Monmouth County Petition for the Recall of Jon Corzine

Click Here to Download the Petition. Petitions are in Alpha order. Want to learn more, visit recallcorzinenow.com

Corzine Cosa Nostra hard at work

Interesting read from our friends at inthelobby.net

So the news out of Trenton is grim. State revenues will be down about $133 million this year; right now, they’re estimating a shortfall of $289 million for the next fiscal year.

And what is our governor doing?

Why, he’s signing an executive order allowing 649 contract workers – i.e., nonstate employees -- to unionize and be represented by the CWA. As Star Ledger columnist Paul Mulshine tells us, these folks are community care residential providers, who take disabled adults into their homes. Thanks to Gov. Corzine, they will now be represented by the CWA in negotiations "for the purpose of entering into a written agreement regarding reimbursement rates, payment procedures, benefits, health and safety conditions"

And what does the CWA plan to do for these folks?

"They are supposed to be paid based on market rate," said Rosenstein. "We can show what the market rate is so they're paid more."

She also told Mulshine: "It's not our goal to have them treated as state employees. But for those who don't have health care, we want them to eventually get health care whether through the state or some other source."

Corzine’s spokesman, Jim Gardner, insists that the executive order is “revenue neutral.”

Which, of course, is true now. But if the CWA is successful getting these folks a pay increase, or eventually, health care, well then, it won’t be revenue neutral in the future.

It reminds us of the time Gov. Corzine gave back that 1.5 percent payment of their pensions retirees were going to pay toward their health insurance premium.

READ ITS ENTIRETY HERE: Mar.26

Ocean Twp. Court Inundated With Calls About Indicted Court Clerk From Freehold

OCEAN TOWNSHIP — The municipal court here has been flooded this morning with calls from people who want to know if their case has been mishandled by a Superior Court clerk accused of altering checks valued at more than $18,000.

"It's not our court or our employee and we have nothing to do with it," said Antoinette Bodine, the municipal court administrator for Ocean Township.

The woman accused of the theft, Lisa Morton, 41, of Freehold, works for the state
Superior Court's finance division ofice, which is located in Ocean Township, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said. That office has no connection to the municipal court, Bodine said.

"I have four women who work here and since this morning they have been receiving constant calls about this case," Bodine said. "We just want people to know they're calling the wrong place."

Questions regarding Morton should be addressed to the court administrator for the Monmouth Vicinage in Freehold, officials said.

Gov. Corzine continues to tout his Toll plan to Businesses while ignoring bloated spending.

Gov. Corzine has held town hall meeting all around the state, but he isn't finished trying to sell his plan to "pay VISA debt with new AMEX debt" & fund transportation projects by dramatically raising tolls over the next 75 years. The Governor gave his pitch to local chambers of commerce last week. While the state Chamber of Commerce has endorsed the toll hikes, some local chambers haven't exactly taken a position for or against just yet.

The Governor detailed his plans to raise tolls and shave $2.7 billion from the state budget before taking questions from a mostly friendly audience. He said proposed spending cuts weren't the result of "some scheme" in his head. Rather, the state simply doesn't have the money to fund every program.
You can read the rest of this article RIGHT HERE

Fox hearing delayed until after BPU case

The Senate Judiciary Committee won't hold a confirmation hearing on Board of Public Utilities President Jeanne Fox until after a whistle-blower case against the BPU is finished, the committee's chairman said Friday.

"Well, we wouldn't call it before the trial is over, some sort of whistle-blower case," Judiciary Chairman Sen. John Adler, D-Camden, said. "I don't want to predict what might happen. We have to go slow on nominations of this importance."

Fox, the BPU, and two other top officials are named in the suit brought by BPU fiscal chief Joe Potena, who claims retaliation for alerting state officials to an $80- to $100-million ratepayer-funded Clean Energy account set up outside state Treasury purview.

Sen. Gerald Cardinale, R-Bergen, who has called on Gov. Jon S. Corzine to withdraw Fox's nomination, said he's backing off that request to give Fox a chance to prove her claim that she was following legal guidance in setting up the account.

READ THE REST HERE

Public Worker Salaries & Benefits Increased to 45% of State Budget

State pensions, benefits also grow at rapid clip

Since 1998, the costs of public worker salaries and benefits have increased by more than $4.2 billion.

That's 45 percent of the total increase in the state budget, according to the state Treasury Department documents provided to lawmakers.

Since 1998, just the cost of health insurance and retirement benefits for employees and retirees increased by 201 percent, from $1.56 billion to $4.69 billion —nearly seven times the rate of inflation.

About 450,000 teachers, state workers and other public employees contribute to the state's various pension systems.

Rae Roeder, who represents 7,000 state workers as president of Communications Workers of America Local 1033, said she doesn't want to hear about having teachers, police or other state employees pay more for their health care or pension costs.

State workers already contribute 5.5 percent of their pay to pensions and 1.5 percent of their salaries toward health insurance.

When asked if she could empathize with workers in private industry, who typically pay more for health insurance and their retirement plans, she said, "Private industry has flushed its workers down the toilet."

She said she wouldn't participate in any conversation about trimming the costs of state workers' benefits.

"Now, I see the conversation going down the harebrained road of the right-wing nuts. So I'm done with this conversation," she said, hanging up the phone.

"We have no one to blame but ourselves," said Michael P. Riccards, executive director of the nonpartisan Hall Institute of Public Policy in Trenton. "We're an old state with a lot of old institutions. A lot of situations need to be changed. And neither political party has a reform caucus that can make it happen."

$33 Billion and counting

Although the size of the state budget has nearly doubled in the last 10 years, the governor keeps telling us we're broke.

So, where has the money gone? How could spending jump from $16.8 billion in 1998 to $33.4 billion in 2008 — and we still can't pay the bills?

You'll find most of the money if you look at three categories: spending on education — especially extra aid to low-income schools; salaries and benefits for government workers and retirees; and property tax relief.

In the 31 neediest school districts, called Abbott districts, it cost an average of $14,431 to educate each pupil, according to a review of 2007 school spending figures. That was $2,280 higher than the average per-pupil cost for all public school students last year.

