Thompson Slams Atlantic City Council Car Purchase

Trenton–Senator Sam Thompson, of District 12, which serves portions of Ocean County, issued the following response to media reports of Atlantic City spending more than $65,000 to buy cars for three council members against the advice of the city’s state fiscal monitors:

“Atlantic City Council’s brazen abuse of tax dollars to buy cars for part-time elected officials — in these economic times and as the city faces rising obligatory expenses — reflects why it is one of the few municipalities in New Jersey where each financial move must be monitored by state supervisors. After all, these are locally elected officials whose public duties, I would assume, rarely take them out of town.

“Unfortunately, budget baby sitting is just one way that Atlantic City, which annually receives among the highest portions of state municipal aid at approximately $9 million, depletes our state tax dollars and resources.

“Public servants should always be fiscally responsible with the peoples’ money, but especially in advance of rising cost burdens.  Atlantic City residents and taxpayers around the state who help pay for city expenses deserve much, much better.”

Senator Thompson will introduce legislation to ban localities from issuing public vehicles to part-time elected officials. He intends to do so at the Senate’s next quorum scheduled for Monday.

Posted by Ocean County News on Sep 21 2012. Filed under Community, Headline News, Jersey Shore, Politics, Toms River. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.