N.J. pension padding, again: A chance for Gov.-elect Chris Christie to send a message

By Star-Ledger Editorial Board/The Star-Led...
November 19, 2009, 5:19AM

Gov.-elect Chris Christie New Jersey?s overfed political establishment gathers today in Atlantic City, where it will hear a speech from the governor-elect, Chris Christie.

What a perfect opportunity for Christie to fire a bullet at them over pension abuses to signal that the party is over.

The audience will be full of people who share blame for the state?s monstrosity of a pension plan ? legislators who created it, union leaders who defend it, and bureaucrats who feed off it like grunting little piglets.

The latest outrage comes to us from Elise Young of the Statehouse Bureau, who reports that taxpayers are paying rich pension benefits to people who are not even on the public payroll. They are lobbyists for governments at all levels ? school boards, county governments, and the League of Municipalities, which is hosting the event in Atlantic City.

Their pensions will be based on salaries established by these private groups, sometimes in excess of $200,000 a year.

Our favorite case is Celeste Carpiano, who earns $205,000 a year as head of the county lobbying group. She wouldn?t discuss her pension deal, or reveal financial information about her group.

Think about the gall: Taxpayers are expected to pay her pension, but we have no right to question the fat salary upon which the pension will be based. The message to taxpayers: Keep quiet and pay the bills.

Christie now inherits this mess. And while he presented himself as a tough cost-cutter during the campaign, he proposed only weak changes. He wants to enroll new state employees in 401k programs, rather than traditional pensions. And he wants to cut out all part-timers.

That tinkering won?t come close to solving the problem. The unfunded pension liablity is a staggering $34 billion, more than the annual state budget. And Christie says he won?t set aside the $2 billion that?s required to even stay even next year.

He?ll need time to come up with a muscular solution. But he could send a signal today by at least making it clear that public pensions are for public employees alone.

It would be a gesture, nothing more. But it would tell the audience that the pendelum will soon swing back towards sanity. And that would be nice to hear.