2009 Budget

Two measures aimed at providing relief to constituents - public Senate President Pro Tempore Shirley Turner (D-Mercer)sector cuts proposed in the Gov. Jon Corzine’s 2009 budget, and the Paid Family Leave Act - landed in Sen. Shirley Turner’s (D-Mercer) district this week with all of the ceremony of friendly fire.

The president pro tempore can’t support the governor’s budget because it posits 3,000 job cuts that Turner said would devastate her district, which includes Trenton and the environs where a lot of public employees live.

"I’m going to fight to protect as many of my constituents as possible, to make sure they don’t go after the rank and file," the senator told PolitickerNJ.com. "I’m discussing those proposed cuts with the governor, and I know he believes the most humane and sensible way is to offer early retirement packages. These are workers at the top of the salary grade, and at an age where they can retire."

Sen. Bill BaroniUnlike a lot of his party brethren who were all but lining up to give Gov. Jon Corzine Statehouse high fives following his speech, State Sen. Bill Baroni (R-Mercer), emerged from the Assembly chamber today worried about Corzine's budget proposal.

"The governor's targeting rank and file public employees," said Baroni, referring to Corzine's preliminary proposal to scrap three state departments and eliminate up to 5,000 public jobs through a combination of layoffs and early retirements.

Baroni said that as long as Corzine is willing to keep 50% of the political patronage jobs on the state payroll, the senator could not support what he sees as Corzine's balancing act on the backs of civil servants. Many state workers live in Baroni's hometown of Hamilton, which is adjacent to Trenton.

Gov. Jon CorzineCalling it cold turkey therapy, Gov. Jon Corzine today unveiled his preliminary 2009 budget, which is smaller by $500 million than this year's $33.5 billion state budget.

The budget demands 1,000s of state job reductions, and the elimination of three departments: personnel, agriculture, and the commerce commission. 

The governor said after leading 13 townhall meetings in 13 counties around the state, he could feel the outrage out there and recognizes the need for substantial cuts.