Star-Ledger Endorses Independent Chris Daggett for N.J. Governor

By Star-Ledger Editorial Board/The Star-Led...

October 10, 2009, 5:00PM

Ed Murray/ The Star-Ledger

The Star-Ledger today endorses independent candidate Chris Daggett and recommends his election as the next governor of New Jersey.

The newspaper?s decision is less a rejection of Gov. Jon Corzine and Republican Chris Christie than a repudiation of the parties they represent, both of which have forfeited any claim to the trust and confidence of the people of New Jersey. They share responsibility for the state?s current plight.

Only by breaking the hold of the Democratic and Republican mandarins on the governor?s office and putting a rein on their power will the state have any hope for the kind of change needed to halt its downward economic, political and ethical spiral.

New Jersey needs radical change in Trenton. Neither of the major parties is likely to provide it. Daggett?s election would send shock waves through New Jersey?s ossified political system and, we believe, provide a start in a new direction.
It would signal the entrenched leadership of both parties ? and the interest groups they regularly represent ? that an ill-served and angry electorate demands something better.
The lamentable fact is that the two parties are, themselves, little more than narrow special interests. Their competition for short-term political and/or monetary gain has jeopardized the state?s long-term economic health and left it with a tarnished national reputation.

Where the major parties have differed, their differences have been inconsequential. Where they?ve been the same, their similarities have been destructive.

They have contributed equally to gross overspending in Trenton by consistently pandering to the pay, pension and retirement policies demanded by powerful public employee unions. Democrats have financed the spree with tax hikes, Republicans with borrowed money, and both with pension-fund raids.

How do we now signal them that this has got to stop if not by rejecting their anointed candidates? How if not by electing Chris Daggett?

The most disappointing of the three candidates is Christie. Six months ago he seemed an almost certain winner, a highly successful federal prosecutor facing an embattled governor saddled with a collapsing economy and soaring budget deficits. He could run a rocking-chair campaign, it seemed, make only safe commitments, avoid controversy, and win.

Unfortunately, that?s mostly what Christie has done ? a strategy that looks less promising now that his double-digit early lead has melted away.

Christie?s game plan for dealing with a looming, record budget deficit of $8 billion has been a work in progress. After pledging for months to cut taxes deeply despite the budget red ink, he disclosed Friday in an interview with The Star-Ledger?s Tom Moran that he has put most of the tax reduction on the shelf until the economy begins to recover.

But he?d still lower income taxes on the state?s wealthiest households by roughly $1 billion and restore a portion of the nearly $600 billion in property tax rebates rescinded last year ? a neat trick while still balancing the budget.

Christie?s principal claim on voter support is based on his record as U.S. Attorney for New Jersey ? and it?s not without merit. The Star-Ledger opposed his appointment to that post originally, only to be pleasantly surprised as Christie surrounded himself with capable, qualified people and performed well.

But his sketchy budget plans and his relative lack of familiarity with the details of state government, as evidenced in debates and before The Star-Ledger editorial board, give us pause.
Corzine is an eminently decent and likable man, and not without achievement. We especially salute his unflagging commitment to state education and his success in changing the Abbott school aid formula to ensure that money intended to help poor children follows them whether or not they live in specific districts.

But his shortcomings as a leader are serious. They?ve become all too apparent in his dealings with public employee unions, an often unruly Legislature and a Democratic Party that is, at best, an ethically compromised ship and, at worst, harbors a corrupt crew.

The governor may be the nominal leader of his party but there?s mounting evidence its commanding figure is George Norcross, an unelected South Jersey political deal-maker who?s currently rearranging the Democratic leadership in the Senate and Assembly.

Corzine is the chaplain on a pirate ship, not really its captain.
Like Christie, neither Corzine nor Daggett has adequately explained how he?d tackle the vast budget deficit. All three, to some degree, are like Dickens? hapless Wilkins Micawber, hoping "something will turn up." But only Daggett has produced anything close to a coherent plan to cut property taxes. He?d chop them by up to $2,500 per homeowner ? but only if their municipalities kept spending increases in line with the Consumer Price Index. In effect, he?d require local officials to choose between their union supporters and taxpaying voters. It?s not a panacea, but at least a start.

As for government experience, Daggett, who has a doctorate in education, has at least as much as his rivals, having worked for both Democratic and Republican governors and served as regional administrator of the federal Environmental Protection Agency. His mastery of detail is impressive.

