State House Bureau Blog

IF NJ'S POLITICOS ARE SO CORRUPT, WHY ARE THEY SO BAD AT IT?

2008-05-20T17:56:00.002-04:00

Former Assemblyman and Orange mayor Mims Hackett was already facing federal corruption charges. Yesterday (5/20/08), State Attorney General Anne Milgram filed official misconduct charges against Hackett. Some specifics regarding the new charges against Mims Hackett. This is directly from the AG’s press release. If you read carefully, you will see why no additonal comments are really needed.

The investigation began after Hackett’s former executive assistant in the mayor’s office alerted authorities about the questionable expense vouchers. Hackett’s former executive assistant reported that in March 2006 she walked into his office and saw him filling out “Guest Check” receipts with his left hand. Hackett is right-handed.

Hackett frequently submitted handwritten “Guest Check” receipts containing terse information, such as “3 Dinners Fish + Steak $165.17.” The receipts were filled out in similar handwriting, and the serial numbers of many of them are close in sequence, suggesting they came from the same receipt pad, even though they were submitted for meals in different cities, months apart.

In one instance, Hackett dined with a City of Orange councilman at the Palomino Restaurant in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Nov. 30, 2004, during a conference. Although the councilman paid the $202.02 bill for the table with his credit card, Hackett allegedly asked the councilman for an extra copy of the bill and submitted it to the city for reimbursement with his own expenses for the trip. The councilman also submitted the bill with his expenses.

Following the New Jersey League of Municipalities Conference in Atlantic City in November 2005, Hackett submitted the yellow customer copy of a carbon receipt imprinted with his American Express card for three dinners totaling $206.41 at “Lenney’s” in Atlantic City dated 11/18/05. The name “Lenney’s was handwritten on the receipt. He submitted the white merchant copy of the same receipt, with the date changed to 4/28/06, with his expenses for a conference in Memphis, Tennessee in April 2006. There is no restaurant named Lenney’s in either city and the expenses never appeared in Hackett’s American Express records.

THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END?

2008-03-27T16:57:00.001-04:00

The world is coming to an end? That’s news to me. I never said that, I’ve never implied that. Until Thursday, March 20, I didn’t know anybody thought that. In his testimony before the State Senate Budget Committee, David Rosen, budget and finance officer for the Office of Legislative Services was asked by State Senator Steve Oroho what he thought would be a worst-case scenario as far as revenues for the State. Rosen answered, “I’m not sure I’m prepared to do that right know. Let me think about that because I really didn’t think about it in those terms and I don’t want to glibly throw something off and have 101.5 say, you know, OLS thinks the world is ending.”

New Jersey 101.5 FM is one of 12 stations for which I file daily reports. Every budget story I’ve ever done has reflected both sides of the story. The day of Rosen’s testimony our network ran a package of my stories based on what Rosen and acting State Treasurer David Rousseau said the previous day to members of the Assembly Budget Committee. Every quote culled from the pair was verbatim and unedited.

Rosen’s comment about my flagship station was the topic of conversation on press row, at least it was when I was around. Senate Budget Committee chair Barbara Buono and State Senator Tony Bucco, also a budget panel member, both joked with me about it and assured me that Rosen was talking about the talk show hosts, not the news coverage.

I get it. This has been happening for 6 years. The hosts are with the entertainment/programming department and it is their job to stir the pot, drum up controversy and get listeners fired up and they have a lot of listeners. When I first took the job of State House correspondent for Millennium Radio New Jersey, members of the McGreevey press team would complain about what the hosts were saying and I would see what I could do about it. I figured out quickly that there was nothing I could do about it. My solution was to stop listening to my own station.

I’ve been at the State House long enough to get know most everybody and most everybody knows there is a difference in my company between the entertainment and news departments. Most everybody also knows I don’t listen to the station. For those who don’t realize this, I’ll say it again……I have no control over what the hosts say. Whatever it is they are saying, I can promise you that I didn’t hear it. I haven’t been to the studios of NJ 101.5 since U.S. Senator Bob Menendez and State Senator Tom Kean Jr. debated one another. I rarely talk to the hosts and see them even less frequently. I happen to like and respect all of them and I believe they are all very talented which is why they can claim so many fans, but anybody who has a problem with what the hosts are saying are free to call the studios and go on the air with them.