Corporate scholarships

There's only one thing lacking in the Abbott districts — academic quality, said Dan Gaby, executive director of Excellent Education for Everyone. His group, known as E3, favors state financial support of private schools. Gaby served as vice president of the state Board of Education in the 1970s under former Democratic Gov. Brendan T. Byrne.

Despite the $30 billion spent on education in the Abbott districts over the last decade, standardized state test scores show little improvement, except in the elementary grades, according to state Department of Education data.

In some of the poorest districts, dropout rates remain high. Asbury Park High School's graduation rate was 63.5 percent last year. Camden High School's graduation rate was 49.8 percent. In 2007, the state's average graduation rate was 92.3 percent.

"We could spend half the money and get better results. The children are out of time, and the taxpayers are out of money," Gaby said.

Read the entire APP article HERE

With sick time, Long Branch superintendent received $305,099 in one year

In needy districts, some are well paid

In some of the state's poorest communities, school superintendents make more money than the governor or the chief justice of the state Supreme Court.

In Camden, former school Superintendent Annette Knox boosted her 2004-05 salary of $180,081 by cashing in $11,630 in unused sick time, and she was given a car to drive. But there was a limit to the school board's largess.

Knox resigned when the board claimed she took $18,000 in unauthorized performance bonuses. Her replacement — Bessie LeFra Young — is paid $220,000 in one of America's poorest cities. The state pays 84 percent of the district's budget.

In Asbury Park, former Superintendent Robert H. Mann was given a $310,000 severance package in addition to his $120,750 salary to settle what the school board said in 2000 was a clash of "leadership styles."

In Long Branch, Superintendent Joseph Ferraina was paid $305,099 during 2004-05 for supervising about 5,000 children. That's about $61 per child.

Ferraina received an extra $111,950, most of it unused sick time, to add to his reported base salary of $193,149.

The deals given Knox, Ferraina and Mann were criticized in a March 2006 State Commission of Investigation report titled, "Taxpayers Beware: What You Don't Know Can Cost You."

The report found "a range of questionable and excessive practices that, collectively, cost unsuspecting New Jersey taxpayers millions of dollars."

"Lucrative provisions of these privately negotiated deals enable superintendents and others at the top tier of public school administration to receive compensation and benefits often well beyond the reach of any other class of public-service employees," the report concludes.

State spending on education has ballooned to $11.5 billion, an increase of nearly 30 percent in four years. Approximately half of that money goes to the state's 31 neediest school districts.

Ferraina made no apologies for his compensation.

"I have nothing to hide," Ferraina said in an interview. "Had I been in private industry, I'd be a multimillionaire. I'd be making $150 million. Why? It's real easy. I'm a visionary. I look at the future. I have ideas. But I don't want to make $150 million. I want to make a difference in society. I want to be able to help the children of this community."

His sick days, he says, were accumulated over more than 30 years of service to the district, as a teacher, school principal and superintendent.

Mann and Knox could not be reached for comment.

Asbury Park, Camden and Long Branch are considered by the state to be among the 31 most needy in the state, commonly called Abbott districts.

Driven in large part by increased spending on the Abbott districts, education funding statewide has jumped from $4.7 billion in 1998 to $8.1 billion in 2008 — an increase of 72 percent, according to budget documents provided to state lawmakers by the state treasurer. When adjusted for inflation, the increase comes in at 35 percent.

While other low-income districts — especially Camden — captured headlines for failing to improve student performance, Ferraina points with pride to progress made in Long Branch.

"There's a brand-new preschool, a brand-new middle school, a high school, two brand-new elementary schools," he said. His district had expansion plans ready when the state money was first made available.

He says that test scores, especially for younger students, have improved dramatically in his district.

In 1999, for example, 28.2 percent of Long Branch's fourth-graders passed state language and literacy tests. In 2007, 77.7 percent passed the tests, he said.

In 1999, 33.1 percent of fourth-graders passed math tests. In 2007, 71.8 percent passed the test.

Ferraina said he has worked hard to earn his salary and benefits during his 32 years of service.

"It's legal," he said.

Manalapan: Manalapan High to continue police presence

MANALAPAN — The increased police presence will continue at the high school tomorrow, after a parent overheard a student speaking about rumors that a shooting would take place at the building today , authorities said.

Around 4 p.m. Tuesday, the high school principal called police to tell them he had received a call from the concerned parent, authorities said.

Detective Matthew Trembow and Patrolman Daniel Carey launched an investigation and they could not substantiate the threat, police said.

Meanwhile, the principal put all school officials on alert. Police are continuing their investigation, and they also had increased presence at the school today.

New Jersey by the Ugly Numbers Corzine Wants To Ignore

...by our friends at inthelobby.net

Have you ever wondered, just how did New Jersey get here?

How could a state as prosperous as ours get to the point of financial crisis that it is today?

Here are a few reasons:

10,000: The number of state employees who were hired by the state's governors, both Republican and Democrat, between 2000 and 2006, a 17 percent gain even though the state’s population grew by only 4 percent, according to City Journal..

(Corzine brags that he's cutting roughly 3,000 jobs wants to skip the fact that there's still a net of +7,000 jobs over the past 6 years)

13,000: The number of full-time (or full-time equivalents) hired by agencies and authorities subsidized by state government but not directly controlled by the governor, in that same time frame.

Nearly 6 percent: The amount state spending increased a year from 2000 through 2008, nearly double the inflation rate.

33: The number of times ex-Gov. McGreevey raised taxes and fees in his short time in office.

$1.2 billion: The amount Gov. Corzine raised the sales tax in 2006.

Second-worst: New Jersey's ranking for business-tax environment in the country, according to the Tax Foundation.

Third-worst: Managed state in the nation, according to Governing magazine.

9 percent: The amount then-Gov. DiFrancesco and the Legislature raised pensions for public employees, teachers and state lawmakers in 2001, according to the Asbury Park Press.

$5.2 billion: The amount the pension boost cost taxpayers.

Almost $8 billion: The expected cost of active and retired employee benefits, including pension and health care, in 2013, up from $2 billion this year.