The reservation one hears about Daggett among the surprising number who say they?d like to vote for him is that he can?t win. And, indeed, the ballot position assigned Daggett and other independents makes his task daunting. You?ll have to hunt to find him.

But the value of a vote is not limited to picking a winner. The real value lies in the signal it sends about what the voter believes is best for the city, county or state ? not merely at the moment, but long-term.
We believe Daggett is best.

For disappointed Democrats and Republicans, a decision to vote for Daggett will mean a break with party loyalty ? no easy thing. What we?re suggesting is a temporary suspension of that loyalty as a way to begin changing the corrosive culture of Trenton. Daggett would owe nothing to either party establishment; he?d be free to recruit best talent wherever he found it. As he told The Star-Ledger editorial board, he?d feel no obligation to honor the traditional Democratic-Republican deal that requires bipartisan balance on the Supreme Court. He?d apparently take the best he could find regardless of party affiliation ? or lack thereof.

For too long, the cliche about New Jersey?s two great parties has seemed all too true ? that Democrats are corrupt, Republicans incompetent. Nothing will cause them to change their ways for the better except repudiation at the polls Nov. 3.

The election of Chris Daggett would deliver that repudiation and put a highly qualified occupant in the corner office at the Statehouse.

http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page ... r_endorses_independe.html

Here we go -

- share Cali?s concerns about Daggett being involved with the PPG Chromium site and the revolving door between those regulated and those regulating.

- do not think any of the candidates are free of ethics concerns and I would not make a decision on a candidate for Governor based on a single issue. while sometimes a challenge to swallow, I believe in Citizens? Campaign?s ?no blame? approach as the best way and most likely way succeed in making improvements in government.

- information on Governor Corzine?s ethics package can be found at

http://www.state.nj.us/governor/news/ ... 8/approved/20080924a.html

- agree with Daggett?s position to apply sales tax on professional services, to reduce other tax burdens and hopefully his candidacy will provide some credence to this idea and of course raising the gas tax.

I also plan on voting for Republican Irene Asbury for Assembly in the 31st District and will personally campaign on her behalf. See http://ireneasbury.com/

Thank you MND (whoever you are) and the hosts of the event for bringing Chris Daggett to Jersey City in a very accessible way.

VOTE!

You were questioning the civility of my tone.

I was not hostile to DanL. I just questioned his support of Corzine.
Unlike most, DanL has done much to contribute to the betterment of Jersey City. I feel his support of Corzine is a contradiction, however, he has every right to support the candidate of his choice.

I do believe your motives are elsewhere.
I think that sometimes you just want to get a "rise" out of people.
Shelley Skinner has answered your charter school questions on line and in person. If you were really interested in a detailed analysis of how Corzine is cheating the charter schools I'm sure she would provide.

I also support your right to vote for Governor Corzine.
As a lifelong Democrat, I did not come to this decision easily.
As a 9 year old, I campaigned for George McGovern. I can appreciate those who remain faithful to the party but Corzine and The Hudson County Democratic Committee have not been faithful to us.

In the instance to which you refer, I'm criticizing the candidate not my neighbor for supporting the candidate.

I haven't in this thread criticized any one else for supporting Daggett. I only explained why I don't support him, while inviting particulars on issues that you and a few others seem to be closer to than am I.

Your previous post was definitely critical of me personally, sarcastic and caustic. As this thread has now devolved I won't be contributing to it. I don't want to disrupt existing good neighborly relations.

Quote:

Finally, when answering harder questions I thought he came across like a used car salesman. Talking really fast and simply not saying anything. He's not the independent many hope he is.


HMMMM......
Is this a civil tone????

MND,

It makes sense for someone to openly support a candidate if they aren't supporting the others.

Until your last post the conversation was remaining civil. Let's keep it that way.

Candidly, I find and as has been further supported and illuminated by DanL, that Corzine's accomplishments, especially in this economic climate to out weigh his failures or short comings.

While I think it's great you and some others support an apparently independent candidate I only encourage to evaluate closely your decision making process while you scrutinize facts, motives and expectations.

Also, I invite you to support the claim that Corzine has not at all supported charter schools. As I have already established I am continuously open to any and edification on this matter.


SamS:

Thank you for signifying my uncivil tone. We can all learn to be better people from you. You are such a pleasant and affable individual.

