Kyrillos “Grow New Jersey” Legislation Gets Senate Approval

Bill Extends Tax Credits to Companies that Create Jobs, Invest in New Jersey

Trenton–  Legislation sponsored by Senator Joe Kyrillos (R- Monmouth/Middlesex) seeking to create jobs and business investment in New Jersey has received full Senate approval. The Grow New Jersey Assistance Program established by S-3033 provides tax credits to businesses that invest at least $20 million in New Jersey and retain or create at least 100 jobs.

Kyrillos lauded the bill as an incentive for firms to relocate or expand operations in the state.  “This legislation will help businesses put people back to work by reducing the tax burden of those that make a commitment to New Jersey,” he said.  “Businesses that make a substantial investment of jobs and capital in New Jersey will receive a tax break from state government. This is exactly the kind of incentive program we need to bring New Jersey’s economy back.”

Businesses that qualify will receive a $5000 credit against its tax liability for each job created or retained in state under the program for up to 10 years. Senator Kyrillos joins Senator Ray Lesniak (D- Union) as co-prime sponsor of the measure.

The measure now heads to the Governor.

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Kyrillos: “Another Day, Another $1 Million In Taxpayer-Funded Boat Checks Down the Drain”

Trenton— Outraged at news that Lower Township will pay out nearly $1 million in terminal leave payments to its employees for unused sick and vacation time, Senator Joe Kyrillos (R- Monmouth/Middlesex), sponsor of legislation to end sick leave payments for public employees, called for terminal leave reform to be completed before the end of the current legislative session.

“Lower Township’s taxpayers are being forced to pay for a needless, wasteful, and unjustifiable benefit that is enjoyed in virtually no other work environment,” said Kyrillos. “While we can negotiate and compromise over the details of a final bill to fix this problem, there should be no debate about the fundamental idea that any future sick leave earned by an employee should not carry cash value. Abandoning the idea that sick leave is for when an employee is sick rather than deferred compensation would be a slap in the face to taxpayers.”

The Press of Atlantic City reports that the Lower Township Council made an emergency appropriation of $900, 000 to fund terminal leave payments for employees this year, including three employees receiving checks in excess of $100, 000. Terminal leave payments are responsible for several cents on the municipal tax rate.

“We cannot allow this to go on any longer,” said Kyrillos. “There is simply no good reason to assign cash value to sick leave that is not used by an employee. Taxpayers are being gouged for no reason other than inaction in Trenton.”

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“The next senator from the state of New Jersey”

~ Lewis Eisenberg referring to State Senator Joe Kyrillos

While introducing keynote speaker Governor Chris Christie to the Republican Jewish Coalition Presidential Candidates Forum this morning, Lewis Eisenberg, the group’s chairman, gave a shout out to State Senator Joe Kyrillos as “the next senator from the state of New Jersey,” according to Herb Jackson at northjersey.com.

While in Washington with Christie, Kyrillos told The Hill,

“I am looking at it really closely,” Kyrillos said Wednesday in a brief interview with The Hill. “I feel a strong calling.”

Kyrillos does not have endorsements from Eisenberg or Christie, for past work, past runs for office, or for U.S. Senate, listed on his website.

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Little Opening A U.S. Senate Campaign Account. Shakeup In Her Army

By Art Gallagher

Anna Little, the former Mayor of Highlands, former Freeholder and the 2010 GOP nominee in the 6th Congressional district is one step closer to challenging Monmouth County State Senator Joe Kyrillos for the GOP 2012 U.S. Senate nomination.

Little told Politickernj that she would be filing with the FEC today to open a campaign account for her U.S. Senate bid.

An embarrasing Little For Senate fundraising letter dated November 28, arrived in former donors’ mail boxes this week.

Atlantic Highlands Municipal Chairwoman Jane Frotten has resigned as Little’s campaign treasurer.  Atlantic Highlands Mayor Fred Rast has resigned as president of Anna’s Army Foundation,  “a non-profit educational foundation created in the image of Anna Little and her campaign for Congress in the 6th Congressional District of NJ.”

Until recently, the race for the Republican nomination to challenge Senator Robert Menendez was seen as battle between Kyrillos and fellow State Senator Michael Doherty.  Kyrillos has a Senate Exploritory Committee.  Doherty has been traveling the state touting his Fair School Funding plan.  MMM has learned from very reliable sources that Doherty is leaning against entering the Senate primary.   If Doherty does stay out of the race, a head to head match up between Kyrillos and Little could be in the making.

Little should take a reality check and reconsider before her dreams of a political future are irreparably shattered.

Little made a name for herself with the stunning upset victory over Diane Gooch in the primary for the 6th congressional district nomination in 2010.   Little’s margin of victory was 84 votes out of roughly 14,000 cast.

