The new governor faces immediate budget problems.
After inauguration in January 2018, the Budget for fiscal year 2019 must be submitted in March. And for the first six months of 2018, the governor must manage the budget he will inherit — and end with the year in surplus.
Richard F. Keevey is former New Jersey budget director and comptroller appointed by two governors from each political party. He also held presidential appointments as the CFO at HUD and the deputy undersecretary of defense for finance. Currently, he is senior policy fellow at the Bloustein School of Planning and Policy at Rutgers University.