Ciattarelli Slams Murphy for Dishonest Double-Dealing on Atlantic City Takeover

GOP frontrunner says Governor Murphy flat out lied to taxpayers and public employees during his campaign

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – MBA/CPA, successful small business owner, and GOP frontrunner for governor, Jack Ciattarelli, slammed Governor Phil Murphy for his latest dishonest retreat on a campaign promise. Phil Murphy ran against the Atlantic City takeover four years ago. Murphy’s done nothing about the takeover in the four years he’s been governor. Now, he wants to extend it indefinitely.

“Five years ago, Governor Murphy looked Atlantic City local leaders, employees, and residents in the eye and opposed the takeover of their community. Now, after four years of doing nothing to end it, his lieutenant governor is poking a finger in the eye of everyone in the city by telling them the state is going to lord over them for another four to five years. It’s no wonder people don’t trust politicians,” said Ciattarelli.

“Governor Murphy sits high on a hill in his multi-million dollar mansion in North Jersey claiming he knows how to best run Atlantic City. It’s time to end this ridiculous takeover and restore local control. Let the elected officials in Atlantic City and Atlantic County figure out how to best move this city forward.”

In 2016, gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy said that state takeovers didn’t work and amount to, in his words, ‘bigfooting’ the local community. Despite those claims, Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver, who serves as commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs, said on Monday:

“We’ve been there coming up on five years in November. I believe another four to five years in Atlantic City and I think Atlantic City will be on good footing.”

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