Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal, speaking at his “Chairman’s Ball” fundraiser in Neptune last night, declared that he is targeting every Monmouth County Republican seat in the legislature in the 2017 election, according to a report on PolitickerNJ.
Gopal singled out Senator Joe Kyrillos, Senator Jennifer Beck and Assemblymen Declan O’Scanlon and Dave Rible in his remarks.
Governor Chris Christie reacted to the New Jersey Supreme Court decision that he has the authority to cut pension payments from the State Budget and that the political branches of government…the Governor and Legislature…not the Court…must “deal with one another to forge a solution to the tenuous financial status of New Jersey’s pension funding in a way that comports with the strictures of our constitution,” by calling for “all interested parties” to come together and solve the New Jersey’s pension and benefit crisis “once and for all.”
“This decision is an important victory not only for our taxpayers who simply cannot afford these unsustainably high costs, but for limited, constitutional government that recognizes the proper role of the executive and legislative branches of government,” the Governor said in a statement issued by his office, “The Court’s position is clear, as is mine, it is time to move forward and work together to find a tangible, long-term solution to make our pension system and public employee health benefit costs affordable and sustainable for generations to come. In light of today’s decision, I urge all interested parties to come back to the table and partner with me to finally solve this problem once and for all.”
Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, R-Monmouth, the Assembly Republican Budget Officer, said,
Traveling through the heart of northeastern Monmouth County got a lot easier this week after State,County and Local officials celebrated the reopening of the West Front Street Bridge, AKA Hubbard’s Bridge, that connects Middletown and Red Bank over the Swimming River.
The five month long replacement project that came in as promised before the Memorial Day weekend.
The opening follows the construction of a new 488-foot long steel girder bridge to the north of the existing West Front Street Bridge.
Monmouth County Republican Chairman Shaun Golden released a statement this morning announcing that his slate of municipal candidates this year included six Young Republican Leaders under the age of 35.
Candidates for local office filed to run with their respective Municipal Clerks all across Monmouth County on Monday. It is clear by the two parties’ selection of nominees, that Republicans in Monmouth County are the only ones offering voters a chance to elect a new generation of leaders with fresh, bold ideas for the future.
TRENTON — State Sen. Joseph Kyrillos did not vote to buck the governor today when Democrats unsuccessfully tried to override his veto of the Port Authority legislation. But Kyrillos (R-Monmouth), who had been a personal friend of Christie’s and one of his chief allies in the Legislature, today demonstrated just how much their relationship has deteriorated… Read the rest of this entry »
Monmouth County will have a new 250 acre park in Aberdeen and Marlboro Townships, despite the fact that Port Authority of NY/NJ backed out of a commitment to fund $5 million to purchase 87.8 acres of the open space from a developer who had approvals to build 250 homes on the property.
Today, the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders approved funding the entire $10.6 million land purchase from Aberdeen/Wilson Associates, LLC through the County’s Open Space Trust Fund.
“The Port Authority appears to be unwilling to honor its commitment of sharing to fund a project that will preserve significant portions of the Matawan Creek watershed and eventually provide a 250-acre park,” said Freeholder Lillian G. Burry, liaison to the County Park System. “The Port Authority’s offer to help move this deal forward appears to have been withdrawn. Fortunately, Monmouth County has an invaluable Open Space Trust Fund to finance the entire purchase.”
State Senator Joe Kyrillos praised the Freeholder Board, the NY/NJ Baykeeper and Aberdeen Township for making the park a reality and slammed Port Authority for backing out of the deal.
The 11th and 13th district legislators representing much of Monmouth County including the communities host Fort Monmouth sent a letter to Department of Human Services Commissioner Jennifer Valez Esq. this afternoon asking for the legal and practical justification for quarantining individuals that may have been exposed to the Ebola virus at Fort Monmouth at a time when New Jersey is marketing the property as a place for businesses to grow, create jobs and to serve as an area for new housing opportunities for people who have not been exposed to Ebola.
The letter signed by State Senators Joseph Kyrillos and Jennifer Beck and Assembly Members Amy Handlin, Declan O’Scanlon, Mary Pat Angelini and Caroline Casagrande was printed on Kyrillos’s letterhead. The letter can be viewed here.
Senators Joe Kyrillos (R-Monmouth) and Ray Lesniak have teamed up to sponsor legislation that will counter the professional sports leagues latest attempts to block sports betting in New Jersey.
The bill, which will be introduced during the Senate’s next session, would explicitly abolish language in state law that prohibits sports betting, a move that would reinforce the state attorney general’s effort to lift the injunction preventing the state from moving forward on plans to allow casinos and racetracks to accept wagers on sporting events. The measure would also prohibit the transport of sports-betting equipment across state lines and set an age requirement of 21 years old.
Last month acting Attorney General John Hoffman issued a directive that instructed law enforcement not to prosecute sports betting at racetracks and casinos. The Christie Administration asked U. S. District Judge Michael Shipp to rule that New Jersey is not violating federal law by decriminalizing sports betting and allowing private entities to operate and regulate the betting.
A JUNE 10 California court ruling that teacher tenure laws are unconstitutional and violate students’ rights to quality education signals the need for further education reforms in New Jersey and other states across the country.
New Jersey was the first state to pass tenure legislation more than 100 years ago, and despite bipartisan reforms enacted two years ago, many antiquated state education laws still persist.
In 2012, the Legislature and Governor Christie compromised to pass a bipartisan reform law, addressing teacher tenure and the teacher dismissal process. Although it was a good first step, that effort came up short because public teachers’ unions had enough influence over the Legislature to preserve policies such as “last-in, first-out.”
LIFO forces schools to ignore educator effectiveness and lay off high-performing, bright educators, instead of ineffective, more senior ones.
Sen. Joe Kyrillos and Mayor Fred Rast greeting voters in Atlantic Highlands last year. photo by Art Gallagher
Several MMM readers have asked me to endorse of a U.S. Senate candidate to take on Senator Cory Booker. I can’t endorse, or vote for, any of the four candidates who are on the ballot this Tuesday.
I’m writing in Joe Kyrillos on Tuesday. If this post goes viral, Joe Kryillos could be the U.S. Senate Republican nominee on Tuesday night. That’s how bad the U.S. Senate primary campaign has been. Booker would then have a fight on his hands. Share this post.
None of the four candidates on the ballot can make Booker break a sweat this fall.
None of the candidates on the ballot have raised enough money for a county freeholder race, never mind a statewide race for U.S. Senate. Booker has spent over $12 million on his re-election bid since the first of the year. He had $2.9 million in cash on hand as of May 14.
State Senator Joe Kyrillos, the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate in 2012, has refunded more money to his federal donors this year that any of the current Republican candidates have raised.
Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal, speaking at his “Chairman’s Ball” fundraiser in Neptune last night, declared that he is targeting every Monmouth County Republican seat in the legislature in the 2017 election, according to a report on PolitickerNJ.
