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LESNIAK, CRYAN, AND QUIJANO CONTINUE FIGHT TO RE-OPEN ELIZABETH MOTOR VEHICLE OFFICE

TRENTON – In an effort to re-open Elizabeth’s Motor Vehicle Commission office closed by Governor Christie, Senator Raymond Lesniak, Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Cryan, and Assemblywoman Annette Quijano plan to introduce budget resolutions in the State Senate and Assembly to re-open a MVC site in Elizabeth.
“Since the closure of the Elizabeth MVC office, thousands of residents have been forced to travel to Springfield and Rahway and wait many hours to acquire MVC services,” said Lesniak (D-Union). “Elizabeth is the fourth largest city in New Jersey. It’s unconscionable that it is has been stripped of its only MVC office and its residents denied basic services.”
Union County’s MVC facilities process the second highest number of items in New Jersey, and since the closure of the Elizabeth office in December 2010, the displaced motorists have been forced to go to Springfield and Rahway MVC offices, the sixth and seventh busiest MVC offices in New Jersey. This has led to three- to four-hour waiting times with residents often having to go back numerous times to get their paperwork processed.
“The passage of this budget resolution is crucial for everybody in Elizabeth,” remarked Cryan (D-Union). “Residents of Elizabeth have gathered nearly 2,000 signatures of friends and neighbors who understand the importance of the MVC and want it to be re-opened. Once again, the Governor is displaying his willingness to see entire communities go underfunded and underserved so he can claim he is saving money. The Governor’s decision to close the Elizabeth MVC was clearly a political one. It saved no money and created unnecessary inconvenience for our residents.”
Before the closure of the Elizabeth MVC office, Gov. Christie’s Chief Administrator of the Motor Vehicle Commission, Raymond Martinez, repeatedly assured the residents of Elizabeth that closing the office would result in no decrease in services. This has proven false. An NBC News report last week confirmed that the increase in customers at the Springfield MVC has proven to be unmanageable for both clients and employees.
“Before December, Senator Lesniak, Assemblyman Cryan and I teamed up with Mayor Bollwage to engage in an impassioned letter-writing campaign to the Governor,” added Quijano (D-Union). “Unfortunately, the Governor simply chalked this closing up as another ‘tough decision’ and refused to consider our constituents concerns. These budget resolutions are the only solution to getting the Elizabeth MVC office back to serving the great City of Elizabeth and all of its residents once more.”