GOOD LUCK DEB HOWLETT

2008-02-21T18:35:00.003-05:00

Who said the Corzine Administration doesn’t know how to keep a secret? Every reporter on press row in the State House was stunned to learn Deb Howlett has signed on as Governor Jon Corzine’s director of communications. I’m told Deb didn’t let her Star Ledger colleagues know until about 20 minutes before the press release went out announcing it. Shock not-so-quickly turned to some saying Deb sold out. Having been offered more than a handful of government jobs including several with past Administrations (not this one!), I understand allure of money. Deb and anybody else for the matter, has every right to better things for themselves and their families. I’ve always admired and respected Deb and her work and I don’t expect that to change.

The above having been written, she is walking into a very tough job. Corzine’s relationship with the press would have to improve greatly just to rise to the level of awful. The relationship between a Governor and his or her communications director is very similar, in one respect, to that of an alcoholic and his or her AA sponsor. The sponsor can’t help the alcoholic if the alcoholic doesn’t want the help. Deb Howlett could offer the best advice ever, but I’ve been told by several people inside the front office that if Corzine has his mind set on a course of action any advice he gets doesn’t make an iota of difference.

At least Deb and Lilo Stainton (Corzine’s press secretary) come from the world of journalism and they understand us completely. That’s a start for Corzine. In May 2006, I was doing a story on how New Jersey prepares for the possibility of a State shutdown if the budget isn’t signed by midnight June 30th. I asked then-press secretary Anthony Coley and he said, “The State would never shut down.” I didn’t say it was going to shutdown, I simply asked, “What happens if it does?” Showing a staggering lack of insight into what makes reporters tick, Coley asked, “Why are you doing that story now? Why don’t you wait until late June and do that story when every other reporter is doing it?” Yeah, that’s what we do. We wouldn’t want to possibly be the reporter to get the story out there first. We get scoops and then tell all of the other reporters and then coordinate with them when we’ll all run the story. By the way, the State did shut down for a week and you might remember that because it was in all the papers.

Deb and Lilo are vast improvements, but ultimately it’s up to Corzine to decide if he wants to use the tools he now has at his disposal. And no, I'm not saying Deb and Lilo are tools in a cynical way.

DEMOCRATS GIVE UP THE MAJORITY

2008-01-24T20:14:00.000-05:00

The first State Senate Budget Committee hearing on Governor Jon Corzine’s Financial Restructuring and Debt Reduction plan was held Wednesday (1/23). The scheme includes an 800% toll hike schedule by 2022 and if approved, would be in place for 75 years. You might think freshman Senators sitting in on the first Budget hearing would be very interested in finding out all they can about the plan or at least giving the impression that they really care. Not so much, at least for one side of the political aisle.

By the time the hearing came to a close, State Senator Barbara Buono, the newly named chairperson of the panel was the lone Democrat left to hear what the public had to say. Democratic Senators, Steve Sweeney (Majority Leader), Joe Vitale, Brian Stack, Theresa Ruiz, Dana Redd, Sandra Cunningham and Shirley Turner were all gone. To her credit, Turner was at least still in the building and Ruiz evidently had to leave to attend an event for Hillary Clinton. Stack, Ruiz, Redd and Cunningham were all attending their first Senate Budget Committee hearing as members of the Upper House.

Some might argue that a five hour hearing is a bit too long. The GOP members of the panel all stayed until the bitter end.

Another side note from the hearing: Corzine’s chief of staff, Brad Abelow was getting grilled by Democrats and Republicans about why a bill backing up the plan doesn’t exist yet. Abelow repeatedly told them it is being vetted and will be introduced as soon as possible. When Turner kept prodding Abelow about why a hearing was scheduled without legislation to consider, Abelow finally said, “I didn’t call for this hearing, you did.” To which Turner responded, “I didn’t call for this hearing either.”

Buono scheduled the hearing, got as much out of it as possible, more than held her own in her first meeting as chairperson, said she learned a lot and that is really what she was hoping for.

