TRENTON, N.J. – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is rich. We all know that. He is a wealthy former Wall Street executive who moved to Jersey and became governor. But, now, the governor’s expensive tastes are costing taxpayers nearly a half-million dollars.
New Jersey Assemblyman Antwan McClellan criticized Gov. Phil Murphy’s elaborate new Statehouse furnishings for private spaces paid for by the taxpayers while previous governors used their personal finances for similar upgrades.
“Murphy is living large off the taxpayers’ dime and it’s not right. Lavish furniture for areas of the Statehouse that are private is unconscionable. It is clear no expense was spared to suit the stylings of millionaires,” McClellan (R-Cape May) said. “Other administrations paid for their personal desks in the statehouse and fancy renovations, so I don’t see how these purchases can be justified.”\
Murphy’s new digs are anything but fair and they most definitely aren’t equitable.
A report in the Star-Ledger today reports that renovations at the office of Governor Phil Murphy in the statehouse in Trenton is anything but fair and equitable. Let’s give Phil Murphy a quick break first. The funding for the $500,000 renovation was approved by former Governor Chris Christie.
That was part of a $283 million renovation project on the aging Statehouse, but let’s face it, some of the upgrades are over the top. In fact, Murphy’s new public office is probably more posh and lavish than his old office at Goldman Sachs.
According to the report, “It includes $217,420 for three rugs, nearly $66,700 for curtains, $24,400 on sofas, more than $31,100 for two antique desks and $10,600 for a pair of chairs to go with them, along with $8,550 on lamps, according to records obtained by NJ Advance Media under the state’s Open Public Records Act.”
For Murphy, it’s the first time his administration is operating out of the newly renovated Statehouse since he took office.
The project is an example of how Trenton has become out of touch with the people it serves.
An OPRA request by NJ Advance Media shows taxpayers spent nearly $500,000 on the governor’s new digs, $80,000 more than the average home price in New Jersey.
A rug in Murphy’s executive office for example cost over $100,000. The OPRA request also shows the chairs used by Phil and his wife Tammy cost over $5,000 each.
Again, let’s not completely blame Murphy for the outrageous expenses, but we also don’t hear him complaining of the overindulgence in his own office.
Just a few blocks away from the Statehouse, panhandlers beg for money along some of the main routes in and out of the capital district in Trenton showing the contrast between the least fortunate in New Jersey and the most fortunate who work within Murphy’s administration.
The Cape May County lawmaker said former governors like Chris Christie used the desk of former state Secretary of State Nina Wells during his time at the Statehouse, while Jim McGreevey brought his Woodbridge mayor’s desk, Christine Todd Whitman worked at her father’s desk, and Dick Codey paid for his desk and took it home.
Additionally, former Gov. Jon Corzine personally paid $53,000 in upgrades to the state-owned governor’s mansion in Princeton and $30,000 to refurbish and redecorate the beachfront retreat used by governors at Island Beach State Park.
“Schools are still underfunded and residents are struggling financially, but taxpayers have to pick up the tab so Murphy and his wife can experience luxury at the people’s house,” McClellan added.
The Christie administration commissioned prison labor to refurbish “existing furniture” in the governor’s office, reducing yearly furniture expenses to $2 million from $6 million.
“The half million dollars spent on the Murphys’ new furniture could have been used for much more noble causes like addressing students’ learning loss, helping small businesses, or permanently cutting taxes,” said McClellan.