Corzine must do better the second time around

The promise Jon Corzine showed in 2005 has proven illusory.
(Shown here in 2005 with Mayor Al McWilliams and Councilor Rashid Burney.)

Jon Corzine must do better as governor the second time around.

And thoughtful Plainfielders must put aside their anger and disappointment with him in order to maximize the chances that things will ever get better for our community.

There is no denying that by failing to implement his own standards on 'rationalizing' New Jersey's hospital situation, the closure of Muhlenberg Hospital -- with the deterioration of healthcare services delivery it has brought and the economic hardship wrought on the community by the loss of 1,100 jobs -- is a blot on Corzine's reputation that can only be healed by the hospital's restoration, if at all.

Assemblyman Jerry Green and Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs proved lacking in both vision and leadership by coming too late and with too little gumption to the struggle to save Muhlenberg.

There is also no denying that the dismantling of the Abbott v. Burke decision is going to cost Plainfield taxpayers severely over the long haul. The crux of the Abbott settlement was that the Supreme Court put an obligation on the state to ensure that students in the 'Abbott' districts received a 'thorough and efficient' education as guaranteed by the State constitution, and provide the financial resources necessary.

While there is a three-year review period for the new funding scheme, no one was predicting the severe recession the country is passing through and it does not seem realistic to assume the new formula will be overturned -- or that any extra aid for the Abbott districts (including Plainfield) will be available beyond the review period.

This means that Plainfield taxpayers will be faced with an increased burden for the schools. It is worth remembering that Assemblyman Jerry Green cast the deciding vote in the Assembly for this new funding formula.

So, Plainfielders have much to be angry and disappointed about with Gov. Jon Corzine.

What are the options?

Some folks think that Chris Daggett offers a breath of fresh air as an outsider. Others think that Chris Christie's tough stance on public corruption means that he will clean the muck from Trenton's Augean stables.

Given that Democrats are not going to lose control of the Assembly, all of whose seats are up for election Tuesday, GOVERNING with a Democratic legislature is a key consideration.

For anything useful and beneficial to get done, we will need Corzine in the governor's office.

But there is another, and I think more important, reason Corzine must be re-elected.

Nationally, Republicans are viewing the two governors' races this year -- New Jersey and Virginia -- as a proving ground for whether President Obama's initiatives can be derailed, the GOP hand strengthened in advance of the 2010 midterm elections, and Obama effectively rendered a lame duck before the end of his first year in office.

For those who believed in Barack Obama and voted for him last year, this is a decisive moment.

If Jon Corzine loses in New Jersey, Barack Obama will be wounded and the ability of his administration to deliver on key fronts such as healthcare reform and leading the country out of the deepest recession since the Great Depression will be severely compromised.

For this reason, I think Plainfielders must put aside their anger and disappointment in his lackluster performance and cast their vote for Jon Corzine and his running mate, Sen. Loretta Weinberg, who will become New Jersey's first lieutenant governor.

Corzine must do better in a second term. He must show some spine and take on the issues of tackling the nation's highest property tax burden and cleaning up the worst public corruption anywhere in the country.

If he does not, he will fail not just Plainfield, but President Obama, New Jersey and the entire country.

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-- Dan Damon

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