“New Jersey needs Joe Kyrillos in the U.S. Senate”
Morris, Somerset and Union Counties – March 2… Today, Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean and Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick endorsed Senator Joe Kyrillos for United States Senate.
Senate Leader Tom Kean said, “Joe Kyrillos has been a reliable conservative warrior on behalf of New Jersey taxpayers throughout his entire career. Joe has been a leader in the Senate and a valuable ally as we change business as usual in Trenton. I consider Joe and his wife Susan to be among my closest friends and as the people across New Jersey get to know Joe throughout this campaign, they will come to realize just as I have, that Joe is just the reformer we need to send to Washington, DC to change business as usual in our nation’s capital.”
Assembly Leader Jon Bramnick said, “Joe Kyrillos has been an incredible ally in our effort to fix New Jersey’s fiscal mess and I am proud to endorse him today. Not only has he been an ally, but he’s also been a leader – he led the charge for us in the Senate as we fought together for Governor Christie’s ‘Tool Kit’ initiative to reform government and cap our property taxes. He has played a vital role in the reforms we have been able to pass to get the New Jersey comeback started. When you compare Joe’s record of accomplishment to Bob Menendez’s failed record, it becomes crystal clear – New Jersey needs Joe Kyrillos in the U.S. Senate.”
Senator Joe Kyrillos said, “I am proud and humbled to have the endorsement of two of New Jersey’s leaders and most accomplished legislators. Today’s endorsement of my campaign by my friends Senator Kean and Assemblyman Bramnick demonstrates that our message of reform is resonating across this great state. Our representatives in Washington are failing us. They offer us nothing new or different—just more of the same: More spending, more debt, more job-killing regulation. I am running on my record of reform and I know that together, we can prove again what a free and enterprising people are capable of. We can renew America’s promise of opportunity, and make New Jersey proud. I don’t take this responsibility lightly, and I won’t let you down.”
Senator Joseph M. Kyrillos, Jr., 51, is married to Susan Doctorian Kyrillos and they live in Middletown with their children Max and Georgia. He began serving New Jersey’s 13th Legislative District in 1988 when he was elected to the General Assembly. After spending two terms in the Assembly he was elected to the Senate where he has served since 1993. In addition to his official duties, the Senator is employed as Senior Managing Director of Colliers International, the commercial real estate services firm with offices in New York and Parsippany. He is also an advisor to the Newport Capital Group in Red Bank, NJ.
Piscataway— Following a tour of New Jersey’s Cop2Cop crisis intervention program call center in Piscataway, Senator Joe Kyrillos (R- Monmouth) applauded the University of Medicine and Dentistry (UMDNJ) for providing professional, life saving crisis intervention services to New Jersey’s law enforcement officers:
“Cop2Cop, like its sister services Vet2Vet, Vets2Warriors, and Mom2Mom, fill a critical need for police officers dealing with significant psychological and emotional trauma as a result of their service to our state and communities,” said Kyrillos, who was the original prime sponsor of the legislation which established the program. “UMDNJ has done a fantastic job of running and promoting what was at its conception a truly innovative idea. This program is now a model for the nation that has helped to avert 187 suicides since its inception.”
Kyrillos toured the Piscataway facility with Cherie Castellano, Director of the Cop2Cop program and was introduced to many of counselors who respond to calls from those seeking help from the program.
Cop2Cop is an award winning, nationally recognized, first-of-its-kind program that utilizes former police officers to provide counseling and suicide prevention services to officers in crisis who call the hotline. It has three sister services that operate using a similar peer counseling model: Vet2Vet, aimed at veterans returning from active duty, Vets2Warriors, a new service modeled after Vet2Vet serving veterans nationwide, and Mom2Mom, providing crisis intervention services to parents of autistic children.
