Politics Patrol

Mack gets taxpayer supported lawyer

Bob Ingle — Sat, 18 May 2013 16:45:06 +0000

Trenton Mayor Tony Mack is paid $126,000 a year. But he will have a public defender representing him in his corruption charges. The Star-Ledger says the publicly-funded lawyer will get $125 an hour.

Why are so many Asbury Park teachers sick?

Bob Ingle — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:28:02 +0000

Bob Bowdon

Choice Media has done an analysis of the teacher absenteeism in Asbury Park and found it substantially higher than at five other mid-size N.J. school districts during the same period. The report said, "Specifically, teachers in Asbury Park averaged more than 18 absences per teacher for each of the last two completed school years, 2010-11 and 2011-12. The rate was over double that of four other districts, Carteret, Haddonfield, Hazlet and Union Township, all of which averaged no more than 8.5 sick days per teacher in both of the school years studied." The district also stood out for its spending. From the report: "According to data from the New Jersey Department of Education, the district spent $30,502 per student in the 2011-12 school year, putting it among the top spending school districts in the nation." Read the full report here.

Choice Media is a non-profit education news service founded by veteran television host and documentary filmmaker Bob Bowdon.

Bowdon told me after the report was released, the Asbury superintendent called him and said their current teacher contract calls for 14 sick days and 4 "family emergency days," totaling 18.

"That's exactly the number of days that the average Asbury teacher didn't show up last school year," said Bowdon. "In other words, more or less every one of the 292 teachers is taking every allowable sick day, every year."

Christies in Shore ads, Cryan objects

Bob Ingle — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:00:57 +0000

Gov. Christie and his family are featured in a new ad promoting the comeback of the Jersey Shore. New Jersey politicians have done ads before and some of them were so bad they were laughable. Politics is the theater for the ugly and untalented, as they say. This year is particularly necessary to let people here and elsewhere know they can still come to the Shore after Sandy. Unlike his predecessors, Christie is loved across the country, is at ease with media and is identified with our Shore. He's the right guy to sell it. Who could object? Assemblyman Joe Cryan, it turns out.

He has introduced a bill to prohibit the governor and lieutenant governor from appearing in federal- or state-funded advertisements in an election year. "It’s just him using the taxpayers of the state as a stepping stone," said Cryan.

Two things: First, Cryan is not exactly an unbiased bystander. He is a "key advisor" to Christie's probable opponent, state Sen. Barbara Buono, who has numerous cards stacked against her, one of them being publicly associated with double-dipper, e-mail writer Cryan who also is an undersheriff (Where does he find the time?).

Second, if Cryan knew anything about public relations or marketing he wouldn't allow himself to become a Statehouse laughing stock. Even fellow Democrats are embarrassed by him.

Here's the "Stronger Than The Storm" ad

Does Revel Casino have a chance of making it?

Bob Ingle — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:20:03 +0000

New Jersey's Casino Control Commission has approved a reorganization plan for the Revel Casino. It will eliminate $1.2 billion of the $1.5 billion in debt by giving lenders an 82 percent ownership. The casino will allow guests to smoke and make other changes. “Everybody deserves a second chance,” said Jeffrey Hartmann, Revel’s interim CEO. “We’re looking for a second chance. We are trying to listen to and respond to customers. We probably didn’t do a great job of that last year.” Any business should be listening to potential customers before the door is opened. Marketing research is an important part of success. The Revel's location is a problem, one it can't do anything about, and its rooms are too expensive. It's going to have to find a niche to fill if it is to last. Officials are going to have to clean up Atlantic City too. There is plenty of competition from Pennsylvania and elsewhere. It will be hard to justify driving from other states, paying the tolls and the parking when you can gamble closer to home and feel safer about it.

Future pension payments could break the bank.

Bob Ingle — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:00:17 +0000

The Christie administration warns potential investors that future contributions to the state employee pension system will drain resources. It was in a 156-page bond prospectus. The Star-Ledger reported that future pension payments are estimated to grow from $1.7 billion next year to about $5.5 billion by 2018. That, the prospectus said, will "create a significant burden on all aspects of the State’s finances." It also said. "No assurances can be given as to the level of the state’s pension contributions in future fiscal years." Christie spokesman Colin Reed downplayed the disclosure. Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver called it troubling: "Gov. Christie has vociferously boasted that he would, in fact, fix the pension and benefits system and halt the practice of skipping payments, but it appears his promise to taxpayers and public workers is now in jeopardy."

Net property taxes up 19% under Christie

Bob Ingle — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:22:20 +0000

Under the Christie administration N.J. net property taxes are continuing to soar. The net property tax for the average New Jersey homeowner has risen $1,176, to $7,410, in the three years since Gov. Christie took office, according to data released by the state Department of Community Affairs Tuesday. That’s an increase of 19 percent. In comparison, writes my colleague Bob Jordan, over the first three years of Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine’s term, average net property taxes rose 11 percent (from $5,430 to $6,037). The spike is largely attributable to the Christie administration’s reduction of payments to landowners from the state’s property tax relief program.

