Trenton Democrats Keep Underestimating Christie

By Art Gallagher

Governor Chris Christie dropped his bombshell budget on the Trenton Democrats last week and then took off on a two week vacation with his family, leaving a media vacuum for Senate President Steve Sweeney and the Democrats in the legislature to try to fill.

Sweeney got some national attention by calling Christie a “rotten prick” and a “bastard” who hurts people and now the Senate is scheduled to hold votes to over ride Christie’s budget next week.  The Assembly is scheduling hearings on the impact of Christie’s cuts but hasn’t scheduled any override votes.    It is all political theater.   The budget that the Democrats submitted to Christie was political theater.    They planned on giving Christie a budget he would cut  so that they could spend the summer and fall using his cuts against the Republicans in the legislative election campaigns.

Christie is a “bastard” because he outwitted the Democrats, again.   By trying to box Christie in, forcing him to make cuts to popular programs they could use against him in the coming election, the Democrats unwittingly gave Christie the leverage he needs to accelerate his reform agenda.

Christie cut $139 million of $149 million from the urban “transitional aid” program.  New Jersey’s cities, Asbury Park, Camden, Trenton, Newark, et al, can not operate without that money.  The cities can’t legally lay employees off fast enough due to civil service rules, which takes spending cuts off the table.  Asbury Park would have to raise their property taxes by 101% to make up the the funds that Christie cut.  That would be fun to watch, but I don’t think they could collect those taxes.  If they did, they’d prove that the transitional aid wasn’t necessary.

While Christie was gutting the urban budgets and other programs dear to the Democrats, he also added $300 million to the surplus.

The Democrats will keep making noise that nobody hears until Christie gets back from vacation.  Then they will start negotiating.   But now Christie has the leverage because the Democrats gave it to him while thinking they had in a political poor position.  Christie wants education reform, especially tenure reform.  He wants the rest of his tool kit passed, especially civil service reform.   He couldn’t get that from the legislature over the last year.  Now he has what they need, what they must have.

The cities will get the transitional aid money.  Christie will get his reforms passed before Labor Day.

Given the new legislative map, it is unlikely that the GOP will make significant gains in the legislature this coming election.  However, it looks to me like Christie has positioned himself to extract reforms from the Democrats that are more landmark than the pension and benefit reforms recently passed.  Christie and the GOP legislative team are positioned to enter September with major triumphs.

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Middletown Dems Have A Candidate For Township Committee

By Art Gallagher

The Middletown Democrats have selected a replacement for Alex Desevo on their Township Committee slate, according to Middletown Mike and RedBankGreen.

Now that the news has made it to MMM, the APP will probably get around to reporting it.

Middletown Mike said the candidate was not even known to him prior to her introduction to the Middletown Democratic Committee, so MMM is not about to boost her name recognition at this point.

She seems like a nice lady who has no clue about how municipal government works.  Mike says she spoke about how upset she is with Middletown’s bonding.  Excuse my skepticism, but I highly doubt bonding has been keeping her up at night.   Sounds to me like she was tutored on the Middletown Dems talking points before she addressed the committee.

MMM will eventually report the candidate’s name and background.  For now we’ll refer to the Middletown Democratic slate as What’shername and What’shisname.

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Judges to Sue Christie Over Pension and Benefit Reforms

By Art Gallagher

NJBiz is reporting that up to 80 tenured New Jersey Judges will file suit later this month challenging the recent pension and health benefit reforms passed by the State Legislature and signed into law by Governor Christie.

The suit is to be filed in Hudson County and a Hudson County Judge will be one of the name plaintiffs.

Judges currently earn between $165,000 to $192,795 each year, and contribute from $4,950 to $5,783 to their pensions annually, according to the memo, which was issued by Superior Court Judge Melvin Gelade. Under the recently passed public worker pension and health legislation, judges hired after January 1996 would, after seven years, see their annual retirement contributions jump to between $19,800 and $23,135 a year.

