Legislators Want Gov. to Fund Cumberland Transportation Projects

TRENTON — The first district legislative team wants the Governor to rethink his transportation funding, which left out Cape May County’s neighbor to the northwest.
Assemblyman Nelson T. Albano and Matthew W. Milam Saturday, March 7 asked Gov. Jon S. Corzine to reverse his administration’s decision to leave Cumberland County out of federal stimulus money allocated for transportation projects.
No Cumberland County transportation projects were among 55 selected by the state to receive $894 million in federal stimulus funding.
In a letter faxed to Corzine’s office Saturday, Albano and Milam – along with 1st District Sen. Jeff Van Drew – expressed “extreme disappointment” with the decision, noting Cumberland County is New Jersey’s poorest county and has the one of the state’s highest unemployment rates.
“This is unacceptable,” Milam said. “We need transportation projects funded in Cumberland County and we need them now, not later. Our economy cannot wait. As a member of the Assembly transportation committee, I demand to know how this decision could have possibly been made and I plan to get answers on Thursday when the DOT commissioner testifies before the committee.”
“Cumberland County is being treated unfairly, and we find it hard to believe no Cumberland County projects were among those chosen to receive nearly $1 billion.,” Albano said. “This is particularly disturbing because Cumberland County has one of New Jersey’s highest unemployment rates and one of the federal stimulus package’s main goals is to create jobs.”
The lawmakers asked Corzine to give Cumberland County projects more priority in future funding decisions.
“The federal stimulus package is a golden opportunity to create jobs, spark our economy and reshape out state’s future during this difficult time, but that will only happen if everybody benefits,” they wrote in the letter. “Leaving out Cumberland County dilutes the impact of these efforts to jumpstart our economy.”