Jon Corzine: Confronting Today's Crisis

Tough times call for experienced, tested leadership. New Jersey needs a governor with the expertise to address the complicated challenges posed by the global economic meltdown.

From the outset, Governor Corzine made it clear that dealing with the economy – easing the pain of working families while building a foundation for future prosperity and growth – is far and away his administration’s top concern for 2009.

Because Governor Corzine took steps to get the state’s fiscal house in order during his first three years in office, New Jersey was better positioned to weather the storms of this gloal economic tsunami. As the first state in the nation to pass an economic recovery and stimulus plan, New Jersey is ahead of the curve in mitigating the effects of the recession.

My first priority -- my second priority --and my third priority -- is to get our state through these challenging economic times.

Jon Corzine is the first governor in almost six decades to decrease state spending. But he has managed to reduce the size of the budget without instituting a broad-based income tax increase and without hurting the people hit hardest by the recession. He has stayed true to his core values by increasing funds for education and children’s health care; providing property-tax relief to seniors, so that elderly New Jerseyans are able to stay in the homes where they raised their kids; and bolstering programs that serve the most vulnerable among us.

Governor Corzine is creating jobs – particularly in the fields of transportation, school construction, and energy – while simultaneously investing in the state’s future infrastructure needs. He accelerated $2.8 billion in transportation projects, generating an estimated 26,000 jobs directly (and 45,000 jobs indirectly), as well as fostering urban economic development via new initiatives like the Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit and the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit.

Governor Corzine also recognizes the interconnectedness of where we live, where we work, and where our kids go to school. That’s why he has continued to put local issues first. His administration has provided more direct property tax relief in four years than any other in New Jersey’s history – nearly $7 billion paid directly back to homeowners.

He has also consistently lowered the statewide increase in school tax levy during his time in office, and created the Live-Where-You-Work program to provide low-interest mortgages to homebuyers in towns where they are employed.

All of this adds up to a comprehensive plan that aims to keep New Jersey's middle class going strong during this global recession, and beyond.

Get Involved