NJ WATCHDOG: Christie has no receipts for quarter-million dollars in expenses

Our governor had at work with your tax dollars!

Details of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s $82,000 spending spree at NFL games remain a mystery – despite a release of expense account receipts by the governor’s office.

Receipts for Christie's purchases at New York Giants and Jets home games during the 2010 and 2011 seasons are missing from 597 pages of receipts New Jersey Watchdog obtained through an Open Public Records Act request.

The governor’s office does not have documentation for more than $247,000 in expenses – two-thirds of the $360,000 Christie has spent from his state expense allowance since he took office in 2010, according to a New Jersey Watchdog analysis.

“We have produced to you all of the receipts/invoices/bills that we located,” stated Heather Taylor, the governor’s records custodian and chief ethics officer. “We are not withholding any records based on an OPRA exemption.”

“Every dollar of expenses associated with the discretionary fund has been tracked and accounted for in full,” added Kevin Roberts, Christie’s press secretary, in a prepared statement.

As New Jersey Watchdog previously revealed, Christie’s debit card was used 58 times during the 2010 and 2011 seasons to charge $82,594 to Delaware North Sportservice, operator of the food and beverage concessions at MetLife Stadium. The expenses did not include his free use of luxury boxes, traditionally available to governors at the state-owned venue.

To avoid embarrassment, Christie turned to the New Jersey Republican Committee. The committee reimbursed the state in early 2012 for Christie’s bills at MetLife, plus additional charges the governor racked up at Izod Center. Since then, he has refrained from using his expense account at sporting venues.

The full report – with links to copies of the receipts released by the governor’s office – is online at http://watchdog.org/222152/christie-no-expense-receipts/.

NJ Watchdog: Gifts to Gov. Christie are not 'gifts,' rules AG

Gifts to Gov. Christie are not 'gifts,' rules NJ attorney general

In New Jersey, a gift is not a gift – particularly if you’re the governor and your subordinates interpret ethics rules in your favor. For example:

• Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones flew Gov. Chris Christie and his family to Texas on a charter plane to be his guests in a VIP luxury box at a football game in January.
• Billionaire casino owner Sheldon G. Adelson provided a private jet to fly the New Jersey governor and his clan to Israel in 2012.
• King Abdullah of Jordan picked up a $30,000 hotel tab for Christie and his entourage during the same trip.

Yet none of those favors are considered “gifts” the governor is required to publicly report – thanks to a pretzel-logic legal opinion issued last week by his political appointee, Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman.

The opinion enabled Christie to report he received no gifts during 2014 – just as he has since taking office in 2010.

The governor and other state officials are supposedly required to disclose all sources of income, including “honoraria, lecture fees, gifts and other gratuities (cash or non-cash) and other miscellaneous sources of income” in annual financial statements filed with the State Ethics Commission, as required by Executive Order 24.

But according to a six-page opinion from Hoffman, a gift does not have to be reported unless it is a gratuity – such as “money received for performing a service” or “items received in return for performing some service, such as speaking at an event.”

The bottom line, strange but true: Christie does not have to report the favors as gifts unless it can be shown he did something in exchange for them.

The full story is online at http://watchdog.org/220132/christie-gifts-nj/.

NJ Watchdog: Bill requiring Christie to disclose $95K expense account hits Assembly

Two State Assembly members plan to introduce legislation today to force the governor to publicly reveal how he spends his $95,000 annual expense account.

The allowance, which Gov. Chris Christie receives in addition to his $175,000 a year salary, is not expressly subject to reporting under current state law. Last month, the governor’s office refused to release the expense records to New Jersey Watchdog.

The bill sponsored by Troy Singleton, D-Burlington, and Vince Mazzeo, D-Atlantic, would require the governor to provide receipts and expenditure details. In the state budget, the account is listed as “an allowance of funds not otherwise appropriated and used for official receptions on behalf of the state, the operation of an official resident, for other expenses.”

“This proposal further heightens the fiscal transparency requirements that the citizens of our state demand of its public officials,” said Singleton. “By mandating that the details of this allowance be part of the public record, we will enable the people of New Jersey to hold this governor and all future governors accountable.”

The report, due on July 15 each year, would be posted on the State Ethics Commission web site.

“New Jersey taxpayers have every right to know where their hard-earned money goes,” said Mazzeo (D-Atlantic). “Any governor who makes a responsible and appropriate use of this expense account should have no objection to complying with what’s required under this bill.”

