Nutley, NJ - Candidate Carmen Pio Costa announced today that he would refuse retirement compensation as a New Jersey State Assemblyman. Citing the need for state legislators to take drastic steps of leadership in these difficult fiscal times, the 36th District candidate called for a bill to remove state lawmakers from Gov. Corzine’s new 401k retirement system for future elected and appointed officials.

“The state legislature is a part-time job that does not deserve perks denied to most full-time workers in the real world,” said Pio Costa, a Nutley resident and President of Pio Costa Enterprises. “Especially now, with the state’s fiscal crisis, elected leaders need to lead by example and take a hit, just as our taxpayers do with every tax-increasing year. It is not enough to just change the way benefits are received. Trenton needs to show the public it is serious about government reform by forsaking retirement perks altogether.”

Pio Costa’s announcement comes on the heels of a controversial resolution passed by the Passaic City Council allowing members to grab city-paid health insurance coverage even more easily than before. Instead of having to give 25 years of service, council members now need only put in 15 years of part-time work to receive life-time health benefits.

“What happened in Passaic is a perfect example of politicians feeling entitled to perks rather than feeling obligated to serve the taxpayers,” said Pio Costa. “That is why Trenton needs to demonstrate that a public job is not a path to a cushy retirement. It is a public trust given to citizen legislators that are to act as servants, not career politicians.”