Doria was Mayor of Bayonne for nine years prior to becoming the Community Affairs Commissioner. As the head of DCA, he has tremendous power over all NJ municipalities and businesses.
Bayonne is facing a $29 million budget deficit. Of course, Doria says he had nothing to do with that problem. How can that be? As Mayor for 9 years he wrote the budget, taxed, borrowed and spent the money, by his own admission "crying wolf" often to get more money. As DCA Commissioner since being Mayor, he had the power to turn down Bayonne budgets, but he didn't.
Let's compare some critical facts about Bayonne to the same statistics about Middletown:
City of Bayonne
4 square miles
57,000 residents
669 full-time employees
$122.5 million annual budget
$148 million in debt
$29 million budget deficit
Township of Middletown
41 square miles
69,000 residents345338 full time employees. (It went down!)
$62 million annual budget
$69 million debt
No deficit
As Bob Ingle points out in The Soprano State (now available in paper back) Doria personifies the worst of New Jersey government, on every level. And Jon Corzine gave Doria the most powerful job in the administration.
I've often asked, "Where in New Jersey are Democrats doing a better job governing than Republicans are doing in Middletown and Monmouth County?" The answer is always nowhere.
The reason for that is Joe Doria and his ilk who think governing is a game of crying wolf and grandstanding for the purpose of keeping the trough full of plenty of tax payers money.
New Jersey: Government of the trough swillers, for the trough swillers and by the trough swillers.
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7 comments:
Bayonne's debt is actually a lot higher. Most of it is hidden via its redevelopment authority.
The numbers don't lie. This is probably the best antidote for the garbage that Caliendo throws out year after year. So what do you do if you are Jon Corzine with an abject failure like Joe Doria? You reward him with a promotion. Absolutely insane.
Middletown is used as an example for its budgeting practices by the league of municipalities.
Bayonne? Well, it's full of Bennys, that's why :) Isn't that what it means?... Bayonne Elizabeth Newark [....]
Not taking anything away from Middletown - kudos for being well run.
But I wonder if the disparity with Bayonne has anything to do with this:
City of Bayonne:
4 square miles - 57,000 residents
Township of Middletown:
41 square miles - 69,000 residents
That jumped out at me.
Density.
I know Art and other MMM readers like to think and talk policy.
Might make for an interesting discussion to look at the effects density has on governing.
Might make for an interesting discussion to look at the effects density has on governing.
Any SimsCity players care to contribute?
Justifiedright - the only thing density changes is the fact that Bayonne gets boatloads of additional state money in the form of Abbott funding and "aid for distressed cities." Even with that, they are still a financial mess. No, it is clear that you are looking at the difference between good leadership in Middletown and failed leadership in Bayonne.
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