Newark Mayor Corey Booker Cuts Toilet Paper From City Offices

(July 23) -- Facing a daunting $70 million budget gap, Newark, N.J., Mayor Corey Booker says he can't afford to spare even one square: Discontinuing toilet paper in city offices is among his proposed cuts to remedy Newark's 2010 budget deficit.

"Every single contract that does not go to the core function of our city in providing safe streets, providing fire protection or other things to keep our city afloat will now be cut," Booker said during a press conference on Wednesday.

Newark City Council twice rejected Booker's proposal to create a Municipal Utility Authority that, in addition to borrowing money to improve the city's water system, would contribute a percentage of the borrowed money to ease the city's budget gap. Refusing to raise property taxes above 7 percent for fear of massive foreclosures, Booker has been forced to consider other, far more drastic options to keep the city government afloat.

According to NJ.com, Booker will also ask the state to approve a four-day work week for non-emergency city employees, collect all city gas cards and stop purchasing another, arguably less critical type of paper -- the kind that comes out of printers.

The budget cuts will commence Aug. 2 when Booker pulls the plug on Newark's public swimming pools and Camp Watershed summer program. And as if closing public pools and Camp Watershed won't damage his popularity enough already among the city's 12-and-under population, Corey Booker is also canceling Christmas (decorations).

"Call me Mr. Scrooge, if you want, but there will be no Christmas decorations around the city," said Booker. That may turn out to be for the best, if the grand TP cut goes through, as it would allow Mr. Booker to avoid finding any unpleasant lumps in his stocking come Christmas morn.