Corzine's Toll Road Monetization Scheme May Hit a Big Roadblock
Corzine's Toll Road Monetization Scheme May Hit a Big Roadblock
Friday, September 28, 2007 - Millennium Radio
By: Kevin McArdle
If you subscribe to the theory that Governor Jon Corzine's still secret toll road monetization plan would be in big trouble if the chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee is vehemently opposed to it then, the plan may be in big trouble. Assemblyman John Wisniewski has been one of the most outspoken critics of the toll road monetization plan even though it has yet to be proposed.
Wisniewski, like Corzine is a Democrat and although he's up for re-election with the rest of the legislature, he's not expected to face a real challenge. So, why oppose the Democratic Governor's plan so vehemently? The New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway come together in Wisniewski's district and most of his constituents travel one or both every day.
"I'm willing to listen to a proposal that's not borrowing," says Wisniewski, "I just haven't heard it yet." On his legislative website, the Assemblyman says, "As it stands now, drivers would face dramatic toll increases, followed by more increases shortly thereafter, in order to pay for all the money that would supposedly be coming to our state's coffers."
Yesterday, Wisniewski told Millennium Radio News, "To get a large sum of money today, you need to pledge a large amount of tolls in the future……we need to find a source of revenue that is reliable and recurring. Those are two important words." Would he post a toll road monetization bill up for a vote in his transportation committee? Wisniewski says, "We would have to see….it is a little like shadow boxing. We can't see it (the proposal), we can't feel it and we can't taste it, but we know it is there."
Asked about Wisniewski's opposition, Corzine says he respects the Assemblyman but feels, "It's not responsible to say, 'I don't like this piece,' when you've gotta deal with the problem and you've gotta have a solution." He adds, "Reasonable people can have reasonable differences of opinion."
Corzine continues to say people should wait until after the plan is unveiled before criticizing it. The fact that the scheme is shrouded in secrecy is one reason Wisniewski is so critical. On his website he writes, "Keeping secrets is not the way to develop good public policy, indeed, robust public discourse is the only way to eliminate public mistrust."
"We're going to have a real plan on recapitalizing this state," says Corzine, "we have to." He points out, "We now have more studies that tell us we're dangerously under-invested in our bridges, our roads, our dams, our sewers, I didn't write those reports up."
Earlier this month, Corzine didn't sound as though selling, leasing or otherwise generating cash through monetizing state assets was a done deal. He said, "There are a number of very precise questions that have a lot to do with whether the program is something I would recommend…..it's possible that if we didn't get the kind of opinion that I thought that we needed, that this is an idea that I wouldn't pursue."
Those questions remain unanswered. The Governor makes it clear that after the monetization plan is proposed, "I want a full debate on a well thought out program that I believe works and we're going to have that." In the clearest indication he has made to date that the plan won't be made public before Election Day because that 'full debate,' isn't impossible, Corzine says, "You couldn't do 21 town halls in 21 counties between now and the election…..you couldn't if you wanted to."
Cynics claim that Governor Jon Corzine is intentionally delaying the unveiling of his state asset monetization plan until after November's elections because polls show voters oppose the very concept. Generating cash for the state by monetizing the toll roads has been the most critiqued possibility and surveys reveal voters fear huge toll increases. Those same cynics say by withholding the scheme, Corzine is protecting his fellow Democrats from backlash at the polls. Corzine says the plan simply isn't ready yet.
Friday, September 28, 2007 - Millennium Radio
By: Kevin McArdle
If you subscribe to the theory that Governor Jon Corzine's still secret toll road monetization plan would be in big trouble if the chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee is vehemently opposed to it then, the plan may be in big trouble. Assemblyman John Wisniewski has been one of the most outspoken critics of the toll road monetization plan even though it has yet to be proposed.
Wisniewski, like Corzine is a Democrat and although he's up for re-election with the rest of the legislature, he's not expected to face a real challenge. So, why oppose the Democratic Governor's plan so vehemently? The New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway come together in Wisniewski's district and most of his constituents travel one or both every day.
"I'm willing to listen to a proposal that's not borrowing," says Wisniewski, "I just haven't heard it yet." On his legislative website, the Assemblyman says, "As it stands now, drivers would face dramatic toll increases, followed by more increases shortly thereafter, in order to pay for all the money that would supposedly be coming to our state's coffers."
Yesterday, Wisniewski told Millennium Radio News, "To get a large sum of money today, you need to pledge a large amount of tolls in the future……we need to find a source of revenue that is reliable and recurring. Those are two important words." Would he post a toll road monetization bill up for a vote in his transportation committee? Wisniewski says, "We would have to see….it is a little like shadow boxing. We can't see it (the proposal), we can't feel it and we can't taste it, but we know it is there."
Asked about Wisniewski's opposition, Corzine says he respects the Assemblyman but feels, "It's not responsible to say, 'I don't like this piece,' when you've gotta deal with the problem and you've gotta have a solution." He adds, "Reasonable people can have reasonable differences of opinion."
Corzine continues to say people should wait until after the plan is unveiled before criticizing it. The fact that the scheme is shrouded in secrecy is one reason Wisniewski is so critical. On his website he writes, "Keeping secrets is not the way to develop good public policy, indeed, robust public discourse is the only way to eliminate public mistrust."
"We're going to have a real plan on recapitalizing this state," says Corzine, "we have to." He points out, "We now have more studies that tell us we're dangerously under-invested in our bridges, our roads, our dams, our sewers, I didn't write those reports up."
Earlier this month, Corzine didn't sound as though selling, leasing or otherwise generating cash through monetizing state assets was a done deal. He said, "There are a number of very precise questions that have a lot to do with whether the program is something I would recommend…..it's possible that if we didn't get the kind of opinion that I thought that we needed, that this is an idea that I wouldn't pursue."
Those questions remain unanswered. The Governor makes it clear that after the monetization plan is proposed, "I want a full debate on a well thought out program that I believe works and we're going to have that." In the clearest indication he has made to date that the plan won't be made public before Election Day because that 'full debate,' isn't impossible, Corzine says, "You couldn't do 21 town halls in 21 counties between now and the election…..you couldn't if you wanted to."
Cynics claim that Governor Jon Corzine is intentionally delaying the unveiling of his state asset monetization plan until after November's elections because polls show voters oppose the very concept. Generating cash for the state by monetizing the toll roads has been the most critiqued possibility and surveys reveal voters fear huge toll increases. Those same cynics say by withholding the scheme, Corzine is protecting his fellow Democrats from backlash at the polls. Corzine says the plan simply isn't ready yet.
Posted by Defend Our Freedoms at 9/28/2007 8:14 AM 
Categories: Cintra, New Jersey, Toll Hikes
Tags: NEWYORKCITYCOMMUNITY.US
Categories: Cintra, New Jersey, Toll Hikes
Tags: NEWYORKCITYCOMMUNITY.US
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