First Legislative District Senate hopeful Mike Testa, Jr. today called on Governor Phil Murphy, NJDSC Chairman John Currie and legislative Democrats across the state to demand the immediate resignation of Vice-Chairwoman Lizette Delgado-Polanco in the wake of a report on the taxpayer-funded patronage pit she’s created New Jersey’s Schools Development Authority (SDA).

“I understand that any Governor is going to appoint his or her allies to key posts in state government, but what is happening at the SDA is an outrage and it’s time for Democrats to show some courage and oust the person responsible for turning a multi-billion agency into a patronage pit for her family and friends,” said Republican Mike Testa, Jr.  “Governor Murphy, NJDSC Chairman Currie, and every Democratic legislator in the state should demand Lizette Delgado-Polanco step down as NJDSC Vice-Chair immediately.”

Testa pointed to the original Gannett News investigative report that found Delgado-Polanco, who was named chief executive officer of the SDA in August at a salary of $225,000, terminated more than two dozen authority employees, many who had worked under both Republican and Democratic Administration, and then hired 38 new employees, many with personal connections to Delgado-Polanco or her family. He said a follow-up story, out today, found that due to “the sheer incompetence of some of Delgado-Polanco’s patronage hires, the SDA inadvertently released personal identifying information like Social Security numbers of its employees and then promoted the acting director of the department responsible for the data leak.”

“The second-in-command at the New Jersey Democratic State Committee is handpicked by Governor Murphy for a key state post, and she turns it into an employment agency for her family and friends on the taxpayer dime, yet I haven’t seen a single Democrat leader in the state calling for her to resign,” said Testa. “It underscores how incredibly arrogant and unaccountable New Jersey Democrats have become.  The only way to get their attention is to elect Republicans this November and that starts right here in the First Legislative District.”