Incorporates Common Sense Measures to Make Every Education Dollar Count
Trenton, NJ – Governor Chris Christie today released aid figures for New Jersey school districts based on the Fiscal Year 2013 Budget proposal which is the largest appropriation of state education dollars in New Jersey history. This includes $7.8 billion in K-12 formula aid, an increase of $135 million over last year and part of $213 million in additional state funding for education over Fiscal Year 2012. The Department of Education also made public the “Education Funding Report,” which outlines a series of common sense measures to make every dollar count and to help close the state’s persistent achievement gap – including turning around failing schools and ensuring that every child has an effective teacher in the classroom.
“Since taking office, one of my greatest priorities has been working to ensure that every child in the state receives a high quality education that will prepare them for the demands of the 21st century,” said Governor Christie. “In addition to increasing overall spending on education to the highest levels in state history, we can and will go further to implement common sense ways that will make every education dollar count. If we truly want to ensure that all students, regardless of zip code, graduate from high school ready for college and career, the money needs to follow the child.”
The Governor’s budget not only increases education aid for the second year in a row, but also pairs common sense changes to the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA) with bold education reforms to make sure resources are used in a way that will close the achievement gap and better serve those children who need them most. These changes were based on the findings of the “Education Funding Report” prepared by Acting Education Commissioner Chris Cerf. The findings of the “Education Funding Report” can be found at http://www.nj.gov/education/stateaid/1213/report.pdf
Making several common sense modifications to the SFRA will finally make it possible to truly fund districts based on the number and needs of students, while at the same time laying out a schedule that adds additional funds in each future year and will fully fund the SFRA over the next five years. This will increase stability and predictability for districts and fund districts based both on the number of students served and the needs of those students.
Common Sense Measures to Make Every Dollar Count:
Bringing New Jersey In Line With Other States and Funding Districts Based on How Many Students are Actually Attending School. Encourage school attendance by basing the enrollment count on actual attendance throughout the year rather than the current law which bases enrollment on a single day (October 15).Basing funding on average daily attendance will incentivize districts to focus on and improve attendance rates leading to more time in the classroom for children.Statewide, among large high schools, a mere one percentage point increase in attendance would result in nearly 4.2 million hours of additional instructional time per year.
Only 10 states in the nation, including New Jersey, use a single-day count to measure student enrollment. 40 others states use more accurate and meaningful measures of student enrollment, including average daily attendance measures or multiple days over the course of the school year.
STATES THAT USE A SINGLE DAY MEASURE FOR STUDENT COUNT METHODS
COLORADO
Single Count
CONNECTICUT
Single Count
IOWA
Single Count
KANSAS
Single Count
MARYLAND
Single Count
MASSCHUSETTS
Single Count
NEVADA
Single Count
NEW JERSEY
Single Count
SOUTH DAKOTA
Single Count
WEST VIRGINIA
Single Count
TOTAL: 10 STATES
Making Adjustment AidTruly Adjustment Aid. Adjustment aid should actually be a tool to help districts that are below adequacy, instead of what it currently is – political currency that provides additional funds to districts regardless of their current enrollment and spending levels. This is a symbol of the old Trenton, when funding decisions were made as political giveaways regardless of the implications. The plan calls for a return to common sense – for districts that are spending above the level of their adequacy budgets, phase out, over five years, adjustment aid by 50% of the amount they are spending over their adequacy budgets.
Rooting Out Fraud and Abuse. The Christie Administration will convene a task force to recommend a new measure for “at-risk” students in place of participation in the Free and Reduced Price Lunch Program, which has shown to be inaccurate and subject to fraud.There will be no change for this year.
Returning to Originally Proposed School Funding Reform Levels. New Jersey is one of the most generous state funders of “at-risk” and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students in the country.Under the proposal, even when returning to the originally proposed reform levels, New Jersey will still provide funding for these students at some of the highest levels in the country. These levels were recommended after a three year process including multiple panels of experts before they were artificially inflated.
