During gubernatorial run, Christie issued '88 Ways Chris Christie Will Fix New Jersey,' a list of promises that covered state finances, education, energy, ethics, cities and jobs.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at annual Charter School Association conference.TRENTON -- N.J. Gov. Chris Christie, in a fast-paced first six months on the job, has cut the budget and tax rebates, capped property tax hikes and school superintendent pay, and taken on teachers, lobbyists, lawmakers, pollsters and columnists.
"I'm overjoyed by how things have gone the first six months," Christie told The Record's editorial board in a recent interview.
The governor, however, also concedes that he still has "plenty to do," and that now is "no time for self congratulations at all."
Last year, Christie's campaign made public the "88 Ways Chris Christie Will Fix New Jersey," a list of promises that covered state finances, education, energy, ethics, cities and jobs.
Christie has come through on many of his campaign promises – such as cutting employee benefits and reviewing the effectiveness of state regulations. Some promises are works in progress — including making finances at all levels of government more transparent — while others have yet to be advanced, despite Christie's breakneck pace in his first half-year.
Here is where Christie stands in a sampling of those 88 points he made during his campaign.
PROMISES KEPT
No. 4: I will make full use of my veto pen — the absolute veto, the conditional veto and line-item veto — to shape legislative budget policy.
The governor has certainly not been shy when it comes to using the veto. Most notably, he did it within minutes after Democratic lawmakers voted to raise the income tax rate paid by the state's millionaires. Christie also used the conditional veto to whittle down the Democrats' 2.9 percent cap on property taxes to a 2 percent cap with only limited exceptions.
No. 17: I will eliminate pension and health benefits for part-time employees and political appointees. Only full-time employees should qualify for a public pension.
The governor signed several health and pension benefits reform bills into law in March, including legislation that bans part-time employees from enrolling in the state pension system. He has also called for further changes and is promising to unveil new reforms in the fall.
No. 18: I will require all new state workers and state retirees to contribute to their health insurance costs.
The benefits reform enacted by Christie in March also included a bill that requires all public workers in New Jersey to pay at least 1.5 percent of their salaries toward their health care, with an estimated savings for local governments of $314 million.
No. 39: I will provide relief from our state's overbearing regulations — restoring balance and fairness — by creating a permanent "Red Tape Review Group."
Christie created the Red Tape Review Commission immediately after taking office, and it studied state regulations for three months before issuing a report in April. The panel put forward a series of recommendations that were well-received by the business community, but criticized by some Democrats and environmentalists as putting economic growth ahead of sound rule-making and public health.
No. 53: I will appoint a commissioner of the Department of Education whose priority will be approving high-quality charter school applications.
The governor picked former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler as his commissioner for the Department of Education. As a mayor, Schundler helped pave the way for the Golden Door Charter School in Jersey City, and he also worked with lawmakers to enact the state's charter-school laws. Since his confirmation to the Cabinet post, Schundler has called for a more cooperative relationship between school districts and charter schools.
PROMISES ON TRACK
No. 20: I will implement aggressive economic growth strategies via public-private partnerships like the "New Jersey Partnership for Action."
While the actual partnership group envisioned by Christie the candidate has yet to fully come together, he has been pursuing an aggressive pro-business agenda that includes eliminating a corporate income tax surcharge and softening a tax hike on businesses that pay into the state's unemployment benefits fund. Christie also organized a task force to study privatization opportunities and is considering privatizing other assets such as New Jersey Network television and the Izod Center.
No. 27: I will strengthen our weak "pay-to-play" laws by eliminating special-interest labor union loopholes to ensure labor unions are treated just like any other entities that have contracts with government.
The governor attempted to come through immediately on this promise with an executive order in January that restricted political donations from labor unions doing business with the state. But the state Supreme Court ruled in May that only the Legislature, and not Christie, could rewrite the existing campaign finance laws. To answer political opponents like the unions, Christie is helping Reform Jersey Now, a newly created federally registered charitable fund, raise money outside of state campaign finance laws in the same manner as the unions.
No. 30: I will increase honesty and openness in government by requiring fully searchable and transparency websites for all state and local governments and school districts, providing links to property records and taxes, government payrolls, expenditures, school-performance report cards and other information.
Christie's first budget brought with it a new website for state residents to track the budget and other state spending and finances. The "Your Money" website is run by the state Department of Treasury at www.yourmoney.nj.gov/. But Christie has so far failed to see a bill sponsored by Sen. Joseph Pennacchio, R-Morris, and Sen. Richard J. Codey, D-Essex, that would force local governments to create similar websites make it out of the Legislature.
PROMISES NOT MET
No. 5: I will rely only on recurring revenue to balance our state budget, not one-shot gimmicks like federal stimulus aid or other revenue unlikely to recur in the future.
Christie's budget relied on about $270 million in one-shot revenue sources that may not recur next year, according to non-partisan budget analysts with the Office of Legislative Services. The budget also includes about $1 billion in federal stimulus funds. But the non-recurring revenue and federal money make up less than 5 percent of the total $29.4 billion spending plan enacted by Christie.
No. 23: I will fully eliminate dual-office holding by our state's elected officials by proposing immediate changes to state law.
After six months on the job the governor has yet to put forward his "immediate" changes to the dual-office holding law. He also hasn't come through on a pledge to prohibit the holding of two elected or appointed government positions. But he's also been forced to work with a Democratic Legislature controlled by state Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, who doubles as a member of his county's Freeholder Board, and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, D-Essex, who works as Essex County's administrator.
No. 33: I will cut New Jersey's income taxes across the board for all taxpayers.
The governor's critics fault him for cutting income tax rates for the state's wealthiest residents, but he's actually cut no income taxes thus far. The "millionaires tax" affecting those making $400,000 or more that wasn't a part of the new state budget was allowed to lapse by Democratic lawmakers before Christie took office. He vetoed a later attempt to restore the top-end rate on those making more than $1 million. And his decision to reduce the state's earned-income tax credit, a benefit received by low-wage workers, was viewed by many as an income tax hike for the poor.
No. 83: I will consolidate all renewable energy manufacturing efforts under the "Renew NJ" program, which will promote and market the state to prospective energy manufacturers both at home and abroad and deliver grants, loans and other state incentives in an efficient and timely manner.
Christie re-outlined his platform on renewable energy in April and called it a key to New Jersey's future, but he also cut the Clean Energy Fund by $52 million in his budget, according to the Sierra Club. He also took $158 million from the fund to help balance the budget he inherited from former Gov. Jon Corzine. And Christie cut a combined $141 million from the Retail Margin Fund, which helps business create cogeneration and combined heat/power facilities, his environmental critics said.