As I am sure all my readers are now
aware I was arrested late Friday evening on a warrant issued out of the State
of Delaware.On the advice of my attorney I can not
discuss the charges against me at this time other then to say that they are
vigorously contested and that I did not commit theft.Right now I am concentrating on securing my
release from jail so that I can properly address these charges through my
attorneys.
When I am released I intend to
write about my experiences of the last few days.
I thank all of you who have
expressed concern for me and my family and I assure you that we are doing fine
given these difficult circumstances.
By Caroline Casagrande, also published in the October 6, 2011 edition of the triCityNews
Elections are about choices. And this year you have a clear choice: do you want to continue the new path of fiscal responsibility that started in 2009 with the election of Chris Christie, or go back to the bad old days?
My name is Caroline Casagrande and I’m running for the Assembly in the 11th Legislative District, along with my friends Senator Jennifer Beck and Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini. I’ve served parts of Monmouth County in the Legislature since 2008.
I believe we are the best candidates to represent you and keep us on the path to fiscal responsibility. Making New Jersey affordable for families and businesses, creating jobs, and restoring faith in a government which had become a punchline for late-night comedians is something that affects everyone, regardless of your gender, religion, or sexual orientation.
Those are the things I’ve been focused on since being elected four years ago and those are things I will focus on if I am re-elected.
Dan has given me this space to introduce myself to you. I thought I’d use the opportunity to set the record straight, then tell you a little about myself in my own words, rather than you hearing about me from someone who’s constantly hyperventilating.
Dan had been attacking me lately for, in his view, not taking a position on gay marriage. What I’ve said is I’m not going to speculate on hypothetical legislation. On issues like this, it’s easy to be for or against something in theory, but the details are the difference. That’s the approach I take on every bill I vote on- show me the details. Unfortunately, in the black and white, Keith Olbermann- Sean Hannity world we live in, this approach is now seen as a moral failing.
Of course, being lectured on political cowardice by Dan is the ultimate irony. This is the same person who was voted out of office after only one term after voting for the massive $2.8 billion Florio tax hikes in 1990, because he caved when pressure was put on him by the Trenton Democrats. It’s easy to understand why Dan would want to talk about other issues with that hanging around his neck.
In this difficult economic environment, people want leaders with the courage to cut spending, reduce the size of government, and get out of the pockets of businesses and families who can’t afford to pay any more. On those issues, the differences between us are clear: I’ve been a fierce advocate for them, and Dan voted for the largest tax increase in state history.
Let me explain a little about myself and why I’m so concerned about the direction of our state. I was born and raised in Monmouth County and I am currently raising my own family here with my husband Steve and our two young sons, Harrison and Teddy. I graduated from Red Bank Catholic, Penn State University and received my law degree from Rutgers. I am on the Board of Trustees of the Girl Scouts of Monmouth County and the Visiting Nurses Association.
In 2007, I decided to run for the General Assembly because runaway property tax increases (and tax increases of every other kind) were making New Jersey unaffordable for many families and businesses.
I come from a close-knit family. I want my parents to stay in New Jersey. I want my brothers and sisters to be able to afford to live here so my kids can hang out with their cousins. Government shouldn’t be taxing and spending to the point of breaking up families, but that’s what was happening. New Jersey was on the brink of financial disaster and no one seemed to care.
For example, in 2007 the Democrat controlled Legislature passed a $33.5 billion budget, capping a five year span where they raised the budget, $10 BILLION. That’s 50%! In just 5 years! Rather than do something crazy, like maybe spend less money, Governor Corzine was considering selling the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike.
Since 2009 with the election of Governor Christie, we have been able to start to undo the bad economic policies of the past that lead to tens of thousands of people and jobs fleeing our state. We have begun to restore fiscal sanity to our state and create private-sector jobs.
Last spring I voted for bi-partisan reform of the state’s pension and benefits system that will save taxpayers $120 billion over the next 30 years, and preserved the retirements for thousands of workers.
I voted to enact the 2% municipal cap legislation that forces local governments to live within its means and helps stabilize property taxes.
I have made it a point to root out arrogant and wasteful spending of your tax dollars. I’m leading the fight to forbid public employees from cashing in any unused sick and vacation time. I changed the law this year to increase penalties on people committing Medicaid fraud.
I created a web site www.stopgovernmentwastenj.com, for public workers to report waste, such as the fact the state used to waste $3.2 million per year on unused phone lines.
I will continue to fight for taxpayers and look for more ways to reduce the size and cost of government. Unlike my opponents, I will never support job-killing tax increases and will work to find bi-partisan solutions to the challenges facing our state. I hope I have earned your support on the issues that matter most to working families.