NBC’s Todd catches Carney misleading about Obama’s press support

Bob Ingle — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:10:42 +0000

Congressman Bill Pascrell Jr. says intimidation of the press by the Obama administration's Justice Department is unacceptable. And he calls for a shield law to prohibit repeats. "The press has an incredibly important role to play in a free society by helping to hold our government accountable to the American people, and intimidation like this can have a chilling effect on their ability to do their jobs" said Pascrell. He continued in a statement "These allegations, if proven to be true, cast an incredibly dark cloud over this administration and its commitment to one of our most cherished American values: freedom of the press."

He said as a senator Obama understood this:

"Then Senator Obama understood this when he cosponsored legislation in 2007 that would have prohibited our government from subpoenaing the phone records of members of the press. Unfortunately that bill was filibustered in the Senate, and I call on Speaker Boehner to immediately allow us to vote on similar legislation so this or any future Administration cannot similarly attack the civil liberties we all hold dear."

But hold on ... that's not the whole story

Press Secretary Jay Carney in a Tuesday press briefing told reporters Obama favored a "press protection" but Republicans killed it. Then Chuck Todd of NBC reminded Carney that in 2009 as president,Obama killed the legislation, even though at the time it likely would have easily passed through both chambers of Congress, which were then controlled by Democrats.

Carney stammered through his answering, obviously his attempted fake exposed by Todd.

Sentence in State Police escort down the Parkway

Bob Ingle — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:21:54 +0000

Remember the state trooper who escorted luxury cars down the Parkway? He has been sentenced to one year of probation. The judge also ordered Sgt. First Class Nadir Nassry to perform 75 hours of community service. He lost his job when he pleaded guilty to falsifying records. Another trooper who assisted has also forfeited his job and is awaiting enrollment in a program that could clear his guilty plea to record tampering. Do you think the punishment fits or did they get special favors?

Eat your heart out, White House Correspondents, this is real class

Bob Ingle — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:00:52 +0000

Author and Journalist Michael Symons

What a week it's been. Earlier I shared a segment from our annual NJ Statehouse Correspondents Dinner and Show where TV producer Phil Alongi took an Italian classic and turned it into a show-stopping song about Gov. Christie's weight loss surgery, which we learned about only hours before. Phil's employer, NJTV went one better and used subtitles which makes it ever funnier. My Gannett colleague and co-author Michael Symons (who Christie calls his biographer) is in charge of herding cats for the annual affair and my colleagues on Press Row never fail to impress. The governor sat near me for this and obviously loved it. As did I and the audience that came to its feet. Phil is a terrific singer, as you will hear, and a genuinely nice guy. Enjoy and have a few laughs on us.

ACLU questions religious schools getting state grants

Bob Ingle — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:30:53 +0000

The ACLU is calling on the Legislature to reject a list of 176 college building projects scheduled to get state grants until the Christie administration explains why two religious training institutions were included. That refers to Princeton Theological Seminary and Beth Medrash Govoha. The seminary trains Christian ministers and Beth Medrash Govoha is an all-male school in Lakewood that trains orthodox rabbis. "State funding of some of these projects raises constitutional concerns that must be addressed," Udi Ofer, executive director of ACLU-NJ, told the Star-Ledger. "The Legislature should reject this funding proposal until Governor Christie sheds more light on the criteria the state used in selecting which schools and projects to fund, and assures the public that government funding is not used to support programs that discriminate."

Christie vetoes early voting bill

Bob Ingle — Fri, 10 May 2013 11:21:34 +0000

Gov. Christie has vetoed a bill that would have let voters go to their polling place starting 15 days before an election until the Sunday before the election.Christie said the bill would have created a process that would cost the state $23 million the first year and $2 million in additional administrative costs. Assemblyman John Wisniewski, who also is chairman of the state Democratic Party, noted 32 states and Washington D.C. have some form of in-person early voting. Voters can currently cast a “mail-in-ballot” by mailing or hand-delivering a competed ballot to their county clerk starting 45 days before the election. Barbara Buono, Christie's probable Democratic opponent, said "Governor Christie's veto is yet another example of Republican politicians taking the cynical view that making voting more difficult will win them more elections.”

Some very expensive medical care in N.J.

Bob Ingle — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:10:04 +0000

New Jersey hospitals charge more than those in other states except for California, a new report finds. The information was made available under the Affordable Care Act and the Record analyzed it. Among other things, it shows hospitals in Bayonne and Secaucus have higher prices than nearly every other hospital nationwide. The Record found a knee or hip replacement costs $203,000 at a Camden hospital and $41,800 at a Pompton Plains hospital. You an find out what hospitals across the nation charge here.