The payments from the state were not reported on Christie’s federal income tax returns from 2010 to 2013. A spokesman for the governor said the allowance does not have to be counted as income under IRS regulations because Christie can account for how the money is spent.

The Singleton-Mazzeo bill would require the governor to be accountable to New Jersey taxpayers, as well as the IRS.

The story is online at http://watchdog.org/216296/christie-expense-account/.

NJ Watchdog: Christie keeps $95k expense account secret

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie defended his failure to report any of his $95,000 annual entertainment allowance on tax returns, arguing the money isn’t income because he has accounted for it.

Just don’t ask him to make those records available to the public. Through his press secretary, Christie rejected New Jersey Watchdog’s request to disclose how he spent the cash.

Government-transparency advocates and tax specialists fired back.

“If it’s not public, then you’re not being accountable because it’s the public who decides whether or not you have a job,” said Bill Allison, senior fellow at Sunlight Foundation, a non-profit advocate for transparency in government. “I don’t know how they can be saying these are not public records and can’t be disclosed.”

“To hold your public officials accountable, you have to know what they’re spending money on,” said Sheila Weinberg, CEO of Truth in Accounting, a non-profit watchdog for fiscal responsibility in government. “The public has a right and a need to know.”

The full story is online at http://watchdog.org/212497/christie-expense-account-secret-2/.

NJ Watchdog: Christie fails to report income, avoids $152,000 in taxes

Gov. Chris Christie failed to report as income or pay taxes on $380,000 in expense allowances he received from the state, according to a New Jersey Watchdog examination of Treasury data and the governor’s tax returns.

By not declaring the allowances on their joint returns, Christie and his wife, Mary Pat, avoided roughly $152,000 in federal income taxes over four years.

Despite an exchange of emails, Christie's press office did not offer comment.

In addition to his $175,000 a year salary, Christie gets a $95,000 a year expense account. In the state budget, it’s described as an “allowance to the governor of funds not otherwise appropriated, for official reception on behalf of the state, operations of an official residence, and other expenses.”

The governor is not required to provide receipts, refund surpluses or provide information to the state on how the money is used. But failure to report a “non-accountable” allowance to the Internal Revenue Service is a different matter.

Contrary to IRS rules, Christie did not declare the allowances as income on federal returns for 2010, 2011, 2012 or 2013. The 2014 return is due Wednesday, but Christie typically receives six-month filing extensions.

The full story is now online at http://watchdog.org/211787/christie-avoids-income-taxes/.

NJ Watchdog: Voters flee as Christie chases White House

As Chris Christie applies for a job in the White House, he may want to think twice about using his New Jersey employers as references.

Fifty-four percent of registered voters give thumbs-down to Christie’s performance as governor, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released today. And 60 percent believe the Garden State is on the wrong track.

The numbers have dropped dramatically since a high point in February 2013, when Christie savored a 73 percent approval rating versus a scant 23 percent in naysayers.

The poll found New Jersey’s pension crisis to be Christie’s biggest weakness. Only 22 percent of voters view his role favorably, compared to 60 percent who disapprove.

The unfunded liability of state retirement system exceeds $170 billion, according to a New Jersey Watchdog analysis based on numbers from the state Treasury. Christie made pension reform the centerpiece of his budget address in February, but there has been no legislative progress on the recommendations of the governor’s blue-ribbon panel.

Meanwhile, Christie is spending less time in Trenton and more time on the national campaign trail. Next week, he is scheduled to be in New Hampshire from April 14 to 17. One of the events will be a town hall meeting with voters in the early primary state.

The story is online at http://watchdog.org/211151/nj-voters-flee-christie/.

NJ Watchdog: After 16 years as double-dipper, cop retires for 2nd pension

As New Jersey looks to fix a state pension system that's billions in debt, Patrick J. Higgins and other double-dippers find new ways to squeeze it for every dollar they can.

Higgins retired this month – for a second time. So the longtime law officer will begin collecting two state pensions, totaling nearly $100,000 a year, instead of one.

A New Jersey Watchdog examination of the underlying circumstances illustrates how public officials can legally exploit the state’s troubled retirement system, which is underfunded by $170 billion.

In 1999, Higgins retired as a state police detective. Since age 51, he has collected pension checks from the State Police Retirement System, which currently pays him $55,000 a year. SPRS rules allow members to retire after 25 years of service, regardless of age.

But Higgins never really retired. The month before that “retirement” took effect, he was hired by the Sussex County sheriff as an investigator. He quickly enrolled in another state pension plan, the Public Employees Retirement System. Higgins remained in PERS when he left the sheriff’s office in 2003 to join the county prosecutor’s staff in a similar position.