The suit will ask for a temporary injunction blocking the changes, and is expected to be filed in a Hudson County court, with a Hudson County judge to be named as the lead plaintiff.

“It is anticipated that only tenured judges should actively participate in, and contribute to, the financing of a suit,” according to the memo. “Non-tenured judges may anticipate being asked about their involvement at their reappointment hearings.”

Attorney Justin Walder, a member of the Roseland law firm Walder, Hayden & Brogan, will represent the plaintiffs, according to the memo. Walder did not return multiple calls seeking comment.

“The state constitution prevents the government from tampering with our compensation while we’re serving our term,” said a judge who expects to join the suit. “We thought we would be exempt from Christie’s pension and health cutbacks, but this appears to be payback for the state Supreme Court’s Abbott District ruling.”

The judges believe the suit will ultimately reach the state Supreme Court, and hope to have the high court hear it before Christie nominee Anne Patterson is seated in September, according to the judge, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Chief Justice Stuart Rabner will recuse himself from the case, the judge added.

Well it is a good thing that Rabner will recuse himself, but how do they know that given that the suit hasn’t been filed yet?  

How can any New Jersey Judge possibly hear this case without a conflict?

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LaRossa and Gallagher:The Real Jersey Guys

I just heard from Senate President Steven Sweeney’s office that he will not be calling into the radio show this afternoon.

I’m not surprised, but just a bit disappointed.  I immediately extended an invitation for next week.  We’ll see what happens.

The show starts at 5 and there’s lots to talk about.  Sweeney’s remarks about Christie.  The civil war in the Democratic party and what the liberals are saying about Sweeney.  The budget cuts that Christie made last week.

We can even talk about the Not Guilty verdict in the Casey Anthony trial if you want to or Senator Jennifer Beck’s new positon on marriage equality if you want to.

This will be the first show that we don’t have a guest schedule since I joined Richard as co-host.  Hopefully we will have callers.

The call in number is 609-447-0236.  The show is WIFI 1460 AM on the radio and here on the Internet.

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NJEA’s tax lien troubles: State teachers union owes nearly $57,000 in back taxes

Union wants higher taxes, but doesn’t pay its own

Hat tip to Mark Kalinowski at dukeoveramerica.com

An investigation into the state’s largest teachers union finds that the Internal Revenue Service has an outstanding lien against the New Jersey Education Association for $56,730.31 in back taxes.

The lien involves unpaid taxes from as far back as 2005, though most of the teacher union’s unpaid taxes are from 2009 and 2010.

The federal tax lien was issued against the NJEA on December 7, 2010, and has been on file with the Passaic County Clerk’s office since December 21, 2010.

The investigation was conducted by Education Action Group with the assistance of Mark Kalinowski, founder of North New Jersey Tea Party Group which is based in Passaic County.

The NJEA recently settled two other IRS tax liens totaling $16,581. One of those tax liens involved $13,885.76 in unpaid taxes, going back to 2005 and 2006. That lien was released by the Passaic County Clerk’s office on January 6, 2011.

The other lien, totaling $2,696, was filed on October 13, 2010 and was released by the Union County Clerk’s office on May 3, 2011.

All told, the NJEA has been dragged its feet in paying $73,311 in federal taxes, even as union leaders never misses an opportunity to call for higher taxes on their fellow citizens. The NJEA recently aired a TV ad excoriating Gov. Chris Christie for giving “a tax break to millionaires” while cutting school funding.

The teachers union also opposed efforts to limit annual property tax increases to 2.9 percent.

But this investigation has revealed the NJEA’s hypocrisy on taxation.

“For years, the NJEA has championed higher taxes for most New Jersey residents,” said Kyle Olson, CEO of Education Action Group. “And for years, the NJEA hasn’t paid some of its obligations.

“The NJEA has a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ approach to paying taxes. That’s something for New Jersey taxpayers to keep in mind the next time they hear the NJEA call for a tax hike. The NJEA doesn’t miss an opportunity to lecture taxpayers about the need to pay more, but has the gall to carry tax liens.

