Asbury Park Press: Christie to give talk to state’s business power brokers

 

June 15, 2011

BY Bob Jordan
 

Gov. Chris Christie is slated to make a speech to some of the state’s most powerful corporate leaders and lobbyists Wednesday night. Christie will be at the Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village to meet approximately 500 corporate leaders at the New Jersey Business & Industry Association’s State Dinner. Christie likely will highlight his efforts to improve the state’s business climate since he took office last year.

 

But the governor’s business-friendly efforts have hurt other sectors, said Bill Holland, spokesman for Better Choices for New Jersey, a coalition of some 70 community, environmental, labor and religious groups.

 

Shortly before Christie’s scheduled speech, Holland said the meeting with “the state’s most powerful corporate lobbyists’’ showed that the governor “stands with big business instead of New Jersey’s working families.’’

 

“Even as the governor has forced through cuts that increased (school) class sizes, raised tuition and train fares and cut affordable health care for tens of thousands of working New Jerseyans, he’s promised as much as $1 billion in public funds to corporations without providing the jobs New Jersey needs,’’ said Holland, referring to tax breaks provided to Xanadu, Revel, Panasonic and other businesses.

 

“New Jersey needs to invest in education, transportation, and other vital services that are essential to bringing about an economic recovery all New Jerseyans can share in,” Holland said.

 

The State Dinner is hosted by the association’s Employer Legislative Committees. The county committees were established in 1959 to bring together business people, legislators and other government leaders to share ideas on the top issues affecting New Jersey’s economy.

 

This year’s dinner was sponsored by New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co., with NJM president and chief executive officer, Bernie Flynn, serving as chairman of the event.