While no New Jersey Republican has formally tossed their hat into the ring to be a gubernatorial candidate in 2017, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno certainly sounded like a future candidate when she address the State League of Municipalities this month at the group’s annual conference in Atlantic City.

Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno
Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno (Governor's Office, Tim Larsen)
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Before her speech, Guadagno went from table to table greeting guests, chatting them up and taking photos. During her speech she said politicians need to address the fact that the public is very angry.

“We need to find a way to stop the anger that people have at us,” Guadagno said. “People are mad. We need to admit it. We need to address it and we need to change the way we’re doing business in New Jersey.”

The Lt. Gov.  pointed out that the anger materializes in people not voting. She said anybody who took part in the elections in early November knows that people are so disgusted with their government they don’t go to vote and that should scare anyone who believes in good government and public service.

“You talk to these people and they will say, ‘We are mad. Not because we mind sending our money to Trenton, but we are mad because when that money goes to Trenton it is wasted and it is mismanaged,’” Guadagno explained. “We make promises about how that money is going to be spent then we don’t keep those promises.”

People think politicians are arrogant and believe they know the answers better than the public does, said the Lt. Governor. She added that political bosses are not elected officials’ bosses.

“They (voters) think of us as one big blob. They really do. We can’t forget that our bosses are those who put us into office to do their work. Our bosses are the working families in New Jersey who in many cases quite frankly pay our salaries,” she said.

People have a lack of trust and confidence in their elected officials and that needs to be addressed according to the Lt. Governor.

“To be blunt, I think we need to start to ask out loud, ‘When did public service become self service?’ A little humility for us all will help us re-frame the conversation,” Guadagno said.

Kevin McArdle has covered the State House for New Jersey 101.5 news since 2002. Contact him at kevin.mcardle@townsquaremedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @kevinmcardle1.

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