“The hypocritical union has no place demanding taxpayers cough up more when it doesn’t even have its own financial house in order.”

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Sweeney Invited Onto LaRossa and Gallagher: The Real Jersey Guys Radio Show

By Art Gallagher

Senate President Steve Sweeney has been invited onto LaRossa and Gallagher: The Real Jersey Guys Radio Show this afternoon from 5PM-6PM to discuss the State budget and his remarks about Governor Christie as reported on The Star Ledger’s Tom Moran.

We offered Sweeney as much or as little of the hour long show as he would like.  His staff promised to get back to us with a yes or no as soon as possible, but it is possible that Sweeney will just call into the show.

The show, sponsored by Repatriot Radio, can be heard every Tuesday from 5PM -6PM on WIFI 1460 AM on your radio dial or right here on your computer or smart phone.

Your calls into the show are welcome and encouraged.  The call in number is 609-447-0236.

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BECK FLIPS POSITION ON MARRIAGE EQUALITY DUE TO POLITICS

The ultimate hypocrisy – voters in the 11th District are tired of professional politicians who play the public

The following is a statement issued by 11th District Democratic Senate Candidate Ray Santiago in response to a July 3rd Courier Post news report that incumbent Senator Jennifer Beck will flip her position on marriage equality:

“News this weekend that Senator Beck will now support marriage equality after voting against it when all of New Jersey was watching is not shocking to anyone who has followed Beck’s career as a professional politician. She now faces a district which includes Asbury Park, Ocean Grove & other LGBT friendly areas – a new district which has 10,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans – therefore, it should come as no surprise that Senator Beck is flipping her position only due to politics.

The reality is that New Jersey taxpayers are tired of hypocritical, professional politicians who change their positions based on the political climate. Republicans, Democrats and all New Jerseyians should be tired of politicians who play the public. It is not like the Senator opposed marriage equality because it is in her belief system, it was simply due to the politics of a new district.This is an issue of human rights and Senator Beck plays politics – She voted against marriage equality not once, but twice – once in the judiciary committee and a second time on the floor of the senate and now because of a new district, she claims she supports it.

When it mattered most and the world was watching, Senator Beck decided to appease Chris Christie and her Tea Party base. All New Jerseyians who support human rights and full marriage equality for all of our brothers and sisters in the LGBT community will see through Beck’s incredible hypocrisy.

I have and always will support full marriage equality for all New Jerseyians and 11th district residents can be assured that I will not change my position based on politics. Marriage equality is a human rights issue which I will fight day and night for until it becomes law. It is a sad day to see a New Jersey state senator play politics on an issue of human rights.”

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Trouble In Paradise: Christie and Sweeney On The Rocks

By Art Gallagher

The bromance between Governor Chris Christie and Senate President Steve Sweeney appears to be on the rocks.

In recent weeks Christie has shifted his rhetoric from slamming the “do nothing” Democratic legislature to singing the praises of Sweeney for compromising with him over “landmark” pension and benefit reforms which Christie declared on national TV was a “model for America.”

The pension and benefit reforms were signed into law last Tuesday during a Christie-Sweeney love fest ceremony at the Wall Memorial in Trenton.  That left only two days for the legislature and the Governor to settle on a State budget.

Rather than negotiate with Christie over elements of the budget he had proposed, the Democratic legislature passed their own budget that exceeded the amount of revenue that Christie had certified by $600 million and increased the “millionaires tax” by 20%.

Christie received the Democrats budget on Wednesday evening.  His choices were to veteo it outright, conditionally veto it, either of which could have led to a government shut down, or to use his line item veto power to cut specific spending items that the legislature had passed.

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, the Assembly Republican Budget Officer, said of the Democrats, “they played chicken with the wrong guy.”

Christie made $900 million in line item cuts that have the Democrats squealing like a Ned Beatty in Deliverance.

Here’s a list of Christie’s cuts.

