How Monmouth County Legislators Voted On Busting The Property Tax Cap

Senators Sam Thompson, standing, and Vin Gopal, were the only Monmouth County legislators to vote in favor of busting the 2% property tax cap. Photo via NJ School Boards Association

The New Jersey Senate and Assembly passed legislation on Monday that allows school districts that have lost state funding for their budgets and are spending less annually than what the state considers adequate to raise property taxes above the 2% cap without voters’s consent.  The 2% cap was the hallmark reform of the Christie administration.  The cap busting legislation expires after the 2024-2025 school year.

The bill awaits Governor Phil Murphy’s signature before it becomes law.  Murphy has indicated he is opposed to busting the property tax cap, preferring to raise income taxes on millionaires.

Of the legislators who represent parts of Monmouth County, only Senators Vin Gopal (D-11) and Sam Thompson (R-12) voted in favor of the bill.

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Judge Joseph W. Oxley Tenured Unanimously By NJ State Senate

Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley was affirmed for tenure by a 40-0 vote by the New Jersey State Senate on Monday afternoon.

Nominated by Governor Chris Christie for a seven year term in 2012, Judge Oxley was renominated by Governor Phil Murphy last month.

“These past seven years have been the greatest years of my life, both personally and professionally,” Oxley told the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing last week, according to New Jersey Law Journal.

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Monmouth County Man Connected To Jersey City Shooting Faces Federal Weapons Charges

Ahmed A-Hady, 35, of Keyport, New Jersey, was arrested by the FBI early on Saturday morning and charged with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. He expected to appear on before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Dickson in Newark federal court on Monday, according to a statement by U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito.

A note found in the pants of the male suspect in the Jersey City mass shooting last week prompted federal authorities to investigate A-Hady who goes by the name Ed Him on social media.

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O’Neil concedes Highlands election to Broullon

Highlands Mayor-elect Carolyn Broullon, left rear, celebrates her victory with supporters on Saturday with dinner at Chilangos

Highlands Mayor Rick O’Neil has chosen not to contest his one vote loss to Councilwoman Carolyn Broullon in court.

O’Neil conceded in a letter to the residents of Highlands posted Friday on the nation’s first online-only newspaper, ahearald.com:

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Rep. Chris Smith Announces Winners of 2019 Congressional App Challenge

Colin Martin, teacher Laura Gesin, Jack Hester and Michael Cielecki of Communications High (missing is Vaughn Battista).

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) announced the winners of this year’s New Jersey Fourth Congressional District Congressional App Challenge, part of a nationwide competition for middle and high school students to showcase their software app-developing skills and teamwork.

“I am pleased to congratulate Communications High School students Vaughn Battista of Tinton Falls, Michael Cielecki of Spring Lake Heights, Jack Hester of Oceanport and Colin Martin of Red Bank for their first place-winning app, ‘Commuitas,’” said Rep. Smith.  “They developed a unique ‘task-sharing’ mobile application which allows users to barter their skills and abilities with other users to share tasks in exchange for a virtual points system. The judges thought it was very unique and well devised.”

Timed to coincide with Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek), December 9-15, 2019, Smith said this year’s contest drew a record number of entries from Monmouth, Ocean and Mercer Counties.

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Broullon prevails in Highlands mayoral recount

O’Neil undecided on challenging the election results

Highlands Mayor-elect Carolyn Broullon in Freehold, following the recount of the November 5 election

The results of the election for mayor of the Borough of Highlands remain unchanged following a recount conducted by the Monmouth County Board of Elections in Freehold on Tuesday afternoon.

Councilwoman Carolyn Broullon won the election over Mayor Rick O’Neil by one vote, 603-602.

O’Neil won the majority of the votes cast on voting machines, 534-518. Broullon got 59% of the Vote By Mail votes that arrived by election day, November 5, 71-49.  O’Neil got 6 of the 8 VBM ballots that were postmarked by November 5 and were delivered by the post office by November 7.  The certified provisional ballots broke for O’Neil, 13-12.

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Princeton Grad Student Released By Iran In Prisoner Exchange

Xiyue Wang and his family. photo via @FreeXiyueWang on twitter

Xiyue Wang, 38, a Princeton University graduated student, was released from an Iranian prison on Saturday. Wang had been held on espionage charges since August of 2016.   He was exchanged by the U.S. government for Masoud Soleimani, an Iranian scientist who was arrested in Chicago last year and convicted of violating American trade sanctions against Iran, according to the NY Times.

Rep Chris Smith has kept pressure on the Trump Administration to secure Wang’s release since the PhD candidate’s friends and family reached out to the congressman in early 2018.

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Monmouth Dem Chairman Apologizes For The Handling Of Congressional Candidate’s #MeToo Complaint

Tiffany Kaszuba, left and Bill Robinson, right at an event in Asbury Park in September. Photo via Kaszuba’s twitter page

Monmouth County Democrat Chairman Dave Brown issued an apology this morning for the way he handled the concerns of Tiffany Kaszuba, a lobbyist who ended her candidacy for Congress in CD4 on Tuesday with explosive allegations against Bill Robinson, the former Chairman of the Eatontown Democrats and former member of the Monmouth Democrats Executive Committee.

Kazuba issued the following statement announcing her withdrawal:

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Arnone Report: Recycling Rocky, Education Excellence, Road Improvements and Support for Small Businesses

By Monmouth County Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

Monmouth County Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

Happy December! I hope everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving with their family and friends!

The month of November was very busy for me and I would like to share what I have been up to around the County.

You may recall, last year we invited all fourth-grade students in Monmouth County to participate in an essay contest to help name our very own Monmouth County Recycling Mascot. Last April, we announced the first, second and third place winners of the contest. First place was awarded to Kiernan Turbitt of St. Leo the Great School in Lincroft. Kiernan got to name our first-ever recycling mascot, Recycling Rocky!

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Brookdale-Georgian Court agreement cuts cost of a bachelors degree by 75%

Georgian Court President Joseph R. Marbach, Ph.D. (left) and Brookdale President David Stout, Ph.D. (right)

A new agreement between Brookdale Community College and Georgian Court University enables students to receive a four year baccalaureate for less than the average cost of tuition for one year at a private college.

Local college students can receive an associates and a bachelors degree for a cost of less than $33,000 under the new 3 + 1 program offered by Brookdale and Georgian Court.  The average annual tuition at a four year private college was $34,790 in the 2017-2018 school year, according to StudentDebtRelief.us

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