John Adler's Hypocrisy on Legislative Pay Raises

John Adler's Hypocrisy on Legislative Pay Raises

Adler voted against 40% legislative pay raise in 1999, then took the money

          Mount Holly, September 4, 2008-Career Trenton politician John Adler voted against the 40% taxpayer-funded pay raise state legislators voted themselves in 1999 then hypocritically pocketed the raise after it was passed by a single vote, charged decorated combat veteran and successful businessman Chris Myers (NJ-3).

          For his part, Myers' $5,458 salary as a Medford Councilman and Mayor has never increased since he was first elected in 2001, and he doesn't take any taxpayer paid health care benefits for serving on Council.

          "It's typical Trenton hypocrisy and greed at the expense of already overburdened New Jersey taxpayers," said Myers.  "John Adler raised taxes 43 times since 2002 to fatten up the Trenton feeding trough with $11 billion in new taxpayer money so that he and other longtime Trenton insiders could enrich themselves at taxpayer expense."

          Myers said if Adler was truly against the 40% legislative pay raise-as his vote would seem to indicate-he should have backed up his vote with action, and refused to take the extra money after the pay raise was enacted.

          "John Adler-whose calculating political ambition is legendary-voted "No" on the taxpayer-funded pay raise fearing it would doom his chances for higher office, then had the audacity to turn around and pocket the money after the pay raise passed by the slimmest of margins.  If he truly believed the pay raise was wrong-he should have refused to take it.  He owes the taxpayers in the 3rd Congressional District an explanation for this blatant hypocrisy."

          P.L. 1999, c. 380, formerly S-2297, provided a series of raises for the Governor, Cabinet officers, judges, workers' compensation judges, and raised the annual salary for the members of the Senate and General Assembly from $35,000 to $49,000, beginning with the 2002 legislative year.  It passed the Senate 21-15.

          To make matters worse, Adler voted "Yes" for a raise in pay for the Judiciary during the 2006-2007 legislative session-during the midst of a failing state economy and ever-increasing taxes on New Jersey residents-thus increasing the salary for the Chief Justice and the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court as well as the salaries of Judges of the Appellate Division, Assignment Judges and Judges of the Superior Court.

          He first voted to increase judicial salaries in the State Budget (P.L. 2007, c. 111). 

          Then, he voted to codify those initial increases and raise salaries an additional 5.7% in P.L. 2007, c. 350, formerly A-2135.  In total, the judges got an 11.08% increase as a result of the two votes.  That law also increased salaries of the offices of County Clerk, Surrogate, Sheriff and Register of Deeds and Mortgages, which by statute are set at a specified minimum percentage of the salary of a Superior Court Judge.

          "While working families and seniors on a fixed income are struggling to make ends meet under a crushing burden of higher taxes forced upon them by Trenton, John Adler was rewarding Trenton insiders and politically-connected lawyers with pay raises at taxpayer expense," said Myers.  "Taxpayers are tightening their belts, and government should too.  I would have thought a so-called "middle-class fighter" like John Adler would have figured that out, but I guess not."

NOTE: Adler's Financial Disclosure filed with the House Clerk is attached proving Adler takes a full $49,000 salary as State Senator.

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