For 16 years, Higgins has collected a Sussex County salary – $101,696 in 2014 – plus his SPRS pension. Last year, his two streams of income from public coffers added up to $156,746.

At age 67, Higgins has decided to retire again – this time as a detective sergeant in the county prosecutor's office. But it’s not a garden-variety retirement based on his length of service.

Instead, it’s a disability retirement – a type of pension that will pay him more than he would have otherwise received. It was approved by the PERS board of trustees in closed session last month.

The full story is online at http://watchdog.org/207540/new-jersey-double-dipper/.

NJ Watchdog: Appeals court to weigh tactics in Christie records denial

Is it legal for government to be “sneaky” in responding to requests for public records? Or do public officials have a “duty of cooperation” to be fair with citizens?

Those questions are at the heart of an Open Public Records Law case against Gov. Chris Christie and his staff that awaits a hearing in a New Jersey state appeals court.

“Government is not allowed to be sneaky,” asserted attorney Donald M. Doherty Jr. in his brief on behalf of a New Jersey Watchdog reporter. “It must be above board in all of its dealings.”

The case is food for thought during Sunshine Week, March 15-21, which promotes openness in American government and warns against the dangers of excessive and unnecessary secrecy.

The full story is online at http://watchdog.org/205991/tactics-christie-records-denial/.

NJ Watchdog: New Jersey ranks worst in funding state pensions

Report: New Jersey ranks worst in funding state pensions

New Jersey is the nation’s biggest pension deadbeat, ranking last among states in funding public retirement plans, according to a study released today.

From fiscal years 2001 to 2013, New Jersey paid only 38 percent of its annual required contributions, or ARCs, stated the National Association of State Retirement Administrators report. During that 13-year span, New Jersey shortchanged its pensions by more than $23 billion.

The study also found:

• New Jersey was one of two states making less than half of its ARCs. The other outlier was Pennsylvania at 41 percent.
• All but six states paid at least 75 percent.
• The majority of states substantially complied with their obligations. The average retirement plan received 89 percent of its ARCs.

In New Jersey, pension underfunding under a succession of governors – Democrats and Republicans alike – has led the state to the brink of fiscal calamity.

The actual unfunded liability of the state retirement system exceeds $170 billion, according to a New Jersey Watchdog analysis based on official numbers from the state Treasury. That figure includes:

• $82.7 billion in unfunded liability for the pension plans of state workers.
• $53 billion in unfunded health benefits for state retirees.
• A $20.7 billion shortfall for the pensions of local public employees who collect retirement checks from the state.
• $13.8 billion to cover the post-employment benefits of those local workers.

The full story is online at http://watchdog.org/205505/nj-worst-funding-state-pensions/.

NJ Watchdog: Highway robbery? Bill seeks probe of state road costs

Why does New Jersey spend more on its highway system than any other state?

On the heels of reports by New Jersey Watchdog, a state senator is introducing legislation today to create a task force to address that question.

“When we’re spending two or three times more per mile than any other state, it’s extremely likely that significant savings can be found by the task force,” said Sen. Mike Doherty, R-Washington Twp., the bill’s sponsor.

New Jersey pays in excess of $2 million a mile per year – more than 12 times higher than the national average – to maintain 3,338 miles of state-administered roads, according to a Reason Foundation study.

State transportation commissioner Jamie Fox responded by calling the study “inaccurate and unfair.” However, Fox did not offer alternative figures, nor did he dispute that New Jersey has the costliest roads in the country.

“Some may quibble over how much more New Jersey spends on our highways than other states, but nobody disputes that we do spend more than everyone else,” said Doherty. “With New Jersey drivers already shouldering such a heavy tax and toll burden, it’s imperative that we find out why millions we spend on our roads get us so little in return.”

That weight will only get heavier if lawmakers pass a proposed 25 cents a gallon hike in the state gas tax. According to its proponents, the state must to raise $2 billion a year to fund its transportation projects.

The full story is online at http://watchdog.org/204570/new-jersey-highway-robbery/.

NJ Watchdog sues Christie to disclose $800,000 in credit card records

A New Jersey Watchdog reporter is suing Gov. Chris Christie for records of nearly $800,000 in expenses charged to American Express credit cards for the travel costs of the governor’s state police security detail.

The public records lawsuit was filed Friday in Mercer County Superior Court.

