Corzine’s Near-Deadly Crash Puts New Jersey Politics on an Uncertain Path

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT: Corzine’s Near-Deadly Crash Puts New Jersey Politics on an Uncertain Path
By MICHAEL COOPER
Published: April 15, 2007

....No matter how long the recuperation, the incapacitating injuries that Mr. Corzine suffered Thursday evening, when his Chevrolet Suburban crashed on the Garden State Parkway near Atlantic City, come at an important moment both in state government and in the life of his young administration, politicians and analysts said....

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The crash comes as Mr. Corzine, 60, a former co-chairman of Goldman Sachs who has pledged to use his business acumen to shore up New Jersey’s finances, was heading into his second budget battle with the State Legislature.

Last year’s epic fight was a test of stamina and brinksmanship. Mr. Corzine slept on a cot in his office for three nights in a row and shut down state government in order to win an agreement from lawmakers to raise the state sales tax.

This year, the governor may have to negotiate the budget from a bed or a wheelchair. And while the next budget is not likely to be as contentious as the last — it is an election year for lawmakers, and Mr. Corzine’s proposal contained fewer politically difficult measures — many challenges lie ahead.

Among them is the state’s crushing debt load. Many homeowners still complain about high property taxes, though they were granted some relief in last year’s budget package. And for years, the state has put too little money in its pension system, casting doubt on whether it can meet its obligation to retirees.

The financial outlook is so bleak that Mr. Corzine has proposed selling off state assets like the New Jersey Turnpike and the parkway on which he was injured.

Mr. Corzine’s injuries could sideline him at a crucial time in his second year in office, when he is still trying to gain favor with voters and make inroads with Trenton’s political establishment. He has also been asked to answer questions about his gifts to a former companion who is the president of a powerful state employees union....

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/nyregion/15corzine.html