Corzine informs supporters of Weinberg as LG Choice

by: Jason Springer

Sat Jul 25, 2009 at 10:51:02 AM EDT

I am proud to announce that I have selected State Senator Loretta Weinberg as my nominee to serve as New Jersey's first Lieutenant Governor.

For those of you who may not know Senator Weinberg, I know that you will be impressed by her legislative experience, the significant and positive change she's brought to our state, and by her personal values and unquestionable integrity.

Often called the "conscience of the Legislature" because of her principled stands on issues large and small, Loretta Weinberg isn't afraid to take on the tough fights:

Loretta has been leading the charge on ethics reform for years. She's passed legislation to require greater financial disclosure by local government officials, toughen regulations for lobbyists, strengthen anti-nepotism rules on campaign contributions and limit public contracts to businesses that make political contributions.

She has put the safety of our children and New Jersey residents first. Loretta battled the powerful gun lobby to protect our children by mandating safety locks on all handguns and fought to lower the blood alcohol level state-wide for which a person can be considered to be guilty of drunk driving.

She is a tireless advocate for protecting New Jerseyan's health. Against stiff opposition, Loretta took on Big Tobacco and sponsored the law making indoor public places smoke-free. She stood up to insurance companies and succeeded in forcing hospitals to provide longer stays for new moms and their babies. And she has made combating autism a primary focus as the sponsor of several laws funding treatment, education and research for autistic children.

The list goes on and on. For over forty years, Loretta Weinberg has been an advocate for better health care, honest government, environmental protection, women's rights, and protecting the pocketbooks of New Jersey's working families.

She shares my commitment to our state and my vision for what New Jersey can be, and I cannot think of a better person to serve as New Jersey's first Lieutenant Governor. I'm confident that as you get to know her you will become as big a fan of Loretta Weinberg as I am.

I'm confident that Loretta's steadfast commitment, her deep legislative experience, and her personal integrity will prove to be invaluable as we continue to build on the remarkable successes of my first term. I know that Loretta will be a partner that I can trust and will become a unique and important voice in the next Corzine Administration.

I'm confident that she will set the highest standard for what New Jersey's Lieutenant Governor can and should be, and I'm looking forward to working side-by-side with her over the next four years.