Spending Other People’s Money

Blue Jersey has just discovered Jersey City's School Superintendent and newly elected Assemblyman, Charles T. Epps Jr is “the poster-child for why your property taxes are so high.”

He just likes to spend our money instead of his.

No kidding, that’s the Democrats’ model for government – spending other people’s money, taxpayers be damned. Epps was the handpicked candidate of the Democrat Party for an assembly seat in the 31st distinct. Democrats knew what they were getting when they recruited the guy as we pointed out last September.

Epps is an arrogant superintendent of a failing school district with an outrageous contract with the state that includes:

• $210,520 annual salary, plus guaranteed annual raises that will bring his base
  salary to $229,343 by 2007
• Plus bonus payments of 5% of his salary per year
• A $10,000 tax-deferred annual annuity
• $575,000 for 493 days of unused sick time
• A taxpayer supplied car and a $1,000-a-month housing allowance

Democrats brushed aside objections to Epps’ contract and the time away from school business that would be required to be a member of the Assembly. Jersey City schools may be failing, but Democrats needed this man in Trenton. He’s a wizard at spending other people’s money with nothing to show for it. Just their kinda guy, plus he is a reliable vote for teacher’s unions and Abbott school districts. What more could Democrats want in a assemblyman?

And while Epps in the Assembly may be in the running as poster-child for why our taxes are so high, meet a candidate for the honor in the state Senate:

Sen. Nicholas Sacco (D-Hudson) draws paychecks from three public jobs. He serves as mayor of North Bergen, as an assistant superintendent of the North Bergen Schools and as state Senator.

Yep, just another New Jersey public employee choosing “public service — not personal gain — as their life's work.” Blue Jersey is just beginning to understand why our taxes are so high. Better late than never.