NJ Community

Corzine must provide full accounting of funds secretly funneled through port

2008-12-04T15:50:00.002-05:00

Senator Phil Haines, a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, called on Governor Jon Corzine to provide a full accounting of the monies routed through the South Jersey Port Corporation (SJPC).

“I was shocked when I learned that the South Jersey Port Corporation’s payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) to the City of Camden had quadrupled this year,” Haines stated. “New Jersey taxpayers already provide Camden $115.8 million in direct state aid, roughly $50 million from the distressed cities program and now $6 million more through a back door deal with the SJPC.

The governor has stated that New Jersey is broke. Where is this additional money coming from?”
The SJPC is a tax exempt agency, established in 1968 for the development of port facilities in the South Jersey Port District. Formerly administered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the SJPC was placed under the Department of Treasury in 2007.

The State Treasurer or his designee is an ex officio member of the SJPC board.
“It defies common sense that the same Department of the Treasury helped Camden craft its budget, then turned around and filled the budget gap it helped create with a secret payment through the SJPC,” Haines continued. “It is appalling that at the same time the Corzine administration is sneaking money into Camden through a back door, it is cutting school aid, municipal aid, and state police patrols, increasing taxes and adding onerous COAH fees in almost every other area of New Jersey. Where is the accountability the governor promised us in his inaugural speech?”

Three vote to censure fellow public officials Action revolves around Manalapan legal matter

2008-11-25T10:15:00.002-05:00

BY KATHY BARATTA Staff Writer

MANALAPAN — Township Committee members Anthony Gennaro and Susan Cohen were publicly censured by their fellow municipal officials during a meeting on Nov. 12. A resolution that passed by a 3-1 vote castigated Gennaro and Cohen for actions they took in a matter of civil litigation that Manalapan has brought against attorney Stuart Moskovitz in regard to actions Moskovitz took when he served as Manalapan's township attorney in 2005.
The case of Manalapan v. Moskovitz is continuing in state Superior Court. Although Manalapan is represented by legal counsel in the matter, Gennaro and Cohen — without notifying the counsel — submitted certifications to Judge Dennis O'Brien this past summer. O'Brien, who is presiding in the case, rejected the certifications. Cohen and Gennaro have said the township's legal counsel was not responsive to inquiries they had about the litigation.
Moskovitz later resubmitted both certifications as part of a brief he filed with the court. At the end of the Nov. 12 committee meeting, Committeeman Andrew Lucas proposed the resolution of censure against Cohen and Gennaro. The resolution was supported by Lucas, Mayor Michelle Roth and Committeeman Richard Klauber. Gennaro voted no. Cohen was not present at the meeting, having been released from a hospital that day following a 48-hour stay. Klauber said he was "very troubled" by the action taken by Gennaro and Cohen to submit material to the court without notifying any township official or professional.

"I expect more as a resident of this town and more of them as members of this governing body," he said. "Whatever your reason, you released confidential information. It was a breach of your ethical obligations, whatever your reasons."
Klauber said asking for Cohen and Gennaro to resign from office might be going too far, but said he felt the public censure was appropriate.

Roth observed that there had been a previous instance when Gennaro had chosen to disregard that a document disseminated to the governing body had been marked confidential and had nonetheless made information from the document public.
In defending that action, Gennaro said it was a matter regarding the township's budget and said he had only read aloud a particular excerpt and not the entire document.
Regarding Manalapan's ongoing litigation against Moskovitz, Gennaro said, "I never challenged the merits of the case, it was the mechanics of the case." Gennaro's reaction to the censure was, "You people do what you want." Cohen later said she had no regrets about submitting a document to the judge. She said she had sent the same information in the form of a letter to a judge who had previously been hearing the Manalapan v. Moskovitz case.

Cohen said it was her understanding that the first judge had only rejected her letter because she had not sent it by certified mail. She said she did not think there was anything wrong in resubmitting the information in the form of the certification she said she hand-delivered to O'Brien.
READ THE REST HERE

A Time to give back: Maybe we'll make it all year 'round?

2008-11-18T10:25:00.003-05:00

The folks at Caffe-Amante have kicked off a campaign today where customers can direct what charity they'd like them to support. With a specific "PASSCODE" upon check-out in the memo field, Caffe-Amante of Manalapan, NJ, will donate 7% of that order to the customer's charity of choice. What's interesting is there's no deadline in sight.

Here's an excerpt from their blog:

Therefore - starting today, Nov. 18th to celebrate my birthday, until, sometime in 2009 maybe, Caffe-Amante will donate 7% of every order placed with the PASSCODE "FOR OTHERS" in the CHECKOUT memo field, to the charity of YOUR choice.

What we need from you:
The Name (and contact) of the Organization
Mailing address

We will email you a confirmation of how much we sent, and when we sent it so you can confirm that we're truthful to what we say!

Visit their blog HERE
You can also go right to their website HERE

They have Gourmet Coffee roasted to order - usually packaged and shipped within 24 hours.
They have a tantalizing line of gourmet teas, giftsets, and other accessories. Remember - 7% goes to the charity you decide!

Visit them for their Fundraising program opportunities tailored specifically for you. The program allows your organization to raise up to 50% profit.

Ruling to come on Obama birth case

2008-10-31T09:36:00.001-04:00

By Sheila McLaughlin • smclaughlin@enquirer.com • October 30, 2008

A Warren County magistrate said he’ll decide tomorrow whether Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has to get proof that Barack Obama was born in the United States.

David M. Neal, a Turtlecreek Township resident who runs a political Web site, filed suit last week, saying state and federal government leaders have failed to verify that Obama was born in Hawaii, instead of Kenya.

The U.S. Constitution requires presidents to be natural-born citizens who are at least 35 years old.

Neal says he’s part of a nationwide grass-roots movement that has questioned Obama’s birthplace and qualification to run for president.

Neal’s complaint asserts that Obama’s Internet site does not disclose the name of the hospital where Obama was born and that an original long version of the birth certificate should be made available before the election.

The controversy has lingered even though various fact-checking groups and journalists have concluded that the Hawaiian birth certificate appears to be authentic.

Neal contends that Obama should be removed from the Ohio ballot if Brunner can’t confirm that Obama was born in the United States.

Oct 31: FOX News Poll: McCain Closing Fast

2008-10-31T09:25:00.001-04:00

By: Rick Pedraza

A FOX News poll released Thursday shows the race between presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama has tightened considerably, with Obama now leading McCain by just three points among likely voters, 47 percent to 44 percent.

Just last week, Obama held a 49 percent to 40 percent lead over his Republican rival, but changes in several swing states has narrowed the margin the Democratic junior senator from Illinois has over McCain.

Among likely voters who say they are independent, Obama has gone from a 9 point lead over McCain last week to just 5 percentage points.

"Independent voters have long been regarded as one of the keys to this race and these results may foreshadow a tightening in the battleground states where independents carry disproportionate weight," says Ernie Paicopolos, a principal of Opinion Dynamics Corporation.

In addition, among white Catholics, Obama has completely lost the 11-point edge he held over McCain last week to a split this week of 46 percent to 46 percent.

McCain also has considerably increased the support he receives from his own party over Obama. Fully 88 percent of Republicans now back McCain, up from 83 percent last week, while Obama’s 89 percent of support among Democrats is only slightly up from the 88 percent he was receiving last week.

Among his backers, 88 percent say they support Obama "strongly" and 12 percent "only somewhat." For McCain, 78 percent of his voters support him "strongly" and 22 percent "only somewhat."

Among those who have voted early, Obama leads 52 percent to 43 percent over McCain, and newly registered voters say they will come out for Obama by 54 percent to 38 percent.

Opinion Dynamics Corp. conducted the national poll from October 28 to October 29. The poll has a 3-point error margin. "

Supremes asked to halt Tuesday's vote: Constitutional crisis feared over Obama's 'qualifications'

2008-10-31T09:21:00.001-04:00

WorldnetDaily

The U.S. Supreme Court is being asked to help the nation avoid a constitutional crisis by halting Tuesday's election until Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama documents his eligibility to run for the top office in the nation.

Democratic attorney

Philip Berg had filed a lawsuit alleging Obama is ineligible to be president because of possible birth in Kenya, but as WND reported, a federal judge dismissed the complaint claiming Berg lacks standing to bring the action.

The 34-page memorandum that accompanied the court order from Judge R. Barclay Surrick concluded ordinary citizens can't sue to ensure that a presidential candidate actually meets the constitutional requirements of the office.

Instead, Surrick said Congress could determine "that citizens, voters, or party members should police

the Constitution's eligibility requirements for the Presidency," but that it would take new laws to grant individual citizens that ability.

"Until that time," Surrick says, "voters do not have standing to bring the sort of challenge that Plaintiff attempts to bring."

Berg has maintained that uncertainty about how the U.S. does enforce the requirements of presidency may result in a constitutional crisis should an ineligible candidate win the office.

In a statement today, Berg said he is applying to Justice David Souter for an "Immediate Injunction to Stay the Presidential Election of November 4, 2008."

"I am hopeful that the U.S. Supreme Court will grant the injunction pending a review of this case to avoid a constitutional crisis by insisting that Obama produce certified documentation that he is or is not a "natural born" citizen and if he cannot produce documentation that Obama be removed from the ballot for president," Berg said.

"We must legally prevent Obama, the unqualified candidate, from taking the office of the presidency of the United States," Berg said.

Get the book that started it all – Jerome Corsi's "The Obama Nation," personally autographed for only $4.95 – an amazing $23 discount!

The issue of Obama's eligibility first got traction among Internet bloggers and later was heightened when several campaigns were launched to determine whether a "certificate of live birth" posted on the Internet by the Obama campaign was valid.

The issue gained more attention when Berg told radio talk show icon Michael Savage he had an admission from Obama's grandmather that she was at his birth – in Kenya.

"This is a question of who has standing to stand up for our Constitution," Berg told Jeff Schreiber of America's Right blog. "If I don't have standing, if you don't have standing, if your neighbor doesn't have standing to ask whether or not the likely next president of the United States – the most powerful man in the entire world – is eligible to be in that office in the first place, then who does?"

As WND reported, Berg filed suit in U.S. District Court in August, alleging Obama is not a natural-born citizen and is thus ineligible to serve as president of the United States. Berg demanded that Obama provide documentation to the court to verify that the candidate was born in Hawaii, as Obama contends, and not in Kenya, as Berg believes.

If you would like to sound off on this issue, participate in today's WND Poll.

Get Jerome Corsi's "The Obama Nation," autographed by the author, exclusively from WND's online store.

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Previous stories:

Democrat: Obama's grandma confirms Kenyan birth

Judge dismisses Obama birth certificate lawsuit

Obama 'admits' Kenyan birth?

DNC steps in to silence lawsuit over Obama birth certificate

Democrat sues Sen. Obama over 'fraudulent candidacy'

2 campaigns seek 'truth' about Obama's birth

Obama birth certificate: Real or phony baloney?

Blogger reveals Obama birth certificate

Is Obama's candidacy constitutional?

Limbaugh shows Obama stumbles without his notes

Obama denies Michelle made derogatory remark

Obama's VP team has link to Marc Rich

Did Hamas 'un-endorse' Obama?

Nation of Islam activists on Obama camp payroll

Obama's military claims inconsistent with records

Can Obama see dead people?

Obama commits Holocaust gaffe?

Obama misrepresented tie with Palestinian activist?

Report: Obama mentored by Communist Party figure

Obama raised funds for Islamic causes

Obama worked with terrorist

Obama campaign: Mum's the word!

Obama-Farrakhan link off-limits

NBC admits bias toward Obama

Breaking Michelle Obama Confirms Barack Is Indonesian -OBAMA is Constitutionally INELLIGIBLE

2008-10-29T13:01:00.002-04:00

Accusing API of colluding with American internet bloggers in an effort to bring down her husband, Mrs Obama said she decided to call API because of what she termed, API’s help to spread rumours created by American bloggers and other racist media outlets in their efforts to damage a black man’s name, saying she hopes African Media was mature enough to be in the front to give unwavering support to her husband, a man Africans should identify themselves with.

When API told her that our online news media was only relaying what the American Bloggers and other media outlets had discovered through their investigations, Mrs Obama was angered and she came out loud with the following: “African press International is supposed to support Africans and African-American view,” and she went to state that, “it is strange that API has chosen to support the racists against my husband.

There is no shame in being adopted by a step father. All dirt has been thrown onto my husband’s face and yet he loves this country. My husband and I know that there is no law that will stop him from becoming the president, just because some American white racists are bringing up the issue of my husband’s adoption by His step father.

The important thing here is where my husband’s heart is at the moment. I can tell the American people that My husband loves this country and his adoption never changed his love for this country. He was born in Hawaii, yes, and that gives him all the right to be an American citizen even though he was adopted by a foreigner; says Michelle Obama on telefon to API.”

This is a very interesting turn of events. The American man Dr Corsi was recently reported to have been arrested in Kenya because there was fear that he might reveal information on Obama when he wanted to hold a press conference in Nairobi.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now wait a second...
If Obama was adopted by his Step father as was conjectured, he was a citizen of Indonesia, which did NOT recognize dual citizenship. This means that Obama upon return to the United States would be a NATURALIZED citizen, regardless of where he was Born. He is Constitutionally INELLIGIBLE to run for President of the United States!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~

Verification of the story:
We have found it necessary to publish a telephone number that can be used to reach us should anyone doubt the story. We are doing this because of many requests by many people who want to know more abouth the story.

We are able to receive calls tomorrow the 16th of October through to the 18th October. We find it important that our readers get the truth and not be misled in any way. This is a true story and we stand by everyone written.

NB: For verification, we can be reached on 004793299739

HEY.. DIDNT OBAMA SAY IT WAS BELOW $250,000 A YR? THEN IT WAS $200? NOW $150K?

2008-10-29T12:44:00.005-04:00

Guess what people?? It's even much lower than $150K - Obama and Joey are lying thru their teeth. It's as low as $42,000 a year that'll see a tax increase.
~~~~~
IT ADDS UP TO TROUBLE: Joe Biden, campaigning yesterday, spelled out his ideas on who should benefit from a tax cut - appearing to break with Barack Obama, who has said he'll cut taxes on all who earn less than $200,000.
~~~~~~

By CARL CAMPANILE in Hershey, Pa., and BRENDAN SCOTT in NY

Gaffe-prone Joe Biden put his foot in his mouth again yesterday, mistakenly excluding millions of Americans from his running mate's tax-cut proposal.

The Delaware senator's latest blunder came while discussing Republican tax policies during a television interview in his hometown of Scranton, Pa.

EDITORIAL: Fair Warning

"What we're saying is, that $87 billion tax break doesn't need to go to people making an average of $1.4 million," Biden said.

"It should go to middle-class people, people who make $150,000 a year."

The empathy to understand what it's like to be poor, or African-American, or gay. And that's the criteria by which I'm going to...

2008-10-29T09:33:00.001-04:00

Obama's redistribution Constitution

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

By STEVEN G. CALABRESI

One of the great unappreciated stories of the past eight years is how thoroughly Senate Democrats thwarted efforts by President Bush to appoint judges to the lower federal courts.

Chad Crowe

Consider the most important lower federal court in the country: the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. In his two terms as president, Ronald Reagan appointed eight judges, an average of one a year, to this court. They included Robert Bork, Antonin Scalia, Kenneth Starr, Larry Silberman, Stephen Williams, James Buckley, Douglas Ginsburg and David Sentelle. In his two terms, George W. Bush was able to name only four: John Roberts, Janice Rogers Brown, Thomas Griffith and Brett Kavanaugh.

Although two seats on this court are vacant, Bush nominee Peter Keisler has been denied even a committee vote for two years. If Barack Obama wins the presidency, he will almost certainly fill those two vacant seats, the seats of two older Clinton appointees who will retire, and most likely the seats of four older Reagan and George H.W. Bush appointees who may retire as well.

The net result is that the legal left will once again have a majority on the nation's most important regulatory court of appeals.

The balance will shift as well on almost all of the 12 other federal appeals courts. Nine of the 13 will probably swing to the left if Mr. Obama is elected (not counting the Ninth Circuit, which the left solidly controls today). Circuit majorities are likely at stake in this presidential election for the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeal. That includes the federal appeals courts for New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and virtually every other major center of finance in the country.

On the Supreme Court, six of the current nine justices will be 70 years old or older on January 20, 2009. There is a widespread expectation that the next president could make four appointments in just his first term, with maybe two more in a second term. Here too we are poised for heavy change.

These numbers ought to raise serious concern because of Mr. Obama's extreme left-wing views about the role of judges. He believes -- and he is quite open about this -- that judges ought to decide cases in light of the empathy they ought to feel for the little guy in any lawsuit.

Speaking in July 2007 at a conference of Planned Parenthood, he said: "[W]e need somebody who's got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it's like to be a young teenage mom. The empathy to understand what it's like to be poor, or African-American, or gay, or disabled, or old. And that's the criteria by which I'm going to be selecting my judges."

On this view, plaintiffs should usually win against defendants in civil cases; criminals in cases against the police; consumers, employees and stockholders in suits brought against corporations; and citizens in suits brought against the government. Empathy, not justice, ought to be the mission of the federal courts, and the redistribution of wealth should be their mantra.

In a Sept. 6, 2001, interview with Chicago Public Radio station WBEZ-FM, Mr. Obama noted that the Supreme Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren "never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth and sort of more basic issues of political and economic justice in this society," and "to that extent as radical as I think people tried to characterize the Warren Court, it wasn't that radical."

He also noted that the Court "didn't break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution, at least as it has been interpreted." That is to say, he noted that the U.S. Constitution as written is only a guarantee of negative liberties from government -- and not an entitlement to a right to welfare or economic justice.

This raises the question of whether Mr. Obama can in good faith take the presidential oath to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution" as he must do if he is to take office. Does Mr. Obama support the Constitution as it is written, or does he support amendments to guarantee welfare? Is his provision of a "tax cut" to millions of Americans who currently pay no taxes merely a foreshadowing of constitutional rights to welfare, health care, Social Security, vacation time and the redistribution of wealth? Perhaps the candidate ought to be asked to answer these questions before the election rather than after.

Every new federal judge has been required by federal law to take an oath of office in which he swears that he will "administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich." Mr. Obama's emphasis on empathy in essence requires the appointment of judges committed in advance to violating this oath. To the traditional view of justice as a blindfolded person weighing legal claims fairly on a scale, he wants to tear the blindfold off, so the judge can rule for the party he empathizes with most.

The legal left wants Americans to imagine that the federal courts are very right-wing now, and that Mr. Obama will merely stem some great right-wing federal judicial tide. The reality is completely different. The federal courts hang in the balance, and it is the left which is poised to capture them.

A whole generation of Americans has come of age since the nation experienced the bad judicial appointments and foolish economic and regulatory policy of the Johnson and Carter administrations. If Mr. Obama wins we could possibly see any or all of the following: a federal constitutional right to welfare; a federal constitutional mandate of affirmative action wherever there are racial disparities, without regard to proof of discriminatory intent; a right for government-financed abortions through the third trimester of pregnancy; the abolition of capital punishment and the mass freeing of criminal defendants; ruinous shareholder suits against corporate officers and directors; and approval of huge punitive damage awards, like those imposed against tobacco companies, against many legitimate businesses such as those selling fattening food.

