N.J. Lawmaker Wants To Make Governor's Shore House Open To Public
BERKELEY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A Democratic lawmaker in New Jersey is pushing for the governor's house in Island Beach State Park to be open to the public.
Assemblyman John Wisniewski told WCBS 880's Kelly Waldron that in a time when the state is continuously being asked to do more with less, the governor's beach house is a sign of excess. That's why he introduced a bill that would make the residence available to the masses.
"This would be a way for the state to earn money. It would be a way for the public at large to have an opportunity to see it," he said. "And it would end what seems to be a very bad precedent – the governor having his own private beach giveaway."
A second measure would prevent the beach house from being used by the governor during a state shutdown, as current Gov. Chris Christie was caught doing over the Fourth of July weekend.
"It wasn't just a matter of him going there and hanging his hat for the night. It was about inviting other people down and doing what nobody else in the state could do," Wisniewski said. "That seems wrong."