Zipprich Has More Campaign Cash Than Angelini and Casagrande Combined

Assembly candidate Ed Zipprich and Senator Barbara Buono and NY’s Gay Pride Parade, 6/30/13 facebook photo

Red Bank Councilman Ed Zipprich, a Democratic candidate for Assembly in the 11th legislative district, announced today that he has outraised his Republican opponents, Assemblywomen Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande, over the last two fundraising periods and that he has more cash on hand than Angelini and Casagrande combined.

RED BANK–  Today, Ed Zipprich, candidate for New Jersey Assembly (NJ-11), announced that he has outraised his opponents, Mary  Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande, over the last two fundraising  periods.  Zipprich raised a total of $21,793 during the pre and  post-primary reporting periods while Angelini and Casagrande combined to raise a total of $12,200.  Additionally, Zipprich has $42,819 on hand  compared to Angelini and Casagrande’s combined $37,873–$23,966 on hand for  Angelini and 13,907 for Casagrande.”

“I am humbled by the amount of support I’ve received across the 11th district,” said Zipprich.  “It shows our campaign is building momentum  and that voters are starting to pay attention to the differences between myself and my opponents.  Whether it’s on raising the minimum wage,  ending special tax breaks for millionaires, or finally bringing marriage equality to New Jersey, the residents of the 11th  district know I will fight for them.”

MMM verified Zipprich’s numbers at the NJ Election Law Enforcement Commission’s website.

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Casagrande’s bill will thwart “Piggish” school superintendents

Assemblywomen Caroline Casagrande, left, and Mary Pat Angelini, in Long Branch this morning for Mayor Schneider’s endorsement of Gov Christie

While touring  Oakwood School, a non-profit, non-sectarian New Jersey Private School for the Disabled that serves adolescents with Asperger/Autism in Tinton Falls last March, Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande learned that the school’s enrollment had declined after the State instituted its cap on school superintendents’ salaries.

One of the exceptions to the superintendents’ salary cap are bonuses awarded for academic excellence. An administrator at Oakwood tipped Casagrande to the notion that superintendents could be keeping special needs students in their schools, to the academic and social detriment of the special needs and ‘normal’ students, in order to snag those $25,000 bonuses.

Freehold Regional High School District earned unwelcome notoriety for its largess with its previous superintendent, the phony Doctor H. James Wasser.  Wasser’s replacement Charles Sampson, has a clause in his contract rewarding him for reducing the number of special needs students assigned to out-of-district schools like Oakwood, according to a December 2012 article in the News Transcript, a weekly newspaper serving Colts Neck, Englishtown, Freehold Borough and Township, Manalapan and Marlboro.

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Governor, Please consider Caroline Casagrande for Senate

Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande

It’s not even close to her turn and she’s not a white male.  That’s only two good reasons that Governor Chris Christie should appoint one of New Jersey’s Rising Stars to the U.S. Senate.

Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande is smart, articulate, conservative and happy.  Voters love happy conservatives.  Angry conservatives are scary to moderates and Independent voters.  Happy conservatives appeal to moderates and Independent voters.

Casagrande’s  pro-growth, pro-family, pro-women conservative policy positions belong on the national stage. She could help rebrand the Republican Party with her fellow Penn State alumnus Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire.  Imagine that.  Two Northeast female Republican U.S. Senators.

Steve Lonegan, a scary angry conservative, has declared he’s running in the Special Republican Primary for U.S. Senate. Lonegan could win a primary against a moderate Jon Bramnick, Tom Kean Jr or Joe Kyrillos.  He can’t beat Cory Booker, Frank Pallone or Rush Holt in October.

Bramnick, Kean or Kyrillos are not likely to be able to gear up fast enough to beat Booker in October either.

If Caroline Casagrande were the temporary U.S. Senator, Lonegan would have no philosophical justification to challenge her.  None.  Republicans best chance of winning the Senate seat in October, and again next November, is if we coalesce behind a conservative woman now.

Casagrande has already caught the eye of many national leaders.  Earlier this year she was asked to be on the national leadership team of the Susan B. Anthony List. In 2010 she traveled to Nepal as a delegate of the American Council of Young Political Leaders, a State Department sponsored organization that creates opportunities for the next generation of political leaders.  She’s been invited to travel to Israel this summer by the American Jewish Council.

Casagrande would be an out of the box choice. She would appeal to both the conservative and moderate wings of the Party. She would appeal to Independent voters, Reagan Democrats, women and small business owners and employees, i.e., most of the New Jersey electorate. She would be a fresh face that the local and national media would appreciate and cover.