Now how does Gov. Corzine's budget and fiscal plan address these facts?

We've said it before, we'll say it again. New Jersey doesn't have a revenue problem; it has a spending problem.

Jacking the tolls up by 800 percent, or raising the gas tax, will do nothing to change that.

NJ: HIGH PRICE FOR ROTTEN GOV'T

From the NYPOST

WHEN New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine announced his slim med- down budget recently, he said that the state could no longer afford the government that it now has. What he didn't say is that this government isn't just expensive, it's also mismanaged and ineffective.

That is, New Jerseyans pay some of the country's highest taxes to get one of the country's worst governments.

In a new study, Governing magazine ranks Jersey the nation's third-worst-managed state. The problem isn't just the shambles that its finances are in, but also its lack of investment in infrastructure, its poor employee training and development, and a failure to apply technology and data to manage public services well.

Talk about a quadruple whammy for the state's residents, who ought to be asking exactly what the heck the state has been doing with all their money.

One thing that Jersey's patronage-ridden government has been doing is hiring workers at a rapid rate, far faster than most other states. Corzine's recent pledge to trim the state's workforce by 3,000 employees (as part of $500 million in spending cuts) drew a howl from public-sector unions, as well as warnings from some editorialists that the cuts might hurt services.

Corzine might have noted that from 2000 to 2006 - after the Wall Street tech-stock meltdown and the economic fallout from 9/11 - a succession of NJ governors added 10,000 workers to the state's executive workforce, a 17 percent rise, even as the state's population grew by only 4 percent.

The hiring spree didn't stop there. State agencies and authorities not directly controlled by the governor were rapidly boosting their own payrolls, adding about 13,000 more full-time (or full-time-equivalent) workers to the state's payrolls, reports the Census Bureau. Only a few other states increased their public payrolls as quickly; all were far larger than Jersey and had more rapidly growing populations. By contrast, even New York was a model of efficiency, growing its workforce by less than 1 percent during the same period.

READ THE REST HERE

Corzine Interview on NJ101.5 with Jim Gearhart

The interview is in 4 parts. Click here

Brick: Officials want to postpone property revaluations

Township officials will ask the Ocean County Board of Taxation for permission to postpone its ongoing revaluation for another year in light of the deteriorating housing market, Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis said today.Acropolis said assessing homes while prices are falling would be unfair to Brick residents, and could also cost the township money. If prices fall below a home's assessment, the mayor said residents could successfully appeal their revaluations.

"If you do put a value on the houses in November of this year, in '08, when everyone gets their tax bill in '09, they're going to say, "I can't pay this much money. I'm going to appeal it,'' Acropolis said.

The mayor said the township would formally ask to postone the revaluation by letter this week.

Manchester and Toms River have had similar requests granted this year, according to county board officials.

Corzine + his phantom cuts = secret tax hike

Excellent analysis by Greater Media's Greg Bean:

If it looks like a tax hike, and smells like a hike …
READ IT HERE

...and therein lies Jon Corzines problem...

Two months after we the people rejected Corzine's little $450 million in new borrowing for his stem-cell initiative, he stood before the state legislature and informed that the state was in a deep financial crisis - that NJ borrowed much more than it can pay back and something must be done...

SO: if in January, he "fesses up to the obvious", why two months earlier is he pushing to borrow another $450 million???

Very interesting read from our friends at inthelobby.net

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After his successsful sneak attack on Pearl Habor, Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is said to have lamented, "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."

Fast-forward 66 years, and you have to wonder: Does Jon Corzine suspect that he may have done the same thing?

Call it what you will, but something is happening in the New Jersey electorate. It started in November, when voters who were smarter than their government rejected $450 million in new borrowing to pay for the operating costs of stem cell research centers that the state had already agreed to borrow $270 million to build.

Corzine, who sunk at least $100,000 of his own money into a pro-stem cell advertising campaign, was stunned when it didn’t pass, after pollsters and pundits and his own sensibilities had assured him it would.

Two months after that defeat, he stood before the state Legislature and solemnly exclaimed that New Jersey was in a deep financial crisis. The state had borrowed to the point of excess; debt service was eating up the budget, and something must be done.

His plan, as we all now know, was to turn control of the toll roads to a Public Benefit Corporation, which could sell bonds off the toll roads and raise tolls by 800 percent.

So here’s a question Corzine’s never answered: If he knew that the borrowing was eating the New Jersey budget alive in 2007 – as he surely did – why in the world was he out there promoting the sale of another $450 million in bonds?

And therein lies Jon Corzine’s problem.

He may not have connected the dots, but the public does. Corzine is no different than other politicians when it comes to spending our money on programs he thinks we should have -- even if we can't afford it.

That point became even clearer after his administration admitted that they also plan to go out and bond for another $2.5 billion in school construction – even though the state had already wasted more than $6 billion with very few schools to show for it the first time around.

For all his talk about putting the borrowing to the public, he doesn't mean it. How can he? Corzine has given every Trenton politician a “Get Out of Jail” card when it comes to borrowing. As long as they declare that the bond issue would be paid for by an existing tax stream, it doesn’t have to go before the voters.

And that will stop borrowing how?For all his talk, Corzine’s vaulted promise that all future borrowing would go before the voters isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.

Trenton politicians – heck, all politicians – want what they want when they want it. Corzine wanted to be a player in stem cell research. He wants to build new schools. The state doesn’t have any money, but why let that stand in the way of his legacy?

Only one problem. The voters said no to stem cell research.

He won’t make that mistake again. That’s why he says the school construction doesn’t need to go to the voters. And why he won’t put his massive $38 billion toll hike scheme before the voters.

Technically, he says it’s because they’ll both have dedicated funding (taxes on school construction, toll hikes on the toll roads.) The reality, however, is much simpler.

He can’t trust us not to say no.

When he went into the belly of the beast this week – Monmouth and Ocean counties, two areas that will be hurt the most by the toll hike plan – Corzine was likely not expecting the level of anger he heard from the residents.

And he was probably stunned that they knew all about his inconsistencies: agreeing to raises for judges, despite the state being broke; shouting down his attempts to say that any cuts in the budget would result in hospitals closing; and generally demanding that the government cut itself, before he asks them for any more money.

