|
RESIDENTS URGED TO SPEAK OUT ON GOVERNOR'S TOLL HIKE PLAN
Corzine To Hold Forum In Toms River On Saturday
By Keith Hagarty
Governor Jon Corzine will be coming to the area this weekend, and Brick officials are hoping the public lets him know how they feel about his plan to raise tolls across New Jersey's highways.
Corzine will be attending a town hall style meeting at the Rittaco Center in Toms River this Saturday, February 2 from 2 to 4 p.m. The purpose of the governor's forum is to address his financial restructuring and debt reduction plan.
Part of that plan is to raise tolls over several decades, an issue which has raised staunch opposition from Brick officials.
Under the governor's plan, tolls on the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike and Atlantic City Expressway would increase 50 percent in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022, then increase every four years to reflect inflation until 2085.
With Brick and several municipalities recently adopting resolutions opposing the proposed toll increases, Mayor Stephen Acropolis said the time is now for residents to band together and let the state know how they feel.
"As most people know, we have expressed our displeasure with the governor and the toll increases," Acropolis said at Tuesday's Township Council meeting.
Toms River will be providing buses to the forum, according to Acropolis, encouraging Brick's senior community members to utilize the service.
"If there are people that would like to go but can't get there, one of the things we've always talked about as council members was we always said, 'We'll load up two buses of people and go to Trenton and stand on the statehouse steps' and this is even closer, just in Toms River."
There are currently four interchanges of the Garden State Parkway within, or adjacent to, Brick's borders.
"These toll increases are essentially tax increases," said Acropolis. "We are looking at a lifetime of them."
Councilman Dan Toth agreed with Acropolis, urging residents to come out the governor's meeting.
"It's imperative that we as a people get involved in our government," said Toth. "If we're happy with what he's doing, go there and show your support. If we're unhappy with what he's doing, go there and also show your displeasure. En masse you have the power."
Toth believes it's the duty of all American citizens to exercise their First Amendment rights and let their voices be heard.
"Unless you're actually participating in your governmental process, you can't make a difference, you can't make a change," said Toth.
It's not just Brick's elected officials who plan on attending Saturday's forum, said Acropolis.
"I've asked the members of our staff to go, our leadership, members of the council to go, the PBA, union representatives to hear the governor talk about the state being bankrupt - or close to it," said Acropolis.
Acropolis criticized the governor's toll increase proposal, saying Corzine's claim that the increase is necessary because of the budget crisis is even more confounding in light of his recently signed legislature approving an 11 percent pay increase for judges.
"Superior court judges go up from $149,000 to $165,000, appellate court judges from $158,000 to $175,000 and supreme court justices from $167,000 to $185,000," said the mayor.
The recent pay increase follows last year's 5.7 percent raise for state judges.
"This makes our state judge's the second highest paid in the nation," said Acropolis, noting the average pension for the judges will rise by over $6,000 in the first year alone.
"All we want from anybody is consistency in our elected officials, whether you're a Democrat or a Republican," said Acropolis. "The governor's going around talking about increasing the tolls, and yet he has no problem giving raises to some of these judges and boosting their pensions. I don't really know what kind of message is being sent."
The Ritacco Center is located on the campus of Toms River North High School on Old Freehold Road in Toms River. For more information about the meeting, call 609-777-2210.
| 
