Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon will be our guest for the full hour today on the LaRossa and Gallagher: Real Jersey Guys On The Radio Show. The show, sponsored by Repatriot Radio, will air on WIFI AM 1460 and here on the Internet from 5PM-6PM.
O’Scanlon will be discussing JCP&L, their response to Hurricane Irene and how the government will be addressing that response now that the power has been turned on, after a long week, for the electric utility’s customers. He will also be addressing the recent dispute with Morris Bailey and the NJSEA that threatens the long term viability of Monmouth Park. The track was in O’Scanlon’s 12th legislative district and is now in his new 13th legislative district.
During the second half hour of the show we will open a conversation into the question: “What is an appropriate conservative response to social problems?” or “How do we contribute to those less fortunate than ourselves and reduce the size of government?”
O’Scanlon was instrumental in having charitable organizations donate food to many communities during the power outages that followed Hurricane Irene, without spending government money. In addition to his policy and political leadership, he is a quiet leader in many charitable endeavors.
O’Scanlon is reluctant to talk publicly about his charitable works. He has agreed to do so in the hopes increasing the awareness and action among conservatives.
“So many people just don’t get it,” said O’Scanlon of his fellow political leaders, “Otherwise brilliant people seem to have a ‘Let them eat cake’ way of thinking.”
You are welcome to participate in our conversation with O’Scanlon by calling into the show at 609-447-0236.
12th District Legislators Senator Jennifer Beck, Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon and Caroline Casagrande today announced their opposition to the massive toll hikes proposed by the Port Authority.
“With so many of our own residents here in New Jersey unemployed, adding another undue burden, a 150% toll hike on working families is not the right course of action,” Beck said. “This is another battle in the fight for our State to remain an affordable place for our families. New Jersey has already lost residents who’ve left the State for more affordable places to live and another toll increase is counter-productive to New Jersey’s economic recovery.”
“Senator Beck, Assemblywoman Casagrande and I completely oppose these massive toll hikes, and we support Governors Christie and Cuomo in their efforts to derail them,” said O’Scanlon. “To nearly double the tolls and PATH fares in a time of economic difficulty makes no sense. This will be one more barrier to economic activity in the tri-state area, and a tax increase on people who already having a hard time making ends meet.”
The Port Authority is holding several hearings today at 8am and 6pm, often in difficult to reach places. Casagrande said that was not a coincidence.
“We saw the same thing for the Corzine toll hikes on the Parkway and Turnpike. They hold the hearings at a time when the very people who would be affected by this – commuters – are on their way to or from work so they can’t attend. They’re not interested in hearing or considering the public’s opinion, because if they did, their ears would be burning. This is an outrageous burden to put on people who have to drive into the city or to visit loved ones in the New York area.”
The once mighty New Jersey Education Association announced their endorsements for the upcoming legislative elections over the weekend. All 120 seats in the State Legislature are up for grabs this November. 40 Senate seats and 80 Assembly seats. The NJEA only endorsed 68 candidates. 66 Democrats and 2 Republicans.
In many districts the teachers’ union did not endorse for all three offices, 1 Senator and 2 Assembly Members. In 11 out of 40 districts they announced they were not endorsing any candidate.
But in the 13th legislative district their endorsements are “pending screening.”
The new 13th is comprised of northeastern Monmouth County; the bayshore towns from Aberdeen east to Highlands, the Two River towns of Rumson, Fair Haven, Little Silver and Oceanport, and the coastal towns of Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach, and Marlboro.
No one would expect the NJEA to endorse the Republicans, Senator Joe Kyrillos, Assemblywoman Amy Handlin and Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon. Why wouldn’t the Democrats screen? If the the screening in “pending” as the NJEA says, why didn’t the 13th district Democrats screen before the rest of the endorsements were announced?
NJEA endorsements come with lots of money and organizational support. Pending the pending screening and the pending endorsement or lack thereof, the LD 13 Democrats are raising money and support with a comedy night next week in Keasnburg.
I imagine the night going like this:
Funny Master of Ceremonies: “Thank you all for coming out tonight. We’re here to help Chris Cullen defeat Joe Kyrillos and to help Kevin Laven and Patrick Short defeat Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon.”
TRENTON – The political theater being carried out by Trenton Democrats over their unconstitutional budget is disingenuous and must end.Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon released the following statement demanding Trenton Democrats start being honest about their budget and to stop misleading New Jerseyans:
“Trenton Democrats’ sickening display of political posturing has to immediately end. Democrats know that their budget did not provide funding for their election year spending spree yet they continue to play on the emotions of our residents.
