Public Benefit Corp: The Few, the Privileged, the “Corzine Cosa Nostra”

Does this governor has credibility? NO

Do you think that this governor has our best interest in mind when creating this piggy bank for “the few, the privileged, the Corzine Cosa Nostra”? NO

Do you trust him? NO

Will you vote for him (should he attempt to ever run for any office) again? NO

Will you vote for any legislator that goes along with him? ABSOLUTELY NO

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This is in the App: (highlights and comments are my own)

Gov. Corzine would bar the public from examining the inner workings of the toll-road corporation that he wants to create to raise $32 billion, even though it would employ thousands and spend billions of dollars, according to his proposed bill.

Under Corzine’s draft legislation for the toll-road monetization plan, the proposed Public Benefit Corp., which would operate more than 334 miles of state roadways and could increase tolls by as much as 800 percent in the next 14 years, would not be subject to the state’s Open Public Records Act. By failing to put the PBC under the open records law, it would omit from public scrutiny broad swaths of records from an organization that would have an initial toll revenue of about $900 million.

Not opening the PBC up to full public inspection would be “unconscionable,” said state Sen. Jennifer Beck, R-Monmouth, who opposes the monetization plan.

“I’m stunned. This entity would be in control of a significant public asset, and controlling multiple billions of dollars, and billions of billions over the next 99 years,” Beck said. “To me, it must be subject to (the Open Public Records Act), so there is transparency for the citizens.”

Under Corzine’s plan, the state would lease its three toll roads to the nonprofit corporation for up to 75 years, with a 24-year optional extension.

In exchange, and through a complex bond deal, the state would receive $32 billion to $38 billion that would be used to help the state cut its debt and provide more money for transportation needs, according to the plan.

The plan has generated strong opposition in public opinion polls and from all Republican members of the Legislature. U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J., and state Sen. John Adler, a Democrat running for Congress, also oppose the toll-hike plan.

Corzine, a Democrat, wants the Legislature, controlled by his party, to approve the plan this spring. The agency would control the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway and Atlantic City Expressway.

The Open Public Records Act, or OPRA, was signed into law in 2001 following a campaign by Gannett New Jersey newspapers and other open government advocates to allow easy access to such routine documents as payroll lists and bills. Until the law was adopted, many agencies withheld such records from the public.

“The PBC is being formed under nonprofit law and would be treated as a conventional nonprofit, none of whom are subject to OPRA,” Tom Vincz, spokesman for the state Department of Treasury, said in an e-mail response to questions from Gannett.

He did not respond to questions about why the PBC would not be covered by OPRA, or if payrolls, bills and other items commonly accessible under the law would be available in the future.

Nonprofit organizations must provide limited public financial disclosure, such as the salaries of the top five employees and basic budget data, to the Internal Revenue Service once a year.

Under Corzine’s proposal, the PBC would have to produce reports to its oversight agency, including annual budgets, capital expansion and maintenance programs. Such documents would then be public under the public access law.

Vincz said that the PBC’s operating contract would also “create a long series of other reporting including maintenance reports and traffic data,” that would become public records once the oversight agency obtained them.

Under the bill, the PBC would be required to conduct independent audits of its financial statements, Vincz wrote.

Elizabeth Mason, president of the New Jersey Foundation for Open Government, said to excluded the PBC from the records law is the opposite of what the state should be doing.

“What is the rationale for the government to do this? What is the rationale for the government to hide this information from the public?” she asked.

(I keep saying it over, and over again… it’s called THE CORZINE COSA NOSTRA - that’s the reason)

Thomas J. Cafferty, general counsel for the New Jersey Press Association, a newspaper trade group, said that neither he nor the association has finished reviewing the proposed legislation.

But he said that just because the bill does not require the PBC to fall under OPRA doesn’t mean that the proposed bill can’t be changed in the Legislature. The courts could also require the PBC to disclose its records, “given the extent of the public involvement in this entity,” he said.

CARE TO COMMENT? Visit our Web site, www.app.com, and click on this story to join in the online conversation about this topic in Story Chat.

James W. Prado Roberts: (732) 643-4223; or jwr@app.com

Jersey Towns Could Be Ready to Speak Out Against the Corzine Toll Hike Plan

Millennium Radio

As Governor Corzine presses ahead with his proposal to increase tolls 800 percent, he may soon be faced with an unexpected problem.

Last week Toms River passed a resolution strongly opposing the plan, and other towns all over Jersey could soon follow suit.

Bill Dressel, the Executive Director of the Jersey League of Municipalities, says his group does want to work with the Governor to improve the State’s fiscal situation, “but we’re not prepared at this point to sign off on this proposal - because I think this proposal is in a state of flux - I think it’s going to have to be changed…it’s difficult for us to be able to come up with a conclusion that this specific proposal is the right proposal at this point.”

