Albano Endorses Buono – Vows to ‘Tirelessly Fight’ to Defeat Christie

Democratic Assemblyman Nelson Albano has endorsed Barbara Buono and is seeking the defeat of Governor Chris Christie in November’s election.* Albano said in a letter put forward by South Jersey Democrats that he was “proud to announce the endorsement of State Senator Barbara Buono for Governor” against Chris Christie. Buono recently stated that she would not rule out raising the sales tax higher if she was elected Governor. During her tenure in the State Senate, she pushed through Jon Corzine’s disastrous budgets. Buono also pushed through over a hundred tax increases, many of which Albano voted for. Albano joined Buono in opposing Governor Christie’s pension and benefit reforms. Those reforms will save taxpayers more than $120 billion over the next 30 years.
In endorsing Governor Christie’s opponent, Nelson Albano said that “Four more years of Christie would be four more years of…failed policies.” Albano committed to “tirelessly fight to elect Barbara Buono.” In the letter, Albano repeated a favorite Democrat attack line against the Governor accusing him of denying women access to health care. The Corzine Democrats also made this desperate claim in 2009, and it was false.
“Nelson Albano’s endorsement of Barbara Buono for Governor shows how out of touch he is with the people of our District,” said CapeGOP Chairman Mike Donohue. “Governor Christie has turned New Jersey around. We are finally on the verge of shaking off the rust of the McGreevey-Corzine years and Nelson Albano wants us to go backwards. Albano signed on to a letter supporting the Governor’s opponent and trashing the Governor. Albano wants to take Trenton back to the dark days of Corzine and endless tax increases and wasteful spending. Albano stood with Buono against pension and benefit reform and now he has pledged to ‘tirelessly fight’ to defeat Governor Christie. Voters need to understand that Albano is just another Corzine Democrat.”
Albano is also the subject of an investigation by the bi-partisan Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics. The Committee, made up of Democrats and Republicans, recently voted 8-0 to investigate Albano’s attempt to ruin the career of an innocent State Trooper. After getting a speeding ticket, Albano sent a letter on his official letterhead to the Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police and accused the Trooper of targeting him and treating him like a criminal. Fortunately for the Trooper, his dash board camera showed that Albano was lying to the head of the State Police. A day after the Star-Ledger newspaper discovered the scandal, Albano withdrew his complaint and offered an apology, but only after he was caught in a lie. Newspapers throughout the state called for the ethics probe of Albano and condemned him for threatening the Trooper’s career.
Donohue added, “Albano is now begging forgiveness for lying about the Trooper’s conduct. He is doing this two years later as his chances for reelection erode. The truth of the matter is that Nelson Albano has shown extremely poor judgment in lying about this Trooper and threatening his career. Albano has also shown extremely poor judgment in endorsing Governor Christie’s opponent and pledging to ‘tirelessly fight’ to defeat the Governor. These are relevant issues for the voters to consider. Both Troopergate and Albano’s endorsement of Barbara Buono throw his judgment into question. Albano’s actions in attacking a State Trooper and working to defeat Governor Christie appear to demonstrate that Nelson Albano no longer has the demeanor or judgment to hold the office of State Assemblyman.”
*South Jersey Democrats’ Endorsement Letter of Barbara Buono, viewable at http://www.bluejersey.com/diary/22460/south-jersey-democrats-open-letter-endorsing-barbara-buono-for-governor.
Ordered and paid for by the Cape May County Regular Republican Organization, 3200 Pacific Avenue, Suite 200, Wildwood, NJ 08260.