Saturday, July 3, 2010

NorthJersey.com: Standoff between NJ Gov. Chris Christie and Dems over property taxes unresolved

NorthJersey.com: Standoff between NJ Gov. Chris Christie and Dems over property taxes unresolved

Standoff between NJ Gov. Chris Christie and Dems over property taxes unresolved
Saturday, July 3, 2010
STATE HOUSE BUREAU
STATE HOUSE BUREAU
Gov. Chris Christie and the Democrats who control the Legislature continued to publicly posture over the governor’s property tax reform agenda yesterday, and private negotiations that lasted into the night failed to resolve the standoff.
NJ Gov. Chris Christie and state Democratic lawmakers remain in a standoff over property tax reform.
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NJ Gov. Chris Christie and state Democratic lawmakers remain in a standoff over property tax reform.
Talks between Christie and legislative leaders broke up just before 9 p.m. with no resolution, ending the second day of a special session that yielded little progress.
The day began with threats the governor would take the Legislature to court to force the full houses to meet and the specter he would conditionally veto a competing property tax bill lawmakers passed earlier this week.
By dusk, no court action had been taken, the veto had not been issued, and Christie and his staff had spent hours wrangling with Democratic leaders.
At one point, shortly after 3 p.m., Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) was