In her last job, Amanda Devecka-Rinear’s office was in an historic brick Georgian mansion on DuPont Circle in Washington D.C., with rooftop views of Embassy Row. Her office now is in a fishing shack on Cedar Bonnet Island, with back porch views of Barnegat Bay and kitchen views of a boarded-up house across the sand-packed street.… Read the rest of this entry »
Gov. Chris Christie has a remarkable winning streak going, one unmatched by any other New Jersey governor. He’s vetoed more than 350 bills during his five-plus years in Trenton, according to a Wall Street Journal count. And, in spite of the fact that the Legislature is controlled by the Democrats, a party other than his own,… Read the rest of this entry »
Senator Bob Menendez, left, and Congressman Frank Pallone, making like chimpmunks at the 2012 Belmar St. Patrick’s parade. Photo credit Charles Measley
First of all, Senator Bob Menendez might not even be indicted. Leaks out of the Justice Department have been notoriously unreliable since Chris Christie resigned as U.S. Attorney in 2008.
If Menendez is indicted, he probably will not resign. In his press conference this evening, the Senator defiantly insisted on the “appropriateness and lawfulness” of his relationship with Dr. Salomon Melgen, the Florida ophthalmologist who is Menendez’s friend and benefactor. He declared that he is not going anywhere.
If, as CNN speculates, Menendez is charged with corruption this month, it could be Halloween before he goes to trial. Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell was indicted in January of 2014. His trial didn’t start until late July and didn’t end to early September. Unless Menendez makes a deal to avoid prosecution that includes his resignation, there is not likely to be a Special Election to fill the Senate seat until next year….2016, the year of the next presidential election.
If Chris Christie is still Governor in 2016 and Menendez’s seat becomes vacant, he will get to choose the next Senator and set the date a special election. There could be a mid-year Special Election or the Special Election could be on the same day as the presidential election. There’s no way to know now what is likely to happen.
Still, the prospect of a Senatorial vacancy stirs speculation and the phone lines among both Democrats and Republicans have been burning this afternoon since the news of the possible prosecution broke.
Exxon Mobil will pay the state $225 million to resolve liability for contamination at two New Jersey refinery sites, according the state Attorney General’s office. Additionally, the company remains responsible for ongoing cleanup at the two sites, known as the Bayonne and Bayway facilities, according to details of the settlement released Thursday. The announcement was the… Read the rest of this entry »
TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie’s office today issued a scathing attack on the former environmental commissioner who charged a top gubernatorial staffer with having “elbowed” his way into the controversial Exxon Mobil settlement negotiations. In a note to reporters by Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts, the governor’s office called former Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bradley Campbell’s… Read the rest of this entry »
The Christie Administration has not settled or proposed settling the $8.9 billion lawsuit against Exxon Mobil Corp for only $250 million dollars, as was first reported by The New York Times last week.
According to a high ranking government official who is not authorized to speak for Christie or the Attorney General’s office, under the terms of the proposed settlement which has yet to be approved by Superior Court Judge Michael J. Hogan (Burlington County), Exxon Mobil would be responsible for the cost of clean up and remediation of the Bayway in Bayonne and Linden, in addition to the $250 million which is to compensate New Jersey for the loss of use of the contaminated real estate and marsh lands.
Posted: March 4th, 2015 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Chris Christie, Christie Administration, Environment, News | Tags: Chris Christie, Christie Administration, Exxon Mobil Settlement | 2 Comments »
In New Jersey, school districts pay the salaries of their teachers, but it’s the state that picks up the costs of their retirements. Cities and towns, meanwhile, cover their employees’ salaries as well as their retirement costs. That split responsibility is at the heart of one of the core elements of the… Read the rest of this entry »
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