I am just questioning...
Dan has the right to support the candidate of his choice. As head and founder of a good government group, I question how he can support Corzine's reelection based on his ethically challanged way of negotiating deals, violating laws and endangering human lives by speeding and reckless driving. His realtionship with Carla Katz was a violation of the public trust and was a great disservice to the people of NJ.
Please list Governor Corzine's accomplishments.....
He is doing nothing for the people of Jersey City.

DanL
Feel free to call me directly.

Quote:

Exactly, Corzine expanded the sales tax for SOLE reason of reducing property taxes by funding the property tax rebates with the increased revenue. What happened to that. Now only the elderly, disabled and poor are receiving said rebates. So he completely failed. It is time to stop blaming the state of the economy and put the blame on the poor leadership by Corzine over his 4 years. He was horrible even before we were in economic decline.

Quote:

Good for him. The gas tax should be raised with the money going to fund roads as well as mass transit. Daggett also proposes reducing property taxes and shifting the lost revenue to transaction taxes on services. This is a good thing. Reducing property taxes will not only increase disposable income, but it can help spur the local housing market.

And were you as critical when Corzine expanded sales taxes a couple of years ago?

Just because Jon Corzine was a successful bond trader does not mean he has the ability to fix a state's finances. In fact, a bond trader is probably the last person you want running a state. Bonds are loans. And even if Corzine did have the acumen, he does not have the will or desire, since he is another typical NJ Democrat beholden to the unions which are helping bankrupt our state.

NJ is close to last as far as desirable states in which to do business. It is dead last in return on the tax dollars sent to Washington. Our unemployment rate is higher than most states. Our state/local tax burden is the highest of any state. This should not be acceptable.

These are what I think of when I think of Corzine's accomplishments. But Corzine supporters probably think getting reduced tuition for illegal immigrants is more important.

John,

Daggett is in support of raising taxes in this state. He said so openly.

Also I think his plan to impose sales taxes will arrest any potential economic stimulus. Additionally, his model for how much new revenue that plan will generate is fundamentally flawed. He is totally guessing at the basis of the source of revenue. Finally, when answering harder questions I thought he came across like a used car salesman. Talking really fast and simply not saying anything. He's not the independent many hope he is.

Quote:

Accomplishments?

If Corzine is re-elected, this state is doomed. He is utterly confused about who the middle class in NJ really are. $75,000 gross income for a couple in NJ is poor, not middle class. They are not the ones who will stimulate the state's economy, so they should not be the only ones receiving property tax rebates. My property taxes jumped 50% in one year, ironically right before the market crashed, so of course the hike was based on the value of the house before the real estate market tanked.

NJ is losing middle class, upper middle class and wealthy residents in droves because of our highest in the nation tax burden. Not to mention the the businesses, small and large that are departing to greener pastures.

The only people that Corzine cares about is his base, the unions, state workers and the poorer residents of Newark, Elizabeth, JC, Camden, etc. He can care less about the suburban voters or the more well to do urban voters. We get the short end of the stick.

You would think with his business experience that he would have been more similar to Bloomberg in NY and been a more successful governor, but he has been a disgrace, a disaster and fully fits in with other stellar Democrats that this state made the mistake of electing, Lautenberg, Menendez, Torricelli, McGreevey, Florio, just to name a few.

NJ has to get out from under the control of the corrupt democrat machine and we need real change. I am not saying that Christie is the answer, because he has his own skeletons and was probably the wrong choice for the Republicans.

Anyone who openly supports Corzine has had their eyes closed for the last 4 years or is just another brainwashed member of the Democratic Party.

We need a Ron Paul type, someone who actually cares about the taxpayer, Lonegan would have been my choice, but since I don't have him to support, I might be forced to go with Christie just to get Corzine out, although I would much rather vote for Daggett because he seems like a breath of fresh air compared to the crap that Jersey has put out there in the past few elections.

MND,

It makes sense for someone to openly support a candidate if they aren't supporting the others.

Until your last post the conversation was remaining civil. Let's keep it that way.

Candidly, I find and as has been further supported and illuminated by DanL, that Corzine's accomplishments, especially in this economic climate to out weigh his failures or short comings.

While I think it's great you and some others support an apparently independent candidate I only encourage to evaluate closely your decision making process while you scrutinize facts, motives and expectations.

Also, I invite you to support the claim that Corzine has not at all supported charter schools. As I have already established I am continuously open to any and edification on this matter.

dan I respect you not supporting Daggett but to openly support Corzine?

Yeah Katz is a real Jersey Girl...as president of local 1034 of the CWA she was responsable for negotiating contracts with Governor Corzine....her then boyfriend...she also was able to procure her brother a state job..which he wasn't qualified for, Subsequently she was fired for stealing over 135k from her union.

