THIS SUNDAY, February 19th from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, Garden State Equality will hold a free wine-and-cheese open house in centrally located Red Bank for all our members, including you, to show you our love and appreciation. No RSVP necessary, and please bring whomever you’d like.
Location: Hip and Humble Home, 58 Broad Street, Red Bank.
On Sunday, this incredibly cool home furnishings store will donate 25 percent of your purchases to Garden State Equality’s campaign to override Governor Christie’s veto of the marriage equality bill.
212 LGBT civil rights laws at the state, county and local levels in New Jersey our founding in 2004 — and now we’re one of only three states in American history to pass a marriage equality bill under a Governor hostile to marriage equality. Those are your achievements, dear members. We thank you with all our hearts, and we hope to see you Sunday.
As reported here at MMM last November, Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vic Scudiery, 78, is not seeking another term.
Scudiery formalized is retirement last week in a letter to the Democratic County Committee.
Congressman Frank Pallone today expressed his regrets that Scudiery is retiring, telling The Asbury Park Press that “I think Vic was going a good job.”
Pallone joined Jon Corzine in asking Scudiery to resign the chairmanship in 2006. Scudiery refused and was reelected twice since.
NJ Supreme Court is end game for Same Sex Marriage Advocates
As expected, the New Jersey Assembly passed the Marriage Equality and Religious Exemptions Act today. The vote was 42-33. No Republican voted for the bill. Two Cape May County Democrats, Nelson Albano and Matthew Milam voted NO, according to NJ.com
The bill passed the Senate last week and now heads to Governor Chris Christie for his expected veto.
Christie has called for the issue to be put to referendum this fall. Senator Christopher “Kip” Bateman has proposed legislation authorizing the referendum.
Senate President Stephen Sweeney has said the referendum legislation will not make it to the Senate floor for a vote.
Christie has said the Democrats handling of the matter is political theater. He told Poltickernj,
“If they don’t put it on the ballot, you’ll know the whole thing was political theater,” Christie said. “I trust the people.”
However, same sex marrige advocates seem to think that legislative passage of the bill will make a difference in their efforts to get the New Jersey Supreme Court to impose same sex marriage in New Jersey regardless of Christie’s veto or whether or not there is a referendum.
In an email to his membership, Steven Goldstein, CEO of Garden State Equality, said,
… Meanwhile, Garden State Equality continues its lawsuit with Lambda Legal –
where courts will now see the legislative intent of marriage equality…
… “Pursuing all roads to justice, Garden State Equality and seven-same sex couples will continue our lawsuit for marriage equality, where we are represented by Lambda Legal and the nationally renowned Gibbons law firm. With this victory, the courts will see the legislature’s clear intent to replace the state’s failed civil union law with marriage equality.”
The ethics complaint filed last October by former Marlboro council candidate Christopher Dean will not get a hearing until next month at the earliest, according to a report in the NewsTranscript.
Dean, who is also the GOP municipal chairman in Marlboro, filed a complaint with the Township’s Ethic Board a week before the election because the Mayor and Council approved no-bid purchases of promotional items from Inkwell Global Marketing. Inwell is owned by Councilwoman Randi Marder’s husband. Marder, who works at the company, voted to approve the purchases, according to Dean’s complaint.
At the February 8 meeting of the Ethic Board, Dean said his complaint included Mayor Jon Hornick and Council Frank LaRocca. Board Chairman Michael Cali said Dean should file new complaints against Hornick and LaRocca.
LaRocca is a candidate for Monmouth County Democratic Chairman.
The board has not yet held a hearing on the complaint because they are unsure if they should do so in public or in executive session, out of concern for Marder’s privacy. Their new attorney, Kenneth Biedzynski, said he would advise the board on the proper venue for a hearing at the March meeting.
Dean requested that the board refer the complaint to the Local Finance Board.
Following the WrestleMania press conference this morning, Governor Christie and State Senator Joe Kyrillos will head over to the West 22 Diner in Springfield for a rhetorical smackdown of zipline enthusiast, Bob “The Squealer” Mendendez.
The campaign event is open to the public and is scheduled to start at 1:30PM.
WestleMania XXIX will be held at MetLife Stadium in April 2013. Photo/Graphic: WWE.com
New Jersey will be the host of WrestleMania XXIX in April of 2013.
Governor Chris Christie, “The Rock,” NFL owners John Mara and Woody Johnson and WWE CEO Vince McMahon will announce the event at a press conference this morning at MetLife Stadium.