Nothing less than the very idea of liberty and the rule of law are at stake in this election. We should not let Mr. Obama replace justice with empathy in our nation's courtrooms.

Mr. Calabresi is a co-founder of the Federalist Society and a professor of law at Northwestern University.

OOps - another Anchor asks REAL questions: Biden Angered At Philly Anchors During Tough Interview-UPDATE: CBS 3 Philly Denies Reports on 'Banning'

2008-10-28T14:31:00.003-04:00

First it was in Orlando, now a Philly station gets banned for asking Biden questions he didn't like

Remember Barbara West's interview with Joe Biden? Biden was upset enough to basically ban the Florida network from access to the Obama-Biden campaign. Here’s a link to the interview: http://www.wftv.com/video/17790025/index.html

Well, it happened again. This time, a Philadelphia station, CBS3, has been added to the list of news stations banned by the Obama-Biden campaign for this interview:

A second television station, CBS 3 Philadelphia, had the audacity to ask Joe Biden tough questions.
The reporter not only brought up Barack Obama's socialistic "spread the wealth around" philosophies, but Biden's ethical lapses involving his son, Hunter.

After the interview, well sort of interview, since Biden didn't answer all of the questions offered (just as with WFTV's Barbara West), the Obama-Biden campaign cut off CBS 3 from future interview opportunities.

This is frightening.

By Kerry Picket
***UPDATE: See Below The Fold

CBS 3 Philadelphia interviewed Senator Joe Biden last Thursday, and he was none too pleased with the line of questioning.

Co-anchors Chris May and Angela Russell asked about Barack Obama's "spreading the wealth" remark and about a Washington Times report concerning Biden campaign cash donations going to Biden family members for campaign services.

Like the most recent interview with Orlando's WFTV's Barbara West, Biden is visibly annoyed and blows off questions as nonsense.:

BIDEN: Whoa whoa, slow up here old buddy...you're getting this mixed up here with all due respect. This is apples and oranges.

RUSSELL: Obama talks about spreading the wealth around and everyone does better that way...is that not kind of being a socialist... That's what your accusers are saying here.

BIDEN: No, No, No

RUSSELL: And wouldn't they just pass that on to the consumer?

BIDEN: Absolutely not...absolutely not.

RUSSELL: Well please explain that.

BIDEN: Absolutely not.

Biden's response seems typical of him, when he is forced to deal with difficult questions. Trying to discredit the interviewer and making the question look silly, in fact, was a tactic the Clinton administration mastered.

Unfortunately, an Obama/Biden administration is more than likely to be no different.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

***UPDATE: CBS 3 Philadelphia spokeswoman Shelley Hoffman has denied any reports to Eyeblast.tv that their station has been banned from the Obama/Biden campaign media list.

Kerry Picket is an associate producer with the Media Research Center's Eyeblast.tv

Political Punch: Sources Say Sarkozy Finds Obama's Iran Policy ‘Arrogant,’ ‘Utterly Immature’

2008-10-28T12:36:00.001-04:00

Power, pop, and probings from ABC News Senior National Correspondent Jake Tapper

October 28, 2008 11:39 AM

The respected Israeli newspaper Ha'artez reports that according to a "senior Israeli government source, the reports reaching Israel indicate that Sarkozy views the Democratic candidate's stance on Iran as 'utterly immature' and comprised of 'formulations empty of all content.'"

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., met with Sarkozy in July and they are said to have discussed Iran at length.

French authorities are said to be concerned that the international community doesn't take the Iranian threat seriously enough. French intelligence has concluded that Iran has already obtained up to 40% of the enriched uranium it needs for a bomb, the newspaper reports, and will have obtained the rest next summer.

"According to the reports reaching Israel, Sarkozy told Obama at that meeting that if the new American president elected in November changed his country's policy toward Iran, that would be 'very problematic,'" Ha'aretz reports. "Until now, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany have tried to maintain a united front on Iran. But according to the senior Israeli source, Sarkozy fears that Obama might 'arrogantly' ignore the other members of this front and open a direct dialogue with Iran without preconditions."

The Obama campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

-- jpt

Pick up the phone and call the LA Times

2008-10-28T12:26:00.000-04:00

Posted by: Erick Erickson

Tuesday, October 28, 2008 at 08:03AM CDT

What if the Los Angeles Times had video of John McCain toasting a known Islamic terrorist? What would the reaction be if the Los Angeles Times told everyone it had the tape, but refused the release the tape? And what if credible people who had seen the tape reported that other terrorists were in the room?

This is not a hypothetical. This is actually happening. Only it involves Barack Obama. And the Los Angeles Times has admitted it has the tape.

In 2003, Barack Obama lavished praise on Rashid Khalidi, a mouthpiece for Yasser Arafat. In the room were Weather Underground members Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn. It was all caught on video. The Los Angeles Times blandly described the tape some time ago, but I'm told there is more to it than that — the tape shows enough sympathy from Barack Obama toward the causes of an Islamic radical that the American public has a right to see the tape.

But the Los Angeles Times will not release the tape. Peter Wallsten, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times has seen the tape. He wrote about the tape.

Email Peter Wallsten. Tell him to release the tape.

Call the Los Angeles Times at (213) 237-5000. Tell the Times the American public has a right to see this for themselves.

Obama's Plan for Driver's Licenses for Illegals

2008-10-22T08:52:00.002-04:00

Obama's Plan:
Mohamed Atta Gets His Driver's License

Did you know that Mohamed Atta, the 9/11 ring leader, had a valid Florida driver's license?

Did you know 13 of the 19 hijackers had obtained valid driver's licenses? Armed with these licenses, eight of the hijackers even registered to vote!

Here is the shocking fact: Obama strongly supports giving illegal aliens in America driver's licenses.

He said as much during two Democratic debates earlier this year.

The head of Homeland Security said such thinking was dangerous for national security.

Even Hillary Clinton backed away from Obama's radical driver's license plan.

Obama's position is not a new one: We discovered that Obama has been a major proponent of driver's licenses for illegals since his days as an Illinois state senator.

We have no doubt that, as president, Obama will also champion this radical plan.

With Osama bin Laden still at large, with al-Qaida promising "spectacular" attacks on the U.S homeland, with the threat of them using weapons of mass destruction against our cities — biological, chemical, and nuclear — can we risk putting such a man in the Oval Office?

Doesn't he remember what happened on 9/11? More than 3,000 Americans were murdered.

Doesn't he want to prevent that from ever happening again?

If he supports driver's licenses for illegals, the answer is clear.

Help Expose Obama's License Plan — Go Here Now

You Can Help Us — Donate Today by Going Here Now

. . . That's Because It IS Socialism

2008-10-20T12:12:00.001-04:00

Posted by: Carol Platt Liebau

John McCain has likened Obama's economic policies to socialism.

He's right, especially about the supposed "tax cut for 95% of Americans." As the Wall Street Journal has pointed out, what that means is that approximately 63 million Americans who pay no tax would nevertheless get a check from the federal government.

That is, of course, "spreading the wealth around" -- and how.

Barack can act appalled that John McCain has called his policies socialist, but in all fairness, it's remarkable how enthusiastic the Communist Party of the USA is about his candidacy. Here's part of the CPUSA's newspaper's editoral about Obama's candidacy, titled "Eyes on the Prize":

A broad multiclass, multiracial movement is converging around Obama’s “Hope, change and unity” campaign because they see in it the thrilling opportunity to end 30 years of ultra-right rule and move our nation forward with a broadly progressive agenda.

The editorial also insists that, "The struggle to defeat the ultra-right and turn our country on a positive path will not end with Obama’s election. But that step will shift the ground for successful struggles going forward."

So if John McCain is so off-base about Barack's policies, what are America's Communists so excited about?

How to steal an election: About 200K Ohio voters have records discrepancies

2008-10-16T12:43:00.002-04:00

Associated Press: By TERRY KINNEY – 16 hours ago

Brunner hides 200k registration forms
related article here

CINCINNATI (AP) — Close to one in every three newly registered Ohio voters will end up on court-ordered lists being sent to county election boards because they have some discrepancy in their records, an elections spokesman said Wednesday.

Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner estimated that an initial review found that about 200,000 newly registered voters reported information that did not match motor-vehicle or Social Security records, Brunner spokesman Kevin Kidder said. Some discrepancies could be as simple as a misspelling, while others could be more significant.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati sided with the Ohio Republican Party on Tuesday and ordered Brunner to set up a system that provides those names to county elections boards. The GOP contends the information will help prevent fraud.

"Things already are in motion to comply," Kidder said. "We're working to establish these processes on how we can make this work. The computer work actually began last week."

About 666,000 Ohioans have registered to vote since January.

Brunner previously cross-checked new-voter registrations with databases run by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicle and the Social Security Administration and made the results available online, but the 6th Circuit said the information was not accessible in a way that would help county election boards ferret out mismatches.

Brunner, a Democrat, told The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer on Wednesday that she is concerned the court decision is a veiled attempt at disenfranchising voters. Brunner said she'll urge counties not to force these people to use provisional ballots.

The court gave Brunner until Friday to get election boards the information but it was unclear whether that deadline would be met. The court set no penalty for missing the deadline.

County election officials were trying to determine Wednesday how they will respond once they get the information.

"I'm very concerned with these new requirements as we get closer to Election Day," said Steve Harsman, director of the Montgomery County Board of Elections in Dayton. He said his staff already is working 16 hours a day, seven days a week.

"It's clearly going to have an impact in regard to resources we have to expend to resolve discrepancies," said Jeff Hastings, chairman of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in Cleveland.

"We've had about 100,000 (registrations) since January and of those about 34,000 since the primary. We will do whatever is required of us."

Also Wednesday, the Ohio Republican Party said it has filed public records requests with all 88 counties for copies of forms submitted by newly registered voters, especially those who registered and cast an absentee ballot on the same day during a one-week window earlier this month.

Brunner has said that 13,141 Ohioans registered and voted immediately during the window.

"We've seen reports of fraudulent registrations, and we want to see those forms first-hand," said Jason Mauk, the state GOP's executive director.

Associated Press writers Jim Hannah in Dayton and M.R. Kropko in Cleveland contributed to this report.

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER: Here's your Election Day Resources

2008-10-14T12:31:00.004-04:00

...unless your associated with ACORN: they have a "special" way of doing things...

Information and resources
Division of Elections

Polling place Search

Voter Registration Forms, by County

Poll worker Application Form

Obama Sued Citibank Under CRA to Force it to Make Bad Loans - UPDATED

2008-10-09T13:53:00.004-04:00

September 30, 2008 — iusbvision

UPDATE V: AUDIO - OBAMA SAID IN 2007 THAT GIVING SUB-PRIME LOANS TO PEOPLE WHO COULDN’T AFFORD THEM WAS A GOOD IDEA!!! Hotair.com comments HERE.

~~~~

It's here too at Mediacircus.com scroll down to see the NYPost article and CNSNews.

UPDATED: Obama Sued Citibank Under CRA to Force it to Make Bad Loans

~~~~

Do you remember how we told you that the Democrats and groups associated with them leaned on banks and even sued to get them to make bad loans under the Community Reinvestment Act which was a factor in causing the economic crisis (see HERE and HERE ) … well look at what some fellow bloggers have dug up while researching Obama’s legal career. Looks like a typical ACORN lawsuit to get banks to hand out bad loans.

In these lawsuits, ACORN makes a bogus claim of Redlining (denying poor people loans because of their ethnic heritage). They protest and get the local media to raise a big stink. This stink means that the bank faces thousands of people closing their accounts and get local politicians to lobby to stop the bank from doing some future business, expansions and mergers. If the bank goes to court, they will win, but the damage is already done because who is going to launch a big campaign to get the bank’s reputation back?

It is important to understand the nature of these lawsuits and what their purpose is. ACORN filed tons of these lawsuits and ALL of them allege racism.

Case Name
Buycks-Roberson v. Citibank Fed. Sav. Bank Fair Housing/Lending/Insurance
Docket / Court 94 C 4094 ( N.D. Ill. ) FH-IL-0011
State/Territory Illinois
Case Summary
Plaintiffs filed their class action lawsuit on July 6, 1994, alleging that Citibank had engaged in redlining practices in the Chicago metropolitan area in violation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), 15 U.S.C. 1691; the Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3601-3619; the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; and 42 U.S.C. 1981, 1982. Plaintiffs alleged that the Defendant-bank rejected loan applications of minority applicants while approving loan applications filed by white applicants with similar financial characteristics and credit histories. Plaintiffs sought injunctive relief, actual damages, and punitive damages.

U.S. District Court Judge Ruben Castillo certified the Plaintiffs’ suit as a class action on June 30, 1995. Buycks-Roberson v. Citibank Fed. Sav. Bank, 162 F.R.D. 322 (N.D. Ill. 1995). Also on June 30, Judge Castillo granted Plaintiffs’ motion to compel discovery of a sample of Defendant-bank’s loan application files. Buycks-Roberson v. Citibank Fed. Sav. Bank, 162 F.R.D. 338 (N.D. Ill. 1995).

The parties voluntarily dismissed the case on May 12, 1998, pursuant to a settlement agreement.
Plaintiff’s Lawyers Alexis, Hilary I. (Illinois)
FH-IL-0011-7500 | FH-IL-0011-7501 | FH-IL-0011-9000
Childers, Michael Allen (Illinois)
FH-IL-0011-7500 | FH-IL-0011-7501 | FH-IL-0011-9000
Clayton, Fay (Illinois)
FH-IL-0011-7500 | FH-IL-0011-7501 | FH-IL-0011-9000
Cummings, Jeffrey Irvine (Illinois)
FH-IL-0011-7500 | FH-IL-0011-7501 | FH-IL-0011-9000
Love, Sara Norris (Virginia)
FH-IL-0011-9000
Miner, Judson Hirsch (Illinois)
FH-IL-0011-7500 | FH-IL-0011-9000
Obama, Barack H. (Illinois)
FH-IL-0011-7500 | FH-IL-0011-7501 | FH-IL-0011-9000
Wickert, John Henry (Illinois)
FH-IL-0011-9000

UPDATE : Hotair.com comments on this story HERE .

New York Post Article HERE :

THE seeds of today’s financial meltdown lie in the Community Reinvestment Act - a law passed in 1977 and made riskier by unwise amendments and regulatory rulings in later decades.

CRA was meant to encourage banks to make loans to high-risk borrowers, often minorities living in unstable neighborhoods. That has provided an opening to radical groups like ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) to abuse the law by forcing banks to make hundreds of millions of dollars in “subprime” loans to often uncreditworthy poor and minority customers.

Any bank that wants to expand or merge with another has to show it has complied with CRA - and approval can be held up by complaints filed by groups like ACORN.

In fact, intimidation tactics, public charges of racism and threats to use CRA to block business expansion have enabled ACORN to extract hundreds of millions of dollars in loans and contributions from America’s financial institutions .

The Woods Fund report makes it clear Obama was fully aware of the intimidation tactics used by ACORN’s Madeline Talbott in her pioneering efforts to force banks to suspend their usual credit standards. Yet he supported Talbott in every conceivable way. He trained her personal staff and other aspiring ACORN leaders, he consulted with her extensively, and he arranged a major boost in foundation funding for her efforts.

And, as the leader of another charity, the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, Obama channeled more funding Talbott’s way - ostensibly for education projects but surely supportive of ACORN’s overall efforts.

UPDATE 2: Fox News gets on the story

UPDATE 3: CNS News Analysis

Under the Clinton administration, federal regulators began using the act to combat “red-lining,” a practice by which banks loaned money to some communities but not to others, based on economic status. “No loan is exempt, no bank is immune,” warned then-Attorney General Janet Reno. “For those who thumb their nose at us, I promise vigorous enforcement.”

The Clinton-Reno threat of “vigorous enforcement” pushed banks to make the now infamous loans that many blame for the current meltdown, Richman said. “Banks, in order to not get in trouble with the regulators, had to make loans to people who shouldn’t have been getting mortgage loans.”

This threat combined with the government backing of Fannie and Freddie set the stage for the current uncertainty, because the “banks could just sell the loans off to Fannie or Freddie,” who could buy them with little regard for negative financial outcomes, Richman said.

http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=36048

Referenced / Associated News Articles (Automatically Generated):

Government Engineered Mortgage Crisis: No Racism Here, Move Along.

UPDATE 4: Obama Audio saying it was a Good Idea to give people loans that couldn’t afford them.

We told you before how Obama sued banks with so called “community organizers” to force the banks to give bad loans to people who couldn’t afford them. Well now we have the audio of Obama saying in 2007 that giving sub-prime loans to people who couldn’t afford them is a good idea.

