Camden, NJ Braces For Worse Times After Gov. Christie Slashes Urban Aid
CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) - Last week's budget cuts from Trenton could leave financially distressed urban areas like Camden in serious trouble.
No one's quite sure at this point how things will shake out. But consider this: last year, Camden received $69 million in "transitional" aid from Trenton out of a $139-million pool of revenue statewide.
That pool for this year is just $10 million statewide.
John Williamson, head of Camden's Fraternal Order of Police, foresees tough times ahead.
"I really don't think that Governor Christie or his administration have any concern about any urban or distressed city. It's actually kind of sad," he says.
Camden mayor Dana Redd, who has worked closely with the governor's office, has said nothing since the budget went into effect last week (see related story). Williamson says he's confident that Redd will do all she can to avert the massive layoffs of last January (see previous story), some of which were rescinded with state and federal grants (see related story).
Reported by David Madden, KYW Newsradio 1060
