This page was last updated on June 17, 2010.
Selling governor’s mansion is a start; State Rep. Jim Christiana (R-15); Beaver County Times; June 17, 2010.
Previous letters from Mr. Christiana are here and here.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“I wanted to take a moment to discuss some of the things mentioned in Tuesday’s editorial ‘Budget Bunkum’ regarding my proposal to sell the governor’s mansion.
“The governor’s mansion is a drain on Pennsylvania. Most people don’t realize it costs taxpayers millions of dollars annually, including $3 million for 30 full-time state troopers, and $1.1 million for an additional 11 full-time employees, including a chef, maids and butlers. Selling this property makes sense, but we shouldn’t stop there.
“Let’s open the books on government spending. I co-authored legislation, which has support from both Republicans and Democrats, which would create an online database showing Pennsylvanians how every penny of their money is spent.
“It passed the House unanimously and now sits in the Senate.
“As for reducing the size of government, Sen. Elder Vogel Jr., R-47, recently proposed we reduce the General Assembly by 40 percent. I completely agree with his proposal.
“True reform won’t happen unless we do everything possible, no matter how large or small, to cut wasteful spending. I believe reducing the size of government, holding us accountable, reforming per diems, and, yes, selling the governor’s mansion, is a good start.”
[RWC] My comments in a previous critique stand. Mr. Christiana should not have made his comments without knowing the cost of the current governor’s residence and the estimated cost of the potential alternatives. Mr. Christiana now cites some figures, but he didn’t cite his source(s) so we don’t know if the figures are correct and complete. Even if the figures Mr. Christiana cited were complete and correct, he still hasn’t provided the estimated costs of his proposed alternatives. Until Mr. Christiana knows the estimated costs of appropriate alternatives, it’s premature to call for the sale of the governor’s mansion.
© 2004-2010 Robert W. Cox, all rights reserved.