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Handlin & Casagrande to Submit 1,500 Objections to JCP&L’s Proposed Rate Increase

Monmouth County Legislators  to Present Petitions Against JCP&L’s Rate Hike at Tomorrow’s Public Hearing  in Freehold

Assemblywoman Amy Handlin

Assemblywomen Amy Handlin and Caroline Casagrande plan to present  petitions tomorrow signed by 1,500 ratepayers opposed to a proposed electricity  rate hike by Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L).

“We will speak for the hundreds of ratepayers who are tired of paying  more for less service,” Handlin, R-Monmouth, said. “This proposal to take about  $85 more per year from hard-working families lacks credibility because JCP&L  has yet to answer very serious charges of pocketing corporate profit instead of  investing in the improvements that would have made our service more reliable and  our rates more tolerable.”

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Casagrande a ‘Rising Star’

Monmouth County Legislator Has A Message That Republicans Badly Need To Win

Gannett’s New Jersey newspapers and websites published a list of New Jersey’s political “Rising Stars” yesterday.  The editorial says those on the list are young (most are under 40, all are under 50) politicos that are likely to emerge as the “next generation” of leaders on the regional or state levels of New Jersey government and politics.

Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande is the only Monmouth County leader who made the top twelve of the list.  As a three term Assemblywoman seeking her fourth term and the Assembly Minority’s Policy Co-Chair, one could argue that Casagrande is in the current generation of leadership.  But at 36, her star is still very much “rising.”

If you are fortunate enough to talk to Casagrande about policy and politics, you will quickly realize that the real power of her ‘light’ is largely ‘hidden under a bushel.’

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Casagrande, Handlin: “1000 times no to JCP&L rate increase”

Assemblywoman Amy Handlin

Public hearings for JCP&L’s proposed rate increase started yesterday in Toms River.  The Monmouth County hearing is on April 24 at the Freehold Township Municipal Building.

Assemblywomen Caroline Casagrande (R-11) and Amy Handlin (R-13) have already gathered 1300 constituent signatures on a petition opposing the JCP&L rate increase.  The petition will be submitted to the Board of the Public Utilities at the Freehold hearing.

“Our constituents are tired of over promises and underperformances by  their electric company and we’re going to make sure their voices are heard until  JCP&L pulls the plug on this rate hike,” Handlin, R-Monmouth, said.  “JCP&L’s customers have already paid the price by suffering through  prolonged outages, so our response to their request is a simple and firm,  ‘No.’”

Handlin and Casagrande noted their constituent’s outrage with JCP&L’s poor performance in restoring  power and keeping families, businesses and communities informed during prolonged  outages – most notably Hurricanes Sandy and Irene. The petition also notes the  allegation by the N.J. Division of Rate Counsel that the utility is earning too much profit from New Jersey ratepayers to send  back to its parent company in Ohio.

Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande

“We can say it once, or we can say it a thousand times, the answer is  still, ‘No,’” Casagrande, R-Monmouth, said. “Losing power for extended periods  of time is a very difficult and costly burden for families and businesses. We  have had more than our share of severe outages because JCP&L refused to  invest its corporate profits to update its infrastructure and keep the power on  in our communities.”

The petition can be signed online here.

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CASAGRANDE-MUÑOZ-SIMON-O’SCANLON: STOP PAYING PUBLIC EMPLOYEES FOR UNUSED SICK TIME

ASSEMBLY REPUBLICANS AGREE WITH GOVERNOR’S CALL  TO

END BIG PAYOUTS FROM PROPERTY TAXPAYERS TO RETIRING  PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

Assembly Republicans Caroline Casagrande, Nancy Muñoz, Donna Simon and  Declan O’Scanlon, who sponsor legislation to end the practice of  paying public employees for unused sick time, were pleased that Governor  Christie remains committed to providing this vital property tax relief that has  been blocked by some Trenton politicians.

            “We have capped property taxes and saved billions by reforming public  employee benefits. It’s time to finish the job and save property taxpayers from  giving big checks to retiring public employees,” Assemblywoman Caroline  Casagrande, R-Monmouth, said. “Anyone who is serious about winning the war  against sky-high property taxes should embrace this common sense  reform.”

            Governor Christie repeated his call for sick pay reform during  yesterday’s budget address as part of the items needed to further improve  New Jersey’s  fiscal health.