New Jersey Funding as Compared to Other States
At-Risk
LEP
New Jersey (as amended)
42%-46%
47%
Maine
20%
30%-60%
Vermont
25%
20%
Texas
25%
10%
90% of Districts Receiving Additional Aid On A Per Pupil Basis
New Jersey currently ranks 3rd in the country in school expenditures per student, spending more than 60 percent above the national average. Nearly 60 percent of state aid goes to the 31 former Abbott districts, where spending has tripled since 1972. Former Abbott districts now spend $3,200 per pupil more than the state average (excluding the former Abbotts) and $3,100 per pupil more than the state’s wealthiest districts.
With a $135 million increase in K-12 formula aid, an increase of 1.8%, and the proposed modifications to the SFRA funding formula, 90% of districts will receive additional state aid on a per pupil basis this year. On average, state aid is increasing 2.1% or $121 per pupil across the state. Because these measures follow the principle that districts should be funded on the actual number of students they serve, 35 of the 97 districts that will receive less state aid will do so because of an enrollment decrease rather than a decrease in per-pupil aid.
As the following demonstrates, Abbotts receive almost three times the state average in state aid per pupil. Overall, the former Abbott districts are receiving 0.55% less state aid than last year, yet still remain funded at a significantly higher level than non-Abbott districts and the statewide school district average. The overwhelming amount of total per pupil education spending in the former Abbott districts has, and will continue in Fiscal Year 2013, to come from direct state support. Even with formula revisions, state aid will comprise 3 of every 4 dollars spent on education per pupil in the former Abbott districts.
Average Spending Per Pupil in New Jersey:
Statewide Average & All Former Abbott Districts
State Average: $17,836
Non-Abbotts: $17,051
Former Abbotts: $20,859
*Note that this includes all funding sources
Average State Aid Per Pupil
In the Fiscal Year 2013 Budget
State Average: $5,809
Non-Abbotts: $3,223
Former Abbotts: $15,415
*Note that this does not include local or federal contributions, which make up the rest of total per pupil spending in districts.
The past 40 years have demonstrated that just spending more money alone will not close the achievement gap, and that it matters not only “how much” money is spent but “how well” it is spent. Despite funding levels that consistently rate among the highest in the nation on a per pupil basis, New Jersey continues to have one of the largest achievement gaps in the country. Funding alone will not meet New Jersey’s obligation to give a great education to every child. Changing the way money is spent is by far the most important means of actually changing the behavior of schools and the school systems.
New Jersey has the second highest achievement gap in 8th grade reading according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exam, and the sixth highest achievement gap in 8th grade math. Since 2005, the gaps for economically disadvantaged, African American, and Hispanic students have widened in Language arts literacy on the NJ ASK.
“We have closed the spending gap between Abbotts and non-Abbotts in New Jersey since 1972, but our disadvantaged children are still performing at significantly lower levels than their peers. Closing that gap was the explicit goal of the courts and legislature over the past 40 years, but money alone has not gotten us there. While money certainly matters, there is no evidence that money alone will close the achievement gap,” said Acting Commissioner Chris Cerf. “Over the last 40 years, we’ve talked a lot about equalizing funding, but we need to change the conversation to focus on whether students are learning the same everywhere, rather than simply whether we are spending the same everywhere.”
New Jersey’s current system funds all districts in the same way, regardless of their performance or the reforms they have in place to address persistent achievement problems. In addition to these significant and overdue changes to the funding formula, the “Education Funding Report” proposes a $50 million Innovation Fund to encourage and reward districts to both improve performance and to implement reforms targeted to specific achievement deficiencies. The fund would reward districts that show high growth and strong performance in student achievement, and fund reforms at the local level that are improving performance for students. The Department of Education would monitor the implementation and impact of these reforms, ultimately identifying and bringing the most successful to scale statewide.
