Christie slashes pension payment

as public employee salaries keep rising

$360M
The one-year increase in public employee salaries in New Jersey
in 2013, an uptick of 1.4 percent
BUDGET
BLACK HOLE
$26.7B
Public payroll for local, county, state and school employees,
according to analysis of 414,000 pay records
$884M
Amount Gov. Chris Christie is cutting from current payment
to New Jersey public workers pension fund
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Salaries paid to public employees
in New Jersey rose $360 million last
year, an Asbury Park Press review of
government payroll data found.
While just 1,409 workers were add-
ed to the ranks of local, county, state,
police, fire, college and state employ-
ees in 2013, total salaries went up 1.4
percent, to about $26.7 billion, the
analysis of 414,000 pay records from
2013 show.
Meanwhile, the number of highly
paid double dippers or public em-
ployees receiving $100,000 or more in
total pay by working two or more gov-
ernment jobs continued to shrink,
but they still took home $77.4 million
in salaries.
For a listing of double dippers and
all 2013 salary data, visit
www.DataUniverse.com, the Press
public records website. Look under
Whats New for the link.
570 double-dippers
averaged $135,773
in total pay last year
By Shannon Mullen @MullenAPP
See DOUBLE, Page A10
Mary Pingicer of Toms River accepted a medal for her
deceased husband and World War II veteran, Gordon J.
Pingicer. THOMAS P. COSTELLO/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
TOMS RIVER Throughout his life, Gordon J. Pingic-
er spoke little about his service in the Army Air Corps
during World War II.
When Pingicer died at age 74 in 1995, what he did in
the skies above war-torn Europe remained largely a
mystery to his wife, Mary, of Toms River. Mostly what
she knew was that her husband of 49 years had flown on
25 missions to weaken Nazi Germanys stranglehold on
much of the continent.
They didnt talk much, you know, Pingicer said.
They kept everything inside. ... They would go on a
mission and another plane with their friends on it
wouldnt come back. So, it was rough.
On Tuesday, Pingicer was posthumously awarded
New Jerseys Distinguished Service Medal along
13 serving from World War II
to the War on Terror get medals
By Erik Larsen @Erik_Larsen
New Jersey honors
combat veterans
See VETERANS, Page A4
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WEDNESDAY 05.21.14
VOLUME 135
NUMBER 121
SINCE 1879
ADVICE D7
CLASSIFIED E1
COMICS D6
LOCAL A3
OBITUARIES A13
OPINION A18
SPORTS C1
TABLE D1
WEATHER C10
YOUR MONEY A6
PRESS ON YOUR SIDE
STILL UNPLUGGED
The Federal Trade Commission says New Jersey
drivers should be able to buy directly from Tesla
Motors without dealers. Page A6
TRENTON Gov. Chris Christie
lashed out at past governors and law-
makers Tuesday for shorting the
states pension system but then an-
nounced his own plan to kick the can
down the road for the programs
700,000 active enrollees and retirees.
Christie said he will slash contribu-
tions scheduled to be made to New
Jersey public workers pension funds
by nearly $2.5 billion over the next 14
months to deal with a revenue short-
fall facing the state budget. The
moves are designed to help fill an un-
expected $2.75 billion budget gap.
New Jersey has a long history of
underfunding its mandated pension
contributions, starting with Republi-
can Gov. Christine Whitman in 1994.
Hes pulling a page from his pred-
Pension cut to help
solve $2.75 billion
state budget shortfall
By Bob Jordan
@BobJordanAPP
and Michael Symons
@MichaelSymons_
See PENSION, Page A10
The income
tax being
raised in any
way, shape or
form will not
happen while
Im governor.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE
A RISING TOLL OF SENIORS ON PRESCRIPTION PAINKILLERS PAGE 1B
TABLE
UPSCALE
BURGER JOINTS
How do fast casual chains compare to
homemade? PAGE D1