Citizens in Charge

New Jersey citizens went to the polls yesterday in local elections across the state. The big items on the ballot were school budget referenda, and from the looks of things New Jersey voters made very clear their views on spending in the state:

New Jersey voters took a stand on school spending and property taxes Tuesday, rejecting 260 of 479 school budgets across 19 counties, according to unofficial results in statewide school elections.

In the proposed state budget he unveiled last month, Gov. Chris Christie slashed $820 million in aid to school districts and urged voters to defeat budgets if teachers in their schools did not agree to one-year wage freezes. The salvo ignited a heated debate with the state’s largest teachers union.

It seems that if voters had more of a say in their state government, and were allowed to put initiatives and referenda on the ballot for a vote at a statewide level, perhaps New Jersey would be in better fiscal shape. Let’s bring statewide initiative and referendum to New Jersey.