PERR CALLS FOR CAMPAIGN TO END STATE-SUPPORTED PENSIONS AND HEALTH BENEFITS FOR PART-TIME POLITICIANS

A State Criminal Probe and Pension Padding Schemes by Senator Bark, Freeholder Farias and Boss Paulsen Underscore the Need for Reform

(MEDFORD, NJ) – Today, Richard J. Perr, founder and President of the Burlington County Taxpayers Association, announced the kick-off of his organization’s grassroots campaign to end pension and health benefits for all part-time office-holders in New Jersey in light of local scandals and an ongoing state criminal investigation. Perr issued the following statement:

“The Burlington County Taxpayers Association intends on making the abolition of taxpayer-funded pensions and health benefits for part-time elected politicians at all levels of government a top priority going into next year’s legislative election cycle. The New Jersey Legislature should mandate that all the money currently utilized for pensions and health benefits of part-time politicians be earmarked for property tax relief instead. I look forward to testifying on this issue in Trenton in the coming months, as unpopular as this proposal may be with the political insiders.

Sadly, part-time career politicians, like New Jersey State Senator Martha Bark (R-8th), are abusing the state pension system by acquiring multiple part-time jobs with little or no accountability so that they have a nice retirement nest egg at our expense. These insider deals for the politically connected are escalating the costs of government at all levels, most especially now that we’re also picking up the tab for the ongoing state criminal investigation into these activities. Moreover, Sen. Bark guaranteed that part-time politicians such as her longtime friend and colleague, Burlington County Freeholder Vince Farias, could add the years and salary of his teacher’s pension to that earned by him as a part-time office-holder. This artificially increases his pension, again at taxpayers’ expense.

Similarly, Burlington Republican Boss Glen Paulsen continues to take advantage of the system by serving as part-time counsel to the State Senate Republican Minority while leading a very lucrative private law practice – years after he left full-time state employment. Why the taxpayers of New Jersey should be helping to pad the public pension of an already wealthy political boss who makes money as an influence-peddler is not only in poor taste, but a travesty of justice.

Property taxes in New Jersey continue to rise and yet some part-time elected officials refuse to be held accountable for their own actions. It’s as if the perks of public service have become more important than watching the pocketbooks of already over-burdened taxpayers.

Our politicians continue to ignore the call to ‘Ask not what your country can do for you’ by ensuring that they are personally taken care of with comfortable State-supported pensions and health benefits – while doing little but talk about property tax reform. Part-time public officials, most of whom hold private sector jobs, should rely on their employers for retirement and health benefits, not the government, and those who work hard to pay for it.

Reform should begin at home. It’s going to take a lot of courage for some politicians to stand up to the abusers and political bosses who reap the benefits, but they need to lead by example and do the right thing when it comes to ending these high-cost perks for insiders. That’s why I’m calling on the Burlington County legislative delegation, Democrats and Republicans alike, to join us in this battle to help fix our property tax mess. ”