“New Jersey women still have access to comprehensive health care services in every county and under Governor Christie support for Family Health Services has increased by more than $30 million. By using blatant distortions and lies about program funding, they are misleading the public about what services will and will not be available to them. This is a dangerous new low. This shocking display proves that the current Democratic leadership lacks the soul necessary to govern.”
Yesterday there were four real Jersey guys on the radio from 5PM-6PM for what might have been the last LaRossa and Gallagher Radio Show on WIFIAM1460.
I’m not knocking THE Jersey Guys, Casey, Rossi and Bob Ingle on Fridays, formerly of 101.5 FM. I enjoyed their show and listened to it whenever I was on the road in the afternoon. My favorite all time show was Casey screaming, “YOU’RE LOSING VOTES RIGHT NOW” at gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie during the 2009 primary campaign while Christie was trying to finesse an answer to a particularly blunt question.
I think 101.5 was nuts to cancel the show that they themselves promoted as the most successful afternoon radio show in the country. I doubt the petition to get the show back on the air will make any difference, but if you want to be part of it, you can do so here.
As good as the show was, my friend Tommy DeSeno is right. As talented as they are, Casey, Rossi and Ingle are not really Jersey guys. Casey’s from California, Rossi from Brooklyn and Ingle from Georgia. They’re not Jersey guys like the four natives who were on the radio yesterday afternoon, my partner Senator Dick LaRossa born in Trenton on July 1 (Happy Birthday Dick!), Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, Fair Haven Mayor Mike Halfacre, and yours truly.
Straight Talk On The Pension and Health Care Reforms
While our show was not nearly as funny as THE Jersey Guys, it was the most informative and honest report of the pension and benefits reform package anywhere to date, if I do say so myself.
My hat is off to Declan O’Scanlon for coming back on the show for second week in a row knowing that I was not buying the hype of the “landmark” nature of the reforms and for answering our questions frankly.
O’Scanlon is high on the impact the reforms are making compared to what would have happened if the status quo continued. However, with only a little dancing, he did acknowledge that without significant economic growth, New Jersey will be in deep doo doo as the taxpayers increase their state pension contributions by $500 million each year over the next seven years. That doesn’t include the municipal pension contributions that come from property taxes.
Botton line…there is a very real possibility that the pension reforms in particular will lead to large tax increases on the state and local levels and/or draconian spending cuts. O’Scanlon did not dispute that. He argued things would be much worse had the administration and legislature done nothing.
During the second half hour Halfacre was upbeat about 1) the fact that the deal could have been done at all given the historical nature of things in Trenton, and 2) the savings Fair Haven taxpayers will realize from the health care end of the reforms.
The highlight of the show was Halfacre’s explanation of how he and the Fair Haven Council have been able to lower property taxes three years in a row and counting: 1) Saying no, 2) Pissing people off, 3) Standing firm when the pissed off people are yelling at you, 4) Doing all of that and getting reelected.
Why was Tuesday’s show perhaps the last LaRossa and Gallagher Show? Dick and I are thinking of changing the name of the show to The Jersey Guys or The Real Jersey Guys. We’re hoping Millennium Radio will issue and cease and desist letter or maybe even sue us so we can get lots of free publicity and beat out Deminski and Doyle on Tuesday afternoons.
Assembly Republican Budget Officer Declan O’Scanlon returns to the LaRossa and Gallagher Radio Show this afternoon at 5 PM. O’Scanlon will continue the conversation we started last week on the impact of the new pension and health care system for government employees and fill us in on the moving and shaking happening this week in Trenton with budget negotiations. The State must have a new budget by Thursday night at midnight.
During the second 1/2 hour of the show we will be joined by Fair Haven Mayor Mike Halfacre. Halfacre will be discussing the impact of the pension and health care reforms on municipalities.
The LaRossa and Gallagher Radio Show, sponsored by Repatriot Radio, features former State Senator Richard LaRossa and your favorite blogger. It is broadcast every Tuesday afternoon from 5PM to 6PM on WIFI AM 1460 and on the world wide web here.
Listeners are encouraged to call into the show with questions and comments. The call in number is 609-447-0236.
Yesterday afternoon on the LaRossa and Gallagher radio show I asked Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon how the $790 million dollar hole in Governor Christie’s proposed budget would be filled. Christie’s budget assumed $300 million in savings during the coming fiscal year from healtcare reform. The legislation likely to be passed in the Assembly only yields a savings of $10 million this year. Last month the State Supreme Court ruled that the state must spend $500 million more than Christie budgeted on Abbott district school spending.