VOTE FOR SALE? YOU DECIDE

2008-01-08T22:04:00.000-05:00

Monday, January 7th was Nick Asselta’s last day in the State Senate. He was unseated in November by then-Assemblyman and now-State Senator Jeff Van Drew. There was a voting session in the Upper House on Asselta’s last day in office. The Senators debated Governor Jon Corzine’s school funding formula proposal for two hours. Bernie Kenny who was named State Senate President for his last day in office opened the board and called for a vote. For three hours the bill was one vote shy of passage. The six Senate members of the Black Legislative Caucus (all Democrats) voted no meaning some Republicans had to be swayed. Asselta didn’t seem to need to be persuaded. Although many analysts feel the formula is bad for most of the school districts in Asselta’s south Jersey District, he immediately voted in favor of the bill and never wavered. Republican Senator Martha Bark has been identified as the GOP member who cast the deciding vote, but that might not have happened if Asselta hadn’t already gotten the tally to 20 with his Republican vote.

Why did Asselta support the school funding formula? Maybe he thinks it is a great plan. Maybe he saw the writing on the wall and knew it would pass eventually with or without him. Maybe he thought he owed the Governor a favor because Jon Corzine had agreed to get Asselta a new job as a commissioner with the State Board of Public Utilities. A job with great pay and benefits. A Corzine Administration spokesperson confirms an official nomination for Asselta was filed today (1/08). Even on the day of his State of the State Address Corzine found the time to nominate an outgoing Republican State Senator to one of the BPU’s top spots.

A DREAMY COMMITTEE HEARING

2007-12-27T16:27:00.000-05:00

Nobody likes lengthy committee hearings. Not legislators, not reporters, not even the ever-popular stakeholders. The marathon hearing of the joint Assembly Budget and Education Committees on Governor Jon Corzine’s proposed school funding formula is a perfect example. The extra-tedious testimony led many panel members to drift in and out of the room and spurred one lawmaker to wonder if one of her colleagues had drifted off to sleep.

GOP Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose, a Budget Committee member, was in the midst of asking many, very detailed questions when Education Committee chairman Craig Stanley, a Democrat, interrupted her to say his uncle (Assemblyman Bill Payne, vice chair of the Budget Committee) told him Budget panel members tend to go on and on. Prior to her turn for questioning McHose did suggest a “7th inning stretch.” Clearly not happy about being interrupted, McHose, “Maybe you were asleep when I recommended that we take a break, Craig.” The packed room gasped a little and Stanley assured McHose he was not sawing logs.

In fairness, nobody in their right mind would fault Stanley or any other committee member if they had in fact dozed off.

IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THERE WOULD BE NO MATH

2007-12-18T18:58:00.000-05:00

I suppose I should be extremely thankful that Governor Jon Corzine’s Administration is serious about transparency. Were it not for this openness, I would have a very difficult time getting the information necessary to file reports that actually help citizens understand what’s happening in Trenton and how the goings-on might impact them.

For months, the Governor has been telling the State House press corps and anyone else who will listen, that his financial restructuring plan (the scheme formerly known as monetization) would help right the State’s fiscal ship. In the spring, Corzine said to me on two separate occasions that the plan would be unveiled in about two weeks. We still have not been told any of the details. The administration went to court and successfully argued that it should not have to make public an $800,000 monetization study even though taxpayers shelled out the cash for it. The judge agreed the study is not a final report, it is a draft final.

Last month, Assembly Transportation Committee chairman John Wisniewski suggested that doubling the State's 14.5 cent gas tax would generate enough money to meet New Jersey's transportation project needs without having to raise tolls. Wisniewski has never officially proposed a gas tax increase, but in response to the Assemblyman's statement, DOT commissioner Kris Kolluri said the state motor fuels tax would have to be increased by 44 cents to 58.5 cents to accommodate all of New Jersey's current and future transportation needs.

"Commissioner Kolluri's assertion that it would take a 44-cent increase in the gas tax to address the state's current and future transportation needs is revealing," said Wisniewski at the time. He added, "If administration officials know the minimum amount the motor fuels tax would need to be increased, then they also must know the minimum amount tolls must increase to meet the same goals." Neither Corzine nor Kolluri would admit to knowing that, "minimum amount."

Forced to use Kolluri’s statement, other comments from Corzine at various events and figures from the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s 2006 annual report, Millennium Radio News was able to do a financial analysis of a gas tax hike v. toll increases. Check our website at http://www.nj1015.com/ and you can read the painstakingly tedious mathematical breakdown.