We love how whenever the governor is questioned on why he is forcing the state’s burden on such a small segment of the population, he pipes up with how frequent commuters could get a discount of 20 to 25 percent.

As if turning an 800 percent toll hike into a 600 or 660 percent toll hike somehow makes it fair or acceptable.

The real reason that Corzine wants commuters and those who drive the toll roads to pay an 800 percent increase is purely political: it affects fewer people than an overall hike in the gas tax, combined with significant spending cuts, would.

Want proof? Check out this map developed for the Asbury Park Press by City University finance professor Jonathan Peters. It shows where the highest concentration of E-ZPass users live in New Jersey.

Three guesses what counties appear hardest hit – Monmouth, Ocean, and Middlesex. The bulk of the counties don’t have significant numbers of E-ZPass drivers, according to this map.

It's the same reason he’s putting off the toll hikes until the year after he and the state Legislature stand for re-election.

But Corzine couldn’t be that cynical, could he?

What the governor underestimated – as he underestimated in the stem cell research vote – is that New Jerseyans aren’t stupid. Their rising property tax bills have ended whatever complacency they once had.

They love their state, but they either can’t afford to live here, or are afraid they won’t be able to in a few years.

There’s a reason why more people are leaving New Jersey than coming in.

The people of New Jersey recognize that the politicians who are running their state government don’t understand that the status quo no longer works. That government spending is not the answer to their problem; it is the source of their problem. That government’s efforts to protect the bureaucracy are harming their families.

They understand that an 800 percent toll hike will mean all New Jerseyans will pay more for food, clothing and goods. That businesses like shipping and warehouses and distribution may move to other states, and take their jobs with them.

They know that families in New Jersey are forced to make hard choices every day in order to make ends meet, and government should have to make those same hard choices – before they go to the people and ask them for more.

A larger government will not make the lives of New Jersey families any better. A larger paycheck, and fewer taxes – and tolls – will. New Jerseyans are willing to make some sacrifices in order to fix the fiscal mess, but they’re not willing to be the only ones –and they want the government to be cut down to size first. Otherwise, the people know that despite what Corzine says, the government will go on, spending money it just doesn’t have.

Corzine’s already doing it – his new school funding formula expands government by mandating preschool education for low-income students, without identifying how he’s going to pay for it.

Whatever hopes the governor had that he could rush this plan of his through the Legislature has fallen wayside to the anger of the public. Tomorrow, there will be a rally at noon at the Statehouse, sponsored by NJ101.5 radio, to show voter discontent. The only way Trenton will listen is if they fear the wrath of the voters. A large crowd will make them notice.

In 1941, it was bombs over Pearl Harbor that awakened the anger of America. In 2008 New Jersey, it may well be pigs flying over the Statehouse.

Either way, New Jersey is awake. Let’s see how many politicians in Trenton start paying attention.

Corzine (Cosa Nostra) Toll Panel Is Rich with Special Interests

The Record - By Elisa Young

A 54-member panel chosen to “educate the public” about Governor Corzine’s financial restructuring plan contains a mix of administration loyalists and veteran Trenton insiders positioned for a piece of multibillion-dollar highway spending. (Here’s a link to the “Who’s Who” on the panel)

Three of the members — including the chairman — are principals or affiliates of New Jersey’s top three lobbying firms. They represent engineers, raw-material industries, financial companies, resorts and utilities — all with potentially something to gain from a proposed $11 billion in road projects.

Ten of the appointees have some connection to Alliance for Action, a construction advocacy group that promises its 600 members “excellent opportunities to network with New Jersey’s public and private leaders.” Three other appointees — top executives with Verizon, Trump Entertainment and Public Service Electric and Gas Co. — have seen their businesses benefit from legislation Corzine has signed or initiatives he has endorsed.

READ THE REST HERE

CLICK HERE to our friends at Liberty and Prosperity to see what the gang of 54 look like

Lawmakers contemple Moving School Elections From April to November

TRENTON — In an effort to reduce costs and increase voter participation, state lawmakers Thursday discussed moving school board elections from April to the general election in November.

The Senate Education Committee held discussions Thursday with education groups about consolidating election days, as well as eliminate the requirement that voters decide school tax levies, except for separate questions if the growth cap is exceeded.

Extra elections cost citizens money that could be saved to reduce property taxes or better spent on education, said Sen. Shirley Turner, D-Mercer, the committee chairwoman and sponsor of a bill that would enact such changes.

"Every time we turn around, we're having another election that is costing people money," said Turner.

Turner also said moving the elections to November would allow more voters to have a say in school board elections, since participation is significantly higher.

CONTINUE HERE

Measure limiting 2-job Gov. Workers To 1 Health Plan Unanimously Approved

TRENTON — An Assembly panel unanimously approved a measure Thursday that would limit elected and appointed public office holders to one public health plan, while a pair of lawmakers hopes to take this a step further by eliminating all publicly paid health plans for elected officials who earn less than $50,000.

The measure advanced Monday, with bipartisan support, would end dual health coverage for public office holders with second public positions. One sponsor, Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon, R-Monmouth, said it's a step he hopes to expand to any family that has access to more than one health plan.

O'Scanlon told the Assembly State Government Committee there is no way to quantify how much would be saved, though it would probably not be much.

"One of the reasons we need this bill is because we can't answer that," O'Scanlon said. "There is no list."

Meanwhile, Assemblymen Vince Polistina and John Amodeo, both R-Atlantic, have introduced a measure barring coverage for elected officials who serve part-time — defined as earning less than $50,000. That would remove most mayors, all legislators except Senate president and Assembly speaker and scads of local and county officials.

"All legislators and part-time elected officials should stand forward and support this," said Amodeo, citing the state's budget crisis. "I think it's good for the citizens of the state of New Jersey."

