TRENTON – Vincent Prieto admits to being a “quiet but not shy” legislator.
That will probably change, now that he will take over the reins of the powerful Assembly Budget Committee.
No problem, said Prieto, who will hear about the dollars and cents of the various bills his party hopes to move forward that will focus on job creation and picking up the stagnant economy.
“I’m excited and looking forward to it,” he said Thursday following the Democratic Leadership’s press conference.
His top priorities will be to restore full funding for public education, increase state aid for municipalities, and preserving such programs as women’s health, which caused something of a political fracas in the last session.
He sounds optimistic when asked if the party won’t run into gridlock in getting their bills enacted. Christie virtually vetoed all of the 33 bills the Democrats passed last June intended to restore funding for various social programs and providing middle-class tax cuts.
“The mindset will be changing,” he said. “This is our time and we need to move forward.”