Even in this era of the Open Public Records Act, reporters and the public simply cannot get information that the government doesn’t want us to have. The most basic tenet in journalism is that a journalist should be free of any motivation other than the public’s right to know. I strongly believe the public has a right to know everything the Governor knows about his plan. That’s not happening.

I’ll finish with a math question…..
Q: If a train leaves Trenton and heads north at 40mph at the same time a train leaves Newark and heads south on the same track at 45mph, how long will it take before they crash head-on?
A: Who cares? I’m beginning to think I might want to be standing on the track when it happens.

EVERY VOTE REALLY DOES COUNT

2007-12-10T15:22:00.000-05:00

Monday morning (12/10) the State senate Budget Committee considered the "Electronic Waste Management Act." It may sound like a fairly innocuous bill but, the bill's description on the State's website reveals a hidden tax. It says the legislation would, "provide for the collection and recycling of used televisions by imposing an advanced recovery fee on the sale of new television sets and authorizing that district recycling plans provide a plan for the collection, recycling and disposal of discarded televisions…….[The legislation] imposes an advance recovery fee of $10 upon the sale of each new television sold at retail. The advance recovery fee would be added to the total cost to the purchaser at retail after all applicable sales taxes on the television have been computed and must be separately stated on the invoice or bill of sale."

John Holub, president of the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association says, "They can call it whatever they want, even an 'advanced recovery fee,' but it is a tax on any new TV that you buy. Call it a fee, call it a surcharge, there's no ifs ands or buts, it's a TV tax." He explains that if the bill becomes law, anybody who buys a new television in New Jersey will have something in common, "They'll pay a 7% (state) sales tax and they'll also pay, it's probably looking like a $10 tax for that TV."

Republicans on the panel say the story that ran on NJ 101.5 FM alerted them to the TV tax and made them think twice about supporting it. The committee was deadlocked at seven votes for advancing the measure and seven votes against. It appeared the bill would be held until the Chairman said the panel would wait until State Senator Sharpe James arrived to cast the deciding vote. When James showed up, he voted ‘Yes,’ and the measure was approved.

Holub says a bill is held or it’s not held, but rarely is a measure temporarily shelved until a committee member can be rushed in to be the tie-breaker. This legislative maneuver epitomizes the lame duck session. James did not run for re-election. He has recently been indicted by U-S Attorney Chris Christie on federal corruption charges. Not only is he permitted to stay on the Budget Committee, he is now the deciding vote on a bill that would tax new TV purchases if it becomes law.

HERE COMES THE SCHOOL FUNDING PLAN

2007-12-05T16:53:00.000-05:00

Next week the Corzine Administration is expected to roll out the much anticipated new school funding formula in its entirety. It is likely to be a three-day affair beginning Tuesday with a portion being made public each day. That roll-out would be similar to the Governor’s anti-crime initiative with a separate piece unveiled each day in a different part of the state. Reporters weren’t exactly crazy about the anti-crime press conferences. They went on and on and on averaging about an hour and a half a piece. Every stakeholder had a chance to speak and they took it. We probably shouldn’t expect anything short of that this time around. As one Administration official anonymously pointed out, “Lucille Davy isn’t exactly known for her brevity.” Davy is the Department of Education commissioner.

Speaking of Davy; the rumor in the halls of the State House is that newly-named Community Affairs commissioner and former State Senator Joe Doria will be named Education commissioner in the not-too-distant future. It is just an often-whispered rumor at this point, but there’s a reason rumors begin and are spread. Leaders in the legislature were recently briefed on the school funding formula in the Governor’s office and I’m told Doria was there. The meeting took place on the very day Doria was confirmed as DCA boss by the State Senate.

FORMER ETHICS PANEL BOSS CONFIRMS THE SUSPICIONS OF MANY

2007-11-28T17:24:00.000-05:00

On October 24, 2006, the New Jersey Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards held a meeting. It was the panel’s first meeting in almost 18 months. For several hours, the committee members bickered bitterly over who should be the new chairman. They eventually settled on Ray Bramucci and then spent the next hour arguing whether to adopt of the minutes of the previous meeting which was held in May of 2005. The minutes were not adopted, but the panel went on with the meeting anyway.