He says he’s heard concerns from Mayors and other local leaders that raising tolls 800 percent would be unfairly burdensome for certain communities, and there are also fears about more trucks diverting off the Turnpike onto local roads - so “there may be a combination of revenue raisers that might have to be considered - but first and foremost, before we get into that discussion, we’ve got to see what the budget is going to bring on the 26th.”

The Governor has indicated he will present his proposed budget at the end of this month, and he says it could include budget cuts that might be very unpopular in certain circles.

Corzine’s Toll Road Plan in the Works for Years

If you think Governor Jon Corzine’s Financial Restructuring and Debt Reduction proposal is an entirely new plan, think again. A look back to the year 2005 reveals Corzine has been mulling the idea of doing something on a very grand scale for a very long time.

In July 2005, then-United States Senator and candidate for Governor, Jon Corzine was talking about ways to replenish the fiscally struggling Transportation Trust Fund. He said, “Selling long-term assets for a long-term acquisition of additional assets, capital assets, is a strategy that I think makes some sense.” He was asked if increasing tolls should be explored as well. Corzine answered, “I would like to look at other means of finding the way to fund this Transportation Trust Fund without making New Jersey even less affordable…..I guarantee you we will find a way to do that and the last resort is the gas tax. It’s going to be a complicated resolution of a problem, but we can make it happen.”

A “Corzine for Governor,” press release dated July 11, 2005 reads, “Given the recent spike in oil and gas prices that are squeezing family budgets, we must find other alternatives to raising the gas tax. As this report clearly highlights, we cannot simply enact stop-gap solutions that just buy time until the next crisis. We need fundamental reform. For example, we must explore new ideas such as repositioning assets, including state-owned land adjacent to train stations and major state highways to allow us to make critical transportation investments.”

Under the Governor’s current plan there will be no toll increases in 2008 or 2009, the year before and the year of the next gubernatorial election. In 2010, tolls will be hiked 50% plus the rate of inflation for 08 and 09. The tolls will be increased by 50% every four years after that while also factoring in the rate of inflation.

The Corzine Administration uses $1.21 as the average a toll road commuter pays per day. Under the plan, in 2010 that would go up to $2.05. In 2014, the total would be $3.46. In 2018, it will be $5.84 and in 2022, the final year of the scheme the total will be $9.86. That means a toll road commuter will be paying more than eight times what he or she is paying today to take the same ride in 2022. Tolls would continue to be increased at the combined rate of inflation every four years until the 75-year life of the plan is over.

Corzine wants to pay at least half of $32 billion in state debt and fund transportation projects for 75 years by creating a nonprofit corporation to manage toll roads and borrow up to $38 billion.

The Governor has been hinting at deep and painful spending cuts which he vows to unveil in his Budget Address next week. Last week, Corzine warned that if the State doesn’t get its fiscal house in order, property taxes could skyrocket, college tuitions could soar and hospitals could close. New Jersey has long suffered with chronic financial woes and it is reasonable to surmise Corzine knew of these problems in 2005 as well, but that hasn’t stopped State spending from rising with him at the helm.

Corzine inherited a State Budget of $27.9 billion when he took office in 2006. His first spending plan totaled $30.8 billion and the current budget stands at $33.5 billion. That’s a 20.1% increase under Corzine’s watch. He now insists the State must slash $2.5 billion just to freeze spending at the current $33.5 billion level.

The Soprano State

Bob’s appearances are outlined below..

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Book signing schedule:

Appearances
	February 19th Borders 7:00 PM 290 Commons Way, Bridgewater, NJ February 20th Barnes&Noble 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM 3535 US Route 1, Princeton, NJ February 21st Borders 7:00 PM 515 Route 73 South, Marlton, NJ February 22nd Borders 7:00 PM 3710 Route 9, Freehold, NJ February 28th Barnes&Noble 7:30 PM 395 Route 3 East, Clifton, NJ

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.

The Corzine Cosa Nostra hard at work: Governor enlists wealth of lobbyists who could gain from toll-hike plans

The 54 people hand-picked by Gov. Corzine to promote his toll-hike plan include lobbyists whose clients could gain from the project and 10 people linked to a construction advocacy group promoting opportunities to network with state leaders.The panel’s chairman and two other members work for the state’s three top lobbying firms, The Record of Bergen County reported for Sunday. They represent engineers, financial companies, resorts, and utilities, all industries with the potential to benefit if the governor’s multi-billion-dollar financial restructuring plan is approved.

Ten of the appointees are connected to the construction advocacy group Alliance for Action. Three others are top executives with Verizon, Trump Entertainment and Public Service Electric and Gas Co., businesses that have benefited from prior laws.

