Atlantic City Adopts Deferred Pay Plan To Avoid Shutdown Of Services, Christie Calls AC Mayor A Liar
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ. (CBS) -- City Council in Atlantic City has unanimously voted to extend pay periods for municipal workers from 2 to 4 weeks, forestalling the possibility that non-essential services would cease at close of business Friday.
It was clear council members had no love for Governor Chris Christie. Some suggest the city should head to bankruptcy court, feeling they'd get a better deal from a judge as opposed to the Governor, who insists on a state takeover as a condition for help.
Council President Marty Small concedes this is far from a cure for the city's financial ills.
"It buys us time to hopefully work out some type of agreement with the state of New Jersey," Small told KYW Newsradio. "It also deletes a lot of confusion, who is essential versus who is not essential."
Christie was in Atlantic City earlier in the day, dismissing this action as kicking the can down the road. and repeating his call for an assembly vote on the takeover. The Assembly speaker is working on his own takeover plan, which would protect union contracts.
Christie and Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian held dueling press conferences hours before council's vote. They were held literally across a courtyard from each other. That led to a suggestion that both men just sit down together.
Christie says it would do no good at this point since Guardian agreed in public in January to back the takeover, only to change his mind.
"There is no purpose in meeting with a liar," Christie said.
Guardian suggests he was misled back then, and wishes Christie would refrain from name calling.
"He should be trying to move the city forward," Guardian told reporters. "He should try to be a diplomat like we're trying to be diplomat."
But change of payroll dates or not...the city will run out of money soon. How soon depends on who's doing the talking. Christie says it'll be mid-to-late May while the city suggests mid-to-late June.