Bridgegate: What difference does it make?

Some members of New Jersey’s press corps, along with Senator Loretta Weinberg, Assemblyman John Wisniewski and the Democratic National Committee seem think they finally have an issue to thwart Governor Chris Christie’s rising star.   They’re hoping traffic jams in Fort Lee will prevent Christie from becoming President of the United States.

The Star Ledger has an article this morning quoting Democrats and academics saying “the scandal” could hurt Chrisite’s national ambitions.

But questions about the incident have fueled a scandal that even Christie’s masterful team of brand managers can’t make go away.

The Record’s Charles Stile writes that “Christie won’t easily shake GWB flap.”

Stile and The Star Ledger’s reporters have it wrong.  Christie deftly accepted “ultimate responsibility” for the mistakes made in Fort Lee last September, while deflecting blame, at his press conference on the matter on Friday. As NJTV’s Michael Aron said on Reporters Roundtable, the issue is ‘fundamentally over.”   If the ‘Bridgegate’ story gets any ink at all in 2014 and beyond, it will be deep in the back pages.

It’s doubtful that the subpoenas that Wisniewski, as Chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee, issued will result in any smoking gun that proves that Christie or anyone in his inner circle other than Port Authority’s Bill Baroni or David Wildstein knew about the George Washington Bridge lane closures that tied up traffic in Fort Lee for a few days is September.  Even if a smoking gun is discovered, as Hillary Clinton would shout, “What difference does it make?”

Now that Christie is a legitimate presidential contender, the front runner in the early polls, it is perfectly appropriate that the press and his opponents attempt to make mountains out of traffic jams and other mole hills as part of the vetting process for a president.  Barack Obama got a pass from the press and his opponents in 2008 and 2012. Look what that got us.

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AshBritt CEO Deflates Buono’s Hopes Of Making Clean Up A Campaign Issue

Trenton Democrats’ continuing quest to turn Governor Christie’s strongest issue against him suffered a set back yesterday when AshBritt CEO Randall Perkins won over Democratic members of a Joint Legislative Oversight Committee and flummoxed presumed gubernatorial nominee Barbara Buono by calling her on the political motivation of her questioning.

Facing four hours of questioning by the bi-partisan committee chaired by Senator Bob Gordon (D-Bergen), Perkins frequently praised the legislators for exercising their oversight duties, while combatively swatting back Democratic allegations of impropriety disguised as questions.

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MEET THE BIGGEST ‘TRIPLE-DIPPER’ IN THE NEW JERSEY STATEHOUSE: SEN. FRED MADDEN POCKETS $241,000 A YEAR IN PAY & PENSION

By Mark Lagerkvist, NewJersey.Watchdog.org

For state Sen. Frederick Madden Jr., the path of public service also has been a road to personal wealth.

Madden collects more than $241,000 a year in public salaries plus retirement pay. He gets $49,000 as a legislator, a $106,983 as a police academy dean and an $85,272 annual pension as a State Police retiree. 

Since he “retired” at age 48 nearly a decade ago, Madden has cashed $770,156 in New Jersey retirement checks. Among the 15 legislators who draw state pensions, no one pockets more than the senator from the state’s 4th Legislative District, which includes parts of Gloucester and Camden counties.  (See chart below.)

It may madden taxpayers, but double-dipping practices by public officials generally are legal under state law.

“There are those who have an issue with people retiring from one organization and going to work someplace else,” Madden told New Jersey Watchdog. “Obviously I don’t have a problem with people doing it. I’ve accepted that in my own personal life. I don’t have a problem with it at all.”

The problem is whether the state can afford such generosity. New Jersey’s pensions are underfunded by $36 billion, according to the State Treasury’s latest numbers. Other studies have estimated the shortfall as high as $144 billion.

‘Special Retirement’

How did Madden retire with a fat pension at 48? Other public employees in New Jersey typically must wait until 60 or older to retire with full benefits. Under federal Social Security, the full retirement age is 66.