Obama: I Have More Executive Experience Than Palin (Because I managed my campaign)

2008-09-04T15:22:00.005-04:00

Thank you Obama - you just proved our point that you also have bad judgement in admitting it. It's laughable to say you are more experienced becuse you managed your Presidential campaign - you just proved our point..
~~~~~~~~~

Barack Obama contends that he is more experienced in executive matters than Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin because he has managed his presidential campaign for the past 18 months.

Speaking on a cable news channel Monday night, the Democratic presidential nominee said he is better prepared to handle a disaster like Hurricane Gustav because of his pursuit of the White House.

“Well, my understanding is that Governor Palin’s town of Wasilla has, I think, 50 employees. We’ve got 2,500 in this campaign. I think their budget is maybe $12 million a year. You know, we have a budget of about three times that just for the month. So I think that our ability to manage large systems and to execute I think has been made clear over the last couple of years,” Obama said.

John McCain’s spokesman called the suggestion “laughable.”

“For Barack Obama to argue that he’s experienced enough to be president because he’s running for president is desperate circular logic and its laughable. It is a testament to Barack Obama’s inexperience and failing qualifications that he would stoop to passing off his candidacy as comparable to Governor Sarah Palin’s executive experience managing a budget of over $10 billion and more than 24,000 employees,” said spokesman Tucker Bounds.

Republican National Committee Victory 2008 Chairwoman Carly Fiorina also blasted the Democratic campaign.

“I am appalled by the Obama campaign’s attempts to belittle Governor Sarah Palin’s experience. The facts are that Sarah Palin has made more executive decisions as a mayor and governor than Barack Obama has made in his life,” Fiorina said, adding that the Obama camp’s attacks raise the question of sexism.

“Because of Hillary Clinton’s historic run for the presidency and the treatment she received, American women are more highly tuned than ever to recognize and decry sexism in all its forms. They will not tolerate sexist treatment of Governor Palin,” she said.

Manalapan Republicans calling for positive committee campaign

2008-09-03T14:09:00.001-04:00

This was reported in today's APP and reported by Alesha Williams Boyd

MANALAPAN — The GOP candidates for Township Committee have challenged their Democratic opponents to limit campaign spending to $5,000 per candidate and limit the signs they post to 250 per campaign.

But the Democrats say they plan to follow state and municipal guidelines — not their opponents' — in a "clean and fact-driven campaign."

"In this economy, never has it been more important to use money efficiently and make the most of every dollar. We're prepared to show the residents of Manalapan that we can do more with less. That's what's needed on the Township Committee," said Republican Ryan D. Green, who is seeking a committee seat in the November election with running mate William Garcia.

The Republican candidates say they're also challenging their opponents not to accept contributions from special interest groups and political action committees and to run a "positive, issues-based campaign."

But the Democratic candidates, Mayor Michelle Roth and running mate Donald Holland, say they already initiated a meeting in August with their opponents to discuss debates and keeping the campaign clean.

"We are pleased to see that the Republicans have agreed with our request for a clean and fact-driven campaign for Township Committee, free of any mud slinging," Roth said. "We intend to make sure the voters are well informed before Election Day utilizing town-wide mailers, walking door-to-door and publicly debating our opponents."

Regarding limiting spending, Roth said she and Holland aren't planning to comply with Green and Garcia's demands, adding "one mailer with postage and printing is over $5,000." Roth said she spent roughly $17,000 on her last political campaign in 2005.

"As always, we will abide by the state regulations concerning campaign spending and contributions," Roth said.

But Green and Garcia said state regulations, which allow the contributions, don't go far enough.

"We need to limit the power of special interest groups in political campaigns in Manalapan, and campaign spending limits are the best way to accomplish that," Garcia said.

"We just wanted to keep the air clear right from the start," Green said. "We just don't want to see third parties having too much say in what happens in Manalapan."

Campaign signs became the focus of another conflict down party lines in December when the Township Committee's Democrats, including Roth, voted against adopting an ordinance that would limit the signs. Republican Committeeman Andrew Lucas then said the signs caused "sight pollution" in town, but Roth said she was concerned the ordinance could violate First Amendment rights.

Green said he wouldn't comment on Roth and Holland's decision not to meet their challenge, but that he and Garcia planned to comply with the limits they set for themselves.

"People are tired of seeing a sign at every turn come the fall political season. Limiting campaign signs is a responsible way to consider the residents of Manalapan," Green said.

Sarah Palin - Everything Corzine isn't

2008-09-03T14:00:00.001-04:00

NJ GOP PRAISES McCAIN VP PICK

Trenton, NJ – New Jersey Republican State Chairman Tom Wilson issued the following statement regarding Senator John McCain’s announcement that he has selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate and to serve as his vice president:

“New Jersey is going to love Sarah Palin, She is everything that Jon Corzine isn’t. She is a straight talking fiscally conservative reformer who has fought corruption, attacked wasteful government and delivered real results. Like John McCain, she has a record of doing what’s right and working with those from both sides of the aisle to deliver change and shake up the status quo.

When it comes to change the McCain Palin team hasn’t just talked the talk they’ve walked the walk.”

Discussion of degrees may come in Sept. ... yeah right

2008-09-03T11:19:00.001-04:00

BY REBECCA MORTON Staff Writer, News Transcript

Members of the audience were not pleased when Freehold Regional High School District Board of Education Attorney Lawrence S. Schwartz advised board members not to discuss the issue of Superintendent of Schools James Wasser's doctorate degree at the Aug. 25 meeting of the board in Englishtown.

Schwartz said Wasser had not been provided with legal notification, referred to as a Rice notice, that the situation involving his receipt of the advanced degree could be or would be discussed by the board.

The board's next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 22.

Although the board members did not discuss Wasser specifically, they voted unanimously to accept the recommendations of the state Department of Education's investigative report to adhere to tuition reimbursement procedures that stipulate a reimbursement payment should be made to an individual upon the completion of course work.

Patricia Horvath, Ron Lawson, Joan Leimbach, Diana Cappiello, Kathie Lavin, Christopher Placitella, Thomas Caiazza and Bunny Hammer voted on the matter concerning the tuition reimbursement.

Katie Goon, who is Marlboro's representative to the board, was not present at the meeting. She was out of the country.

The Department of Education's investigation was sparked by a citizen complaint after questions were raised about the validity of doctoral degrees obtained by Wasser, Assistant Superintendent Donna Evangelista and Frank J. Tanzini, a retired assistant superintendent.

Wasser, Evangelista and Tanzini each received a doctorate from Breyer State University, an online institution that until recently was operated from Alabama.

Each administrator was awarded a $2,500 pay increase by the board for receiving a doctorate and the district paid $8,700 in tuition to the university.

Breyer State, which was declared to be an apparent diploma mill by the Alabama Community College System Department of Postsecondary Education, was unable to have its operating license renewed in Alabama in July. The school is said to now operate out of Idaho, but an operator told Greater Media Newspapers there is no listing for the school in the state.

The Department of Education's report found no violations except in the matter of tuition being paid by the FRHSD directly to Breyer State instead of being reimbursed to the individuals after they had paid the costs associated with the online school.

While the board members accepted the report of examination, they did not discuss recommendations made in the report by the Department of Education into what ways they may wish to adjust the school district's existing policies and contracts, which currently do not require a degree from a federally recognized accredited institution.

Part of the issue surrounding the degrees awarded by Breyer State concerns the fact that while the online institution is accredited by a private organization, that accrediting organization is not recognized by the federal government.

There have been questions raised about the legitimacy of the organization that accredited Breyer State and one other institution.

Schwartz suggested that all discussions and considerations related to the Department of Education recommendations be heard at the board's Sept. 22 meeting.

When the board's attorney noted that a Rice notice had not been provided to the administrators in question, Placitella, an attorney who is Colts Neck's representative on the board, asked if it would be illegal to discuss the situation that evening without the notice having been provided.

Schwartz said it would be illegal and explained that a Rice notice must be provided to an employee three to four days in advance of the meeting at which the matter may be a potential subject of discussion.

Residents asked why Wasser was not provided with a Rice notice when it was evident that concerned citizens would want the topic addressed at the Aug. 25 meeting. The subject of the administrators' online degrees was initially discussed by members of the public at the board's July 28 meeting.

"We will be prepared as a law firm to come forward with all changes that we deem necessary for you to look at or possibly adopt," Schwartz told the board in regard to possible policy revisions.

In a statement she issued on Aug. 21, Goon asked Wasser, Evangelista and Tanzini to return the tuition money and pay increases or, in the case of Wasser and Evangelista, to resign from their positions in the FRHSD.

Evangelista is the assistant superintendent in charge of curriculum/instruction, according to the district's Internet Web site.

Wasser oversees the operation of the entire district, which has six high schools and just under 12,000 students enrolled. He has been the superintendent since late 1998.

Wasser was an FRHSD assistant superintendent at the time Daniel McGuire left the position of superintendent in early 1998. Wasser was immediately named the interim superintendent and subsequently appointed as superintendent several months later.

Schwartz said since Goon was absent from the Aug. 25 meeting, any discussions relating to this topic should be conducted when she is present.

Some board members appeared frustrated at not being able to discuss the possible policy changes that evening.

Leimbach, who is one of Howell's two representatives on the board, asked if the board members could at least discuss what they may want to see included the district's policies.

"Yes, but forgive me, I think we (the legal firm) should have an opportunity to tell you what we think should go into those policies," Schwartz responded.

Leimbach said all contracts should now be reviewed for other possible loopholes that are not yet known.

The floor was opened to public comment.

One woman sarcastically complimented the board on orchestrating the strategy of not issuing a Rice notice to Wasser, which prevented board members from commenting on the superintendent.

nother speaker, Edward Tobias, discussed

the issue of accreditation. He said receiving that status is voluntary and would not guarantee the type of education an individual would receive. Tobias said the individuals' longstanding records with the school district should be considered more than the accreditation of their degrees.

"While accreditation may be a good thing, we must realize it's not the only thing," he said.

Other residents said teachers work hard, especially in attaining their degrees, and expressed the general belief that the way in which the three administrators' received their advanced degree was wrong.

Applause filled the meeting room when one woman told Wasser that if he is going to be the district's superintendent, he has to deserve it.

Marlboro resident Barry Hochberg asked the board members if they would tolerate this type of situation in their own businesses. Requesting that board members ask for the tuition money and raises to be returned to the district, Hochberg encouraged members of public to reject future school budgets and to elect new representatives to the board if their expectations are not met.

If a gasoline tax a burden, how is a toll hike not a burden?

2008-07-03T07:53:00.000-04:00

Gov. Corzine was on Fox 29’s "Good Day Philadelphia” yesterday said raising New Jersey's gas tax "ought to be a very, very last resort."

"I'm not anxious to move forward with a gas tax. I really think we've got to find another way," he said, according to the Star Ledger. "I think it's a bad idea right now to put more burdens on individuals."

We couldn’t agree more. But we have a question: If a gasoline tax a burden, how is a toll hike not a burden?

Now that the budget is done, the governor is turning his attention to what to do about transportation funding. The budget he just signed included no extra money to replenish the transportation trust fund.

Key lawmakers, including Sen. Ray Lesniak and Assemblyman John Wisniewski, have endorsed the idea of increasing the tax about 15 cents a gallon. New Jersey’s current gas tax is 14.5 cents per gallon, the third lowest gasoline tax in the nation, collecting 14.5 cents per gallon.

And then there’s monetization.

Corzine's last attempt was to call for an 800 percent increase to pay for transportation and debt relief. He’s said to still want both. He talks about how the funding is needed to avoid tragedies like the recent Minnesota bridge collapse.

"We've got to come up with a plan. It's not to going to be something that people are going to like because there's nothing but tough choices if we actually want to do anything," he said.

Now, why is it that whenever we hear politicians talk about tough choices, we immediately reach for our wallets?

We know that the governor believes he made tough choices in his last budget, which cut spending by $600 million.

But the state budget has doubled – doubled! in just 10 years. From 2000 to 2008, spending has increased by 6 percent a year. The state payroll has increased by 10,000 employees in the executive branch, and 13,000 in independent state agencies, from 2000 to 2006.

In 2001, lawmakers and then-Republican Gov. Donald T. DiFrancesco on their own increased pension payouts by 9 percent.

That 9 percent hike, by the way, was not negotiated by a contract. It was just given.

So yes, governor, tough choices have to be made. But we would humbly suggest that those tough choices should be made in Trenton, and that Trenton should start with their own. Government has grown by leaps and bounds since 2000, and New Jersey families have had to scramble to find a way to pay the ever-increasing tab.

So before you come to New Jerseyans for higher taxes or tolls or fees, take another look at what you spend. That’s where the tough choices have to be made.

With all due respect, we’ve already paid.

From our friends at inthelobby.net

Manalapan couple led cocaine ring

2008-06-05T09:03:00.003-04:00

Federal authorities are alleging that this home at the corner of Taylors Mills and Tennent roads in Manalapan was the base of operations for an international cocaine ring that was smashed with a series of arrests on May 29.

Prosecutor estimates take from drug sales at $1 million per week.
Article by Kathy Baratta, News Transcript

The investigation of an international narcotics distribution and money-laundering network based in Manalapan has resulted in multiple arrests, including two Manalapan residents.

The joint county and federal investigation, dubbed Operation Unbounded, alleges the ring was generating $1 million per week, authorities said.

Flanked by local and federal law enforcement officials at a June 2 press conference in Freehold Borough, Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis Valentin announced that a joint effort that began in spring 2007 ago netted the arrest of seven individuals so far. Officials said the investigation is continuing.

Two of the individuals arrested, Chantal Esteves, 30, who is currently in the Monmouth County jail, Freehold Township, with bail set at $5 million, and her husband, Vicente Esteves, 35, who is jailed on $10 million bail, live in a home at 162 Taylors Mills Road that Valentin described as being "something like out of

Scarface.' "

"Scarface" is a film starring Al Pacino playing the role of a drug lord.

The Esteveses' large home is at the corner of Taylors Mills and Tennent roads. The property is surrounded by trees that help shield the home from view.

Chantal and Vicente Esteves were charged with operating a major cocainedistribution network and money-laundering operation that spanned several countries.

Valentin said Vicente Esteves was the recognized head of the organization and said Chantal Esteves ran the organization when her husband was out of the country.

If convicted, those arrested face 10 years in prison for conspiracy and 10 years for money laundering, according to officials.

According to Valentin, the couple had set up a "business front" to launder the money generated by the sale of the drugs. He would not elaborate on the operations of what he referred to as the "shell business" except to characterize it as a "company used to transfer real property."

According to Gerald McAleer, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration special agent in charge of the investigation who was present at the press conference, "This was a major ring. Dismantlement of such an organization is a DEA goal so no one else can step right in.

"We used every tool in our tool box," he said, noting that drugs associated with the ring were seized throughout the state.

Officials estimated that the drug ring was bringing in profits that amounted to $1 million per week.

Valentin said when the Esteves home was raided by law enforcement officers on May 29, an unspecified amount of cash was seized, along with about $1 million worth of jewelry. The confiscated jewelry included 100 Rolex watches.

"I'm not sure that Donald Trump has 100 Rolex watches," the prosecutor said.

Valentin said Chantal Esteves had a walk-in closet so full of designer shoes that boxes were marked with photographs to show each pair.

According to Valentin, in the course of the arrests of all the individuals, more than 150 pounds of cocaine was seized, along with $2 million in United States currency. The prosecutor would not specify the amount of cash that was seized at the Esteves home.

Valentin said that at the peak of the organization's operation, the ring was distributing more than 1,000 kilograms (2,000 pounds) of cocaine per month.

Valentin said the estimated street value of the cocaine seized by law enforcement authorities exceeds $2 million. He said major airports were used to bring the drugs in from countries such as Mexico and Colombia.

When asked if airline employees were involved in the activities, Valentin said he would not comment.

He also would not comment on the whereabouts of the Esteveses' two minor children, except to say that as far as he knew, they are with relatives.

A seizure order has been filed on the Esteves residence and an individual from the prosecutor's office was seen affixing a notice to the front door of the TaylorMills Road residence in the hour preceding the June 2 press conference.

Others charged in connection with the drug ring are Alfurquan Barringer, 34, of South River; Mark Edwards, 39, of Metuchen; Hector Rodriguez, 40, of Perth Amboy; Michael Lopez, 35, of Perth Amboy; and Cesar Robert Cabrera- Cepeda, 39, of Old Bridge. They were all charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled dangerous substance.

Edwards, both Esteveses, Lopez and Rodriguez were also charged with first-degree financial facilitation of criminal activity, which Valentin explained is commonly referred to as money laundering.

Manalapan: GOP PRIMARY JUNE 3 - VOTE COLUMN 1

2008-05-21T08:23:00.005-04:00

Candidates vie for GOP nomination

Manalapan Republican County Committee
has nominated Ryan Green and William Garcia

...there's a reason why...

****** ON JUNE 3rd - VOTE COLUMN 1 ******

From left to right: Kalman, Steven, Ryan, William

BY KATHY BARATTA Staff Writer

Four residents are continuing their campaign to secure the Manalapan Republican Party nomination in the June 3 primary and earn a place on the November general election ballot.

Two three-year terms on the Manalapan Township Committee will be up for grabs in the November general election.

The Manalapan Republican County Committee has nominated Ryan Green andWilliam Garcia to run for seats on the committee. They are being challenged in the primary by Kalman Budai and Steven Johnson.

The Manalapan Democratic County Committee has nominated Township Committeewoman Michelle Roth, who is serving as Manalapan's mayor this year, and Donald Holland to run for seats on the committee. Roth and Holland are unchallenged in the primary.

Individuals who are eligible to vote in the June 3 Republican primary are those people who are already registered as a Republican, or any unaffiliated individual who shows up at the polls on Election Day and registers as a Republican, according to Municipal Clerk Rose Ann Weeden.

Weeden said that after the primary election, people who switched from unaffiliated to Republican in order to vote in the primary may reregister as unaffiliated.

Polls will be open between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. June 3 at the municipality's regular polling places.

Green, 28, is a 20-year resident of Manalapan. He is a school social worker with the Perth Amboy School District in Middlesex County. Green is a member of the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District Board of Education. If he wins the June 3 primary and is eventually elected to the Township Committee in November, he will have to resign from the school board.

Garcia, 42, is a project manager for a major financial institution in New York City. He has lived in Manalapan for two years.

Budai, 50, has been a resident of Manalapan for 12 years. He is the owner of a ceramic tile company. Prior to that he was a dispatcher for the Suburban Transit Bus Company.

Johnson, 54, is employed in the office automation business, He has been a Manalapan resident for 11 years. He said that in the past he has been responsible for managing a staff of 50 people and a business operating budget of $30 million.

•••

Budai and Johnson, who sought the Republican County Committee nomination but did not receive it, said they decided to mount a primary challenge and run for the Township Committee because Green and Garcia are, in their words, candidates "in name only." They said neither man was a registered Republican until February.

Green and Garcia responded to that broadside.

According to Green, who grew up in Manalapan and was re-elected to a second term on the school board in April, he had always kept his political registration as unaffiliated because he felt doing so would "leave the politics out of the school board, where I don't believe they belong."

However, Green said he has always been a Republican "philosophically" - a term Garcia also embraced when told that was how Green had put it - and has always voted Republican.

Speaking about his voting record on the school board, Green said, "I think my voting record as a fiscal conservative while on the board speaks to my Republican mind-set."

