O’Scanlon: Gopal lacks credibility on property taxes

By Declan O’Scanlon

Vin Gopal and the Easter Bunny photo via @gopalforsenate

Democratic state Senate candidate Vin Gopal, in his Aug. 20 oped “Consolidate small towns,” extolled the virtues of municipal consolidation as if he were presenting a new, fresh approach to the concept. An honest reading of his own words destroys both his credibility on the property tax issue, and his paralyzing duplicity as a candidate.

Let’s concede up front that in order to solve our high property tax problem we will need consolidation and sharing of services. But that’s a very small piece of the essential reform pie.

Gopal, who is seeking to unseat incumbent Republican state Sen. Jennifer Beck in the 11th District, tries to suggest that because those of us — like Beck and me — fighting the fight to reduce property taxes haven’t yet declared victory, he might be able to do a better job. But in his own words he actually says he would make things worse — actually make it harder to consolidate or enact reforms that will reduce property taxes. Read the rest of this entry »

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LD 12 Assembly candidate attempted to bribe a primary opponent into withdrawing from council election

LD 12 Assembly candidate Gene Davis. LD 11 Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling and Phil Murphy are in the background. photo via @DavisforAssembly

Gene Davis, one the of LD 12 Democrat Assembly candidates, asked his opponent in the 2010 Democrat primary for Linden’s 5th ward council seat to withdraw from that election in exchange for his pledge to support her and “give” her his council seat when his plan to be appointed mayor came to fruition, according to NJTODAY.

Rhashonna Cosby-Hurling, Davis’s opponent, turned down the bribe, recorded the conversation, defeated Davis in the primary and went on the be elected the first African-Amerian woman elected to the Linden City Council, Ward 5.

Here’s Cosby-Hurling’s recording: Read the rest of this entry »

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Murphy would rather talk about Confederate flags than taxes

Monmouth Dems Expand Relationship With Hate Group

Former Goldman Sachs banker Phil Murphy, the Democrat running for governor of New Jersey, does not want to talk about his plan to raise taxes by $1.3 billion.  He also doesn’t want to talk about renewing the law that is keeping a lid on New Jersey property taxes which expires at the end of this year.

Murphy really doesn’t want Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno, the GOP nominee for governor, to talk about taxes either.   Murphy wants to talk the Confederate flag.  He wants Guadagno to talk about it too, according to a report at NJ.com. Read the rest of this entry »

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The ‘internet of things’ is sending us back to the Middle Ages

By Joshua A.T. Fairfield, Professor of Law, Washington and Lee University. Is this our relationship to tech companies now? Queen Mary Master Internet-enabled devices are so common, and so vulnerable, that hackers recently broke into a casino through its fish tank. The tank had internet-connected sensors measuring its temperature and cleanliness. The hackers got into the… Read the rest of this entry »

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About the Asbury Park Anti-Hate Rally

By Art Gallagher

For this conservative Republican who believes in Dr. King’s dream, there was much more to be hopeful about than to fear at the Anti-Hate rally in Asbury Park yesterday. There was actually nothing to fear. Read the rest of this entry »

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Jughandle Brewing With Ingredients Grown In Monmouth County

Tinton Falls- Jughandle Brewing Company introduced two new craft beers this weekend that are brewed with ingredients grown on Monmouth County farms. Freeholders Lillian Burry and Tom Arnone, the owners of The Fir Farm in Colts Neck and Jason Carty, Executive Director of the Garden State Craft Brewers Guild were on hand to mark the occasion with bended elbows. Read the rest of this entry »

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Scotch Plains Man Arrested For Pepper Spray Attack in Asbury Park

photo via Joe Grillo’s facebook page

Morris May White, 22, of Scotch Plains, was arrested in Asbury Park on Sunday evening and charged with aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a weapon after he pepper sprayed a transgender woman who was participating in a sign making event in preparation for Monday’s Stand Against Hate rally in the city, according to The Asbury Park Sun.

White’s arrest in not being treated as a hate crime, according to the report.

Giuseppe “Joe” Grillo, as Asbury Park Board of Education member and one of the organizers of the anti-hate rally characterized the incident as a “hate assault” on facebook. Read the rest of this entry »

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Ted

Theodore J. “Ted” Narozanick, known affectionately by thousands throughout Monmouth County simply as Ted, passed away this morning. He would have been 97 years old on October 22. Read the rest of this entry »

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Kim G and Tommy G on the radio this afternoon at 5

Kim Guadagno, the GOP nominee for NJ Governor, will join Tommy G on his radio show this afternoon at 5PM.

Tommy tells me that he will seek to find out who Kim really is and what makes her tick.  It promises to be a revealing interview.

The Tommy G Show is broadcast in Central New Jersey on 1450 AM WCTC, at TommyGShow.com and via the TuneIn app on your smartphone. Read the rest of this entry »

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While we’re taking down statues, let’s take Murphy off the ballot and give his house to Black Lives Matter

Photo credit, U.S. Embassy Berlin

Former Goldman Sachs Banker Phil Murphy took his campaign for governor into the gutter yesterday when he accused this Republican opponent, Kim Guadagno, of condoning racism and antisemitism.

“We are now seeing a disturbing trend emerge with Kim Guadagno and her campaign,” Murphy said in a statement, according to Politico. “Yesterday, she refused to criticize a sitting Assemblyman for posing with the Confederate flag, a symbol of bigotry and divisiveness. Today, we’ve learned that her choice for Lieutenant Governor, Woodcliff Lake Mayor Carlos Rendo, has been accused of systematic harassment and discrimination by the Chabad community in Woodcliff Lake. Yet, both times Lieutenant Governor Guadagno refused to criticize racist and anti-semitic speech despite the clear evidence.”

If Murphy believes that accusations in a lawsuit are “clear evidence” and that country singer Hank Williams Jr. and Assemblyman Parker Space are racists, maybe he is dumb enough to not have known that he was in charge of a $55 million investment in a Chinese shoe manufacturer that used slave labor while he was president of Goldman Sachs Asia. Read the rest of this entry »

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