The answer is simple: “Special Retirement.” It is a rule that only applies to law enforcement officials in the Police & Firemen’s Retirement System (PFRS) or State Police Retirement System (SPRS). The special retirement provision allows officers to retire at any age after 25 years of service, without reduced benefits.

“It’s basically a young person’s job,” said Madden. “The system is set up for them to retire early to keep the forces young. We have mandatory retirement at 55.”

Two months before he turned 21, Madden was hired as a $9,088-a-year state trooper who would climb up the organizational chart. He could have retired at 45 with full benefits, but Madden maximized his nest egg by staying for four more raises, three more birthdays and two big promotions to lieutenant colonel and deputy superintendent. Then he retired June 30, 2002.

“I had reached the top of my career in policing. It was in my best interest to move on, so I decided to retire,” Madden said.

Four months after his 48th birthday, Madden began receiving a SPRS pension for life. It will pay him more than $2.5 million, if he lives until age 80 — the average life expectancy for a 57-year-old white male in the United States, according to federal statistics.

“I’ve earned that,” said Madden. “I paid into that system like every other trooper. You can make it sound like I’m getting something I don’t deserve, and that’s wrong.”

Madden’s pension is based on 27 years of service and a final salary of $112,451 a year. Previous years of lower pay and smaller retirement fund contributions are not part of the calculation. Under the statutory formula, his pension pay is 67 percent of his final salary, plus cost-of-living increases.

The senator noted the State Police does not participate in Social Security. Employees do not contribute to the federal program and typically do not qualify for its retirement benefits.

One-Day Retiree

The first thing Madden did after he retired was return to the government payroll in a law enforcement job.

On July 1, 2002 — one day after he left the State Police — Madden started a new job as chief of detectives for the Gloucester County prosecutor. His new $105,000 salary, along with a pension of roughly $75,000, boosted Madden’s annual income to $180,000.

“There are a lot of positives to taking retirees that have strong resumes and productive work experience and placing them in other public jobs,” said Madden.

One state rule is supposed to prevent workers from temporarily retiring from public employment to take advantage of pension funds. A retirement only is considered to be legitimate, or “bona fide,” if “there is a good faith action to retire” and “there has been a cessation of employment of at least 30 days,” according to SPRS and PFRS handbooks.

If a retirement is not “bona fide,” the state can force the employee to return any benefits paid.

The rule often is ignored and seldom enforced. Previous New Jersey Watchdog investigations uncovered numerous examples of one-day retirements by officials who currently work for the state attorney general, county sheriffs and prosecuting attorneys.

Back to the State Police

In a twist of fate, Madden returned from his “retirement” to head the State Police temporarily as a result of someone else’s scandal. 

Gov. James McGreevey named Madden acting superintendent in October 2002 when Superintendent Joseph Santiago resigned amid allegations of “gross mismanagement.” The appointment lasted four months.

“One Friday morning, I showed up at the prosecutor’s office for work. That afternoon, I was in the governor’s office assuming command of the division,” recalled Madden.

It was good news for Madden’s paycheck. The Gloucester prosecutor gave him a $20,000 raise — upping his pay to $125,000 a year — then assigned Madden to the State Police on an “intergovernmental loan.”

Meanwhile, Madden’s state pension kept rolling in at a rate of $75,000 a year, boosting his annualized income to $200,000.

Triple-Dipping

When the State Police found a new superintendent, Madden quit the Gloucester County prosecutor in February 2003 to run for state Senate as a Democrat.

“I was thinking, ‘If they can do this job…’” Madden chuckled. “I think I bring morals and ethics and truthfulness to the seat. I had been policing my entire life, and I wanted to try something different.”

In a close election decided by recount, Madden beat Republican incumbent George Geist by 63 votes. One of the victor’s spoils was the $49,000 annual pay received by legislators.

In May 2006, Madden found a third stream of public income. He was hired as acting dean of the Gloucester County Police Academy with a $76,128 a year salary. Two years later, Madden was promoted to dean of the academy, a law enforcement training program at Gloucester County College in Sewell. His pay was boosted to $96,500 per annum.

