the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Irvington NJ, Democratic Assemblyman Jamel Holley said Gov. Phil Murphy’s been asleep at the switch on the Newarks lead crisis.
Holley is a member of the New Jersey General Assembly representing the 20th Legislative District. He was appointed to the seat on January 21, 2015, by the elected members of the Union County Democratic Committee from the 20th district municipalities of Elizabeth, Hillside, Roselle, and Union Township making him the first African American to represent the district. He is serving out the unexpired term of former Assemblyman and now State Senator Joseph Cryan.
Holley took aim at Governor Murphy’s handling of Newark’s water crisis, saying the governor was asleep at the switch and slow to act on the issue despite promising to focus on it during his 2017 gubernatorial campaign.
Holley cited a list of recommendations the legislature sent Murphy in early 2018. Most of those recommendations were not acted on, and some were implemented with a fraction of the resources the joint legislative committee sought.
For instance, the committee recommended issuing a $400 million bond to address the state’s lead water service lines. Only a quarter of that amount was issued, and it came as part of a separate $500 million bond.
Holley’s criticisms of Murphy come days after Democratic State Sen. Ron Rice, chair of the Legislative Black Caucus, slammed Murphy and legislative leaders patronized black officials and activists.
Rice accused the governor, Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin of not prioritizing important issues to the black community like marijuana decriminalization.
Meanwhile, Republican Jack Ciattarelli hit the governor over his absence saying, “
“New Jersey has full-time problems that require the undivided attention of a full-time Governor. Phil Murphy should take heed.
New Jersey taxpayers have no appetite whatsoever for a Governor of either party spending his/her time flying around the country engaged in partisan activities raising money, campaigning and strategizing for their political party. For New Jersey’s sake, this is not the time for Phil Murphy to become Chairman of the Democratic Governors Association (DGA).
While Phil Murphy is busy in Florida doing DGA’s bidding, he may very well recognize a great many people who’ve fled New Jersey in search of lower taxes.”
