Editorial: Christie era begins

New Jersey Gov. Christopher J. Christie displayed at his inauguration yesterday the optimism he'll need, minus the details, to solve the state's chronic fiscal problems.

The first Republican governor in eight years promised "a new era of lower taxes and higher growth." That would be a breathtaking turnaround for a state with the highest property taxes and largest per-capita budget deficit in the nation.

Christie, 47, understands what he's up against. The state deficit is at least $8 billion, about one-third of the overall budget. The state is burdened with $31 billion in debt. Unemployment is at its highest level in a quarter-century, and tax collections are weak.

Given all that, the former federal prosecutor didn't sugarcoat his message to New Jersey residents. Painful decisions loom when Christie unveils his first budget next month.

"The era of runaway spending and higher and higher taxes has not worked," he said, forecasting more budget cuts and reductions in state aid for municipalities. But Christie predicted this new course will result in economic growth.

Christie's predecessor, Democrat Jon S. Corzine, also understood New Jersey's fiscal dilemma. But the former Wall Street wizard failed to make much progress on that front. Corzine did shield the state's most vulnerable citizens from the deepest budget cuts, a principle Christie also has a moral duty to follow.

It didn't take long yesterday for Christie to show one improvement over Corzine. Christie is a better public speaker, and thus has the potential to be a better salesman for his agenda. It is a difference of style, not substance, but style could help the new governor in the difficult days ahead.

In a bit of political stagecraft, Christie also invited new Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D., Gloucester) and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D., Essex) to stand with him and shake hands. The three leaders will need to reach out to each other regularly if they're to get anything done. Democrats control the Legislature, but they lack enough votes to override Christie's veto.

Another change in Trenton is the arrival of the state's first lieutenant governor, Kim Guadagno. Voters approved the position in 2005. She will begin overseeing elections, tourism, cultural programs, and other state government functions.

Christie singled out several New Jersey "heroes," including Dave Girgenti of Cherry Hill and Tammy Evans-Colquitt of Pennsauken, for their work helping others in need. It may be instructive that Christie also praised a Freehold man who operates a soup kitchen "with no formal funding from government."

Trenton can't afford its old spending habits, but neither should it abandon its role as a safety net for those with the greatest needs.