“Yesterday’s ceremony struck an important and necessary bipartisan tone, and as we prepare for the many challenges that lie ahead – particularly when it comes to improving our State’s financial health and lowering our highest-in-the-nation property taxes – we need to look past partisan labels and accept good ideas, no matter where they come from. The campaigns are over, and though I expect we will still have ideological disagreements from time to time, whether we’re Democrats or Republicans, we’re all in this together when it comes to our State’s economic well-being and chronic budgetary problems.

“As we look to close a multi-billion dollar budget deficit for the upcoming fiscal year, we must protect the middle-class taxpayers and small businesses that are struggling to weather this recession.

“I think Governor Christie understands just how dire the situation is for everyday New Jerseyans, and I look forward to working with him, as well as lawmakers on the Senate and Assembly budget committees, to make sure the budget takes into account the economic reality facing middle-class New Jersey. Our budget picture is bleak, but we must come at it with a level of compassion for hard-hit taxpayers and common sense solutions which will improve our State’s economy in the long-term.”