Corzine must provide full accounting of funds secretly funneled through port

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?”

Audits flag spending by poor districts

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.

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

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."

Asselta’s qualifications … or lack thereof, received scant attention.

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

Five judges retiring after pay hike boosts pensions

Why not? If I had Corzine as a friend (Corzine Cosa Nostra), I can retire too…

Because of the pay raise approved this month, retiring Superior Court judges can see their pensions boosted by $6,000 a year if they work one day this year.

Under pension rules, judges of the supreme, superior or tax courts who are fully vested in the system can collect 75 percent of their final salary. So when Gov. Jon S. Corzine and the Legislature increased their pay 5 percent from $149,000 to $157,000 this month, they also hiked veteran judges’ pensions from about $112,000 to $118,000.

At least five Superior Court judges have indicated they plan to retire by April 1 during the two weeks since the pay raise was approved by the Legislature. In recent years, about 22 judges have retired annually in New Jersey.

“I wasn’t hanging fire because I needed a certain number, it’s just that I knew it would go up,” retiring Superior Court Judge Paul T. Koenig Jr. said. “And why would I retire the first of October when I knew there was say a 50-50 chance that we might get another pay raise either January or July? That was the rumor. And I figured in my situation it was worth waiting to see what was going to happen.”

According to pension estimates, Koenig who is slated to retire Friday from his Mercer County post, will collect a pension of $112,569 — reduced from the maximum of $118,000 because of various benefit options he selected.

In addition to Koenig, whose decision has postponed the trial date of a whistle-blower suit against the Board of Public Utilities, four other judges have signaled they will retire by April 1: Joseph C. Visalli in Cape May County, Maryann Bielamowicz and Neil Shuster in Mercer County and John J. Harper in Morris County.

“It was a consideration, that didn’t put me over the top,” Visalli said of how the pay raise factored into his plan to retire April 1. “I like what I’m doing. I always liked it. I enjoyed doing it and it’s very hard to separate.”

The multiplying effect of pay raises on pensions is one of the reasons some Republicans protested the measure when it was approved last session.

“The way the law is written judges only have to stay for one day at the higher salary and their pension is based on the higher salary,” said Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow, R-Hunterdon, adding this remains “pretty much for the rest of their life.”

Koenig plans to spend the next phase of his life in Florida, where he owns a home and his wife has wintered for the past few years.

“My wife is retired and lives in Florida, and I figured it was time for me to spend more time there,” Koenig said.

Judges, county prosecutors, and county constitutional officers such as clerks and sheriffs were granted raises under a law signed by Gov. Jon S. Corzine Jan. 14, a week after both houses of the Legislature approved the bill.

This followed a separate raise granted judges last summer in the annual budget that raised pay for Superior Court judges from $141,000 to $149,000. That number increased under the new law to $157,000 and will rise to $165,000 next January.

The net effect is that top pensions for Superior Court judges will rise from $105,750 in 2007 to $123,750 next year — a 17 percent increase.

The pay raises were pushed by Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, who argued the raises were needed to keep quality judges and give them pay in line with federal judges. The Senate voted 25-13 and the Assembly 51-26 for the raises.

“This increase is vital to ensuring the continued exceptional quality of our Judiciary and the retention of our experienced judges,” Corzine wrote in a statement when signing the law.

Gregory J. Volpe: gvolpe@gannett.com

New Jersey’s Credit card bill - just unbelievable…

Amazing numbers here - the preplexing question (other than where the heck all these spending numbers come from) however is Why is Gov. Corzine is in such a panic to pay our bills?

Hmmm…. Terrific read by our friends at Enlighten NJ

Thanks guys - keep doing what you’re doing!

Another slick move by our beloved Gov.: Advocacy group “Save our State NJ” pops up to support the Toll Hike fiasco… Guess who funded it??

The Courier Post online had an article about a New Advocacy Group called “Save our State NJ (coincidence - it’s in opposition to save our assets nj?). It’s registered as a 501(c)(4) organization.

In the article, spokesman Jennifer Godoski states “We are going to raise whatever it takes to get the message out to New Jerseyans about the crisis we are in and about the plan that is on the table”.

Wow - seems like a well informed convicted backer of the Corzine fiasco - oops - I mean Toll Hike plan.

So who is this Jennifer Godoski? THAT is a great question!

She’s listed as chief of staff to Kris Kolluri, Corzine’s commissioner of transportation and one of the chief proponents of the 800 percent toll tax. Before that, she was a spokeswoman for Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-Mercer.

So our slick Governor funds a 501(c) organization to push his agenda and have the spokeswoman plucked from one of his main backers.

Hey Govna’ - if this is a wise, honest, and convicting plan, what’s with all the slick maneuvers?

Any wonder why we believe you’re totally dishonest and not credible?

Good source of information found at our friends at inthelobby.net

Funny; I don’t recall reading about these local elections…

Which is precisely why this opinion in the Courier Post online is worth sharing.

And it just goes to show - we, New Jerseyans, are just plainly being taken advantage of, and will continue repeat the NJCommunity Motto.

Your voice matters!

LET OUR VOICES (and our voting privileges) RISE TOGETHER AND MAKE TRENTON HEAR US. IT’S TIME FOR CHANGE!

Trenton must merge various election days

Elections that happen from February through June should be consolidated on one day so more people go to the polls.

Saturday was Election Day, although you probably missed it.

Across South Jersey, in Voorhees, Mount Laurel, Haddon Township, Deptford, Winslow and elsewhere, the polls were open for voters to decide on multimillion-dollar budgets for local fire districts. As usual, however, hardly anyone voted because hardly anyone remembered the races were going on. This is the continual problem of having local fire districts put their operating budgets and commissioner candidates up for election every year on a Saturday in mid-February, when no one is thinking about going to the polls.

This is why the collection of various elections staggered throughout the winter and spring each year in New Jersey — fire district races in February, school board and budgets in April, nonpartisan municipal races in May and partisan primaries in June — need to be combined on one election day. Factoring in the assigned dates when school districts can hold bond referendum votes, there are often nine or 10 election days in New Jersey each year. That’s too many for voters to keep track of.

In Winslow, population 38,600, just 621 people voted on the $2.9 million fire district budget Saturday. In Deptford, population 30,200, just 193 people voted on the fire district’s $3.9 million budget. Turnouts were similarly dismal across the region.

All homeowners pay property taxes that go to fund these budgets. Yet most don’t know when or where these elections happen because there’s little attention given to them. The other spring elections also regularly have low turnouts.

In 2005, the state Legislature adopted an elections reform package that, among other things, made New Jersey’s presidential primary relevant by moving it from June to early February. However, like most reform to come out of Trenton, the package had a major void — it left out election consolidation, even after some of the package’s champions in the Legislature acknowledged how important it was to reduce the number of election days.

Combining all these spring elections on one day will save money by lessening the number of days poll workers must be paid and voting machines must be wheeled out. It will also work to drive up turnout. Over time, people will get used to going to the polls in the spring to vote on a number of things.

Sadly, there are those who probably want to keep turnouts low and keep the elections spread out. Low turnouts mean a few insiders can more easily control an election’s result.

It’s time to change that. It’s undemocratic and foolish to hold elections in a way that drives down turnout.