Garcia said when he moved to Manalapan from Queens, N.Y., in 2006, he registered as a Republican when he registered his motor vehicles and took care of other tasks. At least, he said he thought he had done so. He said it was not until he was looking into voting in the upcoming presidential election that he found out his voting registration had not been properly filed and he was listed in his voter affiliation as unaffiliated.

Garcia said he has been a registered Republican since he was 18. He said he explained all this to the selection committee at the time of his interview "and they were OK with it once it was explained."

•••

All four men who are running for a seat on the public body that governs Manalapan were asked to name something they like about the community.

Garcia said it was the "good schools and spaciousness" that hooked him when he was looking for a New Jersey community to move his family into; that and the fact his wife had family in the area made it a marriage of suburban ideals and commuter convenience, given Manalapan's proximity to Wall Street via public transportation.

Green said that given the fact that he grew up in Manalapan, he thought it would be almost impossible to instantly come up with a particular observation. Then he recounted something that happened in the past few weeks that reminded him how much he loves living in Manalapan and is looking forward to raising a family here.

He said shortly after moving into the home in the Yorktowne development where he now resides, there was a knock on the door. Green, who will be married in June, said he almost could not believe it, but "it was a neighbor from the block with an apple pie who just wanted to say 'welcome to the neighborhood.' It's people like that who remind you what a great place Manalapan is to live."

Johnson also mentioned the people who make up the community, but said there are other things he likes aboutManalapan.

"I like that we have Monmouth Battlefield State Park. I like that we have a fourtime championship cheerleading squad and I like that we have the western branch of theMonmouth County Library."

Budai, who has been a member of several committees and boards, including the Manalapan Recreation Advisory Board, said some of the highlights of Manalapan are manifested in its recreation center and programs.

"Manalapan's ball fields are state-ofthe art and the best in the county, if not the state," he said, while also alluding to what he called the spirit of the community and its residents, particularly those who volunteer for municipal boards and committees.

"We have the best volunteers and our police department is second to none. It's just the spirit of the community; it's everybody from the youngsters to the seniors," Budai said.

•••

Budai said he believes his experience as a business owner would serve him well as an elected official. He said his previous employment with Suburban Transit would give him an understanding of issues facing commuters and transportation companies.

Speaking about municipal finances, Budai said he would examine each municipal department to look at the staffing levels and the efficiency of the department with an eye on trimming costs.

Johnson said he would concentrate on finalizing plans for The Village at Manalapan, a 500,000-square-foot retail-commercial complex planned for the intersection of Millhurst Road and Route 33. The project received preliminary approval from the Planning Board more than a year ago but has never gotten off the ground for a variety of reasons.

"We should be concentrating on getting these ratables instead of spending a million bucks on a sports field," Johnson said, alluding to the construction of an $800,000 artificial turf playing field of which he has been critical.

Garcia said his professional expertise would serve him well in reviewing a municipal budget "to see where our money is being spent and how we could make operations more efficient."

However, said Garcia, "I would never advocate cuts that would adversely affect our safety and services."

He said he would focus attention on the types of service contracts the township has on all of its equipment in an effort to see if there can be consolidation and savings.

"It is the little things that add up," he said.

•••

All four candidates were asked why they should be the person Republicans choose on June 3 to run for a seat on the Township Committee in November.

"First and foremost, I am a husband and a father involved in community activities. I am one of my neighbors. I am not a politician," Garcia said. "Bill Garcia was born a Republican and a fiscal conservative. My blood is Republican and I want smaller government."

Green said his experience on the Manalapan Englishtown school board gives him a leg up because of that unique perspective and because the school district has been working with Manalapan to develop a shared services agreement. Green said he has been involved with the development of that agreement.

"I have the right experience at the right time," he said, adding that one area he would examine as a member of the Township Committee would be the administration salaries for Manalapan's summer recreation program, which he said have been increased for 2008.

Speaking about himself and Budai, Johnson said, "We are experienced, hardworking people dedicated to the town. That is who should be running in the general election."

Budai said if he is elected to the Township Committee, he will not take municipal health benefits. He estimated that decision would save taxpayers between $15,000 and $17,000 per year.

Johnson also decried taxpayers paying for health benefits for the members of the governing body. He said Township Committee members should get their health insurance through their place of employment and not expect the taxpayers to pay for health benefits for what is basically a part-time job.
-----------

Remember - vote for the True Republicans -
the ones selected by the nominating committee.
************ VOTE COLUMN 1 ********************

Audits flag spending by poor districts

2008-05-07T14:49:00.002-04:00

The audits of all 31 Abbott districts can be found at
www.state.nj.us/education
under the finance section.

Story by Trish G. Graber

tgraber@sjnewsco.com

TRENTON Some of the state's poorest school districts required by court order to receive extra state funding spent thousands of dollars on consultants, travel and sports-related festivities, according to audits of 27 Abbott districts released last week.

In Bridgeton, Cumberland County, school officials spent more than $10,000 to send staff to conferences, including some in Atlanta, Ohio, Orlando and San Diego. They paid a consultant, Salmon Ventures, $12,000 over three months for grant writing and to lobby state agencies.

nd the Bridgeton district paid $1,383 to send students to a Double Dutch jumprope competition in South Carolina, according to the audit conducted by KPMG LLP in New York.

In Phillipsburg School District, Warren County, officials used $15,085 to buy banners for their 100th anniversary football game and their 100th game with their archrival in Easton, Pa.

The district also paid a consultant $50,000 to get input from the community on a new high school, an audit by Livingston-based Wiss & Company LLP showed.

In other areas, Asbury Park paid $4,280 for golf shirts and jackets for athletic coaches. Gloucester City paid $6,116 for rain jackets for the football team.

All of the expenditures, except travel, were flagged by auditors who looked at information from the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 school years in 27 of the state's Abbott Districts, released last week by the Department of Education.

But many of the practices questioned may soon come to an end.

The department used the findings to develop new rules for school districts and to shape the job description of the new executive county superintendents, in an attempt to enhance the accountability of all districts.

State education officials said the new safeguards, when they are in place, will make it much less likely that some of the expenditures questioned in the audits will occur again.

"More important than some of the individual expenditures is the fact that some of those audits identified that in many of those districts they didn't have internal controls that could catch these things before they happened," said DOE spokeswoman Kathryn Forsyth. "(The regulations) are going to stop some of these practices by code."

The proposed rules give executive county superintendents the ability to comb through district budgets and eliminate non-instructional expenditures. They make it easier for state officials to withhold state aid if they believe a district is wasting money.

They also provide guidelines for school officials in areas where the state saw excessive spending: Travel, meal reimbursements, professional services and public relations.

For example, the guidelines prohibit overnight stays for school officials if a conference is held within 50 miles of their home and limit the number of school officials that can take out-of-state trips together.

The state is also proposing to prohibit jobs within districts solely for public relations purposes and to crack down on professional service contracting.

District superintendents said the new regulations will be helpful to provide parameters for spending, but they defended their districts' past purchases.

"I didn't think we were out of line with what we were doing," said Phillipsburg's Acting Superintendent George Chando, who was not head of the district during the years the expenditures took place.

In a written response to the audit, district officials said the banners were bought for a football game aired nationally by ESPN, which paid a fee for the broadcast. They also noted that the football program brought in $72,564 during the 2004-2005 school year and $76,608 during the 2005-2006 school year.

Phillipsburg School District also contended that the $50,000 paid to the consultant was not only to collect data but to help the district prepare for a referendum needed for a new school delayed indefinitely after the bankruptcy of the Schools Construction Corporation.

In his case, Bridgeton Superintendent Victor Gilson said the travel by staff was necessary for professional development and the Double Dutch competition was a way to keep students engaged in an area where gangs are prevalent.

The consultant, he said, paid for itself many times over by bringing in money for the reconstruction of the district's stadium and track, including $196,000 from federal officials. To date, he said, the district has raised $1.4 million for the $6 million project.

Gilson said he would not consider any of the expenditures out of order.

He added that many non-Abbotts spend money on the same things, only those districts are not operating under the state's microscope.

"When I was the superintendent of a non-Abbott, we did all these things," said Gilson, the former superintendent in Dennis Township in Cape May County. "To me, it's a very positive story for Bridgeton ... the purpose of these audits were to find dirt and all they found was a little bit of dust."

The audits finalize the work required by a Supreme Court order to audit all 31 Abbott school districts those the state is required to allocate extra funding to make up for economic shortfalls. Audits in the others, Camden, Jersey City, Newark and Paterson, were released last year.

The audits of all 31 Abbott districts can be found at www.state.nj.us/education under the finance section.

N.J. sets rules for school spending

2008-05-01T09:16:00.002-04:00

...but who will enforce over-spending? The superintendents making $200,000+ a year?

School districts seeking advice on how to spend tax dollars got a dense lesson from the state on Wednesday.

The Education Department released a 205-page rulebook on how districts must craft their budgets, hire and fire top administrators, and handle shared-service agreements with neighboring towns. The reforms are required under new laws aimed at reducing New Jersey's property taxes, the highest in the nation.

"Taxpayers have been extremely generous," Education Commissioner Lucille Davy said in Trenton. "Given our economic challenges ... it is important that we focus on the efficient use of the resources that are available."

Among other provisions, the rules allow executive county superintendents to issue line-item vetoes on local budgets and order thorough audits of districts they think spend too much. In Bergen County, that authority is given to longtime Superintendent Aaron Graham. Passaic County does not yet have a county superintendent. The job is temporarily held by Robert Gilmartin, the former schools chief in West Milford.

The rules are set to be officially approved in coming weeks and all school districts are expected to follow them during the 2008-09 school year. They put in place mandates set by New Jersey's new school funding formula, the School District Fiscal Accountability Act and the "CORE" reform law that emerged from last year's special legislative session on property tax reform.

"The governor has made it clear," Davy said. "The public is telling us that they want greater transparency and accountability."

Many of the reforms have already been phased in during the current budget season, such as having county superintendents review requests for tax increases over a 4 percent cap.

In recent years, superintendents have reacted with anger or confusion to the states' tightening grip on local spending. However, those public complaints faded after Governor Corzine increased state aid to school districts by more than $500 million this year.

Tenafly Superintendent Mort Sherman said most superintendents would agree that transparency is a good thing in school budgets — in no small part because the public must vote to approve them every year.

"The overwhelming majority of county and local superintendents will say this is OK," he said. "Times are tough. We need to roll up our sleeves."

The state School Boards Association had expressed concern about some of the reforms as the original laws were being debated; spokesman Frank Belluscio said his group had not yet seen the draft rules on Wednesday. He recalled the organization's worry about making county superintendents gubernatorial appointees.

"That brings in a lot of political concerns," he said.

He said that while the goals of the reforms were shared, his organization "would have be concerned about any type of over-regulation. ... School boards in New Jersey are highly fiscally responsible, and they operate under an ethics act that is stricter than that for other public officials."

Yet another lie; MVC Fees Not Going for Trooper Classes or New Helicopters as Promised

2008-04-22T09:03:00.001-04:00

From our friends at Millennium Radio:

Motor vehicle registration fees were raised by $3 in 2006. The increase has produced about $29 million per year and was supposed to be used for new State Police Medivac helicopters and more state troopers. Thus far, not a single new helicopter has been purchased and there is no state trooper class planned for the upcoming fiscal year.

"This is why people are so against fee increases and charging things because the money doesn't go where it's supposed to be," says State Senator Steve Sweeney. "We were promised these classes would be funded. It's another broken promise……we promised the State of New Jersey when we charged these fees that we were going to put State Police on the ground to protect our communities and we're not doing that."

"I do believe that we can survive for a year without getting an additional State Police class," says State Attorney General Anne Milgram. She explains the State Police should ideally have as many as 3,400 troopers, but the agency expects to lose 200 troopers per year to retirement. Milgram admits, "We don't have what I would say is a lot of cushion right now."

Budget language that can supersede state law diverted the money to other purposes. Milgram says when the legislature adopts a budget that allows for the money to be used elsewhere, what they're really doing is amending a previous law. She says lawmakers could still pass a budget that dedicates the MVC fees to the original purposes.

Milgram says the State has been seeking manufacturer bids for as many as five new helicopters since March, but estimates it will take 18 months to deliver the helicopters once a contract is awarded. The nine State Police emergency medical helicopters currently in use are designed to fly accident victims to hospitals, but according to Milgram they've each been grounded an average of 81 days since July 1 for maintenance and repair.

Treasury Department spokesman Tom Vincz says, "Any changes to the original statutory purpose have been done through authorizing statute, and surcharge revenues have been used to support the state police." He points out that the registration fees collected have been used to buy 250 new state police vehicles and to pay for State Police salaries, medical helicopter repairs and general state expenses.

State Trooper NCO Association president Dennis Hallion says, "Do more with less now becomes do more with nothing…..I'm always concerned about how we're going to continue to fill the need for bodies for troopers that are out there."

"It's a dedication," says State Senator Kevin O'Toole, "I think that word speaks for itself…..it is just troubling that things are not as they appear."

Bucco: New COAH Map Absurd And Ridiculous

2008-04-11T13:30:00.001-04:00

Senator Anthony Bucco asked Joe Doria, Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs, in a letter today to correct huge flaws in the new Council On Affordable Housing (COAH) study. The study was intended to identify open acreage available for the construction of court mandated housing. Instead the study identified areas that are clearly closed to development. The letter is attached. Examples include:

Parts of the Army’s Picatinny Arsenal,
A rest area and parts of the median on Route 287,
Areas between the runways and taxiways at Morristown airport,
More than half of the Schiff Natural Lands Trust,
Watersheds surrounding the Clyde Potts and Jersey City Reservoirs
Private homeowners’ back yards

“This is absolutely ridiculous,” Bucco stated. “Let’s put houses on an airport runway or the median of 287. Better yet, develop the Picatinny Arsenal I’m sure the homeowners won’t mind the noise.

“At the very least we should get the money we paid for this study back. They used aerial photographs taken in 2002. This document needs to be fixed before it is submitted to the court this June. I look forward to working with Commissioner Doria to ensure that this seriously flawed study is fixed by then,” Bucco concluded.
April 11, 2008

Honorable Joseph V. Doria Jr.

Commissioner,

Department of Community Affairs

William M. Ashby Community Affairs Building

101 South Broad Street

Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0088

Dear Commissioner Doria:

I am deeply concerned by published reports that some of the areas identified as available for development under a new Council On Affordable Housing (COAH) study are, in fact, closed to development. Some of the areas listed as open acreage in the (COAH) report include: parts of the Army’s Picatinny Arsenal, a rest area and parts of the median on Route 287, areas between the runways and taxiways at Morristown airport, more than half of the Schiff Natural Lands Trust, watersheds surrounding the Clyde Potts and Jersey City Reservoirs, and private homeowners’ back yards.

It is clear that the study conducted by Rutgers Professor Henry J. Mayer and the University of Pennsylvania is deeply flawed and must be reworked. It is vitally important that this report must be corrected before the document is submitted to the court in June. To do otherwise would be a grave disservice to municipalities across the State who have labored in good faith, for years, to comply with the arbitrary and unpredictable dictates of the council.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to speaking with you about this issue.

Sincerely,

Anthony Bucco

It's official: Unanue out, Zimmer in

2008-04-11T13:13:00.000-04:00

Andrew Unanue, a former chief operating officer at family-run Goya Foods Inc. courted last month to run for U.S. Senate by Republican Party leaders, dropped his bid for the nomination Friday morning.

Unanue's given reason for dropping out was "extensive business commitments along with new business opportunities," and he will be replaced on the ballot in June by former U.S. Rep. Richard A. Zimmer.

"After much thought and careful consideration, I have decided to end my candidacy for U.S. Senate," Unanue said in a statement. "I made the decision to enter the race after serious deliberation and I have no regrets. My decision to withdraw is based on an equally thorough deliberation.

"The opportunity to represent the people of New Jersey is a privilege that I accepted with great honor," he said.

Unanue is now back on a skiing trip with his family in Vail, Colo., where he launched his Senate campaign from on Easter Sunday and remained until he filed papers to run this past Monday.

Along with Zimmer, state Sen. Joseph Pennacchio, R-Morris, and Ramapo College professor Murray Sabrin are in the race to win the GOP nomination.

Pennacchio's campaign yesterday said it planned to file a complaint with the state Division of Elections challenging the validity of Unanue's candidacy and claiming he never intended to run but was merely a placeholder until another candidate was found.

Bergen County Republican Party chairman Rob Ortiz, a member of Unanue's "committee on vacancies" that chose Zimmer to take his ballot spot, said, "It's ludicrous to say that Andy filed for his candidacy in bad faith."

Michael Rispoli: mrispol@gannett.com

DOE Commissioner Lucille Davy to get grilled today about VERY questionable spending

2008-04-10T08:13:00.003-04:00

"There are cocktail parties in the audit report,
there are administrative dinners, there are hotel costs, there are Atlantic City trips,
there are staff parties."
Davy is scheduled to testify before the Budget panel this afternoon.

Some examples of our hard earned money being spent "wisely" at:
The School District Cosa Nostra:

A review of the KPMG audit for the Union City School District (formerly known as an Abbott district) shows the following:

·One individual was paid for 14 pay periods after termination at the employee's request.
·Two individuals were paid 21 and 24 pay periods after termination.
·The audit report says that, according to the contract, school bus drivers are paid 6 hours of overtime each month in order to charge their cell phones.
·One bus driver in the 05-06 school year earned $73,125 in overtime, which accounted for 237% of the driver's base pay. In other words, the driver earned over $100,000 in wages that year.
·A bus driver in the 04-05 school year earned $61,456 in overtime, 217% of base salary.
·One bus driver in the 05-06 school year earned $51,725 in overtime, 204% of base salary.
·$150,000 for an annual lease of the Ronald Dario Swimming Complex, which was used only part-time in year 05-06; and $100,000 for 04-05, again for part-time use?
·The district spent $72,843 for cable TV spots.
·$55,000 was sent to a PR company for helping the district to prepare monthly superintendent's newsletters, which were sent out in August 2004.
·Another approximately $50,000 was expended in printing costs for 1,000 posters and 25,000 brochures.
·$32,302 was sent to a DC law firm to help the district secure grants
·$26,000 in monthly payments were made for website development. Monthly?
·The district paid $2,315 to send kids to Medieval Times. See the following link: . Medieval Times is a chain corporation, which provides dinner and a live jousting show.
·$2,600 for a staff party.
·Taxpayers spent $9,268 for hotel expenses incurred for an out-of-state administrative retreat.
·$3,476 was spent to send 28 students to visit colleges; one trip went to Boston.
·The district spent $3-K to pay for "floats for [a] Thanksgiving Day Parade."
·A firm called Furia Rubel, based out of PA, was paid big bucks from the district for PR and website development. Just singling out the period from October 2004 to February 2005, the firm received over $148,000. And the payments don't stop after that.
·A trip to a Poconos resort, paying for a "field trip" for 140 seventh graders and chaperones back in June 2004.
·$400 for a "clown show" at Gilmore school, which the auditor labeled "questionable."
·$13,411 monthly payment for 39 cell phones used by bus drivers.
·A "Cocktail Dinner" for 50 people at the Old Tapas Restaurant -- $1,150. "Food for staff."
·$21,125 for 25,000 brochures called "Keys to the City," which were sent to the entire City.