What Little has failed to realize, and she stops talking to anyone who tells her the truth, is that she didn’t win that primary so much as Gooch lost it.

Not that her victory was an accident.  The strategy of the Little primary campaign was to sneak up from behind.  I know because I, then still a close confidant of Little, helped design the strategy.   None of the “experts” took Little’s challenge of the county party lines and the uber funded Gooch seriously going into the primary.  That was the key to victory.  Build a ground game to bring out new voters and count on the fact that the “experts” don’t see the Tea Party wave coming.   Even the Tea Parties were shocked by the depth of the 2010 tsunami.  David Corsi’s inexplicable primary victory over Scott Sipprelle in the Monmouth County portion of the 12th congressional district proves that the party establishment was caught with their pants around their ankles.

They won’t be caught off guard again.

The Gooch campaign’s primary strategy was to ignore Little and run against incumbent Congressman Frank Pallone.   It was a good strategy for a conventional time.   Conventional times ended in 2010 before the establishment realized it.

It wasn’t until the final weekend of the 2010 primary campaign when Little managed to get onto TV, that the Gooch campaign realized that they might have a problem.  They tried legal maneuvers, that failed, to get Little’s ads pulled.  It was too late to respond.   Little had successfully used the “surprise them” and  “get the last word” strategies that we had successfully used in Highlands campaigns many times.

The problem with a “don’t let them see you coming” playbook is that it only works once.

A key political operative with close ties to both Gooch and Kyrillos has been keeping a close eye on Little since she declared her rematch with Pallone on election night 2010.

“She won’t get a free ride next time,” said the operative on the condition of anonymity, “we had a thick opposition research file on her in 2010 but didn’t use it because we weren’t taking her seriously and didn’t want to hurt her needlessly.  The file has gotten a lot thicker in the last year.”

With their discharge from Anna’s Army, Frotten and Rast join the growing brigade of Monmouth County politicos who will no longer go to battle for Little. 

Roughly a year ago, this blog compared Little to Jon Corzine over a policy position she took in one of her final acts as the mayor of Highlands.   Unfortunately, it is becoming apparent that Little also shares a personality trait with the former governor.  She surrounds herself with people who tell her what she wants to hear and burns bridges with those who tell her what she needs to hear.

Little had a bright political future ahead of her on election night in 2010.   Then she started talking. 

She declared her rematch with Pallone, announced the formation of Anna’s Army and challenged Gooch, who had funded independent anti-Pallone ads, to a rematch.  She failed to thank her supporters, Tea Party and establishment, who were caught off guard by her lack of humility. 

She’s on the verge of crossing a line from which there will be no return.   She should reconsider and start mending fences.  Many of her old friends are forgiving.

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Sen. Kyrillos Participates In Roundtable Discussion on Education Reform

Middletown— Senator Joe Kyrillos (R- Monmouth/Middlesex) this weekend reiterated his call for the Legislature to enact reforms to New Jersey’s public education system in the closing weeks of the 2010-2011 legislative session at a roundtable discussion on principal and teacher evaluations at Princeton University.

“New Jersey is a national leader in student achievement,” said Kyrillos, “yet too many students still move through the system without receiving the quality education to which they are entitled. Reforming our public education system will not just make the good schools better, it will help children trapped in failing school districts obtain the education they need to build better lives and futures.”

Senator Kyrillos provided opening remarks to the forum, “Leading the Charge”, hosted by education reform advocates Better Education for Kids, Students First, and Princeton Students for Education Reform. They day’s panel discussions included public school teachers and administrators, representatives of the Department of Education, as well as leaders from the American Federation of Teachers and New Jersey Education Association.

Kyrillos said he is proud to sponsor two bills that are part of Governor Christie’s education reform agenda, the Opportunity Scholarship Act and the School Children First Act. “Quality education starts with an effective teacher in every classroom. That is why it is so important that we modernize teacher evaluations, tenure protections, and pay structure to value student achievement over seniority. In addition, children in chronically failing districts need options to improve the instruction they’re receiving immediately. The Opportunity Scholarship Act will provide these students an opportunity to enter a high quality school setting in the short term while we work to fix the systemic problems that are all too common in certain districts in New Jersey.”

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Menendez raises over $10 million

New Jersey Senator Has $6.9 million cash on hand

The Record’s Herb Jackson reports that U.S. Senator Robert Menendez has raised over $10 million in special interest contributions for his 2012 reelection campaign.   A look at the Senator’s FEC reports reveals that $5.3 million of that money was raised last quarter and that he had $6.9 million in cash on hand on September 30th.

Despite Menendez’s weak poll numbers, whoever the GOP nominates to challenge him will have a heavy lift.  New Jersey voters are split 40-38 percent over whether the Hudson County poll deserves another term, according to Quinnipiac, yet they favor him 43-39 percent over an unnamed Republican.

