New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is getting the side-eye after a Politico report revealed she has used the state police helicopter for regular travel while constantly talking about affordability.
From Politico:
Sherrill flew aboard a State Police helicopter eight times over roughly three months, according to records obtained by POLITICO. In one instance, the records show, Sherrill used a State Police helicopter to fly from New Jersey to Maryland to attend a “black-tie” alumni event at the Naval Academy, her alma mater.
Access to the helicopter is one of the perks of being New Jersey governor, albeit an expensive one. As of 2021, it cost taxpayers approximately $2,500 an hour for the governor to use the State Police helicopter, according to press reports.
Prior New Jersey governors have faced scrutiny over use of the state chopper, especially when it is not explicitly for state business. Democratic former Gov. Jim McGreevey used it for personal trips, which resulted in the New Jersey Democratic State Committee agreeing to reimburse the state $18,200. Republican former Gov. Chris Christie was ensnared in “choppergate” in 2011 when he arrived at his son’s high school baseball game in a State Police helicopter. He and the New Jersey Republican Party reimbursed the state $3,300 days later, but the flights raised questions around his image as a fiscal hawk.
It isn’t only New Jersey politicians who face questions over how they use their government chopper. Vice President JD Vance this week drew scrutiny after reports that he planned to use a military helicopter to take his kid to a golf lesson, although the trip did not materialize.
The governor’s office told Politico the helicopter was only used for official government business and that State Police aircraft are required to log a certain number of flying hours. Her spokesperson said “it comes at no added cost to the taxpayer” and that “This is part of the official New Jersey State Police transportation and security for the Governor of New Jersey to best serve the entire state and travel in the safest, most efficient manner.”
Yet, on the campaign trail and after taking office, Sherrill has centered her messaging on addressing residents’ economic woes. In her inaugural address, she said she is “going to spend every minute trying to make New Jersey more affordable and open doors to opportunity, because that’s our history here.”
She further noted that residents “have repeatedly told me there’s an affordability crisis, costs must come down and they don’t want a 10-year study to address the problem.”
Must be nice to be able to traipse around the state in a helicopter that is funded from the money the government takes from residents. This is the type of elitist attitude among government officials that has turned many off from Democrats—and rightly so.