Bramucci has since stepped down saying he didn’t have the time to chair the panel and act as director of the Rutgers Prudential Business Ethics Center. He is now opening up about his time as chair of the Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards and he’s not painting a pretty picture.

“My experience as chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards was horrendous,” Bramucci now says, adding, “The hatred and personal animosity was unprecedented and it doesn’t have to be this way.” He doesn’t stop there. Bramucci says, “The lack of civility, the lack of personal respect has taken over and everything becomes a campaign issue.”

“There’s this gray area where you’re (legislators) not actually breaking the law, I saw it when I was chairman…..there were things that I didn’t think were very citizen-like but were perfectly legal,” Bramucci says, “I mean, if you can justify somebody having three offices, being a mayor an assistant superintendent of schools and a State Senator, if that’s reasonable….then I don’t know what the word reasonable means….we just can’t get it together because we have too much of a stake in protecting each other’s back among the elected officials.”

LOST AND CONFUSED AND THE STATE HOUSE

2007-11-08T13:23:00.001-05:00

Lawmakers returned to Trenton today along with lawmakers-to-be, those elected who haven’t been sworn in yet. Remember the first day of school? It is like that at the State House. Staffers from the Republican and Democratic offices of the State Senate and Assembly were standing at the rear entrance waiting for the new members to arrive and it wasn’t because they were part of a welcoming committee. It was because the new members literally didn’t know where they were going, where they were supposed to be or how to get there. Seeing wide-eyed Senators and Assembly members-elect is kind of refreshing and we in the press always wonder how long it will take before they become cynical and jaded. Usually not very long. The State House is like a maze and aides will be guiding the new legislators for weeks. One of the best ways for reporters and lobbyists to get to know the new members is to spot the ones who are lost and then walk with them as we show them how to get to where they need to be.

It is not just the newly-elected legislators who get lost. Members of the Assembly who were just elected to the Senate aren’t always sure where they’re supposed to be on the first day back. There is no reason for them to be in the closed-door Assembly caucus meetings to elect or re-elect the leaders of party because they’re moving up to the Upper House and their votes don’t count. They were expected to attend the Senate caucus meeting and more than a handful didn’t know where that room is. For these members we just point because we already know them.

Ever wonder what kind of important talk takes place in the caucus rooms? Probably not, but here’s something anyway. The lawmakers with seniority try to get better seats in the Senate and Assembly chambers. One wanted a spot closer to the aisle. He said, “I have to go to the bathroom a lot.” One wanted a spot near the back of the chamber. He said, “I don’t like stairs.” Another asked for a seat nearest the exit. She said, “I just want get out of here after a voting session.”

DICK CODEY STRUGGLING FOR VOTES?

2007-11-01T13:18:00.000-04:00

What does State Senate President and former Governor Dick Codey do when he finds himself with some free time? He throws tons of campaign cash from his committee coffers at Democrats around the state of course, but now that he’s confident his party will pick up seats in the Upper House, Codey spends the little idle time he has calling Republicans. Specifically, he calls Republicans in Essex Fells and asks them to vote for him. The last census figures put the tiny Essex County town’s population at 2,162. Essex Fells is 97% white. Why is Codey calling Republicans in this town? He says Essex Fells has never voted Democrat, never, ever. You get the point. Essex Fells, which is in Codey’s legislative district, has voted for a Republican mayor in every election since in was established as a borough in 1902. Codey of course is a Democrat. His party controls the Senate, Assembly and the Governor’s Office. Codey is all but certain (as certain as possible) to win re-election and the rumor mill has it that his campaign funding generosity has secured enough votes to guarantee he’ll be Senate Prez for another term. Evidently, when everything is going your way, you’ve got to find a cause somewhere and for Codey its Essex Fells. The basketball fanatic even skipped the Nets season opener last night to dial up GOP residents of Essex Fells.