Most  All of the Republicans vying for the nomination are unnamed in the minds of New Jersey voters.  Joe Kyrillos, Mike Doherty and Anna Little are names well known in political circles and to readers of this site, but are not households names throughout New Jersey.   At the pace Menendez is raising money, the GOP nominee will likely need to raise $25 million or more to compete.

Little Impact

Anna Little’s fliration with the Senate race has many Republicans shaking their heads.  Others are scratching their heads.   Little’s FEC reports indicate no money raised in 2011 for her announced rematch against Frank Pallone. Yet Little has been sending fund raising letters,”paid for” by Anna Little for Congress 2012, the expenses for which are not reported, and is traveling the state and the country seeking support and singing God Bless America.

Should Little actually enter the Senate race and forsake a potential rematch against Pallone, her candidacy in the primary will ironically benefit State Senator Joe Kyrillos.   Little would split the hardline conservative/Tea Party/Loneganite vote with State Senator Mike Doherty, making what is already expected to be a smooth ride for Kyrillos, should he choose to seek the nomination, even easier than previously anticipated.

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Little “Leaning” Towards U.S. Senate Race

Former Highlands Mayor and former Freeholder Anna Little is considering a primary run for the GOP nomination to challenge U.S. Senator Robert Menendez in 2012.

An announcement posted on TPATH, a website run by Tea Party activist Dwight Kehoe, declared that Little is running:

Breaking News – (TPATH)  Anna Little, one of New Jersey’s most dynamic supporters of the Constitution and smaller government, has set her sights on the US Senate race in 2012.

Anna announced today that her battle to unseat one of Obama’s most ardent supporters, Robert Menendez, will run hand in hand with the battle to save America by making Obama a one term President. She intends to use all her resources, energy and considerable enthusiasm towards that goal.

 
The Anna Little For Senate Campaign
Will be holding its first campaign meeting this coming:
Tuesday
November 15, 2011
at 5:00PM
Keyport IHOP.

Little’s spokesman Larry Cirgnano told Politickernj that the 2010 6th Congressional District nominee is “leaning” towards the Senate race.

State Senator Joe Kyrillos has established an exploratory committee for the Senate nomination and is considered the front runner by GOP insiders.  State Senator Michael Doherty and former Roxbury Mayor Tim Smith are also expected to compete for the nomination.  Jets owner Woody Johnson has been rumored to be considering a run.

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KYRILLOS STATEMENT ON SECOND JERSEY CITY SICK LEAVE BOND IN A YEAR

State Senator Joe Kyrillos (R- Monmouth/Middlesex) responded to reports that Jersey City will borrow to pay for more than $9 million in accumulated personal time and sick time this year by calling again for an immediate vote to end unused sick leave payouts for public employees:”Today, we saw the clearest example yet of how the Democratic Majority’s refusal to enact meaningful sick leave reform is costing the taxpayers of New Jersey. Jersey City is being forced to pay $9 million in unused leave benefits, rather than controlling taxes and improving services is bad enough. Sick leave is not deferred compensation. It is not a retirement plan or a bonus- it is intended to be used as time off when an employee is sick. The Majority needs to recognize that we must end, not just cap, these payments and post the Governor’s conditional veto immediately.”

The amended version of, S-2220, which would change the retirees unused sick leave statute is now pending before the State Senate.

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Suddenly Somebody Cares About LD 13

New Jersey Democrats are suddenly taking an interest in the 13th legislative district according to a normally reliable source familiar with the state wide campaign.

Word is that U.S. Senator Bob Menendezis feeling a bit vulnerable with his weak showing in the FDU poll  released this morning and with the possibility that Governor Chris Christie could be the Presidential candidate next year when  needs Obama coattails to get reelected.  He wants the Monmouth Democrats to rough up Senator Joe Kyrillos and make him spend some money.

Assembly Majority Leader Joe Cryan want to take a run at Declan O’Scanlon, if not to beat him this time, to at least weaken him for a future contest against Marlboro Mayor Jon Hornick.  Cryan will be in the district raising money twice in the next two weeks.

Unless I’ve been fed misinformation, which usually doesn’t start until the last two weeks of the campaign, expect 2 or 3 negative mailers on behalf of the 13th district Democrats.

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What if we held an election and nobody cared? Part 2, 13th Legislative District

Prelude from Part 1:

In seven weeks New Jersey voters will have the opportunity to elect an entirely new state legislature.

Patrick Murray’s Monmouth University/Neptune Nudniks poll conducted in August indicates that New Jersey voters disapprove of their legislature by a 48%-35% margin.  Democrats disapprove by 45%-38%.  Independents, the majority, disapprove by a whopping 50%-28%.  Surprisingly, Republicans approve of the legislature by a 45%-41% margin.  Public workers disapprove by 55%-26%.

