New Jerseyans would rather see former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush or Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker elected president in 2016 than their own Governor Chris Christie, according to a Monmouth University Poll released this morning.
“The message from New Jersey voters seems to be as simple as ABC – anybody but Christie,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.
In fairness to Christie, it should be noted that Murray did not poll the Governor’s presidential bona fides against former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Congressman Frank Pallone, Marlboro Mayor Jon Hornik, Freeholder John Curley, Monmouth Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal or Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
Christie isn’t even New Jersey Republicans first choice to the president. By 44%-30% New Jersey Republicans prefer Walker to Christie in 2016.
Two Neptune Township men arrested last week after a month-long investigation revealed they were in possession of 600 decks of heroin ready for sale and three guns; a AR-15 assault rifle, a defaced 9mm handgun and a .40-caliber handgun have been released after posting bail, according to a statement by Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.
Kahil Aziz, 25, already a convicted felon, was released after posting $235,000 bail as set by Neptune Township Municipal Court Judge Robin Wernik. Joel Jones, 30, was released after posting $200,000 bail as set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Honora O’Brien Kilgallen. No 10% bail option was available to either defendant.
Acting Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon
Acting Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon is advising County residents who are not registered to vote that the deadline to register and vote in the June 2 primary is May 12.
All U.S. Citizens who will be 18 years of age or older on June 2 and who will have lived in the county 30 days prior to the primary are eligible to vote if they are not currently serving a sentence or on probation or parole for a felony conviction. Registration applications must include a NJ Driver’s License number, a MVC Non-driver ID number or the last four digits of the voter’s social security number.
Voter Registration Applications can be downloaded from the County website, here. Applications can be mailed in, be brought to your municipal clerk or be brought to the Monmouth County Voter Registration Office, 300 Halls Mills Rd. in Freehold Township. Mailed applications must be received by May 12 in order to the new voter to be eligible to vote in the primary.
President Obama will be visiting Lehman College in the Bronx today for the launch of the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, a non-profit spin off of a White House initiative intended to help men of color finish high school or find jobs.
Your Spouse’s commute could be impacted by the President’s travel.
Seastreak announced this afternoon that ferry delays and temporary closures of Pier 11 are expected between 2:45-3:45 this afternoon and again this evening between 9 and 10.
Only 23 % of New Jersey residents think Governor Chris Christie has been completely honest regarding his involvement in and knowledge of the Bridgegate affair, according to a Monmouth University Poll released this morning. 69%, including 52% of New Jersey Republicans, think Christie is being less than completely honest.
“The governor has maintained that he was not involved in the lane closures nor did he know about them as they were happening. Most New Jerseyans don’t buy it,” said Patrick Murray, Executive Director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.
Half of New Jersey residents, 52% of registered voters, think Christie was personally involved in the George Washington Bridge Lane closures during his reelection campaign in September of 2013. Only 34% think he was not personally involved.
Lt. Gov Kim Guadagno, center, with former Monmouth County Clerk M. Claire French, right and Sui Allex, a Marlboro GOP Council candidate, at the launch of the We Care About NJ PAC on Tuesday evening.
Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno has been cleared by U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman in the allegations against her made by Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer, according to a report at NJ.com.
After months of praising the Christie Administration after Superstorm Sandy, Zimmer used the media frenzy when the Bridgegate story broke in January of 2014 to become famous by alleging that Guadagno shook her down seven months earlier.
The mayor said that Guadagno told her, on behalf of Governor Christie, that Hoboken’s Sandy recovery aide was tied to Zimmer pushing through a development application for the Rockefeller Group. The shakedown allegedly happened at a supermarket ribbon cutting ceremony in May of 2013. Zimmer suddenly remembered the shakedown in January of 2014 when the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal was dominating the news.
A poised and confident Bridget Ann Kelly ended 16 months of silence today to answer the charges against her related to the Bridgegate scandal.
Governor Christie’s former Deputy Chief of Staff who was indicted for her alleged role in Bridgegate, asserted her innocence and declared that David Wildstein, the former Director of Capital Projects who pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges for his role in Bridgegate, is a liar.
Kelly and her attorney, Michael Critchley, address the press at his office following the press conference held by U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman this afternoon.
Critchley said with certainty that Kelly will be found innocent of the charges against her. He pledged to exposed what really happened regarding the George Washington Bridge lane closure at trail.
A video of Kelly’s press conference, courtesy of NJTV, appears below the fold.
Former Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas was sentenced to five years in federal prison this afternoon for his convictions related to his acquisition of the Burke Farm in the township.
Lucas will have to forfeit the farm he acquired with funds obtained via loans granted based on fraudulent documents, but will not have to forfeit the $417,000 profit he made by selling the development rights to the property to New Jersey’s Farmland Preservation program.
Lucas, 37, was convicted on September 18, 2014 by a federal jury on all 11 counts of an indictment charging him with wire fraud, an illegal monetary transaction, loan application fraud, false statements to the IRS, aggravated identity theft, obstruction of a grand jury investigation and falsification of records in a federal investigation. Lucas was convicted following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson, who imposed the sentence today in Trenton federal court.
Following the completion of his time in prison, Lucas will be on probation for three years.
NEWARK — In between variations of ‘no comment,’ U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul J. Fishman made a handful of notable comments during the Friday afternoon Bridgegate press conference. On Friday, former Port Authority director of interstate projects David Wildstein pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy. Indictments were then unsealed against another former Port Authority… Read the rest of this entry »
Former Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas was sentenced to five years in federal prison this afternoon for his convictions related to his acquisition of the Burke Farm in the township.