February 9, 2010
Assemblyman Scott T. Rumana, R-Passaic, Bergen and Essex, issued the following statement on Governor Christie's executive order to shut down the Council on Affordable Housing, while a new task force led by former Sen. Marcia Karrow studies how the state should proceed without the unfair and arbitrary rules and maddening bureaucracy that have driven up property taxes and stymied development in local municipalities:
"Governor Christie promised to gut COAH and he has inserted the knife," Rumana said. "Municipalities no longer have to worry about bureaucrats in Trenton inflicting impossible quotas that only result in higher property taxes without any more housing opportunity.
"This executive order is just a step, but I have full confidence that Senator Karrow and her task force will leave no stone unturned searching for ways to permanently fix the state's flawed and excessively complex affordable housing laws that have caused nothing but incessant delays, litigation and wasted time and effort.
"Today, COAH is closed. In three months, it will be replaced with reasonable housing policy that will be constitutional without burdening municipalities or property taxpayers."
