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North Jersey mayors supportive, skeptical of shared services

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North Jersey mayors supportive, skeptical of shared services
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2014, 8:24 PM
BY  JIM NORMAN
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

Mayors across North Jersey had reactions ranging from support to skepticism for Governor Christie’s budget proposal calling for an $8.5 million fund to encourage municipalities to save money by consolidating and sharing such services as police and fire protection.

“It sounds great, but how far does $8.5 million go across the state of New Jersey?” Fairview Mayor Vincent Bellucci asked. “It makes good press, but it doesn’t make good reality.”

“It’s a gutsy move on his part,” Clifton Mayor James Anzaldi said of Christie. “Every little bit helps. I think that’s smart government.”

East Rutherford Mayor James Cassella said: “I don’t need anybody to push me to do it. Just show me the savings and we’ll do it. … A town is foolish if they’re not looking into it already.”

Mayor Mark Sokolich of Fort Lee said that although he hadn’t seen the governor’s proposal, he supports shared services. “We need to be as creative as we possibly can, and I think we need to be supportive of any creative measures,” he said.

“We mayors recognize that old ways of doing government are unsustainable and that it is incumbent on us to constantly explore new and better ways of delivering municipal services,” said Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/North_Jersey_mayors_supportive_skeptical_of_shared_services.html#sthash.1xUU0dyZ.dp

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