Governor Phil Murphy, Jon Bon Jovi, their wives, First Lady Tammy Murphy and Dorothea Bongiovi, along with their sons, dined outdoors at B2 Bistro and Bar in Red Bank on Wednesday evening, RedBankGreen’s John Ward reports.
Governor Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy will be joined by Dorothea and Jon Bon Jovi in headlining a high dollar fundraiser for Senator Cory Booker’s 2020 presidential campaign on Sunday, according to a copy of the invitation to the event obtained by MMM.
UNION BEACH – For the second time in as many years, the “Spoon Full of Hope” community kitchen, has closed. “Spoon Full of Hope,” a program run through Gateway Church of Christ that was originally opened in 2014 in the former temporary home of Jakeabob’s Off the Bay, served meals to those in need in the… Read the rest of this entry »
The eighth Hope Concerts, organized by Bobby Bandiera, took place at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank Wednesday night. I’ve heard Jon Bon Jovi sing “Bad Medicine” in concert countless times over the last 30 years. But I felt like I was hearing it for the first time Wednesday night at the Count Basie Theatre… Read the rest of this entry »
Add Bon Jovi to the list of artists scheduled to perform in China, only to have their concerts canceled due to some sort of affiliation with the Dalai Lama. The iconic New Jersey rockers were scheduled to perform in Shanghai and Beijing next week, as part of an Asian tour that begins Friday in Indonesia. But… Read the rest of this entry »
Governor Chris Christie gets a hug from rock legend Jon Bon Jovi while First Lady Mary Pat Christie gets a hug from Mr. Bon Jovi’s wife Dorothea before announcing a one million dollar donation to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund from Jon Bon Jovi at Borough Hall in Sayreville, N.J. on Monday, July 8, 2013. (Governor’s Office/Tim Larsen)
TRENTON — In a new interview with Laura Ingraham’s new online media publishing website Lifezette, Gov. Chris Christie made a stunning reversal, saying he now prefers New Jersey rocker Jon Bon Jovi to his longtime idol, Bruce Springsteen. In an interview seated next to his wife, First Lady Mary Pat Christie, the two are asked which… Read the rest of this entry »
Democratic and Republican candidates for President of the United States will have to reimburse Middletown taxpayers for police overtime if they want the Township’s finest to control traffic and provide security for their fundraisers, according to Township Committeeman Tony Fiore.
The Township was left with an overtime bill of about $14,000 in 2008 when Barack Obama held a fundraiser at Jon Bon Jovi’s Navesink home, according to Fiore. That won’t happen again. “The Township Committee will not approve the expense.”
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, is coming to Bon Jovi’s house today for a $1000 per head soiree, according to Star Ledger columnist Mark Di Ionno.
In 2008, the township requested reimbursement from the rocker, but didn’t have a prayer to collect. Today, Fiore says the Police Department will not be present for the event unless Bon Jovi agrees upfront to cover the costs.
Today, Jon Bon Jovi is hosting a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in his French Chateau overlooking the Navesink River. It’s a mile from Jyll Jakes’ neighborhood in Sea Bright, where every other house remains boarded up. “It’s a still mess down here. I think people have forgotten how bad it is,” said Jakes, who credits… Read the rest of this entry »
UNION BEACH — A community kitchen that served up meals in the Hurricane Sandy-ravaged borough of Union Beach until closing down over the summer plans to reopen today thanks to Jon Bon Jovi. An arm of the New Jersey rocker’s nonprofit organization is sponsoring “Spoon Full of Hope,” a program run by Gateway Church of Christ… Read the rest of this entry »
Christie was not first choice as star of #STTS campaign
Congressman Frank Pallone during the 2013 Democratic U.S. Senate Primary Debate
Congressman Frank Pallone lied to the Department and Housing and Urban Development’s Inspector General when he asked that they audit the Christie Administration’s 2013 post-Superstorm Sandy Shore Tourism ad campaign.
In his August 8, 2013 letter to HUD Inspector General David Montoya, Pallone said:
Recently released documents relating to the bidding process and contract award for this marketing campaign show that the contract was awarded to a firm that is charging over $2 million more than the next lowest bidder to develop the marketing plan. The winning firm is being paid $4.7 million for their work, while a comparable firm proposed billing the state $2.5 million for similar work. This large discrepancy between the competing proposals raises concerns as to whether these federal funds are being spent in the most cost effective manner, and should be reviewed by your office.
I am also concerned that the winning bid proposed including Governor Chris Christie in the advertisements, while the lower cost proposal that was not selected did not. As you know, the Governor is running for reelection this year in a high profile race. It is inappropriate for taxpayer-funded dollars that are critical to our state’s recovery from this natural disaster to fund commercials that could potentially benefit a political campaign. In these sensitive circumstances, even the appearance of a conflict of interest should be avoided.
The fact that this particular proposal was chosen despite an obvious conflict of interest, in addition to the higher costs, raises serious concerns with the entire process. I fought hard for passage of the Sandy aid package in Congress by assuring my colleagues that this funding was critical to our recovery and that it would be spent responsibly without waste, fraud and abuse. Many in Congress objected to this funding precisely because of concerns their citizens’ tax dollars would be misspent. In that regard, the state’s mismanagement of taxpayer funds for this marketing campaign is extremely troubling, especially when there are so many New Jersey residents still in need of assistance to recover and rebuild from this historic storm.
But the firm behind the #STTS ad campaign, MWW of East Rutherford, said their proposal was $2.745 million under the $25 million budget and $1.47 million lower than the runner-up’s bid. MWW said their proposal offered the lowest hourly rate of all bids.
