Governor's Budget Address

After launching a bunch of not-too-well-received trial balloons, Gov. Corzine officially fires his “starter’s gun” at noon tomorrow in the race to the FY10 constitutionally mandated balanced budget by the July 1 deadline. The pain might not be shared equally, but there will be plenty to go around. Corzine’s latest proposal calls for state workers to take 12 unpaid furlough days and live with a wage freeze, which could save up to 7,000 jobs and $400 million. Leaders of unionized state workers, and the rank-and-file, are not amused. They have indicated they might accept a wage freeze if plans are dropped to enact layoffs and furloughs.

Legislators from both parties will be listening – though probably not applauding – as they prepare their responses and voice their own thoughts about cutting spending and maybe enhancing revenues, to rescue New Jersey’s economy from its downward spiral.

The following faculty from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, will be available to comment about the fiscal and political fallout:

 MARC HOLZER is a Board of Governors Professor and dean of the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers-Newark. Since 1975 he has directed the National Center for Public Performance. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and the World Academy of Productivity Science.

Call Holzer at 973-353-5505 (office) or 914-629-4305.

 JAMES W. HUGHES is dean of Rutgers’ Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. He is director of many Rutgers Regional Reports that document socioeconomic trends in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area.

Call Hughes at 732-932-5475, ext. 756.

 RUTH MANDEL is a Board of Governors Professor of Politics and director of Rutgers’ Eagleton Institute of Politics.

Call Mandel at 732-266-2582.

 JOSEPH J. SENECA is an economist and university professor at Rutgers’ Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. He is the former chair of the New Jersey Council of Economic Advisers and co-director of many Rutgers Regional Reports that document socioeconomic trends in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area.

Call Seneca at 732-932-5475, ext. 757.

JOHN WEINGART is associate director of Rutgers’ Eagleton Institute of Politics. Before joining Eagleton, he worked for more than 20 years in New Jersey state government, focusing on environmental and land use issues while serving in the administrations of two Democratic and two Republican governors.

Call Weingart at 908-892-8327.