*Loretta Weinberg and Joe Cryan will issue daily press releases highlighting the cost to New Jersey taxpayers of Christie and his security detail shaking hands at an Iowa meat packing plant or playing shuffle board at The Villages.
* Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno will be called Acting Governor but in reality she will be spokesperson and place holder for Christie should he lose the nomination or the election.
The New Jersey Press Corps will not take her seriously. New Jersey’s newspapers will find the money to send reporters to follow Christie around the country. Those reporters will ask the Governor New Jersey specific questions while the national press corps is asking him about his driving record and why he let a sex trafficker off easy in exchange for testimony against a corrupt public official while U.S. Attorney.
The legislative leadership will not take Guadagno seriously either. The Democrats will work to forward their own agenda and undo the Christie reforms of the last twenty months. Republicans won’t be as disciplined as they have been over the last twenty months. Jockeying for the 2013 GOP gubernatorial nomination will start. Jockeying for the 2013 Democratic gubernatorial nomination will intensify. Jon Hornick will no longer be considered a contender.
* Instead of answering to George Norcross and Joe DiVincenzo, Senate President Stephen Sweeney and the Assembly Speaker, either Sheila Oliver or Joe Cryan, will start answering to David Plouffe, David Axelrod and the White House as the New Jersey legislature becomes a subsidiary of the Obama campaign.
*Tom Kean Jr and Alex DeCroce will answer Weinberg’s and Cryan’s press releases with their own, highlighting how much the Trenton branch of the Obama campaign in costing New Jersey taxpayers.
* Nothing substaintial will get done in Trenton, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
If yes:
*Kim Guadagno becomes governor and the Christie era is over.
Either way:
Who of Christie’s staff stays behind to support the Governor? Does she have her own loyal team from which to build a staff?
*Steve Lonegan starts running for the 2013 nomination for governor.
* The best Republican talent in New Jersey latches on to the Christie for President or the Kyrillos for Senate campaigns hoping for powerful jobs in Washington come January of 2013.
It is impossible to disagree with the Tea Party’s fierce insistence that budget reform is necessary. It is no secret that New Jersey is in dire financial straights. While our impressive near-$33 billion debt has the stains of many administrations, it cannot be ignored that Senator Jennifer “Romney” Beck and Assemblywomen Caroline Casagrande, Mary Pat Angelini and their cronies have made decisions which have halted progress and placed enormous, unwarranted burdens on tax payers.
This is not fiscal conservatism, this is political theater. The Twisted Sisters have saved the state money for their own sake by taking it directly out of the pockets of those they claim to protect.
With February marking our second credit downgradesince 2008 at the hands of Standard and Poor’s, the only way to ignore the fact that poor is rapidly becoming our new standard would be to bury your head in Asbury Park’s tourist-friendly sand.
While balancing the budget is important, effectively stepping on the necks of residents by forcing local governments, schools districts, and individual taxpayers to shoulder additional costs defeats the purpose of spending cuts. The “tough choice” Ms. Beck made in order to keep that budget of ours balanced was the choice to advance her own political career, even if it meant harming the very voters that allowed her to have one at all. I’m sure she lost a lot of sleep over that.
Budget cuts are indeed necessary. Even destructive budget cuts may be justified if they effectively do what they are intended to do: lower taxes. But the cuts that Ms. Beck, Ms. Casagrande and Ms. Angelini advocated for have increased property taxes significantly. If you were worried that New Jersey’s status of having the highest property taxes in the country was going someplace, breathe a sigh of relief. So long as the Three Blind Legislators are in office, you can be confident that we will retain the title.
Here’s the rundown:
– Freezing Senior Freeze: Program that freezes property taxes for seniors so
they don’t continue to increase over time. Beck, Casagrande and Angelini
voted for the budget that gutted it and against the budget that restored it.
– Cutting School Aid: Cutting billions in aid to schools – including $50 million in aid to District 11 schools alone – has resulted in serious budget holes that have been closed by raising taxes, cutting programs altogether, forcing students to pay for previously funded extracurriculars, and in some cases going as far as to force student teaches to pay a fee to work.
– But! A few districts will receive more aid this year than under Corzine’s last
budget. One of those that did is Colts Neck, Caroline Casagrande’s
hometown, which is patently absurd, considering the average family income
in Colt’s Neck is $109,190, while the average family income for the state is
$55,156. Why, instead of providing that aid to a district that needs it – a
middle class district for instance – is that aid being given to one of the
wealthiest communities in New Jersey?
