Current:Home > reviewsMoney issues may sink proposed New Jersey branch of acclaimed Paris museum. Mayor blames politics -Streamline Finance
Money issues may sink proposed New Jersey branch of acclaimed Paris museum. Mayor blames politics
View
Date:2025-04-15 06:34:28
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey officials say financial concerns spurred state lawmakers to rescind $24 million in funding for a planned outpost of Paris’ acclaimed Pompidou Center in Jersey City. But the city’s mayor said he believes his deteriorating relationship with Gov. Phil Murphy led to the decision.
Centre Pompidou x Jersey City was to be built on the site of a gutted industrial building, not far from where the Statue of Liberty stands in New York Harbor. At the time, it was seen as a way to attract tourists and New Yorkers into Jersey City’s rapidly developing Journal Square neighborhood — an area that historically hasn’t been widely visited but is an easy train ride from Lower Manhattan.
The satellite museum would have been the French museum’s first venture in North America.
While both the city and state agreed $176 million in construction costs would be fully funded by public money, they disagreed about the annual operating budget. The city said $19 million in annual expenses would be covered by ticketing, venue rentals, donations and a proposed tax on new buildings in the area. But the state viewed that amount as a regular deficit.
“Due to the ongoing impact of Covid and multiple global conflicts on the supply chain, rising costs, an irreconcilable operating gap and the corresponding financial burdens it will create for New Jersey’s taxpayers, the Legislature has rescinded financial support, leaving us to determine that this project is unfortunately no longer feasible,” Tim Sullivan, chief executive of the state’s Economic Development Authority, said in a recent letter to museum officials.
Mayor Steve Fulop disputed those claims and told The New York Times that while Murphy initially supported the museum when the plans were announced in 2021, the situation changed after he rescinded his support for Murphy’s wife, Tammy, in her bid to be the Democratic nominee in this year’s U.S. Senate race. Fulop instead backed Rep. Andy Kim.
Tammy Murphy bowed out of the contest in March, saying she did not want to engage in a negative campaign against a fellow Democrat. Kim, who won the primary last month, is now seeking the seat that is currently held by Bob Menendez, who is on trial for federal bribery charges.
“There is no question in my mind that this (funding decision) is directly related to my support of Andy Kim,” Fulop told the newspaper.
Natalie Hamilton, a Murphy spokeswoman, noted that the governor had voiced concerns in April about the museum’s potential operating deficit, stressing at the time that it had “literally zero to do” with politics.
“We can’t marry ourselves to a $19 million deficit forever and always,” Murphy said at the time.
In a statement issued to the newspaper, a spokesman for the Pompidou Center said the museum “remains committed to ongoing discussions with the mayor of Jersey City to jointly determine the project’s future direction.”
veryGood! (73)
Related
- PHOTO COLLECTION: AP Top Photos of the Day Wednesday August 7, 2024
- Fox News' Benjamin Hall on life two years after attack in Kyiv: Love and family 'saved me'
- Hunter Biden trial on felony gun charges tentatively set for week of June 3
- US wholesale prices picked up in February in sign that inflation pressures remain elevated
- Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
- With rising rents, some school districts are trying to find teachers affordable housing
- Prosecutors: A ‘network’ of supporters helped fugitives avoid capture after Capitol riot
- Love Is Blind's Jessica Vestal, Micah Lussier and Izzy Zapata Join Perfect Match Season 2
- Tropical weather brings record rainfall. Experts share how to stay safe in floods.
- *NSYNC Reunites for Surprise Performance at Los Angeles Concert
Ranking
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- Someone stole all the Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads the Pittsburgh Penguins planned to give away
- A critical Rhode Island bridge will need to be demolished and replaced
- Most semi-automated vehicle systems fall short on safety, new test finds
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Florida woman found dead on cruise ship, Bahamas police say
- Connecticut considering barring legacy admissions at private colleges, in addition to public ones
- Report finds flawed tactics, poor communication in a probe of New Mexico trooper’s death
Recommendation
Kansas City Chiefs CEO's Daughter Ava Hunt Hospitalized After Falling Down a Mountain
Coal Power Plunged Again in 2023 and Is Fading Away in the U.S. So What Replaces It?
Tennessee House advances bill requiring local officers to aid US immigration authorities
Kamala Harris visits Minnesota clinic that performs abortions: We are facing a very serious health crisis
Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
3 Missouri men charged with federal firearms counts after Super Bowl victory parade shooting
Nebraska governor blames university leadership for AD Trev Alberts’ sudden departure for Texas A&M
'Keep watching': Four-time Pro Bowl RB Derrick Henry pushes back on doubters after Ravens deal