Nation IN BRIEF : NEW JERSEY : Romer Challenges Governors on Deficit

The newly installed chairman of the National Governors’ Assn. challenged his fellow governors to come up with a consensus plan by February to eliminate the nation’s $360-billion budget deficit within five years. The challenge came from Colorado Gov. Roy Romer, who urged the nation’s governors at the group’s annual meeting in Princeton, N.J., to reconvene for a special meeting devoted to the crippling deficit. The Democratic chief executive argued that what happens in dealing with the deficit ultimately will affect each of the states and said, “We have to be at the table” when the solution is discussed.