What will the new governor face as the smoke clears?
DR Jon Corzine and Doug Forrester have been campaigning on the promise that they will change the way politics is conducted in New Jersey. Candidates have long promised to bring “the best and the brightest” to Trenton, to put the public interest ahead of partisan considerations, and to enact bold new and effective policies while pursuing efficiency; citizens are still skeptical, after Corzine and Forrester spend record-setting amounts claiming that this time they meant it. In the meantime, loyal partisans wedded to old ways wonder what their roles will be in the next administration. Let’s hope the new governor remembers who really put him in the Statehouse. JS Shake hands with reality and get to know truth on a first-name basis. The campaign was about a lot of things, except about facing up to big problems. The new governor must quickly get a handle on the state’s finances and lay out just how bad things really are. He needs to offer long-term solutions, however painful. And he’d better
