Gov. Christie Lays Out Plans In Hoboken Town Hall Meeting

Governor Chris Christie addressed roughly 100 people in his first in a series of Town Hall meetings Monday morning, when he visited Hoboken Catholic Academy to address his proposal to introduce a constitutional 2.5 percent cap on property tax increases. 

Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer, a self-described life-long Democrat, said that reducing property taxes is not a partisan issue.

"There's nothing partisan about being smart and responsible with the money entrusted [to us] by our citizens," Zimmer said. "We've been digging ourselves in a deeper and deeper hole for decades."

Christie's 33-bill package, the so-called "Mayor's Toolkit," is supposed to give local mayors more power and the "tools" they need to make necessary cuts in municipal budgets. 

"We can't let state government grow bigger than municipal government," Christie said. "We need to stop the explosion of government."

One of Christie's proposals that will have a special impact on Hoboken is that arbitrators will have to keep the 2.5 percent cap in mind when reaching agreements with local labor unions. In Hoboken, both the fire and the police department are going to arbitration over new contracts. 

Zimmer said she will be advocating for the changes proposed in the arbitration process.

"This is about fairness," Zimmer said, "it's about making sure what's fair for the city of Hoboken." Arbitrators would have to consider salary and wages as a whole package, rather than as two separate things, Zimmer said also. 

Zimmer said she could not comment on where the current negotiations with the police and fire unions stand and whether or not the governor's proposals will have an impact on Hoboken.

"My sole estimation," said Councilman-at-Large Ravinder Bhalla, "is that it's highly doubtful that the police contracts will be resolved before these measures are voted up or down."

Bhalla, a Democrat as well, said that although he disagrees with the governor on a number of things, "property taxes impact everyone." He said that the proposed changes in the arbitration process will mean that arbitrators have to consider the impact of the contracts on the entire city, something that is currently not the case. 

Another one of the 33 bills allows counties and municipalities to opt out of the civil service system by holding a referendum. This can have an impact on City Hall employees who were hired under civil service. 

"We need civil service reform," Christie said. The governor added that this will enable mayors to "manage municipalities like a business."

Christie also proposed that teachers pay 1.5 percent towards their medical benefits, something the teachers unions have not agreed with. 

"It's a reasonable, common-sense proposal," Christie said. He also proposed that all teachers take a one-year salary freeze. Christie said he did not see a direct correlation between having to pay 1.5 percent towards medical benefits and the quality of education. In fact, he said, "it undersells teachers' commitment to their profession." Christie sends his children to parochial school. 

After laying out his proposals, Christie took several questions from the public. Inez Garcia Keim, Democratic Committee person in Hoboken, asked why he wouldn't re-instate the so-called millionaire's tax on high-income New Jersey residents.  

Christie answered by saying that his predecessor and Hoboken resident Jon Corzine provided that tax cut for the wealthiest of the state. "I'm not going to make taxes higher for those who create jobs," Christie answered. "There has to come a moment where you say 'no.'"

In order to attend the town hall, members of the public had to be on the 120-person list of invitees. The Zimmer administration reached out to community leaders and groups, who then invited several people. Zimmer said she wanted a diverse crowd, with differing opinions. Although Hudson County and Hoboken in specific are known as Democratic areas, Christie's speech was frequently interrupted with applause. 

Andrew Tavani added reporting.