KARCHER V. BECK ON NJN....MUST-SEE

2007-10-29T15:58:00.000-04:00

Must-see television this weekend was, without question, “On The Record,” with Michael Aron on the New Jersey Network. The guests were 12th District State Senator Ellen Karcher and 12th District Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck. Karcher is the incumbent. Beck is trying to unseat Karcher. For those following this race which is perhaps the most hotly contested battle in New Jersey, the issues weren’t new nor were the arguments. It is one thing to read about the animosity between Karcher and Beck, but it is quite another thing to see it and hear it. Aron is a well-known and consummate broadcast journalist and he proved why as he played referee to Karcher and Beck who were slugging it out from the opening bell to the last second of the final round. Both seemed to prefer throwing haymakers and this bout was all about taking the offensive. Rather than cover up and look for the opening to counter with body blows, the legislators seemed perfectly content to take it on chin as long as each kept connecting at the same time. At least neither lawmaker took a bite out of the other’s ear. Aron was on top of his game, somehow keeping both Karcher and Beck on point and if you check out NJN’s website where the show is archived, you’ll see that wasn’t easy to do.

IT'S NOT HARD TO SAY GOOD-BYE

2007-10-22T19:08:00.000-04:00

It may not be a case of getting out while the getting is good, but for a few retiring state legislators it seems to be a matter of getting out before the getting gets worse. Last week at a function to honor retiring lawmakers, one Assemblyman said, “It’s really liberating.” He said he was attending a town hall meeting the week before when a citizen stood up and accused him of being a corrupt liar like every other politician. The Assemblyman tells me he said to the man, “You must be confusing me with someone who is running again and cares what you have to say. You’re a creep. Sit down and shut up!” The man apparently said his words were meant with all due respect. The Assemblyman claims he responded, “With all due respect, you’re still a creep. Sit down and shut up!” Another lawmaker saying good-bye claims he’s learned a new word and that word is, “No! It feels great to say that after all these years.”

The lawmakers in question didn’t give me the go-ahead to use their names, so I’m not. They didn’t say I couldn’t, but I didn’t ask them if I could so, I'm playing it safe. If you were at the town hall meeting, you know who I’m talking about. I spoke to four others who were there and claim it happened just as the Assemblyman describes.

“I hate politics!” That is evidently the prevailing sentiment for those running for re-election. I’ve heard that statement a total of nine times in ten working days from nine different incumbents. I suppose it is tough on the campaign trail. If this wasn’t New Jersey I’d say nobody is holding a gun to anybody’s head telling them they have to run again. This is the Garden State however, so I can’t be 100% sure about that.

GOD MUST NEED POLITICAL ADVICE

2007-10-12T12:54:00.000-04:00

I am shocked and unbelievably saddened to learn of the untimely death of David Rebovich, Rider University Institute for New Jersey Politics director. I’ve known Dave for over five years and consider him a dear friend. I’ve been lucky enough to be in non-work, social situations with him too. Dave was clearly intelligent, hilariously sarcastic and a great man to be around. His political acumen was unparalleled. I learned so much from Dave. When asked about the important issues, Dave shot straight at all times regardless of what others might think. I saw Dave last week. When coming to the State House to attend a press conference or meeting, he had a habit of, “hiding out,” (his words, not mine) in my office. Dave would grab a bottle of water from the refrigerator, sit on my couch and shoot the breeze with me until it was time for him to get where he needed to be. That’s what he did last week. I’ll miss those talks. I’ll miss his sense of humor. I’ll miss my friend. Dave used to end all of our conversations by saying, “Kev, I love you like brother.” He probably said that to a lot of people so, for myself and anybody else he ever said that to, I say, “Dave, right back at you.” Rest in Peace my good friend.

A MOOT SUIT

2007-10-09T10:45:00.000-04:00

Republican Assembly members Jennifer Beck and Sean Kean are suing the Corzine Administration and asking a judge to force the Governor to release an $800,000-plus study on monetization and the possible impact on tolls. Several prominent attorneys are privately saying a judge’s decision to schedule oral arguments for November 16 means this is the easiest lawsuit in the world to make disappear. They’re predicting Jon Corzine will wait until after the election, but before the court date to make the report publicly available and possibly unveil his still secret scheme. That would make the suit, moot. The AG’s office has until 10/26 to respond to the complaint and the GOP has until 11/9 to respond to that response.