Assemblywoman Joan Quigley, D-Hudson, chairwoman of the Assembly State Government Committee, said she hadn't heard of the proposal but had a mixed reaction. CONTINUE HERE

Forget The Public Meetings, Citizens Take The Fight Directly To Legislators

We the people - finally banding together to give it to our legislators. Before you know it, we'll be storming the State House with Pitchforks too. Click here to read the APP article

Brick parents, officials heading to Trenton to protest school funding formula

BRICK — Instead of criticizing the state's school funding formula at public meetings in town, people are taking the fight to the legislators.School officials and parents will be bused to Trenton March 13 to protest the formula they say caused a $3.5 million gap in the district's budget.

"The formula doesn't work,'' said parent Geoff Dubrowsky, who is attending the rally. "The formula Gov. Corzine created works for the people who got him elected,'' he said, including Camden and Newark.

The state funds special education, but only up to 14 percent of the student body. Brick has 18 percent of its student population as special education. The other 4 percent go unfunded.

"The state is telling you, "You can't be disabled,'‚'' said Dubrowsky, whose 12-year-old, Daniel, is autistic.

The current plan to address the gap is to close and then sell the Laurelton School and close the Primary Learning Center. CONTINUE READING HERE

Freehold: Projected Tax Rates to be unveiled at Monday March 19th meeting

Residents within the Freehold Regional High School district will have to wait until Monday night to see what their projected tax rates will look like for 2008-09.

Superintendent of Schools James Wasser said today the administration is not ready to disclose that information until Monday's board meeting, the final one before the March 19 public hearing on the tentative budget.

He said board members would be presented Thursday with projected tax rates for the eight municipalities, even though the board voted 8-0 on Feb. 25 to adopt the tentative budget.

Tentative expenditures for the 2008-09 school year, according to Boyce, will be about $172,159,647. Voters will be asked to approve a tax levy of $108,422,047 on April 15.

The district includes six high schools and is the largest such district in the state.

Business administrator Sean Boyce will give a public presentation Monday on the projected tax rates in the eight municipalities that comprise the district.

However, the tentative budget was adopted at the Feb. 25 school board meeting. Days later, it was submitted to Executive County Superintendent Carole K. Morris by Wasser and Boyce.

All school districts in the state must submit their respective budgets to the executive county superintendent by Thursday. In Monmouth County, there are 54 school districts.

Bonnie Rosenwald, a board member who represents Marlboro, was the lone member to abstain from the Feb. 25 budget vote. Reached by phone tonight, Rosenwald said one of the major reasons for abstaining was lack of information about the tentative budget.

"I wasn't comfortable voting on it without knowing about the (projected) tax rates for next year,'' said Rosenwald. "We didn't have the benefit of discussing the entire budget in public.''

Rosenwald said the board only discussed three sections of the budget -- classroom instruction, support services and administration. "I still don't have the tax information,'' said Rosenwald.

Wasser said today that board members will be presented a budget package Thursday, including the information regarding the projected tax rates for the next school year.

"The board understood what we were doing,'' said Wasser.

He said the administration wants to make sure the numbers are as accurate as possible prior to releasing them to the public. "I don't want to be off by a penny and then someone come back and say, "What are (you) trying to hide?'‚'' said Wasser.

Morris said today the normal procedure is for a school board to have all relevant
information supplied to them before voting on a budget.

"I can't imagine any school board would pass even a tentative budget without realizing the effect it would have on local taxes,'' said Morris.

Voters in the eight municipalities within the district approved the school budget in 2007.

The eight municipalities are Englishtown, Colts Neck, Farmingdale, Manalapan, Marlboro, Howell, Freehold and Freehold Township.

Monday's meeting is scheduled for 8 p.m. in the district administration building in
Englishtown. The March 19 public hearing on the budget is also scheduled for 8 p.m. in the same location.

Article was in the APP

Ocean County: Girl's dad confronts sex-assault handyman suspect

Tough lesson to learn: NEVER leave a handyman unsupervised.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

FREEHOLD — A Monmouth County jury on Tuesday heard from the father of a young girl allegedly sexually assaulted by an Ocean Township handyman charged with videotaping the acts over more than a four-year period beginning when the girl was just 2.

The father testified he hired Clement "Clem" Bilski Jr., 45, of Ocean Township to do various projects around the house beginning in 1996, after friends in the community vouched for Bilski's work. Bilski renovated portions of the basement, a den, a dining room and completed a major renovation of an upstairs bathroom.

Some of the sexual assaults Bilski is accused of committing took place in those renovated rooms, according to investigators' testimony.

"He always seemed a little quirky," said the victim's father, whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of his daughter. "But he was always careful about his work. . . . His work was generally good."

Prosecutor Peter J. Boser focused his questions on how Bilski was able to gain access into the victim's home and eventually win access to the young girl.

"He (Bilski) pretty much had the run of the house — although there was almost always someone there," the father said. "We trusted him."

"You trusted him?" Boser asked.

"In general, I live in an area where it's not that hard to create that," the father answered.

The man told the jury about the day in April 2006 when investigators first approached him about Bilski, when he and his wife came to learn that their youngest daughter had fallen victim to the handyman.

At times during his testimony, the father fixed his gaze at Bilski. Asked to identify the man believed to have sexually assaulted his daughter, he pointed his finger at Bilski, saying, "That's him."

He then continued to stare straight at Bilski, as Boser said, "No further questions, your honor."

Bilski's attorney, John O. Goins, had no questions for the witness. The father continued to stare down Bilski until he was excused from the witness stand.

As he left the courtroom, the witness gently grabbed Boser by the arm and whispered, "Thank you."

150 of 429 counts

Bilski is on trial on 150 counts charging him with aggravated sexual assault, criminal restraint, child pornography and other crimes he allegedly committed against the young girl between July 1998 and February 2003. The charges are part of a 429-count indictment also alleging offenses against several other children.

Three detectives took the witness stand Tuesday morning to identify and describe evidence found in Bilski's Maple Street home after a team of investigators showed up armed with a search warrant on April 21, 2006.

Inside, investigators found dozens of VHS and 8mm videotapes and DVDs showing Bilski engaging in sexual acts with the little girl.

New Jersey State Police Detective Cy Bleistine of the NJSP Digital Technology Investigations Unit identified a series of photographs as part of his testimony. He also told the jury that he was present when investigators started to view the DVDs found in Bilski's home.