·$1,716 for an LCD flat panel TV for the HR Director's Office.
·$2,268 to the Sheraton Edison Hotel back in February 2005, which paid the tab for students and two teachers. According to the audit report, no agenda was found and they were unable to determine the purpose or necessity of the trip.

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

Former Republican Congressman Dick Zimmer Is Ready To Run

2008-04-10T08:04:00.003-04:00

As millionaire businessman Andy Unanue appeared to be ending his Republican race for U.S. Senate, former Republican congressman Dick Zimmer said yesterday he is ready to run if asked by party leaders.

The 40-year-old Unanue informed his campaign staff yesterday he was quitting, three ranking Republicans with knowledge of the situation said last night. They declined to be identified because they were not authorized by Unanue to announce his intentions.

Earlier in the day, Zimmer said he had been asked to consider running for U.S. Senate and would do so if one of the three Republicans in the race dropped out.

"I got some calls from some people pretty prominent in the party, just within the last couple of days," Zimmer said. "This is a pivotal time in America history. It would be an honor to help shape our policy."

"I have to emphasize, this has not happened yet," said Zimmer, who is 63. "This depends on whether the party leadership asks me to step in."

Zimmer, now a lawyer-lobbyist in Washington, D.C., served nine years in the Legislature before winning a seat in Congress in 1990. He served three terms in the House of Representatives before seeking Bill Bradley's open U.S. Senate seat in 1996. He lost to Robert Torricelli.

Monday was the deadline for filing nominating petitions, but candidates have until next Wednesday to drop out and allow their parties' three-member committee on va cancies to name a replacement.

Bergen County Republican Chairman Rob Ortiz, who is on Unanue's committee, said yesterday a switch was a possibility.

Read the rest RIGHT HERE

Republicans will have primary in Manalapan

2008-04-09T08:33:00.000-04:00

News Transcript - BY KATHY BARATTA and MARK ROSMAN

There will be a Republican primary in Manalapan in June as four candidates seek the nod to run for two seats on the Township Committee in the November general election.

As previously announced, Ryan Green and William Garcia were nominated by the Manalapan Republican Party to run for a pair of three-year terms. They will run under the banner of the Monmouth County Republican Organization.

On April 7, which was the deadline for candidates associated with a party to file to run, Kalman “Butch” Budai Jr. and Steven Johnson filed paperwork with the Township Clerk’s Office to run under the banner of Manalapan Republicans.

The decision by Budai and Johnson to run for the committee appears to confirm behind-the-scenes maneuvers that have been taking place in Manalapan over the past week and signals a split in the Manalapan Republican Party.

Budai and Johnson were unsuccessful in their bids two weeks ago to secure the nomination of the Manalapan Republican Party to run for the Township Committee.

Municipal Clerk Rose Ann Weeden said Budai and Johnson stated their desire to have their own line on the ballot, and said they also filed candidates to seek seats on the Manalapan Republican County Committee.

The county committee is made up of residents from each voting district in the municipality and helps to select individuals to run for office.

Neither Budai nor Johnson returned messages left by the News Transcript over the weekend of April 5-6. The News Transcript was calling to ask if they were planning to force a showdown among Republican voters in the June primary.

Several Republicans confirmed to the News Transcript over the weekend that they had been approached by individuals who asked them to start a breakaway faction of Republicans.

Richard Frenkiel and his wife, Maizie, said they were solicited for membership in the new organization, but declined to join.

Richard Frenkiel is a former member of the Township Committee who served as mayor during his term of office. Both are members of the Manalapan Republican County Committee.

Maizie Frenkiel said her decision not to leave the regular Republican organization was an easy one because not only was the Manalapan Republican Party’s strength being jeopardized, she also felt the matter spoke to the loyalty of Manalapan’s registered Republicans.

“I hate to see the party split. It’s never a good thing to split the party. I understand there have been disagreements, but I wish they (reform Republican candidates) would simply run in a primary rather than starting a new party,” she said.

“I was approached to join (the Manalapan Reform Republican Party) by another (regular Republican) county committee person and I refused. I have been a member of the regular Republican Party for 30 years and a county committee person for just as long. I didn’t think it was appropriate to switch. I told them it’s a matter of loyalty,” she said.

Richard Frenkiel offered his thoughts on the idea of forming a new Republican faction, saying, “If people formed a new party every time there was a disagreement there wouldn’t be a party.”

Manalapan resident and political gadfly Rhoda Chodosh, who is a regular attendee at Township Committee meetings, has been aManalapan Republican County Committee member for two years. Chodosh said she was approached by a member of the county committee in an effort to get her to join the reform faction.

She said she refused the offer, saying her reason for doing so was also about party loyalty.

“I’m staying where I am because I want strong Republicans in Manalapan. Being on the county committee is not only about the municipal level. It’s more than just the one - I look at the whole, the greater good of the party.”

Manalapan Republican Party Chairman Stephen McEnery said, “The Republican Party is made up of individuals who want to work toward making Manalapan a better place for their families.Whenever a splinter group forms, chaos develops and family focus disappears. Friends and neighbors start to distrust each other and sometimes become enemies. It has happened in Howell,Marlboro,Wall and other towns that have lost their focus.When two parties debate on issues it’s about beliefs. When a party splits it’s not about beliefs, it’s about ego.

“Ego exists through all levels of politics, but when it becomes just about ego with little regard for the township, the residents need to reject that behavior. When people such as Butch Budai, who was the low vote-getter at our convention, uses his position as a party boss to bring people together for him, it’s called a gang, not a party.

“The Republican County Committee in Manalapan had an election for candidates and some people lost. Such is life. But this is not Steve McEnery’s party, it’s simply the Republican Party of Manalapan. It was here long before I was elected chairman and it will be here long after I’m gone.”

Howell: Republicans may be unopposed

2008-04-08T08:52:00.000-04:00

Two former Republican Planning Board members were the only ones who filed to run for mayor and a seat on the Township Council Monday; although an independent councilman indicated that he may still enter the race for mayor in June.

Republican Russell F. Bohlin of Belmar Boulevard filed to run as mayor to replace current Republican Mayor Joseph DiBella, who chose not to seek re-election. Republican Paul Schneider, a former Planning Board chairman, filed to run for the Township Council for the seat currently held by GOP Councilwoman Cynthia Schomaker, who also is not running for re-election.

No Democrats or independents filed to run for either post. Three of the four council seats in Howell are currently held by independents.

Bohlin said he believes he can bring a fresh perspective to the challenges facing the township. "I know I can make a difference," the 55-year-old said of his decision to run for mayor.

Bohlin, who first drew public attention in 2005 for leading a challenge on behalf of 61 neighbors against a residential developer, recently championed an opposition to the rezoning of a mobile home park.

"I constantly advocated to minimize the impact of development proposals on neighboring residents and the community as a whole," Bohlin said of his time on the Planning Board.

While he currently has no opponents in the November election, that could change. Independent Councilman Robert Walsh, who served as deputy mayor last year, said he has not made a decision as to whether or not he will run for mayor but that he will decide before the June primary.

Schneider also will run uncontested in the Republican primary for the open council seat. Appointed to a number of township panels and commissions dating back to the late 1950s, Schneider said that now that he has retired from his job as director of a pharmaceutical chain, he can devote what he calls the necessary time needed to sit on the township's governing body.

"I consider this position on council as more time consuming," said Schneider, who served on the township's now defunct Board of Health from 1958 to 1985, helped to establish the township's Shade Tree Commission in 1967 and was also a member of the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, the township's Mobile Home Rent Control Board and Environmental Commission, as well as professional associations.

No Democrats filed for either the mayor or council position before the Monday deadline, although a nominee could emerge through write-in votes.

"We had a few prospective candidates, but at the end of the day no one wanted to run," said Democratic Club President Steven Morlino.

Manalapan/Englishtown: Teachers picket school board

2008-04-08T08:50:00.001-04:00

More than 150 teachers — carrying signs with slogans such as "No contract, still working, always caring" — protested outside Manalapan-Englishtown Regional Schools' Main Street administration offices Monday, urging district officials to settle contract negotiations as soon as possible.

Among sticking points in the negotiations are salary and benefits, said teachers of the Manalapan-Englishtown Education Association, who have been working without a contract since June.

But district officials, who did not wish to discuss specifics Monday, said they've offered a fair settlement that teachers won't accept.

Association President Ken Weber, a teacher at Pine Brook School, said in his recollection the kindergarten-through-eighth-grade district has settled a contract only once before it expired in his 30-plus years working there.

"I'd like someone to explain why it's fair to offer teachers in Manalapan the second lowest increase in the county," Weber said before the demonstration, which preceded a fact-finding session at administration offices Monday night. "If someone can explain to us how that's fair, we'll take a look at it."

The district is offering teachers below the 4.64 percent average 2007-08 salary increase in Monmouth County, Weber said, although he would not divulge what the number was. He was flanked during the protest by New Jersey Education Association President Joyce Powell, who attended the rally to lend her support to the association's cause.

(Just for the record, I got a raise of 3% and was very happy)

Wasteful Spending Raises Questions About Universal Health Plan

2008-04-07T08:23:00.001-04:00

Questions about whether the state could manage a health insurance program for all residents.

An audit of New Jersey's health care programs for the poor found
examples of wasteful spending.

The audit found people earning nearly $300,000 per year enrolled
in a program meant for working poor parents and their children.

It found the state paying more than $2 million for medical
equipment that should have been paid for by nursing facilities.

The audit comes as some legislators push a plan that calls for
expanding health care programs for the poor and offering state-run health insurance for other residents by 2011.

HAVE YOU SIGNED THE RECALLCORZINENOW PETITION YET???

2008-04-03T08:22:00.004-04:00

FIND A NOTARY...
DOWNLOAD THE PETITION...
LET'S GET IT DONE CITIZENS!!!

No need to go crazy - even if you just get
yours and your voting household
to sign the petition - we can do this!!

Clean Energy Program: Something Stinking at the B-PU. The State Is Not Mailing Out Rebate Checks

2008-04-03T08:01:00.005-04:00

The State of NJ continues to write the book on mismanagement - this time its the rebate checks that are just not making it to the mailboxes; unfortunately no-one can explain why, but the likely truth, is that anyone appointed by Fox is incapable of putting a check in the mail...

The State of New Jersey has been recognized as a leader in promoting solar power, thanks in large measure to a generous rebate program that's run by the Board of Public Utilities Office of Clean Energy, unfortunately there's a serious problem that threatens the whole program.

It seems rebate checks are not being mailed out in a timely manner, and that's causing a domino effect of negativity for individual homeowners as well as solar installation companies.

Shannon Whitworth, the Director of Operations for The Solar Center in Denville says her company, like many others, is stuck in limbo - unable to begin any new projects for customers "because we've hit our credit limit with our distributors- because the State has not paid rebates for customers previously installed in the past."

She says the State owes her firm more than 1-point-3 million dollars, but to this point, no one can figure out why the checks aren't in the mail.

"We meet with them on a regular basis…we tell them how stressed the industry is- but we're not getting a lot of response…we just don't get any straightforward answers….we're facing potentially laying off half of our staff, because we cannot sustain without the rebates payments coming quickly."

Whitworth adds many solar installation companies have gone out of business because of the financial problems caused in part by the BPU's handling of the rebate program, "but no one can explain why."

She says this is causing another problem - homeowners who have been approved for rebates can't find a company to do the work within the specified time before their rebates expire.

A spokeswoman for the BPU says - in an e-mail message- the difficulty was caused by a change-over to a new online billing system which created a backlog, but the problem has now been resolved. (after $650,000 and a year later - the system does not work.. yeah right)

She says "The Clean Energy Program apologizes to our valued customers for this delay, and thanks them for their patience."

She adds the Office of Clean Energy is going to recommend that rebate deadlines be extended 90 days, so customers can be assured they can install their desired solar system - and get their rebate - without a problem.

Another Fine Mess by our State Government: People earning as much as $295,000 are enrolled in the NJ FamilyCare program.

2008-04-01T08:23:00.005-04:00

State Department of Human Services failed to properly oversee a special health care program for the poor.

In another example of why New Jerseyans generally don't trust the government in Trenton with their money, a state auditor on Monday said the state Department of Human Services failed to properly oversee a special health care program for the poor, allowing ineligible residents to score subsidized health care.

People earning as much as $295,000 are enrolled in the NJ FamilyCare program which is designed for working poor families. The state auditor found vendors aren't performing eligibility checks and the state isn't checking applications for unreported income. The state also failed to try to collect $4.6 million owed to the program by 16,300 people who were disenrolled.

State Senator Barbara Buono, the Democratic chairwoman of the Senate's Budget Committee, was furious with the findings in the audit and called for hearings.

"What really bothers me is that I have people calling my legislative office every single day who are trying to qualify for FamilyCare and maybe miss out by one hundred dollars. And then for the Division to essentially defend the procedures they have in place when they clearly aren't doing the job is just beyond belief," said Buono, in an interview with Millennium Radio.

The audit found at least three people with self-employment incomes of $295,000, $186,000 and $177,700 enrolled in the program.

A Department of Human Services spokeswoman told Millennium Radio the problems stem from the process in which people apply for the program. Residents are allowed to self-report income, and the spokeswoman said there are obstacles to checking if the reports are accurate.
The Associated Press also reported some of the other findings:

-- About 13,000 participants weren't sent renewal applications as of September, though regulations require eligibility be determined annually. The audit found $43.1 million was paid to these participants from July 2005 to September without knowing if they
remain eligible.

-- Some beneficiaries failed to report all income on FamilyCare applications, including income earned through self-employment, rentals, interest and dividends. Applicants authorize the program to match applications with their tax return, but the state isn't
checking all tax files.

-- Auditors found nearly 7,000 cases where the applicant reported $10,000 or more in self-employment income on their 2006 tax return, including those who failed to report self-employment incomes of $295,000, $186,000 and $177,700 on their NJ FamilyCare
applications.

Corzine's Ratings continue to slip... now Corzine "the person" rating is tailspinning too.

2008-04-01T08:17:00.004-04:00

The Governor's favorable rating which is a general impression of the person rather than approval of the job he does is finally catching on just like his toll hike plan - 38% say they have a favorable impression of the Governor.

"66% say the state is headed in the wrong direction and that is a new high," says Fairleigh Dickinson University-Public Mind poll director Peter Woolley. Just 26% say the state is off on the right direction.

In the new poll out today, the public splits over the Governor's performance with 44% approving and 45% disapproving, similar to his 42%-43% showing in February, but Woolley points out, "Back in October he had an approval rating of 51% against just 29% disapproving so, things really have changed."

Also changed is the Governor's favorable rating which is a general impression of the person rather than approval of the job he does. Woolley explains, "38% say they have a favorable impression of the Governor. 52% say their impression is unfavorable…..For a long time voters have given Jon Corzine high personal marks even if they didn't approve of this or that proposal. He may have come to the end of that good will."

"77% think their property taxes will increase in the coming year; and 43% say their (property) taxes will increase 'a lot,'" says Woolley. That's an increase of 10 percentage points from the same question asked a year ago. It is not a partisan issue. Nearly half of Republicans (48%) expect their property taxes to increase "a lot," nearly as many Democrats (41%) expect the same.

Just shy of half of New Jersey voters say they prefer "very steep budget cuts" to other possible options such as raising highway tolls or the gas tax or the income tax. Before the Governor announced his deep budget cuts, 51% said they preferred cuts. "The blood and gore of the budget cuts has not yet shaken voters even though the lobbyists are swinging into high season," says Woolley.

Staunch opposition remains to the Governor's proposal to restructure the state's finances by issuing bonds against an 800% toll increase. 60% oppose the plan, including half of Democrats (51%), three of five independents (62%), and most Republicans (70%). Woolley says, "How the budget cuts play to Democratic voters is key to the Governor's success or failure in the legislature."

The poll of 816 New Jersey registered voters statewide was conducted from March 24 through March 30 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.

Monmouth County Petition for the Recall of Jon Corzine

2008-03-28T08:46:00.002-04:00

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

Corzine Cosa Nostra hard at work

2008-03-26T23:32:00.002-04:00

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

2008-03-26T15:41:00.002-04:00

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.

2008-03-24T08:07:00.002-04:00

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

2008-03-16T23:02:00.001-04:00

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

2008-03-16T22:37:00.003-04:00

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

2008-03-16T22:33:00.001-04:00

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

2008-03-13T08:40:00.000-04:00

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

2008-03-12T07:45:00.003-04:00

...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

2008-03-11T12:01:00.003-04:00

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

2008-03-11T09:44:00.001-04:00

The interview is in 4 parts. Click here

Brick: Officials want to postpone property revaluations

2008-03-11T08:54:00.001-04:00

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

2008-03-10T08:41:00.002-04:00

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...

2008-03-10T08:32:00.001-04:00

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

2008-03-07T12:11:00.002-05:00

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

2008-03-07T08:30:00.003-05:00

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

2008-03-07T08:24:00.003-05:00

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

2008-03-07T08:05:00.006-05:00

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

2008-03-06T08:11:00.002-05:00

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

2008-03-05T09:21:00.003-05:00

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)

2008-03-05T09:11:00.004-05:00

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

2008-03-05T09:06:00.002-05:00

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

2008-03-04T13:36:00.003-05:00

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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2008-03-03T13:59:00.005-05:00

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Tragedy took the lives of 2 selfless young pals

2008-03-03T08:00:00.001-05:00

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

2008-03-03T07:57:00.001-05:00

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.

The Soprano State

2008-02-29T08:14:00.005-05:00

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A Heavy heart: Two boys struck by van while skateboarding

2008-02-29T07:53:00.003-05:00

With sadness and heavy hearts, our thoughts and prayers go out to the Grame Preston(age12) and Kevin Clawson(age13) families. May the Lord bless them with peace and strength during at this time.
- - - - - - -

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — A combination of dark clothing, a shadowy area between two streetlights and a pair of skateboarders who were "significantly into the roadway" were factors in the traffic accident that led to the two township boys' deaths, police said Thursday.

Graeme Preston, 12, of Route 79 died of his injuries late Thursday afternoon at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, authorities said. Kevin Clawson, 13, of Koenig Lane was pronounced dead Wednesday night at Centra-State Medical Center in Freehold Township shortly after the 6 p.m. accident, police said.

No charges are expected to be filed in a case that has underscored the twin dangers of skateboarding in the street and wearing dark clothing on the road at night, police said.

"The preliminary investigation supports a finding that this collision was accidental," Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin said. "There was no evidence of alcohol involvement or speeding, but of course we are continuing our investigation."

The boys had been skateboarding on Bar Harbor Road between Sabina Terrace and Burki Place and were in the road when they were hit, said police Lt. Dean Smith, who commands the township's traffic unit. Police described the street as well-lit with both curbing and sidewalks.

Police said the driver of the minivan, Frederick C. Eckhardt, 84, of Edgewood Drive, Freehold, was shaken up but uninjured. There was no indication that he failed to control his vehicle or that his actions contributed to the crash, investigators said after an accident reconstruction team's work at the scene.

