TRENTON – As lawmakers departed, a man handing out cards with the words “independent Democrat” printed on them panned the budget speech just delivered by Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine.
“It was outrageous,” said former Glen Ridge Mayor Carl Bergmanson, who says he plans to be on the ballot in the Democratic Party primary.
He may have been the only Democrat in the room publicly expressing a negative opinion.
“This guy simply does not understand math,” the long shot candidate for governor added of the incumbent. “He says he’s against one-shot gimmicks, and then he turns around and relies on the one-shot gimmick of the federal stimulus package to plug the budget deficit. There was no acknowledgement of the fundamental problem of schools funding.”
The chamber emptied.
"Carl Begrmanson hasn't voted in a Democratic Primary in 20 years," Democratic State Chairman Joe Cryan said later of Bergmanson. "He didn't care who was president. This is a guy who's more concerned about whether Pluto's a planet than property taxes in Plainfield."