Corzine is big on ethics reform? What has he done or said about the widespread corruption in Jersey City. NOTHING!
What has he done to help the children of jersey City aside from cut funding and not support Charter Schools.
No pancakes for me!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quote:

There goes breakfast.

????????????????????????????????????????????

I oppose the city's settlement and believe the ACO should remain in place and enforced.

I find it problematic that the former head of NJ DEP is a "designated developer" for one of JC's most toxic sites that has avoided clean up for decades. I found Mr. Daggett's explanation unacceptable.

I am voting for Gov Jon Corzine. While he has come up short in dealing with our JC officials involved in the corruption scandal and has not been forceful with the LSP 9/11 memorial, I believe his Ethics Reform package rolled out Summer 2008 is substantial and will improve both state and more importantly local government.

and, I love his ex-girlfriend, Carla Katz who is a kick ass Jersey Girl!

so, Cali, I support your position 100%

so, Sam, no I am not working for Daggett!

I only wanted to mentioned that I did raise the PPG issue with the candidate and noted his response.

Dan are you Daggett's public relations manager? I ask that question sincerely.


Quote:

The 1990 ACO had stiff penalties and hard time-lines attached. The new settlement is goal oriented without penalties.

Comments on the new settlement

1990 ACO

Current Settlement

Dan, do you really believe the latest settlement is better than the 1990 ACO? Better for whom?

during his short speech, he brought up his role as a developer of the PPG site and the settlement as a positive.

afterwards, I questioned him on the settlement and our heighten concerns about the closeness of the those regulated and those regulating ..... not just in this case but land use in general.

his answer was that if elected he will put his holdings in a blind trust. also, the type of clean up does not matter to him, he will develop once legally cleaned up, but did support the city's settlement and finds it stronger then the prior consent order.....

feel free to contact me directly,


Quote:

Daggett owns the chromium contaminated 900 Garfield ave lot. He's the former NJDEP commissioner who bought the lot partnered with former Gov. Florio for a controversial small amount of money.

This area was also the focus of the FBI investigation of bribes, developers and NJDEP NFAs (no further action).

This is the second time PPG reaches an agreement on cleanup with NJDEP. Also controversial.

sorry the link to the Daggett interview on the latest post was busted. It's all fixed now. thanks for the e-mails.

I was impressed when he gave answers on tough questions. One attendent obviously an adovacate of vaccine choice, got an answer that she didn't want. Daggett was not wishy washy in his responses, did not say " we need to study this further". On a one on one basis I find Daggett to be a real person not a politican.

i think the crowd was closer to 65 than 30, but i agree that, upon closer inspection, the Daggett rap is well practiced and quite calculated. He was appointed to DEP spots by Tom Kean, Sr. and Jon Corzine in the past.

Hey if 65 people attended last evening, that's great. I didn't have the benefit of the attendance list to count from. I was only guessing. My point was it was well attended. But it's good to see people interested in the election and come out to hear what the candidates are talking about.

Daggett made a comment about keeping NJ's college students in NJ for school. I don't understand why that's a priority. Many parents encourage their children to go out of state for school for the experience of being away and on their own. I wasn't aware that there was great vacancy problem in the local colleges. It was my understanding that Rutgers has very competitive admission standards.

I personally think the issue is to encourage people to come home after college to live and possibly work.

At least 65 people attended not counting the bar crowd. , There is nothing Corzine has done to warrant reelection. He has constanly lied about school funding, cheating Jersey City out of money, and says nothing about the widespread corruption in Jersey City. Do I agree with everything Daggett says or believes in ..no but the man has integrity a quality lacking in Corzine and Christie.

The event was well attended by approximately 30 people.

Daggett gave the same speech he gave during his debate. He's not raising taxes, but he is going to be raising taxes. He called it a rebalancing, which is politico speak for "nut and shell game". When asked how his plan to impose sales taxes on small service businesses which would include landscapers, house painters, small architect firms, small accounting firms, solo practitioner lawyers, etc would effect our local economy he didn't have an answer so he just spoke real fast and said absolutely nothing. It was very insulting. So it seems those who are seeking something different are getting a real politician.

I found him to be rather uninspiring. Should the economy take another downturn, which many economists suggest it very may well, he's not going to be able to deal with it.

Incidentally, it's important to note that he lead an effort to turn half of Liberty State Park into a golf course.