Driver wasn't speeding

"Speed was not a factor here," Smith said. "He was doing the posted 35 mph speed limit, if that. The problem is that the kids were skateboarding in the street and they were wearing dark clothing. He just didn't see them, and under the circumstances that's understandable."

It is also possible that only one of the boys was wearing a helmet, Smith said.

"We recovered a helmet at the scene. At this point we don't know if it was being worn by either of the boys," Smith said.

Bar Harbor Road, a residential street, is not an area where police have received complaints about skateboarders in the street, police Capt. James Lasky said.

Smith said studies by the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety have shown that black and blue clothing are the hardest to see at night. A chart prepared by the department said a night-time driver would first see a pedestrian in dark-colored clothing at about 55 feet away. That might give a driver as little as one second of reaction time, studies show.

Skateboarding is allowed on streets as long as the skaters keep to the right, wear helmets and follow the rules of the road, Lasky said.

"The problems come when they can't be seen or dart into the middle of the roadway," Lasky said. "We don't know if that happened here, but we have had complaints about that from other people at different times. A lot of times kids don't realize how hard they can be to see at night and how long a car needs to stop."

School comes together

The boys were seventh-graders at Dwight D. Eisenhower School, said William Setaro, Freehold Township schools superintendent.

He said each teacher was given a short prepared statement to read to their homerooms Thursday, and grief counselors were present, focusing on students' and staff's "feelings, fears and concerns."

"Our teachers will be trying to run a normal day," he said, noting that "what I think is amazing is that the entire school community is coming together."

Although police emphasized that speed was not an issue in the accident, those who live along Bar Harbor Road said, generally, the 35 mph speed limit on that stretch is too fast for the internal street in the Juniper Farms development.

The speed limit has been an issue during the three decades that Sharon Kurczeski, 64, and her husband, Charles, 68, have lived on the road.

"We have tried everything to get this reduced, while our kids were growing up, to no avail," Sharon Kurczeski said.

Richard and Kathryn Lindquist, who live next-door to the Kurczeskis and assisted at the accident scene, agreed the accident did not seem to be speed-related. But Richard Lindquist, 61, said traffic speed has been an issue during the 20 years they have lived there.

With the accident, "maybe this will make some needed changes," Kathryn Lindquist said.

Staff writers Joseph Sapia and Kim Predham contributed to this story.

NJ at its best: Housing Authority chief Mary Jo Grauso gets bonus after serving suspension...

2008-02-28T23:19:00.003-05:00

LAKEWOOD — Five months after returning from a 60-day unpaid suspension for giving no-bid contracts to a boyfriend, Housing Authority chief Mary Jo Grauso was awarded a $4,000 bonus Tuesday on top of the standard 3 percent (you godda love it!)

Authority commissioners defended the raise and bonus, which totaled about $7,000, as a reward well-earned by a director whose misstep, while severe, should be put in the context of an otherwise accomplished career. Grauso's base salary is now $109,545 annually.

"We are a very high-performing agency that has succeeded in many areas we've never ventured into before, and it's because of the leadership we've had," Audrey Wise, authority chairwoman, said Wednesday. "How many times are we going to make her pay for her indiscretion?"

Still, the bonus, given after a performance evaluation, struck some as inappropriate, especially in light of the agency's history of controversy. Grauso's predecessor, Meir N. Hertz, stepped down as executive director six years ago following charges of income tax invasion, to which he pleaded guilty.

"Overall, Mary Jo has done a good job over the years, but she made a serious lapse in judgment and it sends the wrong message to now award her with a bonus," Mayor Raymond Coles said.

Township Committeeman Charles Cunliffe said he was surprised Grauso maintained her position after the violation, and was "shocked" to learn of the raise. The Township Committee appoints six of the seven commissioners but has no further control over the authority. The seventh member is appointed by the governor and is currently vacant.

One dissenting vote

In May, Grauso was suspended without pay for allowing her then-boyfriend, James Castaldo, and his Toms River construction company to continue refurbishing housing units managed by the authority after the cost of the work surpassed the $21,000 threshold after which competitive bids must be sought. Grauso, who served her 60-day suspension intermittently, returned to her authority post full-time in October.

Five commissioners voted unanimously Dec. 21 to approve the bonus. On Tuesday, the board put the bonus into effect, retroactive to Oct. 1. Marta Harrison, who was absent at the December meeting, was the only commissioner to cast a dissenting vote Tuesday.

"The violations leading up to the suspension were serious, and when taking them into account, overall a merit-based raise was inappropriate," Harrison said.

In the coming weeks, the Inspector General's Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which funds much of the authority's operations, will also be investigating Grauso's actions, according to Coles, who said he spoke with a HUD official.

Rene Febles, the inspector general's special agent in charge in Newark, said he could not confirm or deny an investigation.

Grauso could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Freehold: Superior Court employee altered checks

2008-02-28T23:14:00.001-05:00

A finance clerk working for the state Superior Court in Monmouth County has been charged with theft and official misconduct for altering checks collectively worth more than $18,000, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office said Tuesday.

Lisa Morton, 41, of Freehold was arrested Feb. 15 and released on her own recognizance, Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin said. She had been a court employee for more than 20 years and was most recently a supervisor assigned to the court's finance division in Ocean Township, the Prosecutor's Office said.

Prosecutor's detectives began investigating the alleged check-altering in December, Valentin said. Investigators allege Morton altered 23 checks totaling $7,553 and deposited them into her personal bank account, he said. Another 20 checks, totaling $11,280, were also altered, but not cashed due to a stop-payment order, he said.

"Morton violated the trust of her superiors and the fiduciary responsibility that she owed to the people of the state," Valentin said. "This constituted a significant breach of her duties as a public servant."

Valentin said the scheme came to light when the Trial Court Administrator's Office spotted irregularities and called the Prosecutor's Office.

Official misconduct is a second-degree crime and carries a maximum prison term of 10 years upon conviction, the Prosecutor's Office said. The theft and attempted theft are third-degree crimes, and each carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison upon conviction, prosecutors said.

The New Jersey Criminal Code lists a presumption of incarceration for second-degree criminal convictions. Third-degree crimes do not carry that presumption, according to the code, and probation is generally recommended for people who are convicted of those crimes and do not have prior criminal records, prosecutors said.

Morton was fired on Dec. 14, 2007, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

Manalapan: Teacher admits drinking at Pinebrook school

2008-02-28T23:11:00.001-05:00

PLEA DEAL: Substitute faces 5 years in prison, must forfeit teaching license

A substitute teacher who showed up in a Manalapan elementary school drunk pleaded guilty to a lone charge of endangering the welfare of a child and will forfeit her teaching license as part of her plea agreement.

Mary J. Kaminski, 54, of Eagle Way, Middletown, admitted to Superior Court Judge Francis P. DeStefano she had started drinking alcohol on the morning of Dec. 5, 2007, and that she arrived drunk to sit in a fourth-grade classroom at Pine Brook Elementary School in Manalapan.

Kaminski admitted she put the kids at risk of harm by her actions.

Kaminski was called in to the Pine Brook Elementary School to fill in for an absent teacher, but her bizarre behavior in the classroom prompted several students to seek out school Principal Michael D'Anna.

The students reported Kaminski fell out of her chair, had difficulty in getting up and was generally acting erratically. He immediately went to the room to investigate.

The subsequent investigation found that Kaminski had hidden the alcohol in a coffee mug that she carried around the classroom.

Kaminski became a certified elementary school teacher for students from prekindergarten through eighth-grade in New Jersey in 1986 through a reciprocal agreement with another state and recently retired from a school in New Jersey.

Kaminski faces five years in prison when she appears for sentencing on May 23. She remains free on $25,000 bail.

Middletown: Ex-Assembly member had 3 liquor licenses when 2 was limit

2008-02-28T23:07:00.004-05:00

APP article

With the approval of the township, former state Assemblyman Joseph Azzolina illegally owned three liquor licenses for several years, a violation of state regulations, according to court documents released Wednesday.

Azzolina, who acquired the third license in 1999, received approval every year from the Township Committee until 2005, according to the documents. State regulations limit the number of liquor licenses a person or company can own at two.

On Wednesday, state Superior Court ruled against Azzolina, who had sought to sell the third license as a way to comply with state regulations.

The court ruled that Azzolina cannot be allowed to sell something he should not have been allowed to own in the first place.

"A seven-year ownership of a third license is not a mere technical violation," the court wrote, "but rather, a long-term, persistent violation of one of the chief evils the Legislature intended to prohibit."

Two of the licenses were listed under the name of Circus Liquors, Inc. while a third was listed under the name of Food Circus Supermarkets of Middletown, Inc. The stockholders of both companies were identical, according to court documents.

One of the licenses was never used, according to the documents.

Azzolina referred questions to his attorney, Larry S. Loigman of Middletown.

Loigman contends that Middletown provided Azzolina with "incorrect information" about the legality of his owning three licenses.

In an appeal brief quoted in Wednesday's court decision, Loigman alleges that Middletown denied renewing Azzolina's third license in 2005 after the former assemblyman publicly opposed the reappointment of William F. Dowd as chairman of the Monmouth County Republican Party in 2004.

Dowd is the law partner of Bernard Reilly, Middletown's attorney.

"There isn't any question about that," said Loigman of the connection between the two events.

Loigman's allegations are "absolutely not true," Reilly said. The township's clerk's office, which Reilly said was in charge of reviewing the details of liquor license renewal requests, did not realize that Azzolina owned three licenses until 2005, he said.

"This is not some massive conspiracy," Reilly said. "When it became known, there was no other choice than to do what was done."

The court's decision on Wednesday essentially means that Azzolina's third license ceases to exist, Loigman and Reilly said.

Azzolina has until March 18 to decide whether to appeal the court's decision to the state Supreme Court, Loigman said.

Assembly lawmakers advance plan for paid work leave

2008-02-28T23:04:00.001-05:00

APP article

TRENTON — A Democratic-led effort to make New Jersey the third state to
let workers take paid leave from work to care for a sick relative or newborn child
received a boost Thursday, much to the displeasure of businesses and Republicans.

The Assembly Labor Committee voted 6-2 to approve legislation giving workers six weeks paid leave, marking the first time Assembly lawmakers advanced the paid leave measure.

Legislators have tried to get the measure into law for years, but this proposal
hadn't received Assembly consideration amid worry paid leave could hurt businesses.

The bill is now set for a Monday Senate vote and further Assembly consideration.
Democrats control the Assembly and the Senate.

Robert Serrano, of Cumberland County, recalled how he spent months traveling to a Philadelphia hospital to visit his wife as she was treated for leukemia. He worked nights as a grocery clerk and got by, he said, on two-hour naps. Though he wanted to spend more time with his wife, he said he had to continue working to maintain health insurance.

"It just got so overwhelming sometimes," Serrano said.

His wife died in February 2006, and Serrano said he wished he could have taken paid leave from his job to spend more time with her.

"This legislation is about giving families time to bond," said Senate Majority
Leader Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester. "It's about giving them time to care for their loved ones."

But the New Jersey Business & Industry Association noted how Thursday's hearing came as employment data released this week showed the state added just 3,700 jobs last year — the worst since 2003 — and lost 9,200 private-sector jobs in January, the worst month in five years.

"This is the wrong bill at the wrong time," NJBIA President Philip Kirschner said.

California allows workers to take up to six weeks paid leave under a 2004 law, while Washington will allow workers to take five weeks paid leave as of October 2009.

Since 1993, federal law has allowed workers in businesses with at least 50 employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave.

The New Jersey leave would be paid through a payroll deduction that legislative
officials estimate would cost workers about $33 per year. Workers who take leave would get two-thirds of their salary, up to $502 per week.

"For $33 a year, this is the best social insurance program that money could buy,"
said Charles Wowkanech, president of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO, which is among the labor unions backing the plan.

But Assemblyman Michael Doherty, R-Warren, said the $33 per year cost was simply a new tax.

"We will lose more jobs and the very people this bill purports to help will, in
reality, be harmed by its cascading negative effects," said Assemblyman Jay Webber, R-Morris.

State Labor Commissioner David Socolow, who along with Gov. Jon S. Corzine backs the proposal, has estimated 38,000 New Jersey workers annually would take paid leave. New Jersey has 4.1 million workers.

Sharpe James: just another criminal defendant in federal court

2008-02-28T09:21:00.002-05:00

APP article
For 20 years, Sharpe James wielded immense power as mayor of New Jersey's largest city, a political boss who eventually held a dual role as a state senator.

But Tuesday, he will be just another criminal defendant in federal court as he begins the first of two federal corruption trials.

While Newark is moving forward without James, a lot is at stake for the 72-year-old former power broker, notably his legacy and his pension — not to mention the chance of years in prison if he's convicted.

"He happens to be a larger-than-life figure," said Alan Zegas, one of James' attorneys. "He has done an enormous amount for the city in a very public way."

Today's Newark is laden with projects championed by James, including the decade-old New Jersey Performing Arts Center and the Prudential Center, a hockey arena that opened in October after James' longtime support.

But his actions, called corrupt by prosecutors, will also be aired in public, over two trials that are likely to last several months each.

The first trial centers on whether he arranged for the sale of nine city-owned properties at discounted rates to Tamika Riley, a woman nearly half his age with whom he traveled. Prosecutors said they will present evidence to show the two had an intimate personal relationship.

Prosecutors said James improperly steered properties to Riley, 38, and that she, with James' help, quickly resold them at much higher prices. Riley was able to buy the properties though she lacked real estate, construction and financial experience to rehabilitate the properties, according to the indictment.

Riley raised and donated campaign money for James and traveled internationally with him, enjoying vacations and meals partly funded by city credit cards, the indictment charged. She will stand trial with him for land fraud charges only.

After being indicted in July, James and Riley pleaded not guilty to all charges and are free on bail. Prosecutors have said they expect the first trial to last as long as three months, with 40 to 50 witnesses expected.

Jury selection, which Zegas said he expects to take between one and two weeks, begins Tuesday.

The first trial likely won't have the salacious details of the second, where James is accused of using city-issued credit cards to pay for $58,000 worth of personal expenses while he was mayor, including trips with several women other than his wife, to Martha's Vineyard, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Rio de Janeiro.

The charges in the first trial are more serious because he is accused of abusing his office to provide Riley with unfair financial gain, said Robert A. Mintz, a former federal prosecutor with U.S. attorney's office in Newark

"This is the case that really matters to prosecutors," he said. "This is the case that goes to the heart of the government's allegations of corruption. That's why we're seeing it tried first."

Under federal advisory guidelines, James could face seven to eight years in prison if he is convicted on all counts. But a judge could impose a much stiffer penalty — as much as 20 years on some individual counts.

The trials will open a window into the inner workings of City Hall, which James ran from 1986 to 2006 before deciding not to seek a sixth term. He also served as a state senator from 1999 to January 2008, when he left office after not seeking re-election.

The trials could overshadow James' accomplishments as mayor, said Clement Alexander Price, a professor of history at the Newark campus of Rutgers University.

"For some people, Sharpe James will always be remembered as the most significant mayor after the near collapse of Newark in 1967," he said, referring to the city's deadly riots. "He helped to stabilize the city. His articulate rhetoric of optimism was infectious."

While the charges are severe, Price said they are "small potatoes" compared to other urban mayoral corruption cases.

"They strike me as more clumsiness on his part than deeply endowed corruption, like on the scale of the Addonizio administration or the boss Hague years," he said. Hugh J. Addonizio, who was Newark mayor in the 1960s, was convicted of extortion and conspiracy and served five years of a 10-year prison sentence; Frank Hague, a boss of Jersey City for much of the first half of the 20th century, never went to jail.

James is at least the fourth former Newark mayor to be charged with wrongdoing in the last 70 years. Only one, Addonizio, has gone to prison.

James Trial Jury Selection Enters Day Three

2008-02-28T09:17:00.001-05:00

The methodical process of whittling down an initial jury pool of 150 people continued at federal court in Newark on Tuesday in the first of two corruption trials of former Newark mayor and State Senator Sharpe James. Judge William Martini quizzed potential jurors in small groups and individually on an array of issues with the aim of determining whether they can be impartial and block out all they've heard in the news media about the high profile case.

Those jurors who pass the first round of questioning aren't guaranteed a seat on the jury. Prosecutors and defense attorneys will individually have an opportunity to challenge each juror in the final part of the process to seat 12 with seven alternates.

Some would-be jurors made it clear they could not serve. Juror #4 (all prospective jurors are identified by number in the courtroom) told Judge Martini he had a "jaded attitude about politicians" and that he could try to be impartial, but it would be "a stretch." The Hoboken resident was excused. So was an Irvington woman, juror #28, who said she'd have a hard time being fair because her father cheated on her mother. Prosecutors allege James' co-defendant Tamika Riley was his mistress, although that specific information was not detailed to potential jurors during the selection process.

James, 72, is charged with abusing his power by arranging for the sale of nine city-owned properties at discounted rates to Riley, 38. Prosecutors allege she then sold them for big profits.

Jury selection commences in ex-mayor's corruption trial

2008-02-28T09:12:00.000-05:00

Federal prosecutors and defense attorneys for former Newark mayor and state Sen. Sharpe James will begin questioning potential jurors today in their effort to select 12 jurors and seven alternates to hear corruption charges against him.

James, who as leader of New Jersey's largest city for 20 years and a state senator for nine wielded enormous political influence, appeared subdued in court Tuesday as he began the first of two federal corruption trials.

The usually talkative politician declined to comment on the case, saying little to reporters besides "good morning" as he entered the courthouse Tuesday, just blocks from City Hall, his longtime base of power.

James, 72, is charged with five corruption counts, including conspiracy and fraud. His co-defendant, Tamika Riley, 38, faces those charges as well as eight others, including tax evasion. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Under federal sentencing guidelines, James could face seven to eight years in prison if he is convicted on all counts. But a judge could impose a much stiffer penalty — as much as 20 years on some individual counts.

Prosecutors have said they expect the first trial to last as long as three months, with 40 to 50 witnesses expected.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge William J. Martini spent nearly 30 minutes explaining the case to potential jurors, introducing the defendants and their attorneys and summarizing the pending charges.

Attorneys reviewed responses from 131 prospective jurors who filled out questionnaires. They were asked to answer 38 questions submitted by prosecutors and defense attorneys. The questions addressed issues ranging from newspaper reading habits and occupations to whether jurors believed they could judge the facts of the case without bias.

Senator Jennifer Beck says Fox should not be leading the BPU

2008-02-28T09:00:00.003-05:00

State Senate Judiciary Committee Member Furious Over Plan to Keep Jeanne Fox as President of the BPU

The good news is that Fox must be confirmed by the committee to be re-appointed

A member of the State Senate Judiciary Committee is strongly criticizing Governor Corzine's decision to re-appoint Jeanne Fox to a new six year term as President of the Board of Public Utilities.

Senator Jen Beck says Fox should not be leading the BPU because she's under investigation for "taking some 83 million dollars off-budget, and using that money to hand out grants to what seemed to be politically connected people…both the Feds and the State are investigating this - they've had some difficulty because she shredded many of the record that were associated with that grant giving."

Beck says another problem with re-appointing Fox is that "she's in the middle of a whistle blower lawsuit, and she has been politicizing the BPU with a number of patronage jobs."

A spokeswoman for the BPU says "unfortunately, Senator Beck appears to be unfamiliar with the BPU's accomplishments under President Fox's leadership, and to have relied upon factual errors to form her opinions…President Fox looks forward to speaking directly with the Senate Judiciary Committee on her full record of achievement, answering any questions on that record, and talking about why she is a prudent choice for shepherding New Jersey's utility policies."