– Slashing Property Tax Rebates: The average citizen now receives 75%
less in property tax rebates than they did under the previous administration.
– Cutting Municipal Aid: This has resulted in serious budget holes which
have been closed by catastrophic cuts and paralyzing tax hikes.
A political parade of careless cuts results is nothing more than the violent trampling of taxpayers. Ms. Beck, Ms. Casagrande and Ms. Angelini have not only run over their constituents, they have proceeded to back up over their bodies before running over them again. Ms. Beck, of course, is driving.
Olivia Nuzzi is a student from Middletown and an intern for the District 11 Democratic campaign. Her opinions are her own and not those of MoreMonmouthMusings or the District 11 Democratic campaign. MMM welcomes her fair and biased contributions.
As an Independent Candidate for Monmouth County Freeholder this November, I hope to bring a sense of urgency to the position and take immediate action to help our fellow residents during these difficult economic times. Monmouth County Government has become too expensive. My platform: 15 objectives for Monmouth County Freeholders in 2012 and beyond
Lower county taxes for Monmouth County residents. Tax increases are unacceptable. Our government has become unaffordable. Sounds obvious, but we need to commit to this objective. Stop using Monmouth County reserves to balance the budget. Using $43 million of our surplus to balance the 2011 budget was an action of fiscal irresponsibility. We cannot continue to simply hope the economy will turn around. Using our reserves leaves us in a “weakened” position and shows residents that our government is overspending. Stop hiring people who are already “retired” and receiving government pensions in excess of 60K annually. Many of our residents are are struggling and are looking for work. Monmouth County is experiencing a 9% unemployment rate. Hire our residents who do not have the benefit of a large government pension. Move to a Higher Moral Ground. Stop nepotism/favoritism in Monmouth County government hiring. Demand accountability at Brookdale and at all our county departments. Change the culture in Monmouth County government to become more responsive to its citizens. Apologize to the students of Brookdale College for the “planned 2011 tuition” increase, and the unethical practices of its leadership. Continue to examine all areas of spending at the school and hold the Brookdale Board of Trustees accountable. How can we consider raising tuition, when the Brookdale president was given a large salary, SUV, money to send his kids to private college, and a credit card for entertaining? Where was the oversight? Move to outsourcing services where appropriate. Monmouth County government has become too expensive. Let our private sector handle more government functions. County government should provide essential services directly. Golf courses, nursing homes, marinas, etc. are just some of the areas we need to let our private sector handle. Cut spending. Cut spending. Cut spending. Do not assume the NJ economy will get better. Because if you are wrong, you will leave Monmouth County with another large budget deficit. Many of our residents are cutting their spending due to economic conditions. Follow their lead. Do not hope for the best, then hit residents with another tax hike. S&P has just placed Monmouth County on credit watch; so the stakes are high.
Bring QUALITY jobs to Monmouth County. Committees, job fairs and “toolkits” are nice ideas, but we need much more that. I am committed to creating jobs and by reaching out to Fortune 1000 firms. Monmouth County is a great place to do business. AT&T, Lucent, BRAC are all gone. Monmouth County has now become our second largest employer. This is a recipe for disaster. Our young people will continue to move out of the county, due to lack of viable career opportunities available. Make sure the county government does the basic things well and does not make excuses. Plow county roads in a timely manner. Ensure that utilities can provide our residents with reliable electricity. Make county government offices more responsive to its residents. Providing essential services is what residents are paying taxes for. Make Monmouth County government relevant and more appreciated by its residents. Provide services that benefit most Monmouth County residents, and reduce those, that benefit few. Many of our residents, do not have a clue what their county government does for them. That is not a good sign, given we are spending $500 million annually. We need to take step back and engage with our towns to see how they want their county taxes spent. County government needs to serve its residents in a manner they desire, and not be beholden to special interests. Reduce government borrowing. The $43 million in surplus the Freeholders used to balance the budget , would have been better spent paying down Monmouth County’s $500 million in debt. Our debt service expense has become a major drag on the budget. Monmouth County’s large debt, combined with struggling state and federal budgets, is a recipe for financial disaster. Our borrowing costs will continue to increase, as S&P has already put us on credit watch. Brookdale University is also on credit watch. Demand shared sacrifice. We cannot ask taxpayers to continue to bear the brunt of our fiscal shortfall, without asking our employees and service providers to make sacrifices also. We are all in this together, and “all” does not mean just property owners. Rising property taxes are driving both commercial and residential real estate prices lower. We also need to continue to raise revenues from alternative sources, other than property taxes.