In order to have a meaningful and lasting influence on student learning, we need to set new policy priorities, change laws and regulations, alter classroom practices and district contracts, and start pushing a slate of bold reforms that finally move us away from the belief that the funding formula alone will close the achievement gap. Among many others, that includes:
Develop policies that enable districts to recruit, prepare, evaluate, compensate, develop, retain and recognize outstanding educators, and eliminate legal and contractual restrictions that impede schools from assuring a highly effective teacher in every classroom;
Provide educators with the tools they need to be successful by setting high standards for what students should know and be able to do, developing model curriculum to support educators as they teach those standards, and providing real time feedback through formative assessments so teachers can modify their work and differentiate instruction in real time;
Provide rich data reports to identify how well schools are meeting their mission of improving student outcomes, to identify specific areas for improvement, and to trigger differentiated interventions at the State level such as mandated curriculum and human capital practices; and
Intervene in schools that do not create an environment conducive to high-quality teaching and learning by providing support through Regional Achievement Centers, requiring targeted turnaround strategies, and aggressively using existing authority to close or replace schools with new management and teachers if they do not improve within two academic cycles.
Assembly Republican Deputy Conference Leader Mary Pat Angelini said she is pleased that Governor Christie’s fiscal 2013 budget proposal includes increased funding for those with mental illness and those who are developmentally disabled.
The governor’s budget will add nearly $25 million for community placements for adults with developmental disabilities which will allow 130 people to move off the Community Services Waiting List.
“Providing increased funding to help those who deal with mental and physical disabilities or addictions shouldn’t be overlooked in the fiscally responsible plan introduced by the governor,” said Angelini. “Meeting our pension obligations and increasing educational aid are certainly important, and so is the responsibility to help those who are most vulnerable. We are not only increasing funding for critical programs, but the structural realignment of government agencies will provide greater efficiencies.”
Angelini, who is a member of both the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee and Assembly Human Services Committee, pointed out that the increased funding and the reorganization of government departments that will centralize services demonstrates the governor’s commitment to allocate resources wisely and challenge the status quo.
Christie’s new budget proposal creates the Division of Child Integrated System of Care Services and the Division of Aging Services that will specifically handle the needs of people who must deal with several government agencies in order to obtain benefits and services.
“As New Jersey’s chief executive officer, Governor Christie knows that managing government involves more than spending tax dollars,” commented Angelini. “The governor deserves credit for examining how services are delivered and how effective they are in meeting their responsibilities. The creation of these departments will improve operating efficiencies and also reduce the frustration people sometimes experience as they steer their way through multiple agencies.”
The Division of Aging will function within the Department of Human Services and administer community-based services and programs for senior citizens such as the Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled program (PAAD), Senior Gold and the Lifeline Utility Assistance Program.
The Division of Child Integrated System of Care Services will operate within the Department of Children and Families and serve the needs of families with children with developmental disabilitiesmodule art panels.
Nominees Bring Experience, Distinctive Career Paths and the Highest Integrity to New Jersey’s State Supreme Court
Trenton, NJ – GovernorChris Christie today made two historic nominations to the New Jersey State Supreme Court with Bruce A. Harris, Mayor of Chatham, a lawyer with over 20 years of legal experience, and Phillip H. Kwon, First Assistant Attorney General in the Department of Law and Public Safety and former Deputy Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division. Both Harris and Kwon will not only bring accomplished and respected legal careers and records of service to the state’s highest court, but also a historic level of diversity to the membership of the Court.
“I am extraordinarily proud to announce these two historic nominations to the New Jersey State Supreme Court. Bruce and Phil are each accomplished and talented individuals with skilled legal minds who are highly respected in the legal community. Just as importantly, each of them has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to serving their state and communities,” said Governor Chris Christie.
“Additionally, not only do their different backgrounds and career paths bring distinctive and important perspectives to the Supreme Court, Bruce and Phil also capture our state’s diversity in a way never before seen in the history of the Court,” continued Governor Christie.
Today’s nominations build upon Governor Christie’s commitment to diversity on the courts in four historic ways. Bruce Harris will become the third African-American to serve on the State Supreme Court and the first openly gay member of the Court. Phil Kwon will become the first Asian-American to serve on the Supreme Court and the first immigrant to serve since the 1947 Constitution created the Court. Furthermore, Justice Anne Paterson, nominated by Governor Christie and confirmed, created the first female majority in the history of the Supreme Court, one of only five in the nation.
