Remarks delivered by Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean on the at the Reorganization Meeting of the 214th Legislative Session.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Rhonda, Elizabeth, Meredith and I are honored to celebrate this special day with you and your family. As Rhonda and Patti know, you and I - and our thirty-eight colleagues -- have spent a great deal of time in this Chamber over the course of the past couple of years.

In numerous instances, Senator Sweeney and Senator Buono, our shared priorities have resulted in important bipartisan progress in the areas of pension reform and our Constitutional amendment, which will ensure that New Jersey workers who lose their job will receive the benefits that they are guaranteed in their time of need.

In this time of change we must acknowledge, our constituents - Republican, Democrat, and Unaffiliated alike - have looked to Trenton with a mixture of apprehension, confusion, frustration and anger. For too long, where they have asked for solutions, New Jersey citizens have seen only gimmicks, timidity, and rhetoric.

I challenge all 40 members of this body to take the initiative to bring about new ideas and bold solutions. New Jersey has lost its way and it is our job to put it on the right track. Where our constituents have seen gimmicks – we need to show them substance. Where they have seen timidity – we need to show a dogged determination in providing solutions to the problems they face. Where the people of New Jersey have heard rhetoric, they need to hear the unvarnished truth about the problems we face and the solutions we propose.

Naysayers delight in dire predictions - that the past is prologue, that the hills are too steep, that we in this chamber lack the resolve to tackle the great issues, as our forbears once did; that job creation, accountability and transparency in government and educational opportunity will not be addressed by we here today. Change will not be easy or immediate, but we cannot wait any longer. Mr. President, I hope that the forty members of this chamber share Nelson Mandela's eloquent sentiment that "it is always impossible until it is done."

I am proud to serve as leader of the Republican caucus, a group of thoughtful, enthusiastic and committed individuals who do more than represent their respective constituencies; they also represent the very ideals on which this great state was founded -- a dedication to see all of its resident enjoy the liberties and prosperities of a thriving, dynamic New Jersey.

The challenge is clear. Too many of our fellow New Jerseyans are finding that our state is too unaffordable for a growing number of their friends and family members. Together, we need to recapture the pride we once enjoyed as an "economic engine" and as a home to innovation.

How do we set this course? One of our nations' greatest statesmen, President Abraham Lincoln, reminded us of the simplest of truths: "The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time." Lincoln reminds us that each day that we serve as an elected official affords us the opportunity to take one, small, but critical step toward divining a better future for all those we serve.

Senate President Sweeney, I know we agree there are great challenges ahead. The members of my caucus look forward to working with you and your caucus to create the change we need.

Thank you.

05/01/10
Budget Address Targets Problems & Sets Stage For Bright Future