Gov. Christie visits LBI, speaks on local issues

Gov. Chris Christie rolled into Bayview Park in Brant Beach on Long Beach Island, via a small motorcade of big, blacked-out SUVs, around 4 p.m. last Thursday. Followed by a small group of suited security men, he bounded out of the passenger side of the first car, sporting rolled-up shirtsleeves and flashing a grin.

Upon his arrival, a large round of applause erupted from a crowd of 300 or so people, as Bruce Springsteen music played triumphantly in the background. Between shaking hands with those around him, he posed for a picture with a couple of eager fans who had been waiting for him in the hot sun near the outdoor pavilion, for close to an hour.

Christie came to the Island to speak with constituents about tax cuts and other relevant information, as part of his “Endless Summer Tax Relief Tour,” dubbed “A Conversation at the Jersey Shore.” He was greeted with more excited cheers before assuming his position on the pavilion, overlooking Barnegat Bay – a beautiful display the governor said he couldn’t imagine living without.

Photo by Jack Reynolds
Christie stops at LBI for his "Endless
Summer of Tax Relief Tour: A
Conversation at the Jersey Shore."

“This is what passes for work when you’re governor of New Jersey in the summertime,” he said, looking toward the water and eliciting yet another enthusiastic round of applause from the crowd.

Christie immediately began talking about the many things the state has accomplished thus far in his tenure. However, there was one thing he said he hasn’t yet accomplished, and that’s relieving New Jerseyans from high income taxes, which he said the state’s residents have been waiting to receive for more than a decade. The crowd was in favor of this proposal, but what they really wanted to know was more near and dear to their LBI-loving hearts.

Rick Bushnell, president of ReClam the Bay, a local environmental group dedicated to preserving Barnegat Bay and restoring its shellfish population, praised Christie’s pledge to address the bay’s fragile ecosystem in the 10-point Comprehensive Barnegat Bay Restoration Plan. But he also thought it was time the governor took a look at the economic side of things.

“We think you’re the first governor that’s really looked at this comprehensively,” said Bushnell, motioning toward the bay. “But this estuary should be an aquaculture haven that should be producing $60 (million) to $100 million (a year) – no question about it. The one thing that seems to be lacking in the 10-point plan is how to do more of an economic revitalization. I really do believe, as do many others, that to make it an ecological success, we need to make it an economical success.”

Christie agreed, acknowledging he had focused solely on saving Barnegat Bay and saying he thought it would be a good idea to consider the prosperity of the estuary. He told Bushnell he would be interested in hearing more about Bushnell’s ideas regarding the area’s economic growth.

Dorothy Jedziniak, a local oceanfront property owner who has lived on the Island for more than 42 years, said she, too, was concerned about the area’s economic fortune. She asked Christie to help people on the Island like her who are facing an eminent domain battle about easements for the federal beach replenishment program. She said she fears the easement will give the government the power to place a boardwalk, hot dog stand or even a bathroom facility in front of her property and on the properties of those around her.

“Do we object to beach replenishment? No, sir,” she said. “I’ve been in that program with the group since 2005 in the St. Francis Center. We have tried to compromise, we have tried to reason, and no one will change those three words. Perpetuity'; we don’t want that. The second is 'liability'; that we can take because liability is on everyone’s property. And the last is the most dangerous, and that’s 'assignment.' … I’m an old-timer, and to have this beautiful jewel change into a commercial – that’s what assignment means.”

Photo by Jack Reynolds
A crowd of 300 or so people eagerly awaits Christie's
arrival at Bayview Park.

Christie said he believed the power of eminent domain is a legitimate government tool that needs to be used sparingly and smartly. He said he isn’t going to stand in the way of future progress, but he gave his word that individual property rights would be respected as long as he was in charge.

Dr. Melinda Boye-Nolan also asked that the state respect the area’s influx of homeless people. A board member of Family Promise ofSouthern Ocean County, a nonprofit interfaith organization based in Barnegat that helps needy families, she said she was concerned about the recent lawsuit against the county on behalf of the Atlantic CityRescue Mission. Looking for Christie’s advice on the matter, she said Family Promise has been sending the county’s homeless to the mission because Ocean County has no shelter to offer them.

In response, Christie said the mission is inundated with homeless people from many counties around southern New Jersey, and the problem is contributing to the city’s crime rate. He said it’s unfair to the homeless and to the city, especially while it’s trying to revitalize itself as a resort destination. He thought the situation needed better coordination among the different counties, which he said Human Services Commissioner Jennifer Velez would look into.

“This is a real problem,” said Christie. “… Lots of folks are sending homeless to Atlantic County, many more than the mission can handle. The homeless folks are just sleeping on the streets in Atlantic City; they have no place else to go,” he explained. “The mission down there does great work and does a great job, but they only have so much capacity. And when they can’t take people, and people begin to get turned away, it’s creating a bigger problem in Atlantic County.”

Rudy Valentine, Christie’s former high school football coach, and his wife, Rose, who have known the governor since he was 5 years old, asked his opinion on how to go about solving the municipal consolidation problem on LBI.

“We on Long Beach Island: 18 miles long, six municipalities. What can we do to try to maybe look at this and re-evaluate how we’re running our Island?” asked Rose Valentine.

Christie said he thought that sort of decision needed to be left up to the local government. If bureaucrats in Trenton tried to consolidate different towns, he believed the state would be in uproar.

He also said that the more towns you have, the bigger the government you have, and therefore the more expensive property taxes become.

Photo by Jack Reynolds
Christie takes time out of his speech to address
the crowd's local concerns.

He went on to say that the state has worked hard to cut spending so it could afford to cut income taxes. He proposed the state take a third of the $650 million surplus and make a down payment on that tax cut and base it over the next three years, so New Jerseyans would know for certain that for the next three years, their tax rates would continue to decrease.

He urged that Democratic state legislators leave the beach for one day and vote for the tax reform bill now so everyone would know that in 2013 they would have more money to invest in their businesses, to spend on their families and to save for their children’s education.

“(Democrats) don’t want to cut taxes,” Christie said. “If they push it off, they think maybe you’ll forget. My job this summer is to travel around and make sure you don’t forget. Make sure you don’t forget that they owe us a tax cut.”


This article was published in The SandPaper.