So I'm sure a few of you were at the Embankment for the Chris Daggett "Meet and Greet." Any reactions? You can hear an interview with Daggett on BCB. FYI.

TThe meet and greet is at 7pm on Tuesday...sorry for the confusion. Mr. Esposito will not be attending.

Chris Daggett the decisive winner, Chris Christie the indecisive loser in first debate
By Paul Mulshine/The Star Ledger
October 02, 2009, 5:08AM
The best line of tonight?s debate came when, in a response to a question about just how the heck an independent could win the race for governor, Chris Daggett listened to both his opponents? responses and then quipped: ?It sounds like both of these guys might be voting for me.?


Saed Hindash/The Star-LedgerFrom right, Republican Chris Christie, independent Chris Daggett and Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine prepare to face off in the first gubernatorial debate Thursday night.They won?t be, but a lot of other people will. Daggett was the winner of this debate by a large margin. And that?s not good news for the other challenger named Chris, former federal prosecutor Chris Christie.

If Christie ends up losing this race, the defeat may be traced to an exchange that occurred as the candidates answered questions from residents that had been recorded earlier by New Jersey Network reporters. A man asked all three to give specific answers about what they would do to address the $8 billion deficit that awaits the next governor.

First up was Christie. Tough break. Till that point Christie had been pummeled by both Daggett and Gov. Jon Corzine over his refusal to say what he would do about the biggest issue in the race, property taxes. Now he faced another tough question.

He ducked this one as well. First he said he would cut $185 million for people who had received retiree health benefits to which they weren?t entitled. Then he talked about the $250 million in overtime state employees collected. Then he mentioned past spending. And then he mentioned the recently terminated ?food in space? program. This was a Rutgers program to teach kids to grow food on spaceships. Sure it was nuts. But it was budgeted at a mere $130,000 a year.

And that was it. Christie was proposing to eliminate an $8 billion deficit by making cuts of a few hundred million.

Daggett proceeded to point out that Christie was again dodging the issue. He pointed out that Christie?s proposed cuts were insignificant and went on to note that you could fire every state employee twice over and barely close that $8 billion gap.

NJN?s Jim Hooker also seemed aghast, especially after Christie again dodged the question in his rebuttal to Daggett. Hooker broke from the format to ask a follow-up to Christie: ?Mr. Daggett and others have said reducing overtime and those types of endeavors are ?small-bore? and won?t get to a structural deficit of eight or ten billion dollars. What do you say to that??

?First of all I say they?re wrong,? Christie replied.

He then proceeded to prove them right once by again evading the question.

This was an embarrassment. But was it any more embarrassing than his response to a previous man-in-the-street question? Asked for the Nth time what he was going to do about property taxes, Christie recited what amounts to his sole proposal to this point: voluntary municipal consolidation.

Meanwhile Corzine was coming at him from the other side, pointing out as often as Daggett did that Christie had offered not the slightest hint of how he intended to handle property taxes or any other aspect of the budget.

Not that Corzine offered much in the way of a plan. He just recited by rote the numbers that make up his stock speech about how he handled the economy in a recession.

It wasn?t very convincing, but he doesn?t need to be very convincing if enough voters defect to Daggett. A good showing for the third-party candidate could permit Corzine to win back his seat simply by getting out the 40 percent or so of voters who make up the Democratic base.

Christie?s strategy for avoiding that consisted of accusing Daggett of planning to raise taxes. Daggett did indeed say he intended to do so. When asked how he intended to replenish the Transportation Trust Fund, which goes broke next year, Daggett said it looked like the only possible means would be raising the gas tax, which he said is the lowest in the country.

Christie promptly attacked Daggett for proposing the tax hike but offered no plan of his own for refilling the fund. Daggett replied, ?It?s easy to criticize when you have no plan of your own. I would like the tooth fairy to come as well but the tooth fairy is not going to come.?

No, the tooth fairy won?t be coming, at least not for Chris Christie if he keeps this up. The man who keeps yammering on about the need to make ?tough choices? spent the evening attacking every tough choice that Daggett proposed, while dodging every question that came his way.

He got away with this in the Republican primary and he might have gotten away with it in the general election if Daggett had not been in the running.

But Daggett is. And Christie better get real serious real fast if he wants to win this thing.

Will his running mate, Esposito, be at the Meet & Greet too?

Also, on the daggettforgovernor website, it says this is from 6pm to 7pm...is the website wrong? Just don't want to miss this opportunity.