(4th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT) – Assemblyman Paul Moriarty on Wednesday said Gov. Chris Christie must immediately reimburse taxpayers for the costs of his so-called “town hall meetings” in which the governor openly campaigns for Republicans to win elections.
“These are taxpayer-funded events organized and promoted by the taxpayer-funded governor’s office,” said Moriarty (D-Gloucester/Camden). “If the governor sticks to public policy, that’s fine, but if the governor wants to campaign he must dip into his own wallet. He should not be wasting taxpayer dollars on his own political rallies.”
Moriarty said Christie needs to reveal how much the town hall meetings cost and then reimburse taxpayers for the expense.
“It’s bad enough that this governor has already tagged taxpayers with the highest property tax increase in recent New Jersey history,” Moriarty said. “Now he’s freely spending taxpayer money to campaign. It’s wrong and it’s time for it to stop.”
Moriarty said Republican and conservative organizations can fund Christie’s events, if he wants to use them as campaign platforms.
“We need a leader who sticks to his word and is a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars, not someone who uses taxpayer money on campaign events,” Moriarty said. “New Jersey taxpayers already suffering under Christie’s property tax hikes deserve better.”