"How long did it take before someone commented, "This guy is sick'?" Goins asked.

"Not very long," Bleistine said.

A priority was placed on identifying the victim seen in the videos.

"At the time, we had no idea who the victim was," testified Detective Robert Angelini of the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office Computer Crimes Unit.

Angelini was asked to identify a large bulk of evidence in the case, including a computer, video recording devices, video players, dozens of DVDs, videotapes and a 3-foot-tall doll of a child found in a drawer under Bilski's bed. The hard plastic doll had been modified with electronic and sexual devices.

A DVD multidisc player found in Bilski's home was filled with DVDs depicting him engaging in sex acts with a young girl, according to Angelini.

License plate was a clue

Another DVD found in the player showed Bilski and the girl outdoors, engaged in a sex act. In the background was a vehicle, and its license plate was the information investigators needed to find the victim.

Investigator Jeffrey Wilbert of the prosecutor's Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit testified that he was part of the team trying to determine the victim's identity in the early stages of the investigation. During his initial interview with the victim's parents, he said he knew they had found the victim when he asked the parents the name of their youngest daughter. He recognized their answer right away.

"There were a number of DVDs, VHS tapes and other things that had that victim's name on it," Wilbert said.

During a search of the victim's house, he recognized locations in the videos: the upstairs bathroom, beds in a basement bedroom and the girls' bedroom.

Wilbert testified that he later returned to the victim's home, concerned there might still be hidden cameras there. He found a video camera hidden in the light vent that Bilski had installed in the second-floor bathroom where he last worked in the house. There was a video camera found in an HVAC vent in the little girl's bedroom, and there was another video camera hidden in the basement bedroom, Wilbert said.

Wilbert also explained to the jury what was found on the various videotapes and DVDs recovered from Bilski's house.

Some videos had music added, others were edited to loop a sex act over and over and over again, he said, while still other sex acts were put into slow motion.

Bilski's attorney started his opening statements by admitting that the 5 1/2 hours of video prosecutors said they would play showing Bilski engaged in various sexual acts were "horrific."

"The videos you'll see are real," Goins said. "The videos you will see depict Mr. Bilski with a child. We will make no argument that it's not real. . . . The act was done, but what the State has to prove is the mental state of Mr. Bilski."

He "gained their trust"

Bilski was in and out of the home of his alleged victim over a nearly 10-year period, as he completed various projects for her parents.

"In the process he (Bilski) gained their trust, and then he corrupted that trust in the most corruptible way," Assistant Prosecutor Kevin Clark explained to the jury in his opening remarks. "You would think "what a safe place,' and ordinarily you would, but Mr. Bilski was there."

Clark told the jury, Bilski sexually assaulted the girl on occasions between July 1998 and February 2003. He went on to say Bilski took the time to "train her for his sexual pleasure."

The victim will not be testifying in the case, Clark told the jury, saying the video evidence will speak for itself.

Before the trial began Tuesday morning, the jury lost one member who was dismissed for an unknown reason by Superior Court Judge Paul F. Chaiet. The final jury of 12 people will be randomly picked prior to deliberations from the remaining jury pool of 11 women and four men.

Read the APP article HERE

So this is Corzines idea to cut spending: State aid to towns dropping sharply (but lets keep the fat)

Brilliant mind (not..) that Corzine. His goal is to transfer state fiscal responsibility to the individual towns by cutting aid... which in turn means our taxes will go up. Come election day which he doesn't have a prayer for re-election, he'll say that he listened TO US, and cut spending as we demanded.

As state officials released data showing that property taxes rose by an average of 5.4 percent in 2007 — the lowest rate in four years — they also detailed municipal aid cuts that are likely to put more pressure on the local levies in 2008.

The 2007 data from the Department of Community Affairs showed the average New Jersey property tax bill grew to $6,796 in 2007, up from $6,446 the previous year.

The data is the first measure of the effectiveness of a property tax cap lawmakers and Gov. Corzine instituted early last year. The cap set maximum annual property tax increases at 4 percent, but included exceptions that allow the taxes to rise by more than that amount.

Average property taxes had grown by about 7 percent annually since 2004. In 2003 they rose by about 4.5 percent.

However, the administration also detailed $168 million in municipal aid cuts Tuesday, the bulk of Cor-zine's proposed $190 million reduction in overall support for towns and cities. The reduction is 9.6 percent of the total aid distributed in 2007.

Twenty-seven municipalities in Monmouth and Ocean counties that received municipal property tax relief aid last year will receive none this year.

With less state aid, municipalities will have to try to make up for the losses by saving elsewhere — potentially cutting services — or increasing property taxes.

Corzine has targeted small municipalities, those with fewer than 10,000 people, for aid reductions to encourage town mergers and service sharing, which he has said would lead to more efficient government.

"Oh, dear," said Roosevelt Mayor Elsbeth "Beth" Battel when told the news of the total loss of municipal aid for 2008. The borough received $44,738 in 2007.

"I would say I'm stunned," Battel said. "I don't know how we're going to make our budget."

Battel suggested consolidating services with another municipality. But that probably could not be accomplished in time for the 2008 budget, Battel said.

"To a small town like Ocean Gate, it's devastating," Mayor Paul J. Kennedy said. "Where does it leave the taxpayer at this point? I'm not happy with it. What the governor has done to small towns is tough. It's more devastating to cut the aid in small towns than big ones. The picture isn't bright for small towns."

Large towns hit, too

Larger municipalities, such as Howell and Middletown, also are affected. Howell's aid allotment will be $927, compared with $476,481 last year. Township Manager Helene Schlegel said the cut equals almost a penny on the local tax rate.

"I'm certainly not surprised, quite frankly, with the state of the state's finances," said Howell Mayor Joseph DiBella.

"In general in New Jersey, more government jobs have been added to the payroll than in the private sector," DiBella said. "This leads to enormous costs in health and pension benefits. We have to find a way to reinvent how government does business."

Middletown would see its property tax relief cut by 29 percent, to $936,999. Overall, the amount the township would receive from the state in 2008 would go down by $634,511.

