Acting gov. outlines guiding philosophies

Richard J. C odey

Guest Column

Elected officials often are asked why we chose to enter public service. It’s a good question. After all, who in their right mind would voluntarily turn over their personal life and freedom to the public and the media?

Indeed, there have been times when each of us have gone home after a particularly bad day and asked, “Why in the world am I doing this?” But then something happens — a neighbor asks for help or a parent glows about her child’s teacher or a new park in town — and we remember why we do this. It’s for the ability to make a difference. Public service is where you can make a difference for those who have been left behind or forgotten by society. That’s the philosophy I bring to the Governor’s Office.

My personal experiences, the values of my late mom and dad, have not only shaped the man I am, they define me as a public servant.

The years I spent working in my father’s funeral home — seeing the dignity he showed to grieving families instilled in me a sense of respect and compassion for our fellow citizens. I saw how hard it was to run a small business, how important it was to be a man of your word and to treat others with respect — regardless of their status in life.

Watching my wife battle depression while raising a family taught me about class and courage in the face of very real struggles. Even in her deepest, darkest moments, Mary Jo saw beyond herself and put the needs of others first. She emerged stronger, and so did our family.

These experiences form the basis of my public service and the motivation for the issues I care about.

It’s amazing how many people have advice for you once you become governor. Most people start out with, “Why would anyone want to be governor at this time in our history?” I tell them I didn’t run for the job and I wasn’t elected to it, but I won’t run away from it.

So when people say we have tough problems, I ask, “Which one?” Is it the more than $4 billion deficit? The property tax crisis? The aura of scandal that hangs over the New Jersey political landscape?

Let me tell you what tough is — watching your wife as she lies in a coma and having your children ask you whether their mom is going to die. That’s tough.

If you want to talk about real problems, go to Greystone Psychiatric Hospital and try to answer the patient who asks, “When will I get out?” Or ask the father making minimum wage about how hard it is to raise a family or the single mom who can’t help her kids with her homework because she has to work a second shift. These are real problems being experienced by real people, and these are the problems that we in government must face.

I don’t want to downplay a multi-billion dollar budget deficit, but we can’t lose sight that there is a difference between the problems of government and the problems of real people. Those problems — the ones faced by the people who don’t have time to read the newspaper because they’re too busy taking care of their family — are the problems government must focus on.

I do not know how long I will be governor, but I am not going to change who I am or the values I hold. I want to serve my time with dignity and provide stability to our state government. I want to start the process of restoring the public’s trust in the institutions of government.

I want to be an advocate for people who are in need but without the resources to hire a lobbyist or make a political contribution. I want to reach out and help the families and individuals who struggle every day with mental health.

I want to make our schools a safer place for our children. I want to make sure that the potential of stem cell research is realized right here in New Jersey. And I want to build bipartisan consensus and solutions.

These are the values that I am going to bring to the Governor’s Office — the same ones that have served me my entire life. We have some great challenges ahead of us; I need and ask for all of your help.

Richard J. Codey is the acting governor of New Jersey.