Governor James E. Mcgreevey of New Jersey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Governor James E. Mcgreevey of New Jersey - Essay Example In 2001, he was elected as the governor of New Jersey and during his tenure he was able to stabilize the state budget. He maintained his endeavors in 2003 in order to promote employment and develop New Jersey on the whole. He wanted the state to become a technological and financial hub. During his tenure, McGreevey invested heavily on education and employment programs that allowed the creation of 20,000 jobs and numerous schools. Education was being promoted by building schools and encouraging students to read. His services in the field of healthcare and environmental stability have been considerable. He emphasized on clean air and water, tried to control over-development, and tried to protect the health care of the people as well as New Jersey’s natural reserves. His efforts in the field of healthcare and research resulted in the creation of many healthcare companies, institutions, and scientists. An important insurance reform was signed by McGreevey in June 2003 that altered the approach of auto insurance. His office lasted till November 15, 2004 when he resigned (National Governors Association, n.pag.) after a coarse scandal after which he admitted to being homosexual. Although McGreevey’s services contributed a lot to the state of New Jersey, his coming out as a homosexual made him the first governor to state that openly in the entire history of the US. During New Jersey’s property tax crisis, governor McGreevey announced that he had assigned a â€Å"citizens task force† to obtain a solution to the problem (Schwaneberg, n.pag.). According to the official website for the State of New Jersey, half of the state budget was allocated to property tax alleviation and a greater allocation of money on education than ever (n.pag.). According to a plan implemented by the New Jersey governor, all seniors and middle class families were relieved of property taxes. In addition, the plan allowed the power to reform the tax to shift to voters (St ate of New Jersey, n.pag.). However the skeptics were still cynical about the plan and about the commission that was entrusted to provide a solution to the crisis. According to them the property tax factors led to only few constructive outcomes. The formation of the commission was also seen as being a step to delay the action and to keep stalling it (Schwaneberg, n.pag.). Nevertheless the plan provided immediate relief to the people by utilizing the millionaire’s tax and cutting down on the state spending (State of New Jersey, n.pag.). Another significant work done by the New Jersey governor was to prioritize education. As a result, research was promoted in various areas, particularly biotechnology and other technological disciplines. An initiative began in order to improve the standards at school. This was done by increasing the requirements for new teachers and removing those that were inefficient. Computers, internet and other facilities were installed in schools to enhanc e the curriculum. Efforts were also made to train teachers, instill character education in schools, and preventing abuse by starting relevant programs. The overall standards of teaching and education were raised so as to enable New Jersey children to receive a high-standard education (On The Issues, n.pag.). Apart from this, $113 million was allocated to higher education to fund a stem cell research that was being conducted by the Rutgers University and the