Thursday, June 2, 2011

Christie Vetoes NJEFA Appointment

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie continued to exercise his veto authority today by rejecting a portion of the minutes of the May 24, 2011 board meeting of the New Jersey Educational Facilities Authority (NJEFA) for its approval to appoint a new Deputy Executive Director. The Governor noted that the selection process for the position was flawed since no application or interview process was conducted and that the Board simply handpicked an employee for the post.

“The need for a Deputy Executive Director at EFA, which has a staff of only fourteen employees, is questionable,” the Governor wrote in his veto letter to NJEFA Executive Director James Poole. “The designation of important staff titles such as Deputy Executive Director should be made only after the appropriate agency leaders have determined that the position is necessary and that candidates have been considered in a fair and consistent manner. Neither of those tasks was accomplished here.”

In his letter, the Governor also pointed out that the Executive Director, on the record at the May 24, 2011 meeting, noted there was no need for the position.

No other veto power was exercised on any other action taken by the Board.

This veto is the twenty-third exercised by Governor Christie in his effort to reform spending, budgeting and management practices at New Jersey authorities, commissions and boards over which he has veto authority. A bill proposed by Governor Christie that is pending before the legislature would expand that veto authority to numerous other semi-autonomous state entities.

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