Encourage Monmouth towns to embrace shared services; for the benefit of their financial future. We can make a difference for our towns, without threatening their independence. This cannot be a hobby for Freeholders, but a mission. Local expenses continue to rise and with over 50 municipalities in the county, we need to become for efficient. Set priorities when it comes to spending. Monmouth county’s budget is approximately a half a billion dollars. We need to prioritize each line item in the budget. Areas such has helping disabled children and adults, would be a high priority expense that should be protected. Spending on fringe benefits, like the ones given to Brookdale’s president would be low priority item. It is safe to say there are many areas that will be low on our list, and will be targeted for removal. It’s not the Freeholder’s money. It’s OUR money.
Establish a sense of Urgency, and stop wasting time making public appearances. We need to get to work for the taxpayer. Every day we are not addressing our budget deficit, is moving us closer to financial disaster. Make Monmouth County lead the state in fiscal responsibility and job growth.
In the end, I am sure that many of the candidates support some parts of this platform. The more relevant question is can they execute? Do they have the urgency, the desire and the ability to get the job done. Or are they simply going to hope the economy recovers, and then tell us they need to raise taxes?
This is a detailed platform, that I am putting in writing, so residents understand my objectives. The major parties have endorsed their candidates, and are asking you to trust their choice and wisdom. Much like the Obama administration, there is no plan. With a half a billion dollar budget, Monmouth County residents deserve more than public appearances and Facebook postings. Todays’ hard times, demand action, courage and urgency, not old-time politics.
Regards,
Tom Markowski
In last year’s municipal election in Neptune Township, Republican candidate for township committee Warren Lapp did not have a running mate. He publicly encouraged voters to cast a “bullet vote” just for him, even though there were two committee seats open with candidates on the ballot.
The Neptune Democrats responded by calling Lapp un-American for suggesting such a thing.
Now Neptune Matters, the Republican leaning blog from the township is calling on Neptune Democrats Randy Bishop and Eric Houghteling to denounce Dan Jacobson, the 11th district Independent candidate for Assembly for asking voters to bullet vote for him. Neptune Matters says that Bishop and Houghteling should call Jacobson un-American, but that they won’t because a bullet vote for Jacobson helps the Democratic candidates in the 11th.
By Dan Jacobson, also published in the September 15th edition of the triCityNews
This is a column I’ve been itching to write.
I’m running as an Independent for the state Assembly in the 11th District. While the odds of winning are tough, it’s not impossible.
And I’m quite serious about holding the office. I’d be great at it. Mostly because I can’t stomach bullshit. Visit my campaign website at danjacobson.net. You’ll see.
But I never take myself too seriously. And since politics these days is pretty much a cheesy joke, I’m also having fun with the campaign.
Like with this column. Oh man, I’d love to be there when Republican State Senator Jennifer Beck sees the headline – she has no idea what to expect! Don’t anyone tell her!
Here’s the deal.Everyone knows that Jennifer and I have been close friends since this newspaper started almost 13 years ago. As a result of redistricting, she’s now in the new11th District where I’m running for the Assembly. So will she endorse me?
“Dan Jacobson is a great friend, and I think he’d make a great Assemblyman – if he were running as a Republican,” Beck said. “I wish he’d join our party already. I would do everything I could to get him elected if he ever ran as a Republican – no matter what office he was seeking.”
“The best thing for our state right now is to elect Republicans to the Senate and Assembly, and I am fully supporting my running mates, Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande and Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini,” she said. “They are both excellent legislators, and I work extremely well with them.”
Of course, Jennifer didn’t say any of that. I just made it up. I’m 100 percent serious! I do that every so often with Jen in the paper, and it’s hilarious. What’s so funny is that it’s always what she would have said! No doubt I nailed it here once again. Guaranteed.
The reason Jen would stress out over the headline? She’d wonder if I was about to cause havoc with her running-mates or with the Republican Party by somehow making it seem like we’re in cahoots in this election, or that she may endorse me. (Beck wouldn’t freak out about the phony quotes. She’s used to those by now. Bet she burst out in laughter when she reads them.)
But here’s the fun part for me. I get to make my point about the absurdity of party politics. Plus, I get to tease my friend Jennifer Beck.
After all, why can’t Beck say that I’d be a great Assemblyman and suggest a vote for me or her two running mates?I’m an Independent, not a Democrat. Why not just say she supports all three of us, and let the voters pick two? Everyone gets two votes.
