Gov. Murphy accepts $175,000 salary but it doesn't cover his Middletown property tax bill

Gov. Phil Murphy's annual property tax bill for the Middletown mansion he owns tops $200,000. The salary for his new job doesn't quite cover it.

During his first full day in office Wednesday, Murphy said he’ll be accepting in full the governor's $175,000-a-year salary. Chris Christie also took the compensation during his eight years in office but Jon Corzine, who was New Jersey's governor from 2006-2010, took only a $1 salary. 

There's more about Murphy, Christie and Corzine in the video at the top of the story. Murphy, who formerly was U.S. ambassador to Germany, last fall told The Record he wasn't planning to follow the example of Corzine.

He said he accepted his ambassador salary and "poured a lot more money" into efforts outside of his budget to represent the country. He did not elaborate, but said that he would follow that model as governor. 

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Like Corzine, Murphy is a former Goldman Sachs executive who's wealthy – Murphy's Middletown home has a $9.6 million value with a property tax bill of $204,361. Murphy and his wife Tammy earned $4.6 million last year, mostly from interest and dividends.

Murphy also owns two homes in Europe and has the option to take residence at the Governor's Mansion at Drumthwacket in Princeton. Murphy hasn't made any announcements about whether he'll live in Middletown or Princeton.

There are well-off governors in other states who have eschewed their taxpayer-funded paychecks.

According to a survey of governors' salaries published in The Book of the States 2015, governors in three states at that time did not accept a paycheck, or returned their salaries to the state.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf's salary rose $1,500 to $194,850 last year – making him the best-paid governor – but his office says Wolf donates the money to charity.

Some governors have also taken voluntary salary reductions in recent years, including Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin.

The average annual salary for U.S. governors: $135,289, according to The Council of State Governments.

President Donald Trump, who earns $400,000 a year, has so far donated his salary to various causes, most recently the federal opioid awareness campaign.

Bob Jordan bjordan@gannettnj.com