Mayor demands reimbursement check from the campaign
Middletown, NJ — President Joe Biden came to the Middletown riverside mansion of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy this weekend and now, the city is learning it will have to eat the $24,000 in police and security costs incurred by the campaign.
That campaign raised $3.7 million and it’s not expected to reimburse the community for its costs.
In a News 12 report this week, residents of Middletown are expressing their frustration over the financial burden they must bear for President Joe Biden’s recent trip to New Jersey for a campaign fundraiser.
The event, hosted at Governor Phil Murphy’s residence, necessitated heightened local security, costing taxpayers approximately $24,000.
Republican Mayor Tony Perry said that while he would not have minded the expense of a governmental visit, a campaign fundraiser should not burden the taxpayers.
He pointed out the contrast between the fundraiser’s multimillion-dollar intake and the local costs: “I think that anytime a campaign comes through and isn’t on official government business, there is some responsibility to those for the inconvenience that occurs in terms of traffic. However, I think for a $3.7 million fundraiser, a $23,185.75 is an easy check to be written.”