New Jersey Taxpayer Alert

The McGreevey taxpayer rip-off continues:

In his last months as governor, Jim McGreevey rang up $159,000 in legal bills relating to his connection to an extortion, mail fraud and bribery case and the issues surrounding his resignation.

McGreevey has also started to tap into a transition fund of up to $500,000 set up for the former governor, signing a six-month lease for office space in Woodbridge for which taxpayers are paying $2,387 a month, according to the state Treasury Department. In addition, treasury officials said he cashed in $14,737 in unused vacation time last week - his final paycheck from the state after leaving office on Nov. 15.

When McGreevey hits 60, he can expect to once again collect checks from the state in the form of a pension estimated at more than $50,000 a year. He is 47.

Gee, we see a third option – MCGreevey gets cut off without a dime and New Jersey taxpayers cut him a break by not pursuing criminal prosecution.

"I'm sure people will be miffed that taxpayers are still paying for McGreevey," said political scientist David Rebovitch of Rider University.

Rebovitch said he figured a lot of people would consider giving McGreevey access to the transition fund - which allows ex-governors money "in connection with winding up the affairs of his office" - a good deal compared with the alternative.

"I think the average taxpayer in New Jersey, if given the opportunity to buy out McGreevey's last year in office for $500,000 or keep him on, would buy him out," he said. More here