Since Corzine took office a year ago, he has certainly had a full slate of issues to deal with as governor. I would even venture to say that the governance of our fair state was not something Corzine, despite all best intentions, could ably prepare for before entering office, and David Rebovich, writing on politicsnj.com, concurs. Corzine hasn't shied away from conflict and alienating many of the consituencies he relies on for his voting bloc, and Rebovich writes that The Democratic establishment - i.e., legislators, party leaders, county and municipal officeholders, and key interest groups - weren't necessarily thrilled by all this talk of reform. Serious substantive ethics reform have been part of Corzine's agenda, and he has made some of the patronage deals that marked the McGreevey administration a thing of the past. Of course, he needs to have an independent party deal with union rep Carla Katz, since he used to date her, and there may be a conflict of interest with his choice of Steve DiMicco as a representative since his wife is head of a major union. Corzine has been strong, in my mind, in promoting ethics reform, but he'll need to be even more vigilant about these peripheral conflicts of interests.
Rebovich's analysis, while mostly positive, does point out some "missteps" in Corzine's first year, including, in his attempt to have a diverse cabinet, promoting Zulima Farber to attorney general. Rebovich is correct in asserting that Corzine got it right the second time around and that Stuart Rabner, whom Corzine named Attorney General when Farber resigned under fire, should have been named to this post in the first place. Corzine, from my vantage, has adapted well from previous mistakes, and this seems to be an experience he can learn from.
Corzine's balancing game between both reducing the state budget deficit and providing property tax reform is also mentioned by Rebovich, though his stance here is unclear. He does mention that, by accepting the Roberts proposal for shifting some of the 7% sales tax towards property tax relief, Corzine gave up his goal of having "fiscal integrity," but I'm not sure that is completely right. The next 2007 budget should also be a lean one, but at that time property tax reform may already have funding and momentum without having to rely explicitly on the sales tax. My criticism of the governor in the budget is not with his actions -- I fully supported the government shutdown and the governor's hardline stance -- but that he let some, not all, pork in for individual projects after the final budget was accepted.
Rebovich acutely sees Corzine's major struggle as that between his liberal principles for government helping the disenfranchised and his fiscal restraint: As he looks to the future, the Governor will have another major challenge that he cannot avoid. That is trying to reconcile his economic and social populism, i.e., his desire to help needy New Jerseyans and average property tax payers, with his commitment to encouraging economic growth by keeping the lid on other taxes. Corzine has not yielded on his commitment to the poor in our state, and an NJN News segment this week even mentioned how the lean 2006 budget increased funding for homeless shelters and other such organizations by nearly $50 million. One could criticize Corzine's allegiance to urban and poverty concerns by citing his support for changes in Abbott school funding, but that is mostly to provide property tax relief for the state and not meant to cripple urban school districts, which I don't think will happen.
Rebovich doesn't mention a few moments from Corzine's first year that I find particularly telling for why he is such a good, decent governor. First, Corzine refused millions in school aid from the federal government when the Bush administration when it was predicated on teachers having abstinence-only sex education, which is not a viable method for stopping the spread of STDs and teen pregancy. Secondly, he also has a plan to decrease NJ dependence on nonrenewable oil by 2020, when our state would have a high percentage of its energy needs met by renewable resources. Thirdly, one of the first things that Corzine did as governor was reach out to assembly and senate Republicans in a genuinely bipartisan gesture; he sees property tax reform, ethics reform, and budget constraints as only being tackled in such a bipartisan manner. Finally, we now know he won't veto any gay marriage amendment and seems to be returning to his pro gay rights roots in that regard.
I share optimism with Rebovich and others for Gov. Corzine's term(s) as head executive in this state. The sky is the limit for a smart, savvy governor such as Corzine.
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