"This is a lot more extreme than we thought," said Richard Wright, the township's chief financial officer, who anticipated that Middletown would see a cut of a little more than $100,000.

Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger said he considers it unfair for the state to cut funding but to also require municipalities to increase their spending in various areas, such as pension obligations and library costs.

Keyport Mayor Robert J. Bergen said the aid cuts reflect a fundamental change in the way New Jersey government will be required to operate.

"They (state) does not want to pay for it anymore, and as the governor said in his speech, government is not only going to learn to do more with less, but that it (state) is going to do less," he said.

Corzine spokeswoman Lilo Stainton said the cuts are aimed at encouraging a "streamlined" government.

"There are just too many local governments, and their services often duplicate one another," Stainton said. "It should not necessarily mean higher taxes for local residents. Just as the state is looking to become a leaner, more efficient government, local officials can use those same techniques to reduce costs for local taxpayers."

More upset officials

But at a Township Council meeting Tuesday night, Brick Councilman Anthony Matthews said, "Nobody at the state level wants to make the decisions necessary. They're going to put the burden all on us (municipalities)."

Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Vincent Barella said that government on a municipal level is the most accountable to taxpayers, and small towns should be given the ability to raise revenue on local and tourist taxes.

"Trenton needs to surrender control. They need to look at what they're doing and give municipalities the chance to raise their own revenue," Barella said.

In Seaside Heights, Borough Administrator John A. Camera said, "It's really disappointing, and it's going to be a real pain and burden to the taxpayers."

"Towns with a population of less than 5,000 to 10,000 got hit the hardest," Camera said. "If it was across the board, it would be one thing. But giving money to big cities like Camden and Newark that are poorly managed is really hard to swallow."

While many of the state's largest cities are losing large amounts of raw dollars — Newark sees the biggest cut, $6.7 million — their percentage of reductions are relatively small. The state's most populous towns, including Newark, Edison and Woodbridge, are all slated to lose between 4 percent and 7 percent of their aid.

In Farmingdale, which has held annual municipal tax rate increases to an average of 1 to 2 cents, the disappearance of state aid will result in an estimated 8.5-cent increase, to 22.7 cents per $100 of assessed property value, according to Mayor John P. Morgan.

"I'm not sure the people will accept that (rate), but I don't (know) where to cut," Morgan said. "It's not like we waste money here."

Morgan said the governor's decision sends a message that the more capable towns are being penalized for keeping frugal budgets.

Shared-services proponents

Tuckerton will likely be forced to compensate for the loss of municipal aid with an increase in the local tax levy next year, said Mayor Lewis E. "Lee" Eggert.

The cuts in aid will steer smaller towns like Tuckerton toward shared services and, ultimately, consolidation, Eggert said. In 2007, he pushed for more shared services between area municipalities but met resistence from residents and other elected officials.

"I'm a fan of (shared services), but you do have to maintain the character of the town," Eggert said.

Barnegat is also looking to shared services as a long-term solution, Mayor Jeffrey Melchiondo said.

"I think everybody expected what was coming, we just didn't know how much," Melchiondo said of the cuts. "Why should you have duplicate and triplicate (services) when you could put them together and save everyone a penny or two?"

Already the township partners with neighboring Waretown to store street sweeping spoils, and more programs with Stafford and the Barnegat School District are on the horizon, Melchiondo said.

Keyport Mayor Bergen is not optimistic, though, that municipal consolidation will yield significant economies.

"We watch every dime here; I'm not so sure that a bigger entity is going to be that more efficient," he said.

APP

Jersey Police Hand Drivers Hundreds of Cell Phone Tickets

Ever since Saturday - when Jersey's tough new cell phone ban took effect - drivers all over the Garden State have been getting pulled over and ticketed for talking, listening or texting on a wireless phone.

State Police Captain Al Della Fave says the numbers are still being collected and tabulated, but "a good estimate over the Saturday-Sunday period for cell phone enforcement - we're looking at approximately 150 summonses issued Statewide by the New Jersey State Police."

He says in addition, "you have 475-plus municipalities out there with their own police officers who may also be summonsing people for this same issue."

The Captain adds no one operating a motor vehicle should be surprised by the crackdown, because "we at State Police made it very clear to the public that there'd be no grace period on this issue, that we intended right from March first to begin issuing summonses for this violation."

He says officers don't derive any special enjoyment from handing out these hundred dollar tickets, but enforcement efforts will continue.

"We would like to get the message out simply verbally - over your airwaves" says Della Fave, "as opposed to having to do it by way of fine."

David Mathau, Millennium Radio

GRAEME J. PRESTON, 12, of FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP

May our Lord Bless the Preston family with Grace, Peace and Strength
++++++++++++++

GRAEME J. PRESTON, 12, of FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP, died Monday, March 3, at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune. He was born out of love, lived with love, and died giving love. Graeme, a 7th grade student at the Dwight D. Eisenhower School in Freehold Township, was an avid school and club soccer player, snowboarder, and skateboarder.
He was the loving child of Scott and Anne Preston and the devoted younger brother of Jessica and Paige. He is also survived by his grandparents, Lester A. and Patricia Gail McGackin Preston and Lois J. Fecsko; his aunts and uncles, Lester and Debra Preston Jr., Cathleen and Bruce Areman, Lisa and Ken LeMunyon, Patrick and Karen Preston, Stephanie and Jimmy Richmond, Marie and Jack Mogilski, Beth and Jim Taylor, John and Barbara Fecsko, Joe and Alice Fecsko, and Michael and Casey Fecsko; and his cousins, Kylie, Maggie, Allison, Matthew, Paige, Samantha, Jake, Kelsey, Jack, Kate, Kelly, Sarah, Olivia, Sean, Shea, Matt, Brett, Kyle, Jimmy, Scott, Emily, Joe, Chris, Thomas, Grace, Quinn, and Riley. In addition, his love extended beyond his immediate family to numerous generations of aunts, uncles, and cousins, not to mention the countless number of friends whose lives were touched by his generous love. He will be sorely missed by his loving dog, Jade. The grace of Graeme will live on in our hearts forever.