Report: Rutgers athletics spent $26.8 million more than it generated

Bob Ingle — Thu, 09 May 2013 11:17:37 +0000

A new report says the Rutgers Athletic Department is among the biggest athletic money losers in the country. Last year Rutgers spent more than $64 million to run its 24-sport department. To do that, it had to divert millions of dollars from student fees, tuition and state tax money. The Star-Ledger reported 42 cents of every dollars Rutgers spent on athletics came from nonathletic revenue. It spent $26.8 million more than it generated. Spending has almost doubled since 2005. Rutgers President Richard McCormick, who will step down at the end of the 2011-12 academic year after 10 years, told the paper enrollment and applications are at record highs, due in some part to the popularity of the football program and other teams. Of course.

Wisniewski can leave with his head held high

Bob Ingle — Wed, 08 May 2013 19:00:17 +0000

Assemblyman John Wisniewski says he won't be a candidate to run the state Democratic party when his term as chairman ends in June. He leaves the party better than he found it in many ways. He lists adding to majorities in the state Senate and Assembly, getting the party on firmer financial footing and holding U.S. Senate and congressional seats. Probably the greatest accomplishment from a partisan standpoint was the redrawing of the state legislative district map to favor the status quo. It gives Democrats the inside track when it comes to holding power in New Jersey for the next 10 years. Wisniewski made more friends for Democrats than did his predecessor, Assemblyman Joe Cryan (He's also an undersheriff, where does he find the time?) who was not respected by fellow Democrats and was a kind of laughing stock.

At the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte Wisniewski & Co. did a great job of keeping media in the loop and bringing together news people with newsmakers. Contrast that to the Republicans in Tampa where the state GOP's dealing with media were a disaster, an amateurish, unprofessional misfit of a program that put the state party in a bad light. Luckily for them, one of the people most responsible was shipped off to South Carolina Republicans. Good riddance.

As for Wisnieweski, he leaves some big shoes to fill, let's hope the Democrats build on what he has accomplished.

Nobody points out stupid better than Jon Stewart

Bob Ingle — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:00:20 +0000

Gov. Christie says all the talk about his medical procedure is silly. Fellow New Jerseyan Jon Stewart shows just how stupid.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook

MVC looking at inspection options

Bob Ingle — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:14:47 +0000

The state Motor Vehicle Commission is going to look into options for having cars inspected. Meanwhile, the Parsons Corp. contract for inspections has been extended for three years. The state only inspects for emissions testing, a federal requirement, for cars at least 5 years old. Previously cars were inspected for mechanical problem which resulted in uneven and sometimes downright stupid rejections. Sometimes the people doing the inspecting couldn't even buy a clue. Reducing inspections to emissions was the right thing to do. The problem with only private inspections is that if there weren't enough private places wait times could be long and that's unacceptable.

The giraffe is on sale because it’s injured, but that’s not Christie’s biggest problem

Bob Ingle — Wed, 08 May 2013 03:26:46 +0000

At the annual N.J. Statehouse dinner and show Tuesday night Gov. Christie brought his own video about the disaster caused by the missing fleece. Too funny.

Christie vetoes lottery bills

Bob Ingle — Tue, 07 May 2013 11:21:28 +0000

The Christie administration announced it would award a 15-year contract to run the state lottery's sales and marketing to a private company. There was one bid. The Legislature sent Christie a bill requiring lawmaker approval of a contract to operate the lottery. The governor vetoed it. He also vetoed a second bill, conditionally, that would have announced lottery winners to stay anonymous for up to a year. He said that would interfere with marketing efforts and recommended a 7-month study instead. Lottery winners are not required to come forward immediately. They can wait a while to collect their winnings and experts recommend that they do while they get their plans in place.

Four connected to disgraced priest gone

Bob Ingle — Mon, 06 May 2013 11:24:36 +0000

The pastor and two youth ministers at a Colts Neck church where a priest banned from working with children took part in youth retreats have stepped down. Pastor Thomas Triggs and youth ministers Michael and Amy Lenehan, who had invited the Rev. Michael Fugee to take part in activities, have resigned. The Star-Ledger reported that Fugee, 52, agreed to terms set down by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office in 2007 to avoid retrial on charges that he fondled the genitals of a 13-year-old boy. "The Newark Archdiocese also signed on to the agreement, pledging to supervise Fugee and to keep him away from children." The Rev. John Bambrick, a priest, was critical of Newark Archbishop John J.Myers. "Essentially Archbishop Myers has erased 10 years of hard work by the church in the United States to ensure people are safe," said Bambrick. "He has called into question the integrity of all of us who work so hard to ensure the safety of children, and it's really disheartening." Myers has remained silent. His spokesman, James Goodness, defended Fugee's interactions with children, saying they did not violate the memorandum of understanding Fugee signed. Then when the heat was turned up Goodness took a contrary stance, acknowledging Fugee violated the court-sanctioned agreement. But, he said, the archdiocese didn't know about it.

How a dedicated teacher inspired an F student

Bob Ingle — Sun, 05 May 2013 11:05:33 +0000

Every once in a while someone comes along who is a true inspiration. Every parent and every educator should see this incredible teacher, Rita Pierson. What a role model.