“I have no problem balancing them,” said Madden, referring to his two jobs. He said he has flexible hours at his 35-hour-week college position and takes vacation time to attend Senate sessions when necessary.

He contends that state taxpayers benefit because he can hold two public positions in New Jersey concurrently.

“If I go across the bridge to Temple University (to work in Pennsylvania), those people get the benefit of my training and the college degrees that the people of New Jersey have invested in,” he said.

Madden’s police academy salary is now $106,374 a year. Cost-of-living hikes have boosted his annual pension to $85,272, while his legislative salary remains at $49,000.

Bottom line: Madden rakes in $241,255 a year from a state pension plus two public salaries. He said he is not earning additional pensions from the college or Legislature.

15 NJ Legislators Collect State Pensions

New Jersey Watchdog found 15 current legislators — six senators and nine Assembly members — who receive state retirement checks in addition to legislative salaries, according to public records. The nine Democrats and six Republicans receive an average of $43,000 in annual pension pay.

Not coincidentally, those who get the biggest checks are retirees of PFRS or SPRS. State pension formulas and regulations favor law enforcement officials over other public employees.

For example, if Madden had retired as a member of the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) at the same age, salary history and years of service, his pension would have been cut in half.

Of the 15 lawmakers who receive state pensions plus legislative salaries, three are on the payrolls of other public agencies in New Jersey. In addition to Madden:

• Sen. Jim Whalen receives $154,637 a year — $70,477 as a teacher in the Atlantic City School System; $35,160 from PERS as a retired municipal official and $49,000 as a legislator.
• Sen. Robert Singer gets $88,404 a year — $5,000 a year as chairman of the Lakewood Municipal Utility Authority in Ocean County; $34,404 from PERS as a retiree of multiple governmental agencies and his $49,000 legislative salary.

# # #

STATE LEGISLATORS WHO COLLECT NEW JERSEY PUBLIC PENSIONS

New Jersey Watchdog’s research focused on current state legislators who draw retirement pay from state pension funds. Data are from pension, payroll and personnel records obtained from the New Jersey Department of Treasury, Civil Service Commission and local governmental bodies through state’s Open Public Records Act requests. Pension amounts and employment status are current as of December 2011.

Rible receives a pension for “accidental disability retirement,” which is not based on age or years of service. For details, click here for New Jersey Watchdog’s investigative report on Rible’s disability pension.

Key to abbreviations for state pension plans: PFRS – Police and Firemen’s Retirement System; SPRS – State Police Retirement System; TPAF – Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund; PERS – Public Employees’ Retirement System.

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Somebody at the Ledger doesn’t like Assemblywoman Connie Wagner

Senator Loretta Weinberg has been creating a media storm touting Bergen County Assemblywoman Connie Wagner as the Democratic candidate to challenge Congressman Scott Garrett in the newly redrawn 5th congressional district.

The Star Ledger/NJ.com played along, mentioning Wagner most prominently in a piece about potential Garrett challengers.

Yet someone at NJ.com either doesn’t like Wagner or never heard of Google Images.  They ran a 2008 file photo of Wagner with the article.   Wagner looks a bit different in the more recent photo on her assembly website.

2008 Star Ledger photo of Assemblywoman Connie Wagner

Assemblywoman Connie Wagner's website headshot

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Weinberg Should Know Her District Better

Governor Chris Christie’s visit  to the Roy W. Brown Middle School in Bergenfield to tout the pilot of his new teacher evaluation system brought back fond memories for me. I attended the school from 1969 -1971.

The Bergenfield school system has a long tradition of excellence and out of the box thinking.  It is appropriate that one of their schools was chosen for the pilot program.

Senator Loretta Weinberg, whose district includes Bergenfield, and Senate President Stephen Sweeney used the occasion to issue a snarky partisan statement that has nothing to do with the merits of the teacher evaluation system.

Snark is par for the course with Weinberg, but I didn’t expect her to make such a blatant gaff about Bergenfield’s history and the history of a New Jersey Hall of Fame member, Jersey Boy Frankie Valli.

Weinberg and Sweeney opened their statement as follows:

“It is great to see the governor visiting the wonderful schools in Bergenfield, home to the outstanding music program where Frankie Valli got started.

