opinion

A new day, a new governor

At noon Tuesday, Phil Murphy becomes the 56th governor of New Jersey. Lucky 56. We can only hope.

After eight years of Chris Christie, we are looking forward to an administration that stays focused on the needs of the state rather than the needs of the governor. But as he prepares to assume office, Murphy remains somewhat of a political enigma. He made a fortune at Goldman Sachs and served as U.S. ambassador to Germany during President Barack Obama’s first term, but he’s never held elected office.

Former Gov. Jon Corzine, who did not have an easy time of it when he served one term, told State House Bureau Reporter Dustin Racioppi, “[Murphy’s] greatest strength is his optimism and belief that things can be addressed. He’s a happy warrior.”

As Corzine could attest, the politics of Trenton is much like war – there are legislators with agendas, special-interest lobbyists, powerbrokers scattered across the state. And there are voters, residents without agendas – just families, jobs and too many taxes.

On Saturday, Murphy decided to travel the state with his family. They split up and got on NJ Transit. The optics couldn’t have been better. Christie starved NJ Transit, ignoring a looming crisis and now the proverbial roosters have come home to roost. The agency is losing experienced personnel, its morale is low, its safety record questioned and commuters are angry and frustrated over having to pay more for less service.

Murphy’s tour on the rails was a smart move. On the trains, he talked to real New Jerseyans, not campaign supporters. And he got off the train and traveled to places like Passaic, where he toured a new gym in a former bank building in the heart of the working-class city’s downtown.

The governorship is more than photo opportunities; meeting and greeting will only get Murphy so far. But it gets him further than his predecessor as he takes office. Murphy is going out of his way to dispel the image that he is just another rich Goldman Sachs guy who decided to enter politics.

Editorial continues after photo gallery

The proof will be in the pudding, in seeing what battles Murphy chooses and which ones he wins. He does not have the usual Democratic allies all lined up. While he was astute in gaining traction with Democratic county chairman, he has stumbled with state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, the second most powerful elected official in the state who is closely aligned to the most powerful unelected individual in New Jersey, George Norcross.

Sweeney said, “There’s no one in the world that agrees with someone 100 percent of the time. I don’t expect me and Phil to be any different. Our job is to compromise.”

We will see how that goes. The governor cannot compromise on the wrong things. For example, he should state his support for an extension of the 2 percent arbitration cap on police and firefighter salaries. Yes, we will see how that goes.

On his first day – a half day at that – we wish Murphy well. He told The Record and NorthJersey.com that he believes he can turn around the state through the right leadership, vision and execution. He said, “You need not just the vision, you’ve got to execute – and you’ve got [to have] some patience, because this ain’t going to be overnight.”

Murphy also said, “I’m not scared of this by any means.”

He’s got his “Jersey” going, that’s for sure. Being the governor of New Jersey is not for the faint of heart. Good luck.

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