“There’s not a common denominator beyond wanting New Jersey to be a better place,” said Corzine spokeswoman Lilo Stainton.

Corzine’s financial restructuring plan includes sharply higher tolls, the revenues from which will be used to pay down state debt and fund transportation projects. Tolls on the Turnpike, Parkway and Atlantic City Expressway would be affected.

Critics complain that Corzine’s panel lacks regular highway commuters.

Michael Riccards, executive director of the Hall Institute, a public policy group, suspects varying motives among committee members.

“There are people who are genuinely concerned and believe the governor has given them a plan to get out of the wilderness,” said Riccards. “There (also) are people who are looking to make a buck off this.”

Posted in

State contractors (that don’t work for the state) get holiday pay

Taken from my other blog: http://njcommunity.wordpress.com

Talk about having it made - read this interesting little tid-bit in the APP:

All I know is if I got paid $120 per hour - I’d get my rear end to the job at the first opportunity. It’s things like this that need to be re-worded as soon as I get elected (…whenever that will be..)

Last Tuesday, Garden State taxpayers paid some 700 private-sector snowplow drivers the agreed-to rate of $120 or so per hour to clear New Jersey’s roads.

But those drivers also got another $13 per hour added on, because the snow swirled on Lincoln’s Birthday, a state workers’ holiday in New Jersey.

Though the private contractors don’t work for the state, their contract provides them holiday pay — whether that holiday is Thanksgiving, Christmas or a day that’s not generally observed by the private sector.

“That,” said state Sen. John Adler, D-Camden, “is like paying a guy extra to shovel snow because it happens to be snowing.”

Tom Vincz, a spokesman for the state Department of the Treasury, and Erin Phalon, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation, said there is a long-standing clause in the contracts offered to private snowplow operators.

They said the clause gives the plowers the extra pay because it is more difficult to get the plow operators to work on a state holiday, that it is a seller’s market on such days because people like to be off from work.

“Somebody needs to go back and re-evaluate that contract,” said Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean Jr., R-Union.

“Somebody could have figured out a way to word this (contract) to exclude a holiday that no one else gets time off for,” said Assemblyman John Wisniewski, D-Middlesex, the chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee. “A Tuesday in February is not a special time to gather with family and friends. It’s just another day.”

Wisniewski said he will ask acting state Treasurer David Rousseau and the Department of Transportation to account for how much those premiums have cost over the years.

“It’s a waste,” said Wisniewski.

“It’s a market-driven process,” reasoned Vincz, who added the premium had been requested for more than 20 years by the DOT. “The thinking has been to place the premium on clearing snow off the state’s roads, and to pay the premium to get them (plow operators) away from other jobs to do the state roads.”

“In order to obtain service on a weekends or a holiday, the state must pay premium rates,” said Phalon.

All public-sector holidays are treated equally by the contract.

“These are the things that make taxpayers crazy,” said Sen. Bill Baroni Jr., R-Mercer. “I know lots of guys who have a plow and who would jump at the chance to work for the state. … That is ridiculous. It may be harder to get someone on Christmas or certain other holidays. But with all due respect, Lincoln’s Birthday?”

In Morris Plains, Pasquale Casamassa, owner of Casamassa Lawn and Plow Service, said there is no shortage of willing plow operators on Lincoln’s Birthday, and he said he is unaware of any market forces to suggest otherwise.

“Not, it shouldn’t be hard. It’s government. They’re just spending the money,” Casamassa said.

“Lincoln’s Birthday? No problem at all,” said Bryan Curty of Schulz Lawn and Snow Management, operating in Ocean and Monmouth counties. “Most of us pay for a weather service. We know how much snow is coming. It would have been no problem at all on Tuesday getting contractors.”

Russell Lawson, owner of R. Lawson and Co., a Toms River provider of large snow-removal equipment, likewise said Lincoln’s Birthday has never been a day when the state would have difficulty locating plowers. “The answer is no,” he said.

New Jersey and at least four other states observe Lincoln’s Birthday — Missouri, New York, Connecticut and Illinois.

Labor lawyer Jim Castagnera, who is also associate legal counsel at Rider University, said of the premium paid to plowers, “That does not surprise me. … It may not be great for the taxpayers.” Castagnera said he doesn’t know of other instances where a private-sector contractor received a premium because the job fell on a day when other state workers enjoyed a contractual holiday.

Phalon said the total costs to clean up Tuesday’s storm was $580,000, spread over Tuesday and Wednesday. The average pay to plowers, including the $13-per-hour premium, was $140 per hour.

The DOT also directly employs roughly 500 snowplow operators who helped clear the roads last Tuesday and were paid overtime for working on a state holiday.

Tom Baldwin: tbaldwi@gannett.com