolitickerNJ.com has used his statement as a template for two more press releases, relating to U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg and State Sen. John Adler.

n response to reports that Governor Jon Corzine is holding secret meetings today with legislators and politically connected members of the business community, including one at the Ram’s Head Inn, to discuss his toll increase/monetization plan before a public meeting later today, County Republican Chairman Keith Davis issued the following statement: