He should check is couch for the missing $1.2 Billion when he packs
The New York Post and Bloomberg are reporting that former New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine has put is Hoboken penthouse condo of the market because he’s living in his wife’s apartment in New York City.
“charged with ‘manufacturing’ 17 marijuana plants that he used to treat his Multiple Sclerosis. Wilson faced 20 years in state prison for this crime. At trial, Superior Court Judge Robert Reed would not let the jury hear the reason that Wilson grew the marijuana plants, essentially removing Wilson’s only defense.“
Senator Raymond Lesniak, who was a chief proponent of New Jersey’s medical marijuana law, had this appeal to Gov. Chris Christie:
“I am disappointed by the recent decision of the Supreme Court to deny the appeal of John Ray Wilson. He was merely trying to alleviate the symptoms of a dreadfully painful and regressive disease. It is unconscionable that this Friday he will be behind bars. Three years ago, I called on Gov. Corzine to commute the sentence of Mr. Wilson. After inaction with the last governor, I was hopeful Gov. Christie would better understand the unfair reality of this situation. Unfortunately, Gov. Christie has been just like Corzine, refusing to use his and only his power to make things right when the true intentions of the law were misapplied. (Ironically) before John Ray Wilson completes his prison sentence, the State of NJ will have its medical marijuana program up and running, and Mr. Wilson may likely be using medical marijuana behind bars or the prescription pain killers he couldn’t afford, paid for by the state’s taxpayers. Governor Christie should commute his sentence immediately.”
Chris Goldstein from the Coalition for Medical Marijuana in NJ wonders,”how many more seriously ill residents are we going to send to prison? We call on Governor Chris Christie to demonstrate his compassion for qualifying medical marijuana patients and his commitment to a new stance on non-violent drug offenders by issuing a pardon for John Ray Wilson.”
The Marriage Equality and Religious Exceptions Act passed the New Jersey Senate Judiciary committee this afternoon on a partisan 8-4 vote. Democrats Nicholas Scutari, Nia Gill, Nellie Pou, Paul Sarlo, Brain Stack, Loretta Weinberg, and Joe Vitale voted for the bill. Republicans Kip Bateman, Michael Doherty, Joe Kyrillos and Kevin O’Toole voted no.
While at a Town Hall meeting in Bridgewater, Governor Chris Christie called for putting the question on the ballot in November. Back in Trenton, Senate President Stephen Sweeney quickly rejected Christie’s call for a referendum, calling it a civil rights issue that should be decided by the legislature, not the people.
Former Governor Jon Corzine’s Public Advocate, Richard Chen, said that Women’s Suffrage was on the New Jersey ballot in 1915 and was defeated, passing only in Ocean County.
Prominent Republican pollster and FoxNews analyst Adam Geller says that today’s FDU poll which has U.S. Senator Robert Menendez beating either Republican State Senator Joe Kyrillos or former Highlands Mayor Anna Little by a 43%-31%, is very bad news for Menendez.
In a memo to the Kyrillos for Senate Exploritory Committee obtained by MMM Geller said:
The takeaway from today’s FDU poll is Bob Menendez is very vulnerable and this is a real opportunity for a good candidate to defeat him. Any incumbent under 50% is in trouble and Menendez is under 45%, which means he is in major trouble. That is Jon Corzine territory
Joe Kyrillos, even though not yet a candidate, would make a very strong opponent for Menendez because of his personal and fundraising base and his consistently strong fiscally conservative voting record in New Jersey.
I would also note that only 28% of voters think the country is headed in the right direction. That is a terrible number for an incumbent arguing that he ought to be re-elected.
The bottom line of this poll is that if Joe Kyrillos were to jump into this race, Bob Menendez is in serious trouble.
Jon Corzine says he simply doesn’t know where the missing $1.2 billion of MF Global customers’ money is.
Maybe it’s in France. In a preview of their February issue, Vanity Fair(hat tip to bluejersey), reports that the former master of the universe and his wife, Sharon Elghanayan, were shopping for a beach house in the South of France two weeks before MF Global collapsed and the $1.2 billion was discovered missing.
Character, scholarship, temperament and a demonstrated ability to do the job. One would hope that those are the most important qualities our U.S. Senators consider when they participate in the vetting of potential federal judges.
Evidently, who potential judges share their beds and bodies with are a more important consideration to New Jersey’s U.S. Senators; Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez.
Two weeks ago we read the news that Lautenberg passed over candidates expected to be nominated for federal judgeships in New Jersey and “out of nowhere” endorsed New York Senator Chuck Schumer’s brother-in-law to sit on New Jersey’s District Court.
Today we read that Menendez is using senatorial courtesy to block the nomination of U.S. Magistrate Patty Shwartz to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
Shwartz has been in a relationship with James Nobile for two decades, according to The New York Times. Nobile is the head of the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s public corruption unit which investigated Menendez in 2006 while the Hudson County pol was running for his own term as Senator after having been appointed by Governor Jon Corzine.
Menendez was elected despite the news of the investigation. The investigation has been closed with no charges filed.
Web video highlights the failed policies of the Obama, Biden, Corzine alliance
Diane Gooch, Strong New Jersey chairwoman, is pleased to announce the launch of a web video highlighting the alliance between President Obama, Vice-President Biden and disgraced former New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine. Corzine as CEO of MF Global, recently presided over the bankruptcy and loss of $1.2 billion in client funds.
Nobody knows Jon Corzine better than New Jersey. New Jersey rejected Jon Corzine’s failed policies in 2009, while President Obama and Vice-President Biden embraced him. While businesses left the state and families lost their jobs, President Obama and Vice-President Biden campaigned aggressively for Corzine, praising Corzine and calling him for advice on how to improve the economy.
Strong New Jersey Chairwoman Diane Gooch said, “Strong New Jersey released the video to highlight exactly who the Obama administration turns to for advice and guidance on fixing our economy – Jon Corzine.”
New Jersey gets it. Jon Corzine’s “spend now ask later” policy didn’t work in New Jersey, and didn’t work on Wall Street.
About Strong New Jersey Founded by small business owner, philanthropic leader and former Congressional candidate Diane Gooch, Strong New Jersey is a group of concerned citizens ready to raise their voices to preserve and promote responsible government, individual liberty and free enterprise in New Jersey.
Senate President Stephen Sweeney famously called Governor Chris Christie a “rotten prick” last summer over the budget. Assembly Speaker Sheila has called Christie a liar, a bully and implied his his administration was racist. Christie just shrugs it off and keeps working with them.
Former Acting Governor Richard Codey, Sweeney’s predecessor, called Christie a liar earlier this week. Christie responded by firing Codey’s cousin from a $215,000 job at the Pork Authority and cancelling Codey’s State Police security detail.
Codey can take comfort in the fact that Christie is giving him more rough and especially tumble material for the paperback edition to his book and that he hasn’t tumbled as far as Jon Corzine.
Marlboro Councilman Frank LaRocca and businessman Vin Gopal, an Assembly candidate from the 11th legislative district last month, are building their alliances and working the phones. LaRocca is the law partner of Marlboro Mayor Jon Hornick. Gopal, a business partner of Scudiery. Hornick, considered a Democratic rising star statewide, is all in for his political and business partner as they seek to build an organization to propel the young mayor into higher office. Scudiery is officially neutral.
During Scudiery’s two decade tenure as chairman he has fought against the state Democratic organization bringing “outsiders” in to fill appointments in the county. Perhaps the most notable example is the Monmouth Prosecutor’s job in 2005. Acting Governor Richard Codey nominated Essex County resident Luis Valentin to succeed Republican John Kaye who had held the job for 21 years. Scudiery objected, wanting the job to go to Monmouth resident Allan Falk. Scudiery asked State Senator Joe Palaia, a Republican, to block Valentin’s appointment via senatorial courtesy. Palaia stayed out of the Democratic family feud, but Trenton Democrats responded by sending U.S. Senator/gubernatorial candidate Jon Corzine and Congressman Frank Pallone to Airport Plaza to demand that Scudiery step down as chairman. He didn’t.
LaRocca and Hornick, “LaHornicca,” are seen to be allied with the Trenton Democratic establishment. They have strong ties to State Democratic Chairman John Wisniewski. Democratic legal powerhouse, DeCotiis, FitzPatrick and Cole, of Teaneck, are the Marlboro borough attorneys.
Gopal, despite having a statewide network of his own, including a close alliance with Newark Mayor Cory Booker, is seen to represent local interests. During his Assembly campaign he expressed a commitment to building a homegrown Democratic organization.
Alliances in the chairman’s race are breaking along similar lines. Middletown Democratic Chair Joe Caliendo is backing Gopal. Caliendo and Howell Democratic Chair Steve Morlino often align their forces, creating an insurmountable voting block. If that alliance stands, Gopal will likely win.
“LaHornicca” has the support of former Red Bank Mayor Ed McKenna, who challenged Scudiery in 2000. McKenna’s law partner, Michael DuPont is also in the “LaHornicca” camp. DuPont is the treasurer of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. DeCotiis is the law firm for the Turnpike Authority.
However, the Red Bank Democrats are split. Ed Zipprich, the municipal chairman and a councilman supports Gopal.
Democratic campaign and media consultants Pat Politano, of Union County, and Jon Evans of Morris County, famous in Monmouth County for running Brian Unger’s Long Branch mayoral campaign in 2010, are supporting “LaHornicca.” Politano is closely aligned with former State Democratic Chairman Joe Cryan, a Union County Assemblyman and Undersheriff, and with Cryan’s running mate, Senator Ray Lesniak.
As hard as Gopal and “LaHornicca” are working on building their alliances with current municipal chairs and committee members, most of the voters may not yet be identified. The entire county committee, of both parties, is up for election in the June 5, 2012 primary. The current Monmouth County Democratic Committee has over 400 vacancies. The team that gets candidates to run for those empty seats could control the Monmouth Democratic Organization through June of 2014.
Prominent Republican pollster and FoxNews analyst Adam Geller says that today’s 
Senate President Stephen Sweeney famously called Governor Chris Christie a “rotten prick” last summer over the budget. Assembly Speaker Sheila has called Christie a liar, a bully and implied his his administration was racist. Christie just shrugs it off and keeps working with them.