            “The historic bipartisan reforms we supported resulted in the slowest  growth of property taxes in 24 years, after a decade of crushing increases,”  Assemblywoman Nancy F. Muñoz, R-Union,  Somerset and  Morris, said. “We can do even better for property taxpayers by enacting a  sensible law that requires the use of sick days for what they  were intended.”

            Assembly Bill 2495, sponsored by 23 Assembly Republicans,  would prohibit payments to public employees for unused sick leave. The  legislation would also prohibit sick leave for those who have been indicted and  require medical documentation for absences of six or more consecutive  days.

            “Bringing governments’ workplace policies in line with those in the  private sector should be a no-brainer,” Assemblywoman Donna Simon, R-Hunterdon,  Somerset, Mercer  and Middlesex, said. “In the public sector, the taxpayer is the boss and we can  improve the bottom line for both property taxpayers and our state’s finances  with this logical reform.”

            A few recent examples have highlighted how much money unused sick time  costs property taxpayers:

• $2.2   million to 15 retiring Atlantic City employees this   month
• $306,000amount former West New York mayoral aide claims she’s   owed
• $150,000 to Hackensack Police   Chief

“Governor Christie has proposed a budget with the highest  level of school aid and largest debt payment in state history, while we have  achieved the smallest property tax growth in state history,” Assembly Republican  Budget Officer Declan O’Scanlon, R-Monmouth, said. “Governments throughout  New Jersey  could deliver even more for taxpayers if Democrats in the Legislature agreed to  work with us to eliminate these grotesque payments that have no practical  purpose other than personal profit.”

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Zipprich and McMillian To Challenge Angelini and Casagrande in LD 11

Red Bank Councilman Ed Zipprich and Neptune Committeeman Kevin McMillian prevailed over NJEA leader Will Potter in a three way race for two Democratic Assembly nominations in the 11th legislative district, according to our spy in Asbury Park who doesn’t want to be known for reporting for a Republican blog.

The vote tally of the only contested race of the Monmouth Democratic convention was not announced, but our source said it wasn’t close.

Assuming there are no primary upsets, Zipprich and McMillian will face incumbent Republican Assemblywomen Caroline Casagrande and Mary Pat Angelini in the November 5 general election.

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CASAGRANDE/O’SCANLON BILL TO SAVE TAXPAYERS MONEY THROUGH REVOLUTIONARY PROPERTY ASSESSMENT PROCESS SIGNED INTO LAW

MONMOUTH COUNTY EXPECTED TO LEAD STATE IN PILOT PROGRAM TO IMPROVE PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENTS

Bipartisan legislation sponsored by Assembly Republicans Caroline Casagrande and Declan O’Scanlon to save property taxpayers money by sharing property assessment resources countywide has been signed into law today by Governor Christie.

            The legislation establishes a pilot program for counties to implement a standard software program for local tax assessors to use, which would streamline the process and give officials a more accurate tax rate while reducing costly appeals for property taxpayers. Casagrande and O’Scanlon represent Monmouth County, which is expected to be among the first counties to participate in the demonstration project.

            “When every town in the county has to assess property, there is no need to reinvent the wheel several times, especially when the current process is often confusing and inaccurate for taxpayers,” Casagrande, R-Monmouth, said. “Having everyone on the same page and adjusting a few deadlines are cost-free common sense solutions that will save property taxpayers money in the long run through efficiencies and a more accurate property tax system. Municipal budgets will be based on real dollars, not guesstimates that don’t always hold up.

            “Monmouth County is eager to demonstrate to New Jersey that working together will save property taxpayers money and thanks to Governor Christie, our county will get that opportunity,” Casagrande added.

            The law, S-1213/A-1591, will allow a standardized process for assessments that would be used by every town in the county for all future revaluations and reassessments. The four-year pilot will be limited to four counties.

            “This will be a revolutionary way to essentially fix our current, expensive, flawed assessment system,” O’Scanlon, R-Monmouth, said. “It will rework the entire process so that towns are no longer burdened with uncertainty as to the value of their tax base, facilitate remedying unfair and outdated assessments, and will obviate the need for expensive town-wide reassessments and the dramatic valuation shifts that go along with them.

“This pilot program will very likely pave the way to the future for our assessment systems throughout the state,” O’Scanlon added.

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BECK, ANGELINI AND CASAGRANDE TO SEEK RE-ELECTION

NJ’s first all female ticket announces 2013 run

Senator Jennifer Beck, Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini and Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande announced their bids for re-election to the New Jersey legislature. The three legislators represent the 11^th Legislative District in Monmouth County.

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