Would this ploy, if it were to play out this way, feed into GOP accusations that Corzine is politicizing monetization and is holding onto the plan until after November 6 because he knows the very concept of monetization could hurt his fellow Democrats at the polls? Would you buy the fact that the answers he’s been patiently awaiting from the IRS regarding tax-exempt bonds suddenly were provided just after the election and before the court date? Would the timing be a bit too convenient for you? The study was paid for using taxpayer money. Do taxpayers have the right to see what their cash has bought?

FRAMING THE ARGUMENT/ GOP V. CORZINE

2007-10-05T11:41:00.001-04:00

Vermont Governor Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee says the decision as to who should be the next President of the United States shouldn’t be very hard to make. He says, “If you’re for the war and against children, vote Republican. If you’re against the war and for children, vote Democrat.” The war reference needs no explanation. The part about children refers to the President’s veto of a bill to re-authorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Dean said all Republicans are complicit even those who voted in favor of re-authorization. Dean spoke this morning at a Democratic Party fundraiser in Union County. I wasn’t there, but I spent some time speaking with Dean yesterday and he threw out a catchy quote that we’ll probably being hearing a lot and you may have heard already. He said, “Republican dress like it’s the 1950s and they talk like it’s the 1850s.”

The GOP case against the Corzine Administration plays out in court again today. Republican State Committee chairman Tom Wilson wants to force Governor Jon Corzine to make public all e-mails he exchanged with his union leader, ex-girlfriend Carla Katz during state worker contract talks. A judge is expected to rule on whether Corzine did or did not turn over all of the e-mails to the court. One of the key players in the case says, “Today could be a circus.” We’ve covered every court proceeding in this case and if today turns out to be circus-like it would be a first unless circuses are now tedious, uneventful and resolution-free.

Finally, I want to admit a mistake. In July, Corzine had a brief media availability outside the Senate chamber in the State House and he was asked about how much money he has given Katz and if his past romantic relationship with her tainted the contract negotiations. He gave the same he has always given; these are personal matters and then he said, “You can keep asking until you get tired of asking.” I thought at the time and may have even said that I would never get tired of asking. Wrong! I am tired of asking. I’ll keep asking when necessary because it is my job, but I fully admit that I am tired of asking.

THE STATE HOUSE, THE SOAP OPERA

2007-10-04T10:53:00.000-04:00

Intrigue, romance, money, power, allies turning on friends, a life-altering decision being made behind closed doors….it’s all happening in the State House these days. How much cash did Governor Jon Corzine give to his former girlfriend and state worker union leader Carla Katz? Powerful Democrats, like Assembly Transportation Committee chairman John Wisniewski speaking out publicly against Corzine’s still secret monetization plan.

It is not the above mentioned items that really make the State House seem like a soap opera, it is the fact that all of this was going on six months ago and there is still no resolution in sight. I have friends and colleagues who have left their State House offices to cover the legislative races in specific districts. Some have been gone for over a month, but if they returned to Trenton today, they’d see they haven’t missed a thing.

The State House may be worse than a soap opera or at least slower moving. I’m guessing that in the last six months, on Days of Our Lives, General Hospital etc., there are characters who have been married and divorced five times, survived two comas, won, lost and won back fortunes and fought off evil twins they thought died a decade ago in a tragic bow-hunting accident. Here, time stands still. At least if you’re a soap opera fan you can tape the episodes and fast-forward through the commercials. Reporters in the State House have to live through this real-time.

I’ll let you know what everyone is really talking about these days and that is reality TV, the only reality TV that counts……sports. The Yankees begin their playoff run tonight against the Indians (I’m hoping for a slow news day so that I can at least be in the car by first pitch at 6:30). The Phillies try to even up their series with the Rockies this afternoon and the Mets try to put the collapse of 2007 behind them and look toward 2008.

ARE POLLS IMPORTANT

2007-10-03T11:07:00.000-04:00

Does the average person pay attention to polls? Do the results of statewide surveys sway anyone’s opinion? Do our elected officials care?

As things got progressively worse for him and surveys would indicate the public’s disapproval, former Governor Jim McGreevey would constantly say, “I’m not poll-driven.” If that were true, why did his handlers call or e-mail reporters to complain almost every time a story was run that included McGreevey’s dismal poll numbers?

