Murphy spending $500k on furnishings is obnoxious, selfish, wrong (Opinion)

Perhaps you remember Phil Murphy when he was trying to become our governor often sharing the hard-luck story of his childhood. How he shared a bedroom with his parents and how his family was “middle class on a good day.”

Those stories were designed so that you would relate to him. So that you might not think of him in the same Goldman Sachs light as you did Jon Corzine.

Perhaps Murphy needs to go back and refresh his memory about his hardscrabble life because how he’s spending your tax money shows he’s completely forgotten it.

It just came out that among all the millions of taxpayer dollars spent on the Statehouse renovations, nearly half a million bucks went towards unnecessary, elaborate, posh furnishings for the governor’s office, outer office and his wife Tammy’s office down the hall.

Of course, they could have chosen simple, affordable rugs and lamps and chairs. They could have thought about how the average New Jerseyan is taxed to death and they could have shown they cared by being frugal.

Instead, they went the opposite way and the administration is spinning it as if they had no choice in the matter.

Murphy spokesperson Jennifer Sciortini told nj.com

Early in the renovation, the project’s design team and architects, in collaboration with the New Jersey Building Authority and Treasury’s Division of Property Management and Construction, stipulated that certain unique and historic areas of the Statehouse should contain what is referred to as Tier 1 or Tier 2 replica and antique furnishings of the Edwardian Period, in keeping with the historical standards of the early 1900s.

Right. Because people being taxed to death in New Jersey would apparently insist the governor have replicas of the Edwardian Period and not something practical and affordable from Sears.

The result?

Check out these eye-popping prices as your governor is having you foot the bill.

Three rugs for $217,420.

A sofa for $7,256.

Two antique desks for $31,100.

Two chairs for $10,600.

Curtains for just three rooms $66,700.

This list goes on.

It’s not relatable when Goldman Sachs Phil jets off to his 23-room Italian mansion priced at over $7 million. But at least that’s Phil’s money.

When it’s your $486,022 spent on unnecessary opulence, it’s not tolerable.

This is obnoxious. It is selfish. It is morally and fiscally wrong. It’s a bad look.

But does anyone have their eyes open?

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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