Christie’s staff denied the reporter’s requests for the monthly statements and related documents, arguing that release of details on past charges would jeopardize the governor’s safety in the future.

A New Jersey Watchdog investigation found the travel expenses of the Executive Protection Unit are 18 times higher than when Christie took office. Much of the increase is attributed to Christie’s frequent out-of-state trips as he pursues his political ambitions and a likely run for the White House.

The bills totaled almost $1 million during Christie’s first four years and nine months as governor. More than 80 percent were charged to Amex cards used by the governor’s office, which later sought reimbursement from the state police.

Last year, Christie traveled outside New Jersey on more than 100 days while visiting 36 states, Mexico and Canada. Wherever the governor travels for whatever reason – whether funded by political groups, supporters or others – he is accompanied by an EPU security detail at state expense.

The full report is online at http://watchdog.org/203074/watchdog-sues-christie-records/.

NJ Watchdog: Christie plays offense on NJ pension reforms

Backed into a fiscal corner, a defiant Gov. Chris Christie went on the offensive by proposing an ambitious reform to freeze existing New Jersey state pensions, create new replacement plans and eventually turn over control of the retirement system to labor unions of public workers.

“We don’t need any court to tell us we have a serious problem,” declared Christie in his annual budget address today, one day after a judge ruled the governor unlawfully chopped $1.57 billion from this year’s contribution to the pensions. “No one branch of government can wish, or order this problem away.”

Christie spent nearly nine-tenths of his 28-minute speech talking about pensions to the near-exclusion of the rest of the budget and other economic problems facing New Jersey.

“I was shocked to hear what we heard today,” responded Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-West Deptford. “I was hoping to hear something about moving forward and actually creating jobs in this state.”

The governor briefly announced a $33.8 billion budget with no new taxes for fiscal 2016. He made no mention of the state’s nearly bankrupt Transportation Trust Fund, which is already $17 billion in debt. He vowed to contribute $1.3 billion to the pension funds in 2016 -- less than half of the amount required by statute -- but said nothing about where the state will find the extra $1.57 billion to pay this year.

“I was so underwhelmed with this so-called budget address,” added Sen. Loretta Weinberg, D-Teaneck. “When he got to the end, I thought there were going to be some paragraphs of substance, but there was nothing.”

Instead, Christie offered sketchy details on what he touted as a “national model” for public pension reform – and bragged about an “unprecedented accord” with his longtime nemesis, the 195,000-member New Jersey Education Association.

According to the Christie, NJEA agreed to the framework of a proposal by the governor’s Pension and Health Benefits Study Commission. But after the speech, the teachers’ union quickly backed away from Christie’s claims.

The story is online at http://watchdog.org/202213/christie-pension-reforms/.

NJ Watchdog: Gas tax bid stokes debate on cost of NJ highways

As Gov. Chris Christie and state lawmakers consider a 25-cent a gallon gas tax hike to raise $2 billion a year to fund transportation projects, a war of words and statistics has erupted over the high cost of highways in the Garden State.

New Jersey pays in excess of $2 million a mile per year – more than 12 times higher than the national average – to maintain 3,338 miles of state-administered roads, according to a Reason Foundation study.

Three days after a New Jersey Watchdog report, state transportation commissioner Jamie Fox called the study “inaccurate and unfair” in a column published by NJ.com.

“Without the benefit of having the numbers the Reason Foundation used to base its calculations, there is no way to independently review its findings,” wrote Fox.

“That’s strange,” replied David Hartgen, the annual study’s senior author for 21 years. “Our annual highway report is based on data that New Jersey and other states provide themselves to the federal government. And we’ve readily shared the report’s data with state transportation departments and members of the media across the country.”

The story is online at http://watchdog.org/201704/new-jersey-gas-tax-highways-cost/.

NJ WatchDog: $100,000-plus state pensions double in New Jersey

(graphic by Mark Lagerkvist)

By Mark Lagerkvist | New Jersey Watchdog

New Jersey’s $100K Club of retired public officials has more than doubled in the past four years, according to a New Jersey Watchdog analysis of state Treasury pension data.

As 2014 ended, 1,988 retirees were collecting state pensions in excess of $100,000 a year – the elite “1-percenters” among New Jersey’s 285,000 retirees. That number has grown quickly since 2010 when the count was 971.