State Senate President Dick Codey is different with regard to polls. He was (again) acting Governor while elected Governor Jon Corzine was recovering from his near-fatal Parkway crash in April. In a one-on-one interview during his acting reign, I referenced Codey’s 70-percent approval rating as acting Governor his first time around. He quickly corrected me giving the exact upper 70-percent number.

Corzine is also inconsistent when it comes to polls. He’ll dismiss portions of surveys but use other numbers to illustrate a point he’s trying to make. Last week, during a press conference at Drumthwacket, the Governor said polls reveal voters rather see toll increases than tax hikes, but he omitted the fact that respondents said that only when asked to choose between Corzine still secret monetization plan or toll hikes.

The Legislature doesn’t get a pass. Poll numbers for the State Senate and General Assembly have been awful for years. Being in the minority in both Houses, Republicans are quick to use negative poll results to blast the opposition, but unless asked directly, lawmakers don’t mention a word about these surveys.

We’re all human. Everyone would prefer good poll numbers, but should the results matter in the grand scheme of things? It should be noted that the people being asked the questions are typically registered voters and these are the citizens our elected officials have been chosen to represent. It should difficult to be so dismissive of constituents.

Matters Of Monetization

2007-10-02T11:39:00.001-04:00

Sorting through the arguments for and against monetization forces us to spot misinformation, pick apart misleading statements and take everything with a grain of salt. To take a head-scratching quote from Donald Rumsfeld, Governor Jon Corzine’s still secret monetization plan is a, “known, unknown.” We know something is coming, but we don’t know what it is. Until recently we weren’t even sure a proposal was a sure bet and that’s part of the confusion.

Early last month, Governor Corzine said, "There are a number of very precise questions that have a lot to do with whether the program is something I would recommend…..it's possible that if we didn't get the kind of opinion that I thought that we needed, that this is an idea that I wouldn't pursue." A couple of weeks later former Treasurer and current Corzine chief of staff Brad Abelow said, “We are going to come forward with a proposal around this thing that has been called monetization."

Corzine says critics of the monetization plan should reserve judgment until there is an actual proposal. He said last week, "It's not responsible to say, 'I don't like this piece,' when you've gotta deal with the problem and you've gotta have a solution." If you believe this is a fair statement, and many do, do you then believe it is unfair for Corzine to use the same unproposed monetization plan as a possible solution when talking about the need for money to address, transportation, school construction, open space and more? If the unknown plan can’t be criticized, why is it okay to laud it?

Incumbents and challengers in key races from both parties are using the public’s skepticism over the monetization of toll roads as they hold press conference after press conference. Democrats and Republicans, particularly those whose districts have a toll road running through it are railing against the plan saying they oppose the sale or lease of the toll roads. This is tantamount to saying they oppose the Governor’s proposal to kick puppies because there is no such proposal. Corzine has made it clear he has NO plans to sell or lease the toll roads.

The one aspect of the monetization argument many feel has been handled most effectively is the Corzine Administration’s ability to illustrate to the people that New Jersey is cash-strapped yet again and the State needs to find money somewhere. Where that cash is found will have a very real impact on the residents of the Garden State.

An Imperfect Storm

2007-10-01T12:19:00.000-04:00

How much more will you be asked to spend? State lawmakers and assorted Trenton insiders are whispering about concerns of tough times ahead and they may have good reason. Consider the following; If Governor Jon Corzine’s still secret monetization scheme amounts to a cash-grab in the form of borrowing against future toll increases, commuters will feel the pain.

Talk of a gas tax hike in Trenton is picking up steam, but if the price of oil per barrel heads north as it typically does, New Jerseyans could be paying a new, higher tax on top of new, higher prices at the pump. If voters decide to dedicate the full one-penny of last year’s sales tax increase to property tax relief it would raise roughly $1.3 billion, however New Jersey is using $2.2 billion this year to give the majority of homeowners a 20% property tax rebate. Using simple math, you can see Treasury will be about $900 million short as the Corzine administration struggles to provide the same relief next year.

Add on top of this the fact that the budget deficit for next year is estimated to be approximately $2 billion and you’ll begin to get the picture. The ongoing housing market slump has Wall Streeters fearing a real recession so, you’ve got the imperfect storm…..the possibility of new and higher taxes at a time when many people may find themselves with a lot less disposal income. Any thoughts?