Passaic County: Freeholder cites threat of charges in budget vote

2008-02-26T08:59:00.002-05:00

BY PAUL BRUBAKER

Passaic County Freeholder Terry Duffy said he felt pressured to support a $10 million budget fix because of the county counsel's warning in December of possible criminal charges and a government shutdown.

But exactly what County Counsel William Pascrell III said at the Dec. 11 closed-door meeting is disputed among the freeholders. Meanwhile, Pascrell won't release transcripts and recordings of the meeting, citing attorney-client privilege.

County taxpayers will have to pay back the $10 million, plus interest, in the 2008 tax levy, which has been projected to increase about $25 million. Average cost per property owner will be known when the county's 2008 budget is introduced on March 11.

Duffy said he originally intended to vote against the resolution to borrow $10 million to replace revenue expected from the failed golf course sale. Duffy's opposition would have killed the measure.

But Duffy changed his mind after Pascrell's warnings of possible criminal charges and a likely government shutdown.

"I recall being told that we really don't have a choice," Duffy said in a recent interview. "Bottom line was that we'd be skirting our obligations. We really had no recourse. It was mandated actually from the [state] Local Finance Board director. I'm not here to violate the law."

The measure passed in a 5-2 vote, with Freeholders James Gallagher and Bruce James dissenting. The state's Local Budget Law requires a two-third majority of the seven-member board on emergency appropriations.

Other freeholders described the closed discussion as "intense" and "very heated," but no one else contacted on Monday recalled Pascrell advising that they were on the verge of committing a crime.

"I presented an alternative," Gallagher said, "staff reductions."

Freeholder Elease Evans said she distinctly remembered the possibility of county government closing.

"If it didn't go through, we had no alternative," said Evans, who was freeholder director at the time. "What else would we do other than close the doors?"

Earlier in December, a state appeals court had blocked sale of the county golf course, leaving a $10 million gap in the 2007 county budget. The freeholders' agenda on Dec. 11 indicated that the $10 million appropriation was ordered by state Division of Local Government Services. The $10 million was raised through short-term borrowing that must be paid back this year, with interest, with county taxes.

Pascrell would not comment Monday on whether he advised the freeholders that rejecting the resolution was a crime because the closed session was protected by attorney-client privilege. He repeated a statement he made that the memo from the Division of Local Government Services was tantamount to a court order.

"It's an administrative determination by the executive branch [of state government] for the freeholders," Pascrell said. "The agency was responding to the appellate decision and they were directing the freeholders to act. Had they not acted they would have suffered the consequences."

Monmouth County: County to oust department head

2008-02-26T08:52:00.001-05:00

Monmouth County government officials have decided to oust the head of the Shade Tree Department from the $78,000-per-year job when the position comes up for reappointment in two weeks — though Middletown resident Gary Lovallo said the department “made significant strides” in the two years he was superintendent.

(Now we’ll see who gets the job, and for how much… Thomas Aumack is “the acting” super. Now lets see if he gets the permanent spot, and if there’s any “family” involved…)

“When they brought me in, they said they wanted to get rid of the country club attitude and make the department more businesslike,” Lovallo said. “I guess that rubbed people the wrong way.”

Lovallo would not elaborate except to say the changes he implemented, which he said included a new computer inventory of trees on county properties, were designed to lead to “a more efficient operation.”

Neither county Public Works Director John W. Tobia, who oversees the Shade Tree Department, nor county spokesman William K. Heine would comment on why Lovallo is being dismissed.

“Gary Lovallo is not being reappointed. That’s all I can say about that,” said Heine, noting the subject was “a personnel matter.”

Lovallo said, “I’m not really contesting anything. I want to move on, though I believe I wasn’t given a fair shake on a lot of things.”

Lovallo also has a business, Consulting Municipal Foresters Inc., based in Old Bridge.

Thomas Aumack has been named acting superintendent of the Shade Tree Department, which maintains the trees along 400 miles of county roadways and at Brookdale Community College and throughout the Monmouth County Park System when requested.

Lovallo said he supervised 33 people in carrying out routine trimming, hazardous tree removals, insect and disease control, tree replacement and capital planting projects.

In April 2007, Monmouth County became the 17th county in the nation to be given a “Tree City USA” designation by the National Arbor Day Foundation.

Bob Jordan: (732) 308-7755, bjordan@app.com

Gov. Corzine's Approval Ratings continue falling.

2008-02-26T08:01:00.005-05:00

" Just one in four voters (25%) say the state is headed in the right direction, the lowest percentage since November 2005 just before Governor Jon Corzine's was elected." says Fairleigh Dickinson University-PublicMind pollster Peter Woolley.

65% say the state is off on the wrong track.
54% of Democrats agree the state is on the wrong track as do four of five Republicans (80%).

Woolley explains, "In part, those dismal numbers reflect that the governor himself is emphasizing that the state is on the wrong track."

"The governor's approval rate continues to drift down with 42% approving and 43% disapproving," says Woolley and that's a 17-poinjt negative swing, "In early January he was way ahead with 48-32% approving." Those who heard "some" or "a great deal" about the governor's toll plan split with 41% approving of him and 45% disapproving. Those who've heard "little" or "none" about the financial plan approve of the governor by 44%-30%. Woolley says, "There's no way to untangle those two things."

"One in four (27%) say the governor is doing a "poor" job, up 10 percentage points from early January before his State-of-the-State speech," says Woolley. 33% rate his performance as "good" or "excellent," down from 36% in early January and from 42% in late October just before the state's legislative elections. Those who use the New Jersey Turnpike or Garden State Parkway to commute to work are more likely (33%-23%) to rate the governor's performance as "poor" than other commuters. Woolley adds, "There's no doubt the governor's proposal for raising tolls has taken a bite out of his public standing…..Considering the beating he has taken on his toll plan, it's remarkable his numbers are not a good deal worse."

"64% of New Jersey voters now say they oppose the governor's plan to raise tolls to facilitate a fiscal restructuring, up five percentage points from late January," says Woolley. 28% say they support the plan, down five percentage points from a few weeks ago.

It's not very difficult to figure out what the voters want. Asked which budget option they would support, 51% say "make very steep budget cuts" while 20% say raise tolls, 9% say raise the gas tax and 8% say raise the income tax. Woolley explains, "Budget cuts are easier said than don….after the governor lays out those cuts, there will be no shortage of well-informed and well-organized lobbies opposing those budget reductions that affect their people."

The poll of 795 New Jersey registered voters statewide was conducted from February 18 through February 24 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.

By Kevin McArdle - Millenium Radio - 101.5fm

Toms River: Central Regional budget would raise taxes in 3 of 5 member towns

2008-02-26T07:48:00.003-05:00

School taxes will go up in three of the five towns that make up the Central Regional school district under the $33,610,093 budget for 2008-09 introduced tonight by the Board of Education.

A public hearing on the budget, which includes a tax levy of $25,796,028 -- up $941,401 over the previous year -- is scheduled for 6 p.m. March 27.

Superintendent David Trethaway said that despite the increase, the district is below what the state considers an adequate level of funding.

"Our budget is $4.1 million less than what the state considers the local fair share,'' he said. "The major cost drivers in the budget are pension contributions, health benefits, utilities and gasoline, and out-of-district placement for sixth-graders entering the middle school. That gives us an increase of $1.5 million.''

Trethaway explained that the finance committee was able to make about $700,000 in cuts by cutting back on purchases.

For example, he said that English textbooks will be replaced in stages, as will computers.

"We're not cutting staff or programs and we won't be adding any, either,'' he said.

The proposed spending plan calls for tax hikes in Berkeley, Seaside Heights and Seaside Park, said Craig A. Lorentzen, board secretary.

Taxes will go up 2.4 cents per $100 of assessed value in Berkeley to 66.4 cents, he said. The owner of a home valued at $108,600, the borough's average, would pay $26.11 more.

In Seaside Heights, the taxes would go up 3.2 cents per $100 of assessed value to 28.9 cents. The owner of a home valued at $310,300 would pay $588.49 more, Lorentzen said.

"The high number in Seaside Heights is due to the recent revaluation where the value of business properties, such as the Boardwalk, dropped, and the value of personal property increased,'' he said.

In Seaside Park, the tax rate will go up 1 cent to 54.3 cents per 100 of assessed value and the owner of a home valued at $335,512, the borough's average, would see an $81 increase in the annual regional school tax bill, he said.

Taxes would decrease slightly in Island Heights and Ocean Gate. Island Heights would see a 0.005-cent drop from 26.5 cents per $100 of assessed value to 26.1 cents and the owner of a home valued at $382,900 would pay $18.20 less.

In Ocean Gate, there would also be a 0.005 cent decrease from 35.7 cents last year to 35.1 cents this year. The owner of a home valued at $239,200, the borough's average, would pay $6.41 less in taxes.

Lorentzen said the district will eventually lose $309,000 in revenue due to the removal of senior stabilization aid from the new school funding formula adopted by the legislature unless efforts to restore the money are successful.

"We have the aid this year but we have to spread it out among all of the towns in the
district,'' he said. In past years, the aid, which was given because Berkeley has a high senior citizen population, was earmarked to help Berkeley residents.

Board members said they hope that residents will vote favorably on the budget this year.

"This budget is the soundest budget we are going to get under the circumstances,'' said board member Robert Ray.

Board member Keith Buscio noted that the budget was only going up 2.5 percent, which is below the consumer price index.

"It's so frustrating for us to have to be so thrifty. There are so many things we want to be able to do for our students but we can't,'' said board member Denise Pavone-Wilson.

"Take a look at our bleachers. They're falling apart,'' she said. "Some of the windows in the building are original.''

"We try to take care of the facilities every year but it's becoming harder and harder to do so when the budget is defeated and the money gets cut,'' Cheryl Mackenzie, the board president said.

Monmouth County Freeholders - more luctrative consulting contracts, no trimming yet.

2008-02-25T11:16:00.002-05:00

Monmouth County freeholders are on pace to equal or exceed last year's spending on lucrative contracts given to consultants and other professionals. Meanwhile, time is running out for the board if it will deliver on hinted cuts to a proposed $8.1 million tax levy increase.

The board will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday and is expected to act on the budget, which currently stands at $489 million. The budget was introduced Jan. 24, and board members since then have stated that reductions would be considered. No cuts have been made as of yet.

"As far as trimming the budget, we're doing things that people may not be aware of," said Freeholder Director Lillian G. Burry, a Republican.

Burry said it's "possible" reductions to line items will be made but declined to elaborate.

But the board largely hasn't altered how it does business with consultants and professional service firms or trimmed the amount of taxpayer dollars being paid out on those contracts.

On Feb. 14, the board approved spending $210,000 over the next year for two transportation consulting contracts. One of the contracts, which will send $120,000 to the firm run by Robert A. Roe, the former congressman, was unanimously approved. The board's Democrats said the county didn't need two transportation consultants, but they were outvoted by the board's three Republicans on the second contract, retaining Gibbons P.C. at $7,500 per month plus expenses.

In January, the board's Republicans rejected Democrat John D'Amico Jr.'s observation that some tasks in a financial consulting contract could be done at lower cost by in-house personnel, and the GOP votes carried the award of the maximum $80,000 contract to Public Resources Advisory Group to serve as the county's "general financial adviser." D'Amico wanted the board to award the contract at a reduced figure.

Such contracts are covered in the budget under a line item for "consulting and temporary outside services" charged to the freeholder board's account.

County Finance Director Mark E. Acker said $1.35 million is appropriated for that account in the proposed budget, equal to last year's amount. The board spent $1.274 million of that appropriation, Acker said.

"A couple of years back, the appropriation was $1.5 million, so it's come down," Acker said. "I wouldn't suggest to the freeholders that they lower it more, because you don't know what comes up in the course of a year. Of course, the money not spent stays here."

There are a number of similar accounts to hire professionals and consultants to assist with work in other departments, Acker said.

"If you add it up, it will come to several million dollars, but it's not a reliable figure for what is spent on consulting services, because there are other things included in that line item. For instance, money spent on nursing agencies is included in that account," Acker said.

Acker added, "Most people I've heard from are not unhappy with the budget, because they're not unhappy with the services they receive in return and the other benefits the county government provides."

But some residents say they are losing confidence that the budget will be slashed prior to its adoption.

The complete article is HERE

So Corzine... Time is up: Are you FOR US or AGAINST US?

2008-02-25T06:03:00.007-05:00

Governor Corzine still loves his Toll Hike Scheme and will not let it die easily. During tomorrow's state budget speech, he must make it look like the best alternative so beware the drastic budget cut recommendations he proposes. He likely paid a good consulting fee to the speech-writer (the same one that gave us "flying pigs") because this is do-or-die for his scheme (we all know it's all but dead).

However... did the Governor finally hear us, and is he ready to do the right thing? The only way to know for sure is if he looks at some real fat to trim before insulting us with threats to cut much needed services.

Some ideas for him:
Eliminate the state cars driven by those like Assemblyman Speaker Joe Roberts... or better yet: what about the McGreevey appointees - do you know our other bozo Governor mcGreevey even though he's long gone, these appointees never left?

What about all those politically connected outside lawyers Attorney General Anne Milgram continues to hire to do her work - and then some like defend the BPU on the whistyleblower case that she continues to hope just goes away ?

Time is up Governor... time to see if you're for us or against us!

IT WAS THE FLYING PIGS!! Governor looks to cut thousands of NJ jobs

2008-02-23T22:58:00.002-05:00

Star Ledger

Jon Corzine on Tuesday will become the first New Jersey governor in a decade to propose a state budget that cuts total spending, when he presents a plan that has no new taxes or fees, shrinks the state payroll by as many as 5,000 jobs and eliminates three departments, according to three individuals familiar with the budget.
Having pledged to keep total state expenses below the current $33.5 billion, the governor also will propose slashing state aid to towns and cities by about $100 million, and "charity care" funding for hospitals by as much as $200 million, according to the individuals, who requested anonymity because Corzine's plan had not been made public yet.
And while administration officials have said aid to school districts defined by New Jersey's school funding formula will increase by $530 million, overall school funding will be about the same as last year because of other reductions, not yet disclosed.

In addition, the spending plan will eliminate rebates to about 152,000 homeowners. Administration and legislative officials said last week homestead rebates would be limited to families making no more than $150,000 instead of the current $250,000 limit. The nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services estimates that move will save more than $100 million.
Rebate amounts are expected to remain about the same. They averaged $1,051 for homeowners and $303 for renters last year.
Not since Gov. Christie Whitman proposed a slightly downsized budget in her re-election year in 1997 has a governor sought less spending than the year before. Last year, Corzine recommended a $2.4billion increase, and the budget he signed in June padded that by $200 million.
Like most of his speeches, the governor's third budget address has been written by Corzine himself, though aides helped fine-tune it. In keeping with the gravity of the occasion, the speech to be delivered in the Assembly chambers will be short and direct.
In his State of the State address last month, the Democratic governor, who faces re-election next year, vowed to freeze spending as part of a broad strategy to put state finances on sounder footing. He also called for new long-term controls on future spending and borrowing.
Corzine's complex plan to halve the state's debt and create a pot of cash for decades' worth of road projects has included a sharp increase in road tolls. But Corzine conceded last week the toll plan needs major retooling to have any chance to pass the Legislature.
The proposed budget does not include the estimated $600 million in savings the governor's tolls-for-debt plan would bring, the sources said.
The proposed budget would produce big savings by laying off about 1,000 state workers and offering incentives for 3,000 to 4,000 already eligible for retirement to leave this year. The total job cuts would come on top of the 1,850 net positions eliminated by Corzine since he took office two years ago. The full-time payroll now stands at 68,430.
The source confirmed the departments of Personnel, Agriculture and Commerce all face the ax, though the administration has not yet decided where their essential functions would be transferred.
Municipal officials are expecting to be one of the biggest casualties of the budget, which now funnels nearly $2 billion to the state's 566 municipalities. In addition to plans to reduce that amount by about $100 million, Corzine will propose cutting a $75 million inflationary adjustment that municipal representatives say they deserve under state law.
William Dressel, executive director of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, said the combined cut would be "unprecedented" in scope and lead to either higher property taxes or layoffs of police, firefighters and other municipal personnel.
"It will have a catastrophic impact," he said. "It's a perfect budget storm, and the people who are going to take it on the chin are going to be the property taxpayers."
Such a reduction in state aid could force big cuts on the local level because Corzine last year signed a law seeking to prevent towns from raising property taxes by more than 4 percent.
Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex) said that while cuts are inevitable, lawmakers will try to ease the pain where possible. The Democratic-controlled Legislature must adopt a final budget by July 1.
"If anyone thinks all of the cuts are going to be restored, they are wrong," Codey said. "That doesn't mean the ones that affect people the most we won't try every way possible to restore them, especially the ones that hit the middle class and the poor the most."

Hospital officials and their legislative defenders were equally nervous about a reduction of "charity care" aid in the range of $200 million. This year, 51 hospitals and hospital systems received $716 million.
Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex), chairman of the Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, said he expects any major reduction would be "fundamentally harmful" and could trigger more hospital closures. Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center in Plainfield last week became the fifth hospital in recent months to announce plans to close.
Vitale said that within a month he intends to introduce legislation that would revamp and try to stabilize state hospital funding as part of a plan to provide universal health insurance. "We will be working overtime to try to address this issue now," he said.

To keep the budget below the present $33.5 billion level, the governor would have to offset the school funding increase, rising pension and health care costs, salaries, debt payments and other costs where growth is locked in. That would mean slashing more than $2 billion in expenses elsewhere.
Lilo Stainton, the governor's spokeswoman, said Corzine will outline a plan "that reduces spending by billions. The budget will be austere -- it will reduce the size of state government, but also seek to protect property taxpayers and society's most vulnerable as much as possible."

Joseph Doria, commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs, said his department already is feeling pinched by the loss of 140 positions since Corzine took office two years ago. For example, the former Assembly speaker said, while there is a new law requiring the DCA to inspect single- and two-family homes for lead contamination, a hiring freeze prevents the department from employing the 25 to 30 inspectors needed to enforce it.

Doria said while the public may be clamoring for budget cuts, they should prepare for fewer public services. "People want the services they believe the state should be doing, but they don't believe it costs money," he said.
Jeffrey Tittell, a lobbyist for the New Jersey Sierra Club chapter, said the Department of Environmental Protection "will collapse" if the governor continues to pare its payroll, which he said has shrunk by nearly 1,000 positions during the past decade.

While some are gearing up to fight the budget-slashing, Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean (R-Union) said Republican legislators are ready to help Democrats scale back the budget.
"We will support real cuts in government spending and we look forward on a bipartisan basis to find those cuts that are real and sustainable," he said.

As if we weren't already ticked off about Corzine's Toll Hike Scheme, wait till you read about the $500k a month he's still spending on it...

2008-02-22T13:27:00.008-05:00

Yep - that's right! Our Jersey Republicans recently unearthed that our beloved Financial Genius of a Governor has spent $4 million on legal fees to firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meager and Flem (I mean Flom - another likely part of the Corzine Cosa Nostra).

That's $4 million that according to State Senator Steve Oroho "makes no sense whatsoever to be spending so much money in legal fees "for a plan that 75 percent of the people say they're not for - to me, that's way, way, way too much money on something that obviously we don't have the money to begin with."
He goes on to say that if we do the math, it amounts to $500,000 per month. I don't know about you - but Ohoro is right when he says that the average taxpayer like you and I should ask ourselves: Hmmm.. would I pay $548 dollars an hour for an attorney? On top of that, would I have 30 outside lawyers work on a plan that 75% of the people don't want?

