New Jersey: Gov. Phil Murphy(D) Spent $13,000 in Taxpayer Funds to Install Door for Wife’s Office

WFB: New Jersey’s newly minted Democratic governor spent $13,000 of taxpayer funds to create an office for his wife, who has no constitutional role in state government, down the hall from his own.

Upon taking office in January, Phil Murphy’s administration initiated a series of refurbishment and redecoration projects to the governor’s office and residence costing taxpayers $27,000. Nearly half of the total, $13,000, was used to install a doorway in a conference room so it could serve as a private office for the first lady of New Jersey, according to nj.com.

The custodian of public records in Murphy’s office told NJ Advance Media that such expenditures were “standard” when a new administration takes office.

The disclosure of the expenditure has, nevertheless, renewed criticism that Murphy, a multi-millionaire former Goldman Sachs executive, is an elected official eager to spend. The criticism stems from the progressive agenda Murphy outlined while running for governor, an agenda his detractors said could only be financed through higher taxes. Murphy didn’t do anything to downplay the notion when he announced, shortly after being elected, he would accept the $175,000 salary provided for New Jersey’s chief executive. Initially, there was speculation Murphy would follow in the footsteps of another governor, fellow Democrat and Goldman Sachs executive Jon Corzine, who opted to accept an annual salary of a single dollar while in office.

The Ashbury Park Press pointed out that Murphy’s $175,000 gubernatorial salary wouldn’t even cover the property taxes on his $9.4 million home.  more