Based solely on those poll results, one might expect that we’d be in the middle of a spirited campaign with Democrats and public workers rallying to throw the Republicans out of office.  Obviously that is not the case.  Democrats control the legislature that their base and Independents disapprove of strongly.

Due to Dr. Alan Rosenthal’s decision that New Jersey voters are better off being continuously represented by legislators they don’t know, there are only a handful of competitive legislative races.  The Democrats will continue to control the legislature for the next two years.  Probably the next ten years.

13th Legislative District

This district keeps the Bayshore towns of Aberdeen, Hazlet, Holmdel, Keansburg, Keyport, Middletown, and Union Beach from the old 13th, adds Atlantic Higlands, Highlands, Monmouth Beach,  Rumson and Sea Bright from the old 11th and Fair Haven, Little Silver, Oceanport, Marlboro from the old 12th.

The Republican incumbents are Senator Joe Kyrillos and Assembly Members Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon. O’Scanlon previously represented the old 12th.

On paper this should be a competitive district.  Democrats actually have a voter registration edge.  According to Labels and Lists Inc there are 34,193 registered Democrats, 33,758 registered Republicans and 74,492 unaffiliated (Independent) voters in the district.

Despite the slight registration edge for Democrats, the district generally votes Republican.  John McCain won the district in 2008, Chris Christie beat Jon Corzine here by a wide margin, and Anna Little beat Frank Pallone here in 2010.

Of the 16 municipalities in the 13th, 9 of the are comfortably controlled by Republicans. 6 are competitive towns with a local governing body that shifts from R to D on occasion.   Aberdeen is the only reliably Democratic town on the municpal level.

With 31% of the registered voters in the district, Middletown dominates.  Even though their registration edge is less than 2000 voters, Republicans dominate Middletown.  Middletown voters love their hometown office holders, Joe Kyrillos and Amy Handlin who they have elected time after time over the last two decades plus; Kyrillos served two terms in the Assembly from 1988 through 1991 and has been a Senator since 1992.  Handlin was a Monmouth County Freeholder from 1990 through 2006 when she entered the Assembly.

Roughly 73% of the district is new for O’Scanlon.  Yet, that 27% from his old district, Fair Haven, Little Silver, Oceanport and Marlboro knows O’Scanlon well.  They elected him to two terms in the Assembly after he lost to Michael Panter by only 73 votes in 2005.

The Democrats are running two former Hazlet mayors and a former Middletown township committee member. 

Christopher Cullen is the former Hazlet Mayor challenging Kyrillos for Senate.  Cullen, who served one term on the Hazlet Township Committee, won the nomination for Senate as a write-in candidate in the primary after failing to submit his petitions after being tabbed at the nominating convention in the spring.  He is the director of facilities maintenance and custodial services at MAST High School.  He is a member of Operating Engineers Local 68 and was previously a member of the teamsters.

Hazlet’s Community Center is named for Cullen’s father, James J. Cullen, who served the community for many years as a Republican office holder.

Both Democratic Assembly candidates won their first municipal elections in the wake of Operation Bid Rig.  Lavan was elected to the Hazlet Township Committee in 2005 and served through 2010 when he lost his reelection bid.  Like Cullen, his union roots are deep.  He has been a member of the International Longshoreman’s Association for 46 years.  He is making his support of unions, and the Right to Work legislation that Handlin and O’Scanlon have sponsored, the center piece of his campaign.

Short, a former Republican and a West Point graduate was the first Democrat elected to the Middletown Township Committee in 2006 in the wake of Bid Rig. He was swept out of office with Jon Corzine in 2009 as Chris Christie and the GOP swept Middletownoverwhelmingly.  Short was ambivalent about seeking a second term, but ultimately ignored MMM’s advise that he take the plaque.

Based on the early inactivity of the campaign, I was wondering if the feisty Constitution Party slate of Steve Boracchia for Senate, Bill Lawton and Frank Cottone might actually garner more votes than the Democrats in this race.  However, a volunteer from the Democratic campaign reached out to me to optimistic declare that the Democrats will produce a shocking victory on election day.  The volunteer said that Cullen, Lavan and Short are going in 20 different directions knocking on doors and that they are marshalling their scare resources for a last minute sprint into office.

While the 13th districts candidates don’t have the state Democratic support that the 11th district candidates have enjoyed….a paid staff and high profile fund raisers hosted by Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Senate President Stephen Sweeney…the volunteer said that the campaign is expecting an influx of union money and that Assembly Majority Leader Joe Cryan is coming to the district next week to raise money for the slate.

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