“Today is an important and historic symbol for New Jersey and our country. I am proud to be nominating two legal professionals who not only have a passion for this state and a dedication to the legal system, but also capture New Jersey’s great diversity,” concluded Governor Christie.
Bruce Harris is a lawyer with over 20 years of legal experience, most recently working at the law firm of Greenberg Traurig and previously at Riker, Danzi, Scherer, Hyland and Perretti. His work has focused primarily on issues of public finance and commercial lending. Harris graduated magna cum lade from Amherst College and graduated with honors from Boston University Graduate School of Management and Yale Law School.
Harris has a long record of service to his town and community, including his recent election as Mayor of Chatham Borough and previously service as a member of the Chatham Borough Council. He has served on the Chatham Environmental Commission, the Chatham Historic Preservation Commission, and on the boards of the UMDNJ Foundation and the New Jersey Health Foundation.
Phillip Kwon currently serves as First Assistant Attorney General where he has been the principal legal and strategic adviser to the Attorney General. Previously, he served New Jersey as part of the United States Attorney’s Office as the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, the Chief of the Violent Crimes Unit and the Assistant US Attorney of both the Special Prosecutions Division and the Criminal Division. In that capacity, he was the lead prosecutor on a diverse range of federal crimes and public corruption matters, in addition to taking on cases against some of New Jersey’s most notorious and violent groups, such as the Bloods, Crips, and Latin Kings.
Kwon graduated from Georgetown University and from Rutgers Law School where he was an editor of the Law Review.
Both nominations are subject to Senate confirmation. In an agreement reached last May to end the impasse over the nomination of Justice Anne Patterson, Senate President Sweeney promised an expedited confirmation process for these nominations, with an appropriate review process and up-or-down vote taking place in time for each to be seated by March of this year.
·Senator Sweeney: “The Governor has a couple of nominations come March of next year and one of the things I hope the Governor keeps in mind is racial diversity of the courts. We need to make sure we have a racially diverse court that looks like the state of New Jersey but there’s a commitment from me to move the nominations come March also.” (Senator Steven Sweeney, Press Availability, 5/2011)
A video disseminated by American Traffic Solutions (“ATS”) depicts a series of crashes and near misses at intersections chosen to participate in New Jerseys five-year red-light camera pilot program. The mission of the five-year pilot program is to determine the effectiveness of the installation and utilization of traffic control signal monitoring systems. Under the program, a traffic control signal monitoring system utilizes cameras and vehicle sensors, which work in conjunction with a traffic control signal to produce images of vehicles disregarding a red signal and running a red light”. Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon thinks the ATS video is proof positive of the resounding failure of the program.
“Red-light cameras are intended to deter drivers from running red lights, or so goes the argument from supporters of the cameras,” explained O’Scanlon (R Monmouth/Mercer). This video showed what I have always believed, red-light cameras do not stop people from running red lights because most drivers do not make a conscience decision to run a red light.
“Drivers who run red lights are distracted by a bad day at work, a sick child, or a bad nights sleep,” O’Scanlon continued. “No camera or fine, regardless of the amount, is going to change this. What really stops people from running red lights is the same thing that has stopped them for as long as cars have been on the road -the fear of serious injury or death!
“If one looks at the video objectively it is easy to see that virtually all of the incidents depict the situation I outline above. These people are not likely reckless scofflaws playing Russian roulette with their lives and those of others. These people simply weren’t aware they were going through a red light. Laws and fines won’t stop these momentary lapses in peoples’ awareness if fear of death hasn’t done so already” said O’Scanlon. “We need to increase safety as much as possible through sound engineering of intersections and proper light timing. This will give us a demonstrable increase in safety. Of course it will mean a lot less revenue for the towns currently participating in the demonstration project, but these are ill-gotten gains to begin with.”
New Jersey‘s red-light camera pilot program began in 2008, since then 25 municipalities have signed on to the program.
