Bramnick incensed by long lines at Springfield MVC

By Nikita Biryukov from New Jersey Globe

Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick was incensed by long lines at a New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission in Springfield Monday.

“This is how you treat people in New Jersey? You make them stand in line for five or six hours and you treat them like cattle? I think it’s disgusting,” Bramnick said. “You have to go out there and apologize.”

Bramnick, who said he was turned onto the issues at the Springfield office by a constituent, intends to go out to the town’s MVC facility tomorrow, possibly to hand out water to those in line.

MVC Chairwoman Sue Fulton said the long lines weren’t an issue unique to Springfield.

“There are long lines across the state due to real ID. We’ve expanded our access to real ID by adding the walk-ins between the fifth and the 20th, so there’s going to be long lines,” she said. “This is a national problem.”

Bramnick said he contacted the governor’s office about the lines, adding that he believed “they should send a lunch truck down, water down, port-o-potties.”

The constituent Bramnick spoke with told the Assemblyman the Springfield location was denying residents access to the bathrooms.

Fulton was not aware of those issues.

“I will check in to that immediately,” she said.

Long lines at what was then called the Department of Motor Vehicles were a potent campaign issue before the turn of the century.

Bramnick is among a handful of high-profile Republicans mulling a gubernatorial bid.

He said his outrage was unrelated to any possible ambitions for the state’s highest office.

“This has been in my gut since I got in the legislature. I think when the government has a problem, apologize to your residents. This is not a gubernatorial platform,” he said. “Let’s not disrespect residents. You don’t have to be running for governor or State Senate or Assembly and respect people. That’s just common decency.”