O’Scanlon pointed to increased revenue projections and to yet to be determined savings from the new healthcare deal, but acknowledged that he and the other legislators crafting the budget have tough choices to make between now and June 30 when the budget must be passed.
June 30 is the deadline for the state budget to be enacted. June 30th is also the expiration date of the current union contracts for 48,000 state workers. Once the pension and benefits reforms are passed by the Assembly tomorrow, there will be an intense sprint to meet those deadlines in one week.
Mark Magyar, a former deputy policy chief in the Whitman administration and the policy director for the 2009 Daggett for Governor campaign,writing at NJ Spotlight, raises the possibility that Governor Christie could impose a new contract on the state workers.
The 1968 public employee collective bargaining law gives the governor and mayors the power to impose contracts on non-uniformed employees. Christie would be the first governor to use that power.
Magyar says that negotiations with the unions started late and have been on hold while Christie and the legislature worked on the pension and health carereforms. Christie has proposed a 3.5% pay cut.
I’ve been scratching by head trying to figure out why Christie and the Republicans in the legislature have been celebrating the health care reforms that only yield $10 million, rather than $300 million, in savings while the Democrats are waging a civil war over the deal.
O’Scanlon says the health care deal agreed to is not Reform In Name Only, that they will produce real savings over time. That might be true. But it seems like another kick the can down the road.
If Christie exercises his executive power to reduce the cost of government now by imposing union contracts that recover the savings given up the the health care deal we would know that we got real reform. Not delayed reform. That would be turning Trenton upside down.
Andrews served in the Colorado State Senate from 1998 through 2005. He was the minority leader and led the GOP back to majority control. As Senate President, he helped pass bills establishing education vouchers, expanding charter schools, extending tort reform, cutting the capital gains tax, reducing union control of state employees, requiring parental notification when a minor seeks an abortion, and restoring the Pledge of Allegiance in classrooms.
Andrews will be with us for the first half hour of the show, 5-5:30.
Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon will be joining us for the second half hour. O’Scanlon has represented the 12th legislative district since 2008. His hometown of Little Silver is part of the new 13th district which he will represent if reelected in November.
O’Scanlon is Republican Budget Officer and Policy Co-Chair. He will be giving us extremely timely insights into the State budget and the pension and benefits reform bill.
You are invited and encouraged to call into the show with your questions and comments. The call in number is 609-447-0236.
The show can be heard on WIFI AM 1460 or here on your computer or smart phone.
Democratic primary voters in the 13th legislative district saw the words “No Nomination Made” on the top of their ballots in the slot for State Senator yesterday. Former Hazlet Mayor Christopher Cullen was endorsed by the Monmouth County Democratic mini-convention in April but failed to file his petitions with the Secretary of State.
385 of the 2,099 Democratic voters in the district cast a write-in vote for Senator. Cullen is expected to be the candidate after all of those votes are manually counted. He will then face Senator Joe Kyrillos in the general election. Kyrillos received 2,103 votes in the Republican primary against 23 write-ins.
For the Assembly in the 13th, Republican incumbents Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon were nominated with 2,073 and 1,998 votes, respectively. There were 15 write-in votes. Democrats nominated former Hazlet Mayor Kevin Lavan with 1,572 votes and former Middletown Committeeman Patrick Short with 1,551 votes. There were 23 write-ins.
While pandering to his audience at a recent union rally, Democratic Party leader John Wisniewski said the state should raise the state’s income tax and otherwise “find a way” to pay all of its $3.5 billion pension obligation this year. He said, “It’s about keeping a promise.”
If that’s the case, why didn’t Assemblyman Wisniewski and his party make the annual required pension payments when Democrats controlled the Legislature and governor’s office for eight years?
The assemblyman has proposed raising the income tax on our state’s highest-income earners, also our job creators, as a “solution” to funding the $3.5 billion payment. Democrats admit such a tax hike would only garner $500 million.
Yet they have targeted that $500 million to fund $9 billion worth of programs, which also include property tax relief ($2.1 billion), schools ($1.6 billion), job incentives ($800 million), municipal aid ($445 million), preschool funding ($400 million), Medicaid ($300 million) and nursing homes ($70 million).
Seems Assemblyman Wisniewski is using the same type of warped mathematical calculations used to “balance” the state budget over the past decade — which has led us to the brink of fiscal ruin. Of course, if he can seriously explain how $500 million will fund $9 billion, I’m willing to listen. However, we need the answer by June 30, when a balanced budget is due.
I’m confident the various groups Democrats pander to are smart enough to see through this sham and demand the kind of serious reform that will benefit everyone in the long term. I know our taxpayers do.