Even better, Jennifer and I are almost identical in our views on social and economic issues – even closer than her two running mates! Surely, that should merit some type of endorsement!
(Admittedly, Beck’s running mates – Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande – along with Jennifer and I, pretty much agree on economic issues. The difference comes in on social issues: Jen and I are both pro-choice and favor same sex marriage. Mary Pat is with us on same-sex marriage, but is pro-life. Caroline is a true social conservative: both against same-sex marriage and pro-life.)
But my point remains: I’m still closest with Beck on the issues!
“All the more reason to join me in the Republican Party, and run as a Republican,” Beck responded, in another quote that I just made up.
Anyway, isn’t this all so silly? Who gives a shit about parties these days? People are sick of the partisan bullshit. In fact, I’ve never heard so many people say they don’t care about a candidate’s party. They’ve had it.
Meanwhile, with the recent redistricting, Beck just picked up a ton of new territory that she never represented before – which happens to be exactly where the triCityNews circulates!
Yup, once again this newspaper has made her. For almost thirteen years, Beck has been heavily covered in the triCity region of eastern Monmouth County – a big reason she’s going to kick ass in November. Now she represents this region! And this all started because she was a great story way back in 1999, when as an unknown thirty-two year old Republican she beat the Ed McKenna Democratic machine up in Red Bank to win a Council seat.
TriCity went all out for Beck in that election. We thought Red Bank needed to be shaken up. Our push culminated with a huge front page headline the week before the election stating: “We back Beck!”
The triCityNews – still less than a year old – caught a lot of shit for that. Like we cared. We then predicted Beck’s rise – accurately stating she’d make it to the state Assembly and Senate. We also predicted she’d go higher, such as to Congress or Lieutenant Governor. I still say that will happen.
Although Beck’s coverage in the triCityNews has been overwhelmingly positive, we did have two problems in the past 13 years. Hey, at the triCityNews we always call it like we see it!
The first was about ten years ago when I completely blasted Jennifer for not having the balls – as it were – to challenge Ed McKenna for Mayor of Red Bank. Man, we hammered her. Jen didn’t talk to me for a year. And about three years ago, I again completely blasted her for voting against same-sex marriage. Jen took that one better: she didn’t talk to me for only six months.
(Beck reversed her position on same sex marriage a few months ago – a story first reported in this newspaper. And, yes, the quotes we printed in that article were really from her.)
So, yeah, Jen and I are still great friends. In fact, whenever I speak to her these days, the first thing I ask is what colors she’d prefer for the legislative office I tell her we’ll share when I win.
But all joking aside, let me make something clear: When I declared my candidacy, I told Jennifer that we would have no discussions about campaign activities. She immediately agreed. And that’s what we’ve done. I have no idea what the Republicans are doing, and Beck has no idea of what I’m doing. I insisted on that so Jennifer would have no problems with the Republican Party or her running mates.
And while I’m having a good time here, let me say some kind words about those in the Assembly race from both parties. After all, I like my opponents – it’s the whole Goddamned system that’s pissing me off. That’s what I’m targeting by running.
I voted for Mary Pat Angelini last time for Assembly. I’d vote for her again this year if I wasn’t running. I love Mary Pat. She’s one of the few normal people I know in politics. (This year I’m “bullet voting” for just myself. It’s the best way to send a message.)
And, if I weren’t running, my second vote would likely go to Caroline Casagrande. More than anyone else on the ballot, I sense Caroline shares my gut libertarian instincts on economic issues. And those issue are most important this year.
But that second vote would be a tough choice: The other remaining candidate is Democrat Vin Gopal, with whom I’m in total agreement on social issues. He’s a young guy in his mid-20s who’s also in the publishing business. Vin puts out a community newspaper and magazines in Northern Monmouth. I got to love that! Plus Vin reminds me of a young Dan Jacobson when I served a term in the state Assembly in my 20s. Vin is just a lot nicer. Great guy.
(As of the deadline for this column, Democrat Marilyn Schlossbach, an Asbury Park restaurant owner, had dropped out of the race, and no replacement had been named. If I hadn’t run this year– and Marilyn had stayed in – she’d have gotten my second vote. We’ve known each other for over 25 years, and I love what Marilyn has done for Asbury Park. She too has received extensive coverage since 1999 in the triCityNews for her various activities.)
So there you go. Jennifer Beck is now breathing a sigh of relief. I’ve caused her no trouble with the Republicans in this column. And I’ve been able to say only the nicest things about my opponents. It’s like the fantasy campaign.
Wouldn’t it be wild if lightning struck and I actually won this election? Who runs a campaign like this?
