Double Standard for Double Dipping?

 Joe DiVincenzo, Jr, and Gov. Christie,
perhaps discussing other ways to say one thing and do another.
Laughing all the way to the bank, at the tax payers' expense.

    

 At the end of March, a story broke in New Jersey which reported that Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr., a Democrate, had quietly been collecting a monthly $5,738 pension since August, 2010 — on top of his $153,207 annual pay. Even as he worked with Gov. Christie to push for pension reform, claiming that the state was broke.

A look at Christie'ss first year in office shows that has cozied up to politicians who don’t always practice what he preaches. Although he attacks teachers, cops and bureaucrats for various abuses, he goes silent when his allies are caught in their own controversies — especially Democrats whose help he needs on New Jersey’s political battlefield.

   Christie has worked closely with DiVincenzo on rolling back pension benefits. Earlier this year, the county executive said, “The bank is broken, and the time has come to put everything on the table.”

  DiVincenzo’s nonretirement retirement let him tack a $68,862 annual pension to his $153,207 salary, and public employee unions called him a hypocrite.

   DiVincenzo said he did nothing wrong, adding he’s only trying to take care of his family. He said he’s following a law that lets public employees retire while still holding elected office as long as they previously held a different public job.

  As a candidate for governor, Chris Christie promised to stop public employees from double-dipping in the salary and pension punch bowl.

   Among the "88 Ways Chris Christie Will Fix New Jersey" on his campaign website were No. 23, 

      "I will fully eliminate dual officeholding by our state's elected officials by proposing immediate changes to state law," and 

   No. 24, "I will ban the practice of dual public employment, whereby one person holds a full-time government job while also holding a salaried, elected position."




Update:  On March 4, Gov. Christie was asked about DiVincenzo's situation and offered his criticism:

"I made this really clear. I think it's wrong," he said. "And it's not just for him. It's wrong for all the other people who are doing it."