So far we're talking $4 million dollars and we're still not likely done with being billed for this fiasco.

Oroho and other republicans are calling for the State Comptroller to immediately review the situation - especially because the firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom may still be planning to bill the State for an additional 4 million dollars worth of work.

Matawan-Aberdeen Bd of Ed: What are you thinking hiring a P/T school chief?

2008-02-22T12:22:00.000-05:00

Matawan-Aberdeen Board of Education paid $18,500 tax dollars to a consultant to help them find a new superintendent, and this is the best they can do?? Am I missing something here?

After paying $18,500 to a consultant to help the district find a new school superintendent, you’d think the Matawan-Aberdeen Board of Education could do better than hiring a school chief who can work only part time for now. It’s not clear how many days Richard O’Malley will work in the district, but he will be available nights, weekends and holidays, he says. The students and staff of the seven-school, K-12 district deserve more leadership than that.

The board voted 6 to 3 last week to hire O’Malley, chief school administrator in Mountainside, at an annual salary of $173,000 when he is released from his duties in the Union County district. Until then, he will receive $750 a month. Board President Lawrence O’Connell said O’Malley’s skills and talents would be “a breath of fresh air” for Matawan-Aberdeen.

But a three-person board minority rightfully opposed the contract over O’Malley’s part-time status, which they said was ambiguous and didn’t specify his work schedule. They also asked whether he could address the district’s complex issues as a part-timer. Without more specifics, the district’s taxpayers should wonder whether they’re getting enough in return.

Teachers and parents also should question the wisdom of hiring a superintendent from a much smaller district. Mountainside is a K-8 district of about 700 students in two schools. Matawan-Aberdeen has about 3,900 students in seven schools. They also should ask the board why they gave such a long contract, four years, to a superintendent taking on his first large district. It certainly wasn’t in exchange for a lower salary. O’Malley’s annual pay will be about $23,000 higher than the salary of his predecessor, Bruce Quinn, who left in November after serving for five years. Quinn said he resigned, in part, because of disagreements with divided school boards.

The O’Malley hiring reflects that division. The board majority should address the concerns about his part-time status before those divisions deepen and undermine public confidence in the new superintendent.

Beck and Scanlon Reaching Out With Town Hall Meetings Of Ther Own

2008-02-22T09:53:00.003-05:00

Seeking input from us taxpayers on alternatives for fixing the budget crisis

With the almost universal rejection of Gov. Corzine's plan to raise tolls by up to 800 percent, few who attended a forum Thursday led by two harsh critics of the proposal thought the session was going to be a love fest.

But of the more than 100 people who came to Mahala F. Atchison Elementary School for the two-hour session — led by state Sen. Jennifer Beck and Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon, both R-Monmouth — several said they came searching for better solutions to the state's budget crunch.

Veronica Cozzi, a borough resident, wanted to know why the state couldn't sell New Jersey's horse racing tracks to private corporations. And Christopher Cast, also a borough resident, just wanted to know how he could continue to drive 40,000 miles a year on New Jersey's toll roads without going broke trying to make a living.

Beck and O'Scanlon said they have a solution: no increase in the state budget this year, make cuts in future budgets and restructure the way government business is done.

"If we do these three things, we think, we're going to come real close to solving our problems," O'Scanlon said.

In a presentation lasting about an hour, the lawmakers outlined their plan, which includes a two-thirds reduction in 1,300 "non-essential, political personnel" from the state's payrolls. That move would save an estimated $50 million, they said.

Beck and O'Scanlon also propose eliminating cost-of-living pay increases for state workers making more than $80,000, for an estimated savings of $116 million, and eliminating a sick leave injury program for state workers. Beck called the program redundant because those employees already are covered by worker's compensation laws. That move would save $2.5 million, according to the proposal.

Pension reforms

Beck and O'Scanlon also propose radical changes to the state pension system, such as eliminating benefits for part-time employees and allowing full-time employees to receive a pension from only one job. The pair estimated savings from those reforms could put $4 billion back into the state's coffers.

It was a message that was well received by those who attended.

"I think you're right on the mark with the spending cuts," said Duane Morrill, a Tinton Falls councilman, echoing the remarks of many who addressed the legislators. "We're all trying to do more with less. Why can't Trenton?"

Corzine wants to raise tolls to cut the state debt in half and fund transportation projects.

The governor's plan calls for forming a public benefit corporation to run the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike and Atlantic City Expressway. The corporation would increase tolls up to 800 percent, according to a schedule that would allow the state to borrow between $32 billion and $38 billion against toll revenue.

Of that, $16 billion will be used to pay off half the state debt and the rest to fund transportation projects and replenish the transportation trust fund, which runs out of money in 2011.

Corzine offered toll discounts of 20 to 25 percent for frequent drivers, funding commuter rail service to interior Ocean and Monmouth counties and widening and upgrading Route 9 as benefits.

"It will kill me," Cozzi said. "It'll hurt. It really will."

Zero support

But Bob Kelly of Oceanport isn't worried. With the entire Republican minority in the Legislature against the plan and no Democrats so far casting their lots with Corzine, the plan is nearly dead already, he said.

"The governor's plan is going to flop, flat out," Kelly said. "It's going to fail."

Earlier this week, both the Tinton Falls Board of Education and the Borough Council passed resolutions opposing Corzine's toll plan, adding to a growing number of municipalities lining up against it.

"The state needs to stop coming up with creative ways to tax us and start looking for new ways to cut spending," said Council President Michael Skudera during the forum.

Some lawmakers have suggested lesser toll increases, gasoline tax increases, massive spending cuts and not paying off state debt with toll money.

Cast, who spends a good amount of time on New Jersey's toll roads for his job, said the jury is still out on the plan outlined by Beck and O'Scanlon. But they were on the right track.

"If it involves cutting spending, I'm for it," Cast said.

NEXT TOWN HALLS:

Wed. Feb27th:

Hightstown HS 7:30 - 9:30

25 Leshin Lane, Hightstown NJ 08520

Tues Mar 4th:

Freehold Twp Senior Center 7:00 - 9:00

116 Jackson Mills Road, 07728

Keith Brown of APP reported on this story

LOOKS LIKE THE PIGS FLEW!! Corzine's Fiscal Restructuring Agenda: Shift From Near Dead "Toll Hike", To Budget Reduction

2008-02-22T09:45:00.005-05:00

According to three lawmakers, Tuesday's Budget presentation is going to call for a $250 million budget reduction in likely response to the Governor's "almost dead" toll hike scheme (Trenton finally heard our LOUD VOICES!!!)

Spending and borrowing restraints are two pieces of Corzine's "fiscal restructuring" agenda. But the governor conceded Thursday that his toll road plan, the centerpiece of his proposed financial fix, has little support and that he may have to settle for less than he originally set out to accomplish.

"I'm not conceding that it's dead. On the other hand, I'm a realist. I don't have 21 and 41 votes for this. I may not have any votes for this," Corzine said.

That plan, which would sharply raise tolls in order to halve state debt and fund decades of transportation projects, needs 21 Senate votes and 41 Assembly votes to win approval. It has received a cold response from lawmakers and a skeptical public.

Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, said Corzine is now eyeing a roughly $250 million reduction in spending this coming year. Two other lawmakers, who asked for anonymity while discussing the governor's planning, confirmed that figure.

Corzine had previously pledged to hold spending flat, a move that alone requires more than $2 billion in spending cuts.

"We can only spend the revenues we have, and details of the plan will come on Tuesday," said Corzine spokeswoman Lilo Stainton.

Corzine said he still hopes to halve the state's $32 billion debt. But his comments Thursday focused more often on investing in state infrastructure, the second of the two prime goals in his toll plan.

"We may not get everything I want with regards to these issues, but if we get a long way down that path, I think we will have made real change, a real contribution to both the present and the future of this state," Corzine said.

He cited the importance of investing in bridges, highways and the state's mass transit system, and said "we will get as much as I can in restructuring the finances and hopefully the debt of the state."

In recent days, some lawmakers have embraced the prospect of using more moderate toll hikes, gas tax increases or a combination of the two to fund transportation projects.

Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, said Wednesday that tying toll increases to improvements on the toll roads would be an easier sell than Corzine's plan, which was criticized for, among other things, hitting up drivers of some roads to pay for statewide debts and transportation needs.

Corzine would not discuss details of his budget Thursday but hinted at going further than just freezing spending.

READ THE REST HERE

Manalapan asks Englishtown to help pay for recreation waivers

2008-02-21T15:18:00.001-05:00

MANALAPAN - The Manalapan summer recreation program will no longer pick up the cost of economic waivers for children from Englishtown who cannot pay the $500 registration fee.

Manalapan is asking Englishtown to cover the costs for children from that town who cannot pay to participate in the summer program.

Manalapan officials are still waiting to hear back from Englishtown representatives on a letter that was sent to the Englishtown Borough Council regarding economic waivers for the 2008 summer recreation program, according to Mayor Michelle Roth.

Roth was discussing the recent reorganization of the Manalapan Recreation Advisory Board when she noted that a letter which had been sent to Englishtown several months ago regarding the attendance of Englishtown youths at Manalapan's summer recreation program has gone unanswered.

Roth said it is only fair to expect Englishtown to contribute something toward the summer recreation program expenses.

"We welcome everyone into our summer program, however, the only waivers we will be continuing to consider will be for Manalapan residents. It's not fair to Manalapan taxpayers and really is the responsibility of the Englishtown Borough Council" to provide payment for Englishtown children who cannot afford to pay for the recreation program, she said, adding, "We are anxiously awaiting a response from Englishtown."

READ THE REST HERE

Manalapan: Mayor Michelle Roth updates on the Woodward Road Project

2008-02-21T15:05:00.007-05:00

Road work is now estimated to be completed by the end of July

Mayor Michelle Roth provided an update at the Feb. 13 Township Committee meeting regarding the ongoing improvements to Woodward Road. According to Roth, because of recent favorable weather conditions the project is currently ahead of schedule.

Officials had stated in recent weeks that improvements on Woodward Road would keep the portion of the street that lies between Millhurst and Daum roads closed until the end of August.

Last week Roth said the work may be completed by the end of July.

The mayor said there had been some concern about keeping the schedule due to an "unforeseen utility conflict, but we were able to resolve that very quickly."

She said it is important for the builder, Hovnanian, and the township to complete the Woodward Road improvements as quickly as possible. Hovnanian is making the improvements in conjunction with the development of housing along Woodward Road.

According to Roth, there has been a threshold established on the number of building permits that will be issued until the road work is completed. The schedule will also affect the issuance of certificates of occupancy on completed construction.

Another planned road improvement project, this one at the intersection of Iron Ore and High Bridge roads, is not moving as quickly, but that does not mean the project has been halted, according to township engineer Greg Valesi.

Valesi said he has met with residents who will be affected by the road project in order to hear their concerns.

According to Valesi, the planned road improvements require Manalapan to acquire about 10 feet of frontage from some Iron Ore Road and High Bridge Road residents in order to make the needed improvements.

"It looks like it will be a minimal amount of land we'll need to acquire on both of those roads," he said.

However, the township may need to acquire more than 10 feet on what is referred to as Little Mount Vernon Road in order to make the intersection improvements at Iron Ore and High Bridge roads, he said.

According to Valesi, residents of Little Mount Vernon Road voiced concern because the potential exists for Manalapan to have to acquire more than 10 feet on their properties.

Valesi said he will examine the possibility of revising the conceptual sketches in an attempt to mitigate the residents' concerns.

The planned improvements to the intersection that is just outside of Englishtown where Mount Vernon, Iron Ore and High Bridge roads come together have been under discussion and in the planning stages for about five years. Coming from Route 33, the intersection is on a curve in Iron Ore Road and drivers must slow down and navigate a large hump to get onto High Bridge Road and head into Englishtown.

BY KATHY BARATTA Staff Writer News Transcript

Marlboro: Council will appropriate funding for Property revaluation

2008-02-21T14:59:00.002-05:00

Project will assign new assessments to Marlboro properties

The Marlboro Township Council has introduced an ordinance to authorize a special emergency appropriation of funds that will be used to pay a firm to conduct a revaluation of all properties in Marlboro.

The ordinance is expected to have a public hearing, second reading and vote for adoption at the council's Feb. 21 meeting.

The revaluation of every property in Marlboro was ordered to be undertaken by the Monmouth County Board of Taxation in 2004, but has never occurred. The previous revaluation of the township was conducted in 1992.

The revaluation will result in every property being assessed at its current market value. The assessment of each parcel is used to determine the amount of taxes each property owner pays in municipal taxes, Marlboro school taxes, Freehold Regional High School District school taxes, Monmouth County taxes and other assessments.

READ THE REST HERE

Asselta’s qualifications … or lack thereof, received scant attention.

2008-02-21T11:58:00.006-05:00

What about his resume?

The Corzine Cosa Nostra hard at work…

The Senate Judiciary Committee did nothing to enhance public trust in government by holding a mere 14-minute hearing last week before unanimously advancing former Republican Sen. Nicholas Asselta’s nomination to the state Board of Public Utilities. Most of the time was spent questioning Asselta about a crucial vote he cast in favor of Gov. Corzine’s school funding proposal … one day before Corzine nominated him for the $125,301-a-year post.

Read the rest of this APP article RIGHT HERE

5 GOP candidates lining up for Monmouth County freeholder seats

2008-02-21T11:30:00.002-05:00

Five candidates, including incumbent Lillian G. Burry, are in the race so far to win Monmouth County Republican Party endorsements in this year's election for two freeholder seats.

Today is the deadline for any additional candidates to declare their intention to
meet with the party's screening committee, said party Chairman Adam Puharic.

The other seat at stake this year is held by Republican William C. Barham, who
announced two weeks ago he is not seeking reelection. Control of the freeholder board is at stake. Republicans currently hold a 3-2 majority.

Besides Burry, the other candidates for party endorsements are Red Bank Councilman John Curley, Holmdel Mayor Serena DiMaso, former Howell Planning Board member Russ Bohlin and Neptune resident Eileen Kean, director of government affairs for the Medical Society of New Jersey.

Puharic said about 20 members of the party's screening committee will meet with
candidates at party headquarters in Freehold on Saturday. The committee can then forward endorsements for one or both open freeholder seats to delegates at the party convention, scheduled for March 26 at the Middletown VFW.

By Bob Jordan

It’s about time: Starting March 1st, stiff penalties for drivers talking or texting on a hand held device

2008-02-21T09:34:00.001-05:00

In just a couple of weeks, New Jersey drivers who may be distracted by some electronic devices while behind the wheel will be facing stiffer penalties.

Starting March 1st, it will be a primary offense for drivers caught by police using hand-held cell phones to talk or text message while operating their vehicles. Speaking on Millennium Radio’s “Ask the MVC” Wednesday night, New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission chief administrator Sharon Harrington says the reason for the change is simple. “What you’re supposed to be doing when you’re behind the wheel is driving; paying attention to not only your actions and to the road in front of you, but to the drivers and the activities around you.”

Harrington says it’s so important to keep your eyes — and your attention — on the road. “Use your common sense! Use your head! You know it’s wrong. Any driving distraction is wrong!”

Harrington points out that the MVC and the state have been doing their part to get the word out. “We’ve been working with the law enforcement community. They’ve been strong partners in this, and we will continue to work with the Attorney General through the Law Enforcement Advisory Committee, to make sure that everyone is fully aware of the change in the law.”

A state study shows that as a secondary offense, over 45,000 tickets have been issued to those who were caught speaking on a hand-held cell phone while driving since 2004. With the violation now being upgraded to a primary offense, it means that police no longer need another reason to pull you over…if they catch you with your hand on the phone and off the wheel.

Violators of the new law would face a $100 fine for gabbing on a hand-held phone, and up to $250 if they’re caught texting.

Corzine's Public Benefit Corp all but dead thanks to "A Different Road"

2008-02-21T08:06:00.010-05:00

Corzine says the state is nearly broke: Wisniewski challenges that statement head-on:

"New Jersey maintains an "AA-' bond rating on Wall Street. "Goldman Sachs, who everybody would acknowledge is a world-class financial operation on Wall Street, shares exactly the same financial rating as the State of New Jersey," Wisniewski said. Corzine used to run Goldman Sachs.

Corzine's Public Benefit Corp is likely all but dead thanks to Assembly Transportation Committee chairman John Wisniewski's recommended plan.

Although the 18 cents gas tax hike may not be the ultimate answer, it does have a much more reasonable moderate Toll increase schedule and he does have the Trenton Legislators buzzing about it. The problem as I see it however, is that IT DOES NOT ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSE. In other words, there's nothing in the plan that calls for CUTTING spending (only freezing). Some Republican legislators, (preferably a newly elected official(s) like Scanlon/Casagrande/Beck?) need to submit another alternative that may incorporate "a modest" gas tax with across the board cuts.

Wisniewski's plan would not cut state debt, which is a key element of Corzine's proposal to raise tolls by roughly 800 percent by 2022 and by inflation from then on. Corzine has said reducing debt could save the state $1 billion a year in interest payments over the next decade.

But Wisniewski said his plan would more fairly spread the costs among all motorists.

"An 800-percent toll increase was going to fund transportation. I find that unacceptable," Wisniewski said.

He said Corzine's proposal would unfairly hit seven counties, including Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean, that rely on the state's toll roads while asking much less of the rest of the state. Wisniewski's alternative would roughly double tolls by 2018 and would direct the money raised back to projects on the toll roads.

Corzine's proposal would halve the state's $32 billion debt, at least temporarily, and fund up to 75 years of transportation projects.

Under Wisniewski's plan:

The gasoline tax would grow by 18 cents, with inflationary increases following to fund transportation projects.
On the Parkway, tolls would grow from 35 cents now to 75 cents in 2018. Corzine's plan would raise the same toll, in four installments, to $2.70 by 2022.
The Turnpike would see three 25-percent toll hikes in place of Corzine's four increases of 50 percent plus inflation. That means today's $1.20 average trip would cost $2.35 in 2018 under the Wisniewski proposal, compared with the $9.85 by 2022 called for by Corzine.
A 50-cent Expressway toll would become $1 by 2014, compared with $4.05 by 2022 under Corzine's plan.

Wisniewski also endorsed the same spending controls as Corzine, and even tighter restrictions on new borrowing.

"The governor is pleased that an active dialogue has emerged on how to put New Jersey on the path to fiscal responsibility while also recognizing the need to fund critical, long-term infrastructure improvements," Corzine spokeswoman Lilo Stainton said.

Other lawmakers react

A Democrat whose support is key to Corzine's plan, Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, applauded Wisniewski's approach. Lesniak, who is sponsoring the Corzine proposal, said it will be much easier to convince toll-road drivers to support fee increases if they see the funding coming back to the highways they use.

"The governor trying to do everything all at once in one big bundle; that's too complex to do it all in one way," Lesniak said.

(That's Trenton talk for: I'm not supporting Gov. Corzine's plan any longer)

He said that once the state finds a source of transportation funding, a separate debate can begin on reducing debt.

But Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, said talk of a gas-tax hike is premature.

"Right now, there's no reason to talk about a gas tax, there's no reason to talk about toll increases until (Corzine) presents his budget," Sweeney said.

Corzine is scheduled to lay out his plan Tuesday, and Sweeney, like other lawmakers, has called for reduced spending to alleviate the state's financial problems.

Wisniewski disputed Corzine's assertions that the state is nearly broke.

"Bankrupt really means that you're insolvent, that you can't pay your bills. That's not a situation where New Jersey is at. We can pay our bills," Wisniewski said.

He said New Jersey maintains an "AA-' bond rating on Wall Street, similar to most other states.

"Goldman Sachs, who everybody would acknowledge is a world-class financial operation on Wall Street, shares exactly the same financial rating as the State of New Jersey," Wisniewski said. Corzine used to run Goldman Sachs.

New Jersey's debt costs the state $2.6 billion in payments each year, and growing pension and health care liabilities cost another $2.2 billion a year, according to the administration. Corzine has said those payments severely restrict the state's ability to pay for needed programs and repairs.

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