Philadelphia, PA (January 2, 2012) — The Independence Hall Tea Party PAC, a tri-state (DE, NJ, PA) regional group, announced today that its 27-member Board of Delegates has voted overwhelmingly to endorse Mitt Romney for President.
The Independence Hall Tea Party PAC is the first Tea Party group in the nation to formally endorse Mitt Romney.
“Over the past several weeks, a consensus has been building among our Board of Delegates that Mr. Romney is the most electable Republican candidate,” said PAC President, Don Adams. “We, as a Tea Party PAC, have set winning the White House as our number one priority in 2012. We believe Mr. Romney is the one
candidate who can win the Republican nomination and defeat President Barack Obama in November.
“Mr. Romney is the only Republican candidate who has consistently polled even or ahead of President Obama in national surveys. He puts a number of 2008 blue states in play, including Michigan and New Hampshire. He also appeals to large numbers of independent voters.”
“Mr. Romney, a devoted family man, is an incredibly talented, well-rounded individual with in-depth knowledge and experience in both the private and public sectors of the economy,” said PAC New Jersey Vice President, Bill Green. “Ultimately, we believe Mr. Romney is a man of principle who, once elected, will lead our nation back to prosperity.”
PAC Delaware Vice President, Kevin Street, said, “His vision of a strong America, one built on the foundations of free enterprise and meritocracy, is most compatible with the principles of the Tea Party movement.
“Mr. Romney has stated time and again that he believes in a limited role for the Federal government–emphasizing that the 10th Amendment of the United States Constitution delineates between the powers of the national government and that of the states.”
“Mr. Romney will pursue a policy of energy independence, lower taxes, and less government spending. He has promised to secure our borders and redirect our foreign policy,” added PAC Pennsylvania Vice President, Sean Carpenter. “Under his presidency, the United States will no longer prostrate itself before other nations. We believe in a strong America–an America that is respected for its economic vibrancy, its military strength, and its constitutional values.”
PAC Co-Founder, Teri Adams, said, “We realize that a number of fellow Tea Partiers are not yet where we are in supporting Mitt Romney for President–and we respect their varied positions.
“However, we felt compelled to make an endorsement in light of a counter-productive effort to stop Mitt Romney among some disparate elements on the right–often based on a religious intolerance of Mr. Romney’s Mormon faith.
“We also think the notion that the Tea Party will support a 3rd party candidate after Mitt Romney becomes the Republican nominee, a notion most often advanced by the mainstream media, must be discredited,” Ms. Adams said.
“It discounts the good sense of millions of Tea Party folks nationwide who have come to realize, or will eventually realize, that the only way to defeat President Obama, whose policies are an anathema to conservatism and the Tea Party Movement, is to rally around his strongest opponent–Mitt Romney–the man who, we believe, will become the next president of the United States.”
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.
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.
Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini, R-Monmouth, said she will introduce legislation that will make it illegal to grow and harvest medical marijuana on preserved farmland. On Thursday, the State Agriculture Department Committee (SADC) released a statement indicating medical marijuana is considered an agricultural crop and could be grown on a preserved farm after the issue was raised by residents of Upper Freehold Township.
SADC’s stated position on the matter is not considered to be an action by the committee, which could be vetoed by Governor Christie.
“As I have previously stated, the implications of the medical marijuana law will be far-reaching, and the statement issued by the SADC on Thursday is a prime example,” said Angelini. “The federal government says marijuana is illegal while we have a state statute that would permit its growth on protected farmland. A community that has focused on preserving open space should not have their efforts countermanded. We are experiencing many twists and turns as to how this law will be executed.
“I believe Upper Freehold Township has raised an important public policy question that is a by-product of the new law,” continued Angelini, who serves as executive director of a nonprofit agency that provides substance abuse prevention programs to youth in Monmouth County. “This legislation will ensure that a municipality’s goal to preserve and protect open space can be achieved and maintained and that we continue to make every effort to control how medical marijuana is manufactured.”