Sweeney reacted with a profanity laced interview with Tom Moran of The Star Ledger.  Sweeney called Christie “a rotten prick” and said he wanted to “punch him in the head.”  The Senate President likened the Governor to “Mr. Potter from ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,” the mean old bastard who screws everybody.”

Former Senator Richard LaRossa and I will be talking about the budget and the political fallout of the budget this afternoon on our radio show, LaRossa and Gallagher: The Real Jersey Guys on WIFI 1460 AM on your radio dial and here on your computer or smart phone.

As of now we don’t have any guests scheduled for the program.  We hope you will call in to the show, 609-447-0236, with your questions and comments about the budget, the Christie-Sweeney tiff or anything else New Jersey you want to talk about.

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In Congress, July 4, 1776

The Unanimous Declaration
of the Thirteen United States of America

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

Read the rest of this entry »

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NG4A Launches Initiative to Change Neptune’s Government

Neptune Government For All (NG4A) is a newly formed, non-partisan group of Neptune citizens interested in changing the Township’s current system of government. They have started a petition drive to place a referendum on this November’s ballot which would allow the voters of Neptune to directly elect their Mayor for a four year term. This format would also create a ward system of representation.

“It’s unfortunate that in a town the size of Neptune, voters do not have the right to directly vote on who the Mayor should be,” said Dru Reynolds, of Ocean Grove, one of the organizers of the group. “Quite frankly, it’s un-democratic that only a few people end up picking the Mayor, which is what happens now. It’s even worse that our Mayor serves for only one year when we have so many problems like taxes and crime to deal with in town.”

NG4A has been meeting over the last year, researching the idea of changing the Township Charter, with the assistance of New Jersey Appleseed Public Interest Law Center. The group decided that a Mayor – Council form of government would best serve Neptune.

That format allows the voters to elect the Mayor, who would serve for four years, and develop a continuity of programs and initiatives which is not possible under the current system. A mayor in this style of government would become more accountable to the voters and have a greater impact on providing a more stable economic base for the Township while being able to address such issues as crime and spending.

According to Charlie DeMaria of the Villas section of Neptune, “the idea of changing the style of Neptune’s government has actually been discussed by several small groups over the last 10 years or so, without any action being taken. Now is the time because of the need for bold, long-term visions & leadership for the township.”

Mr. Demaria continued, “Besides the fact that right now the voters don’t actually elect the mayor, halfway through the Mayor’s one-year term the honeymoon is over and the Mayor becomes a lame duck. We believe that a 4-year term provides more productivity and the opportunity for the voters to have more of a say in the direction the Township is heading.”

West Neptune resident Jennifer Eldridge brought up another issue. “In the last four years, we have not been able to get a definitive response from any of our elected officials about preserving – or even recognizing – the historic elements that are located in the western most sections of Neptune Township.” “Maybe,” Eldridge continued, “if voters have the power to elect a Mayor directly, as opposed to the position being filled by political strategy, the residents will finally see an end to this deliberate grid-lock and obstructionism.”  

In addition to changing the Township’s charter in order to provide for a directly elected Mayor, this change of government style would provide for more direct representation of the various neighborhoods across the township. Six council members would be directly elected by the voters of six newly created wards representing various neighborhoods in town. Three other council members would be elected at large by all of the voters in Neptune. This type of representation exemplifies democracy. Each local ward would have a member sitting on the council who would be able to focus on their neighborhood’s issues, instead of citizens only getting 5 minutes at the microphone to address any particular issue.

In order to get this referendum on the ballot this November, volunteers will be fanning out across Neptune over the next few weeks in order to gather the required signatures. Once on the ballot, the NG4A will continue publicizing the benefits of this change of government via the media, direct mail and local educational forums in order to fully inform the residents of Neptune.

“Right now, we are working on getting the question on this November’s ballot,” Reynolds said, “and we need your help to get the job done. This effort represents a great opportunity to move Neptune forward and provide better representation for all of our residents. Your help will make this happen.”

For further information, to sign the petition or to volunteer to help this important effort, please visit www.ng4a.net or call 732-456-2199. You may also send an email to the group via [email protected]

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