New Jersey Watchdog found:

• The distinction of richest pension – $195,000 a year – is shared by former Jersey City school superintendent Charles Epps and retired Essex County College president A.Z. Yamba.
• Twenty-three of the 29 retirees who get more than $150,000 a year are retired school administrators.
• The City of Paterson is the capital of the $100K Club with 36 retirees, followed by Bergen County with 34, Hoboken with 28 and Atlantic City with 27.
• Local law enforcement and fire department retirees draw the most six-figure pensions. More than 47 percent (943) of the $100K Club members receive benefits from the Police and Firemen’s Retirement System.
• Of those PFRS pensioners, nearly 93 percent (873) took advantage of “special retirement,” a provision in state law that enables police and fire officials – but not other public employees – to collect full pensions at relatively young ages.

The story is now online at http://watchdog.org/200210/nj-100k-pensions-double/.

Click here for New Jersey Watchdog's list of $100K Club's 1,988 retirees ranked by pension pay.

Click here for an A-Z alphabetized list of those pensioners.

Click here for the list sorted by the retirees' governmental employers.

NJ Watchdog: Taxpayers penalized as Christie cheers for Cowboys

For immediate release:

It’s no longer a secret that Chris Christie’s free rides to Dallas Cowboys football games are paid by team owner Jerry Jones. The real mystery is how much more the governor’s gridiron follies cost New Jersey taxpayers.

In the aftermath of the nationally-televised appearance at Sunday’s NFL playoff game in Dallas against the Detroit Lions, the governor’s staff acknowledged Jones paid for the tickets and a private charter jet for Christie, his wife and four children – and footed the bill for at least two other gubernatorial outings at Cowboys games this season.

“Gov. Christie attended the game last night as a guest of Jerry Jones, who provided both the ticket and the transportation at no expense to New Jersey taxpayers,” spokesman Kevin Roberts said Monday.

But what about the travel bills and overtime pay for the New Jersey State Police troopers assigned to follow and protect Christie wherever he goes? And how much do the governor’s travels – official and unofficial, business and pleasure – really cost taxpayers?

Believe it or not, Christie’s staff and the state police say they don’t keep track of the Executive Protection Unit's expenses – and therefore, they say they have no detailed records to release.

The complete story is now online at http://watchdog.org/190957/nj-christie-cowboys/.

NJ Watchdog: New Jersey double-dippers scoop New Yorkers at the public trough

Start spreading the news: New Jersey is a paradise for double-dippers compared to neighboring New York.

New York law requires its state and local government agencies to formally certify an “urgent need” for rehiring the retired workers. officials must declare there are “no available, qualified non-retirees” who can fill the open positions, which must be publicly advertised.

New Jersey governmental units can generally hire back retirees without any justification or legal restrictions. Special paperwork and approvals are not needed – and in some instances, workers can return to the public payrolls the day after they retire.

In New York, 665 retirees are currently working at public jobs with waivers, according to the Empire Center report.

Meanwhile, New Jersey officials do not track the hundreds – and likely thousands – of working retirees who receive both governmental pensions and salaries.

New York State’s efforts to control double-dipping – by “retired” public officials who collect pensions while continuing to work in government jobs – are highlighted in a study released this week by the Empire Center, a non-profit think tank based in Albany.

While the Garden State is not mentioned in the report, an analysis by New Jersey Watchdog reveals significant differences in how the two states approach the double-dipping dilemma.

The story is now online at http://watchdog.org/182661/nj-ny-double-dippers/.

NJ Watchdog: Christie has no records of who pays for travel, staff claims

For immediate release:



While Chris Christie has been vocal during a 19-state campaign trip that ends today, his staff has little to say about who pays for the New Jersey governor’s extensive political travels.

Christie’s office claims it has no records, emails or correspondence concerning the trips – and that it is exempt from the rules that govern other state officials.

“I understand that third parties did pay for some of the governor’s trips…however, our office has not been provided with any such documents,” wrote Christie’s chief ethics officer, Heather Taylor, last month in a response to a request from New Jersey Watchdog.

New Jersey regulations require third-party organizations that fund the travel of state officials must disclose the payment arrangements in writing. The state agency or office is required to retain those records.

“It is my understanding that the Office of Governor is not subject to Treasury Circular 12-14-OMB, so we do not have any records,” stated Taylor. The governor contends he is not bound by state travel rules because of memos state budget officials sent to former governors Brendan Byrne in 1979 and Christine Todd Whitman in 2000.

As chair of the Republican Governors Association, Christie began a six-day road trip Oct. 29 to campaign for GOP gubernatorial candidates running in Tuesday’s election. His itinerary includes stops in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Iowa, Arkansas, Kansas, Wisconsin, Ohio, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Michigan, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Maine.

