Senate President Steve Sweeney has been waging a little noticed campaign over the last few weeks to get Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr to commit not to accept campaign contributions from Ashbritt and other contractors who cleaned up New Jersey after Superstorm Sandy.
This morning, Sweeney ramped up the campaign with a video parody of the viral Harlem Shake.
Harlem Shake is owned by songwriter Harry Bauer Rodrigues, who records under the name “Baauer”and the record label Mad Decent.
The song’s viral popularity in recents weeks has spurred claims of copyright infringement on the part of artists whose voices are in the song who have not been credited or compensated by Baauer or Mad Decent, according to the New York Times On the flip side, Mad Decent and Baauer stand to collect millions of dollars from people, like Sweeney, who “steal” their song, according to Hollywood Reporter. YouTube and a company called INDMusic have created a program, ContentID, to track copyright piracy and collect from the offenders.
MMM wondered if Sweeney’s video was funded by New Jersey taxpayers and if the Senate President had obtained a license from Mad Decent for the use of the song. The YouTube channel that hosts the song is called NJSenDemsMajority, a similar name to the state funded website, njsendems.com.
MMM called Sweeney’s West Deptford and Trenton offices to find out. Within a half hour, a well known political hired gun who asked not to be named in this story called back.
Trenton Democrats’ continuing quest to turn Governor Christie’s strongest issue against him suffered a set back yesterday when AshBritt CEO Randall Perkins won over Democratic members of a Joint Legislative Oversight Committee and flummoxed presumed gubernatorial nominee Barbara Buono by calling her on the political motivation of her questioning.
Facing four hours of questioning by the bi-partisan committee chaired by Senator Bob Gordon (D-Bergen), Perkins frequently praised the legislators for exercising their oversight duties, while combatively swatting back Democratic allegations of impropriety disguised as questions.
In this remarkable video, Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll (R-Morris) questions Assemblywoman Linda Stender on her bill, A3687, which would prohibit citizens on the federal terrorist watch list from receiving permits to purchase firearms in New Jersey
The bill passed the General Assembly 63-3, with 3 legislators not voting and 10 abstaining.
Click here to view the Assembly Roll Call on the bill.
The Bayshore Tea Party Group is preparing a primary slate to challenge 13th district legislators, Senator Joe Kyrillos and Assembly Members Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon, and county office holders, Sheriff Shaun Golden and Freeholders Tom Arnone and Serena DiMaso, according to the group’s co-founder Barbara Gonzalez.
Gonzalez told MoreMonmouthMusings that the group has six candidates who are clearing their potential candidacies with their families and employers. She wouldn’t name any of the candidates but expects to make a formal announcement next week. If the slate declares, they will bypass the Monmouth GOP convention on March 23 and file to run in the June 4 Republican primary.
Gonzalez said that former Highlands Mayor Anna Little, who twice ran and won in Congressional primaries with the group’s backing, is not one of the candidates.
ASSEMBLY REPUBLICANS AGREE WITH GOVERNORS CALL TO
END BIG PAYOUTS FROM PROPERTY TAXPAYERS TO RETIRING PUBLIC EMPLOYEES
Assembly Republicans Caroline Casagrande, Nancy Muñoz, Donna Simon and Declan OScanlon, 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. Its 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 yesterdays budget address as part of the items needed to further improve New Jerseys 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 states finances with this logical reform.
A few recent examples have highlighted how much money unused sick time costs property taxpayers:
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 OScanlon, 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.
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.
Asbury Park Dentist Dr. Michael Brantley will attempt to cap Senator Jennifer Beck’s career in the NJ State Legislature.
Brantley, a member of the Neptune Township Committee, will be nominated for State Senate from the 11th Legislative District at the Monmouth County Democratic Convention in Asbury Park this morning.
Matthew Morehead, Dog Groomer and candidate for Assembly. facebook photo
Matthew Morehead, owner of Sudzy Puppy Dog Grooming, Middletown, and Allison Friedman an attorney from Aberdeen(according to the Truth, Justice and American Wayall at once blog) will be nominated by the Monmouth Democrats for Assembly in the 13th legislative district this morning in Asbury Park. Assuming they are unchallenged in the June 4 primary, they will likely face incumbent Republicans Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon in November.
Morehead is a long term Middletown and Monmouth County Democratic activist. He was passed over by the party in his previous bids to run for Assembly.
Friedman is unknown. The State Judicary’s website has no record of an Allison Friedman licensed to practice law in New Jersey.
Assembly Republican Rob Clifton, R-Monmouth, Burlington, Middlesex and Ocean, said he believes it is appropriate for legislation approved by an Assembly committee last June that would allow voters to decide if judges should have the authority to deny bail to defendants deemed dangerous while awaiting trial, to be considered as part of Thursday’s Assembly voting session.
The legislation, ACR-153, was unanimously released by the Assembly Judiciary Committee, but has yet to receive consideration by the General Assembly. Under the resolution, a court must find that no amount of bail, pretrial release conditions, or combination of bail and pretrial release conditions would assure the defendant’s appearance as required or to protect the public safety.