Bergenfield does have an outstanding music program. It has for decades. But that is not where Frankie Valli got started.   Valli grew up in Newark.

Bob Gaudio, Valli’s partner in The Four Seasons and the writer of most of the group’s hit songs, got his start in Bergenfield. Gaudio had his first hit record, Short Shorts, at the age of 15 while still a student at Bergenfield High School. 

Guadio and Valli met in 1958 while they were both touring with different groups. Two years later they formed The Four Seasons.

Weinberg should know this. Not because it is Bergenfield trivia, but because she attended Gaudio’s honorary graduation from Bergenfield High School only two years ago in 2009.

That Gaudio didn’t graduate with his class is an example of the long history of out of the box thinking for Bergenfield educators.  Paul Hoffmeister, then-principal of Bergenfield High School, helped Gaudio convince his parents to let him drop out of school to pursue his musical career, according to the Jersey Boys Blog:

But, in 1958 he was only a 15-year-old kid who had tasted the success of “Short Shorts” and knew in his gut that music would be his life.

Concerned parents

Now he only had to convince his parents that it would be a good idea for him to leave school so that he and the Royal Teens could go on tour with the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry.

Though it was an easy decision for Gaudio, he knew it would be a hard sell to his parents.

But an ally came to his aid from a very surprising corner during a meeting with Bob, his parents and Paul Hoffmeister, then-principal of Bergenfield High School.

“My parents were very concerned,” said Gaudio, “and this meeting was my last resort to try and convince my dad, in particular, to let me go.”

“But I didn’t expect what happened,” he said. “I thought the principal would side with my parents, but he didn’t; and he shaped my future.”

“It was very astute of him,” said Gaudio, “and I think he was very tuned in to what kids were thinking and how they’re feeling at that stage in their lives.”

“I don’t know if he gave that type of advice to other people,” he said, “but it just made sense to him and was definitely the right decision for me, though I’m sure a major part of it was that I already had a hit record — I wasn’t just going to quit school and twiddle my thumbs and throw darts.”

Not only was Gaudio’s life shaped by Hoffmeister’s risk.  American culture was shaped by it.

Weinberg and Sweeney should get their facts straight if they’re going to be snarky.

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Beck Bill Addressing Antiquated, Demeaning Language Towards Women Clears Committee

Trenton—Legislation sponsored by Senators Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth/Mercer) and Loretta Weinberg (D- Bergen) that would repeal certain obsolete, antiquated statutes containing demeaning language to women was passed by the Assembly Judiciary Committee today. The bill, S-2665/A-3841, would repeal a number of statues on the books which either do not accurately reflect the status of women in the 21st Century, or contain language which would be considered sexist or demeaning under today’s standards.

“It is bad enough these laws existed at all, much less remain on the books,” Beck said. “Our society has moved on from an era where the rights of women were deliberately limited by the Government, and it is time the law books do the same”

The laws which would be repealed are:

The “Married Woman’s Property Acts,” a law first enacted in the 1800s to codify married women’s right to own, control, and dispose of property. At the time of enactment, the law was considered an advance for women over the common law which imposed restrictions on a women’s legal and property rights. However, the law was made obsolete with the passage of the New Jersey Constitution and the Law Against Discrimination, along with any number of federal laws outlining a woman’s rights as being equal to men’s rights;

The “Bar by consent to ravisher law,” which provides that, “if a wife after being ravished, consent to the ravisher, she shall be disabled and forever barred from having her jointure or dower, unless her husband is voluntarily reconciled to her and permits her to dwell with him, in which case she shall be restored to her jointure or dower;”

The “Immediate marriage if arrested upon criminal charge law,” which states, “if a person is arrested upon a criminal charge, involving an accusation of bastardy, rape, fornication or of having had carnal knowledge of an unmarried female, and the accused person consents to marry such female, any licensing officer is authorized to immediately issue a marriage license irrespective of the provisions of [marriage requirements].”

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NJ Right To Life Rally To Oppose Planned Parenthood Funding

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