The mission also serves as a pre-cursor for Christie’s anticipated run for the White House in 2016. It gives him opportunities to grab the spotlight, gather support and collect political IOUs while burnishing an image as a straight-talking leader.

But back home in New Jersey, Christie is developing a reputation as a master of double-standards. He campaigned for governor as a champion of “open and honest government,” yet often fights to stop the release of public records.

The story is now online at http://watchdog.org/180818/christie-no-travel-records/.

NJ WATCHDOG: Court orders Chrisite to reveal air travel records

For immediate release:

Gov. Chris Christie's hide-and-seek game over his state travel expense records continued with mixed results last week in Mercer County Superior Court.

Judge Mary C. Jacobson ordered the governor’s office to provide documentation of air travel expenses, including costs and itineraries. She awarded legal fees to a New Jersey Watchdog reporter and instructed the state to turn over the records within 10 days.

But Jacobson also ruled the names of hotels where Christie stayed at taxpayers’ expense should be kept confidential for security reasons. In evidence submitted to the court under seal, the administration argued that revealing the governor's lodging locations in 2012 and 2013 could somehow put him in future danger.

Then the judge threw the rest of the reporter’s public records lawsuit out of court on narrow technical grounds.

The reporter sought records of state “Travel Cards” used to pay for expenses. However, since those words were capitalized in the request – “Travel Cards” not “travel cards” – Jacobson ruled against release of documents from an American Express credit card account that paid for the governor’s travel.

The judge also decided the request for “travel vouchers” only included records of expenses for which employees were reimbursed, but did not encompass “payment vouchers” for travel expenses paid directly by the state.

“This is just about semantics,” complained the reporter’s attorney, Donald M. Doherty Jr. “The governor’s office knew exactly what my client wanted.”

The full story is now online at http://watchdog.org/179348/christie-travel-records-3/.

NJ WATCHDOG: Christie staff caught misleading NJ court in travel records dispute

For Immediate Release:

What happens when Gov. Chris Christie’s staff is caught lying to a New Jersey court about the existence of public records?

That legal bombshell may explode in Mercer County Superior Court this week in the governor’s battle with a New Jersey Watchdog reporter over travel expense accounts.

Documents surfaced that directly contradict the claims of Christie’s lawyers that the governor and his staff do not use state credit cards for travel and don’t have any records.

“The governor’s office does not use Travel Cards and thus does not have Travel Card statements,” stated Christie associate counsel Javier Diaz in a certification filed with the court. Similar to an affidavit, a certification carries penalties for willful false statements.

Yet an American Express card issued to the state is how the governor’s office paid for $8,146 worth of airfare for Christie’s entourage in January 2013 to the Super Bowl in New Orleans. The four passengers were Christie, his wife Mary Pat, chief of staff Kevin O’Dowd and planning director Daniel Robles.

The statements for the corporate AMEX card, received from another source, were addressed to the "NJ Governor's Office" at the Statehouse in care of Robles. The card was used again to charge $1,687 of additional expenses in February 2013.

“The state should not be playing semantics with whatever it calls the small piece of plastic that is whipped out to pay for the governor’s $8,000 worth of first-class airfare, among other things,” argued the reporter’s attorney, Donald M. Doherty Jr., in a brief to Judge Mary C. Jacobson.

Other hidden records from the Super Bowl trip include a $7,583 invoice for three hotel rooms in the names of Christie, O’Dowd and Robles. Christie's room and hotel expenses alone cost taxpayers $3,371. The name of the hotel and itemized bills were redacted from the documents.

The full story is now online at http://watchdog.org/177595/christie-travel-lawsuit-3/.

NJ WATCHDOG: Christie's biggest double-dipper quits

For immediate release

Christie’s biggest double-dipper quits on cusp of NJ pension debate

As the pension reform issue heats up in New Jersey, the most prominent double-dipper in Gov. Chris Christie’s administration is stepping down today.

Lou Goetting has collected $140,000 a year as the governor’s deputy chief of staff in addition to an $88,860 pension as a retired state employee – a fact that repeatedly embarrassed Christie as he calls for changes in a state retirement system that faces a deficit in excess of $100 billion.

Ironically, Christie hired Goetting – pronounced “getting” – in 2010 as a top adviser on cutting the cost of government.

In addition to his expertise on fiscal issues, Goetting displayed skill in guiding more than $1 million in pension and severance pay from public coffers into his pockets.

The full story is now online at http://watchdog.org/175032/christie-doubledipper-pension/.