Visiting hours will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Higgins Memorial Home, 20 Center St., Freehold. The Funeral Liturgy will be celebrated at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Rose of Lima Chapel, Freehold, followed by the interment at St. Rose of Lima Cemetery, Freehold. Memorial donations to the Graeme Preston Foundation For Life Foundation, c/o Lester A. Preston Jr., 151 Broadway, Freehold, NJ 07728, would be appreciated.

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Tragedy took the lives of 2 selfless young pals

Article in Star Ledger BY MARK MUELLER

For the last three years, Kevin Clawson made it his mission to help care for his father, terminally ill with heart disease and the victim of two strokes.

The 13-year-old Freehold Township boy gave his dad back rubs and pep talks, staying by his side when David Clawson felt too weak to rise.

Through part of that time, the teen had his own support system in 12-year-old Graeme Preston, a classmate, fellow skateboarding buff and all-around good friend.

"Kevin's been having a hard time because his dad's been so ill, and Graeme wanted to be his support," said Kevin's mother, Jane Clawson. "Graeme told him he would always be there for him."

Yesterday, the community was mourning both boys, who were hit by a minivan at dusk Wednesday as they returned home from a friend's house.

Kevin, who celebrated his 13th birthday on Sunday, was killed instantly. Graeme died Thursday afternoon. Both were seventh-graders at Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School.

Jane Clawson, who is friends with the Preston family, said Graeme donated his organs, a gesture she called in keeping with the boy's eagerness to help others.

"Kevin would have been proud of Graeme," she said.

The accident happened just after 6 p.m. Wednesday on Bar Harbor Road, a residential street less than a mile from the Clawson home on Koenig Lane, where Graeme's mother, Anne Preston, waited to pick him up.

READ THE REST HERE

Freehold: Service is held for Graeme Preston & Kevin Clawson

In much of this community, residents are still trying to absorb the sudden deaths of two middle school students after a Wednesday night accident on a shadowy patch of a residential street.

Some described feeling a dull numbness that follows a deep and personal loss.

A packed church service; grief counselors at Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School, which the two boys attended; and the wistful remembrance of friends were among the outward manifestations of the community's grief. The transient nature of life was underscored by two families, each preparing to bury a child, young boys killed in what the police have termed a tragic accident.

Graeme Preston, 12, and Kevin Clawson, 13, each died of injuries they suffered when a minivan driven by Frederick C. Eckhardt, 84, of Freehold struck them as they were skateboarding Wednesday along Bar Harbor Road.

Both boys were remembered by classmates and their families on Friday, many of whom did not want to give their names.

Others spoke of the grief the deaths have added to a community that has been buffeted by other roadway deaths, notably the three Freehold High School students and the school van driver killed on Jan. 10, 2007, in a horrific crash on Kozloski Road.

Karen Spahn, whose daughter attends Eisenhower Middle School, said that many have expressed shock and sadness at the boys' deaths.

"My daughter told me they'd call Graeme "the shaggy dog,' because of his long hair," she said. "She said he was one of the friendliest kids in the school, always smiling."

On Thursday, an overflow crowd attended a prayer service for the boys at St. Rose of Lima Church on McLean Street in Freehold, said Sharon Erkman, who works at the church's religious education office.

The church holds 650 people, but the crowd that showed up exceeded its capacity, she said.

The police and the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office have attributed the deaths to a combination of two boys skateboarding in a darkened section of the road while wearing dark clothing. No charges are expected to be filed, police said.

The boys' deaths drew strong reactions, evident from postings to the Asbury Park Press' Web site. In some cases, the opinions were the product of misinformation or rumor, often at odds with what investigators said they had found.

For example, speed and alcohol were not factors in the crash, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin.

Traffic officers continued to take statements from witnesses, even as they tried to tamp down many of the rumors that have circulated about the incident, police Capt. James Lasky said.

One such rumor was that Graeme was still alive, although critically injured.

Monmouth County First Assistant Prosecutor Peter E. Warshaw addressed that issue with the following statement:

"Graeme Preston was pronounced dead (Thursday) afternoon at 3:30 p.m. A death certificate was signed and he is clinically and legally dead."

Warshaw said medical privacy laws precluded him from making any further comment.

Sue McGough, the superintendent of parks and recreation for the township, said she also had fond memories of both boys, adding that they had both been very active in the township's recreation programs.

McGough also addressed questions about the availability of safe skateboarding venues.

Skateboard enthusiasts have long called for increased hours at skate parks as one way of avoiding incidents where skateboarders are hurt or killed on streets.

But McGough said she's not sure whether adding more parks or extending hours at existing ones would make a difference.

Freehold Township has its own skate park in the Michael J. Tighe Park on Georgia Road. It gets a lot of use, McGough said, but not as much as the streets seem to.

The park was not open Wednesday. It is usually closed from December until March because of limited use in cold weather and to allow for maintenance, McGough said.

Sometimes, when the temperature rises above 40 degrees, the township will open it during the months it's normally closed, but that often depends on whether an attendant is available, she said.

"On any given day, I might see 100 kids at the skate park," McGough said. "But as I drive around town, I see kids skateboarding all over the place. The kids tell us they like using the street, jumping the curbs and rails. Parks are not a 100 percent solution."

That preference for the streets worries the police, who say that skateboarders who suddenly dart into traffic face the danger of death or serious injury.

"Kids often can't judge how fast a car is coming at them," said police Lt. Dean Smith, who commands the township's traffic bureau. "They also don't realize how hard it is for people to see them at night when they're wearing dark clothing."

Safety gear is another issue.

At the skate park, kids are required to wear helmets and knee and elbow pads, McGough said. On the street, she said, many don't.

The police said that only one of the boys killed on Bar Harbor Road had a helmet. It was found at the accident scene, Lasky said. Investigators did not know which boy was wearing it, or even if it was being worn.

But to those remembering Graeme and Kevin, those are issues for another day. Their thoughts were elsewhere, on issues of life and death.

"It's kind of hard to concentrate today," said Roberta Santilli, 13.

On Bar Harbor Road, a memorial marks the spot where two young lives ended. A handmade sign reads "Forever in our hearts," followed by signatures of the boys' friends.