Eustace & Houghtaling Bill to Encourage Municipal Consolidation, Rein in Property Taxes Heads to Governor’s Desk
March 25,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood
Ridgewood NJ, Legislation sponsored by Assembly Democrats Tim Eustace and Eric Houghtaling to give towns better tools to pursue municipal consolidation and ultimately rein in property taxes gained final legislative approval from the full Assembly by a vote of 51-21-2 on Thursday.
The bill (S-690/A-2921) would promote municipal consolidation by increasing the flexibility, clarity and available tools under the “Uniform Shared Services and Consolidation Act” enacted in 2007. Although one of the primary purposes of this law is to promote consolidation by providing more procedural flexibility, to date, only one municipal consolidation has been effectuated since its enactment.
Joe Piscopo, currently mulling a New Jersey gubernatorial bid, is laughing off reports of Russian-backed hacking during the 2016 elections, calling them “comical.”
“It’s a ruse. It’s a joke. They got nothing. The Russia thing is comical because it won’t go away,” the “Saturday Night Live” alum told Mediaite on Thursday when asked what he makes “of all this Russia business.”
“I ask this with respect, with respect to the Russian theorists — you talk about conspiracy theories, I mean, this is what this is — did the Russians come to my county in Jersey in the middle of nowhere and did they hack into my mechanical voting both so when I switched — I voted for somebody, they switched my vote?” Piscopo told the site.
Piscopo has repeatedly floated running for governor of New Jersey as a Republican. With a filing deadline looming, he now says he’s “more serious” about running as an independent.
The 65-year-old comedian and radio show host said, “I mean, get to the — there’s no way they could hack it! If they hacked into the Democratic Party, if indeed they did, who cares? They think, like, the voters are dumb.”
Ridgewood NJ, New Jersey Family Magazine ranked the top towns in New Jersey for families.
To come up with the ranking, they looked at the entire state—more than 500 towns in all—and measured each municipality against a host of important factors, including school district quality, crime rates, affordability, commute times, percentage of families who live there, access to hospitals and general lifestyle factors.
How did Ridgewood rank: # 55 Ridgewood , population 24,999
Ridgewood neighbors fared a bit better in overall ranking , #3 Glen Rock Bergen 11,631, #10 Midland Park population 7,131, #22 Ho-Ho-Kus Borough population 4,085.
By Fausto Giovanny Pinto | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on March 23, 2017 at 8:52 AM, updated March 23, 2017 at 4:28 PM
EAST RUTHERFORD — Work on the American Dream mall has been just about non-existent, months after it was reported in December that construction had stalled.
Cranes were at a standstill and a hardhat could not be found at the American Dream mall site in East Rutherford. Work was been stalled since December. (Fausto Giovanny Pinto | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)Fausto Giovanny Pinto | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Borough Mayor James L. Cassella says he has been in the dark about the billion-dollar mega-project, but is hopeful construction will start again soon.
“I haven’t seen much, maybe a few people, a couple of cars parked,” said Cassella last week. “There aren’t a lot of people down there.”
By Anthony G. Attrino | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on March 21, 2017 at 6:35 AM, updated March 21, 2017 at 8:48 AM
TENAFLY – The wife of a man struck and killed by a car during an early morning jog last fall has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver, according to court documents.
Robert E. Hyer Jr., 63, was killed as he tried to cross East Clinton Avenue at Woodland Street in Tenafly. (Google Maps)
Robert E. Hyer Jr., 63, of Tenafly, was killed Oct. 25, 2016, as he crossed East Clinton Avenue at Woodland Street in Tenafly, according to a lawsuit filed March 13 in Bergen County Superior Court.
The driver was Raffaella Garritano, 58, of Englewood Cliffs, according to attorneys for Hyer’s wife Andrea McDermott Hyer, 54.
“Garritano operated that vehicle in such an inattentive, careless, reckless and negligent manner so as to strike and violently knock (the victim) to the ground,” the suit states.
Millennials are leaving Garden State at a faster clip than any other group; that’s a concern for business groups, who want to keep them here
Michele Siekerka, president and CEO of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association, addresses conference on millennials and the state workforce.
Last year, the size of the nation’s millennial generation grew enough to top baby boomers and become the largest of the five living generations. But in New Jersey, business leaders are tracking a different trend as millennials have been leaving the state at a higher rate than other groups.
The loss of millennials is not only a waste of taxpayer investment in their K-12 education, but there are also concerns that it could be having a broader impact on a state economy that has taken several years to fully recover from the Great Recession.
That’s caused business leaders to begin talking about ways to keep New Jersey’s millennials from leaving the state in the first place, as well as doing things to attract millennials from other states as they launch their careers, and as more and more boomers here reach retirement age.
“It’s a challenge that is screaming out for some attention and some solutions,” said Michele Siekerka, president and CEO of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association. The NJBIA hosted a daylong conference in East Windsor yesterday on the issue of millennials and the state workforce.
Entertainer, radio host and maybe our next governor? Could Joe Piscopo be the next governor? If so, he has laid out his gameplan for his road to the statehouse.
Piscopo — ‘More serious than ever’ about run for governor
Joe called into the show this morning to discuss his announcement that IF he decides to run for governor, he will run as an Independent. While he respects both sides of the aisle with friends in the NJ Republican and Democratic parties, “I think it’s time for the people’s politician, Bill,” Piscopo stated.
Piscopo also said that if he were to announce that he is going to make a run for the governor, now that he won’t be affiliated with any specific party, “I’m pro union member and you have to fight for the working men and women of the state and I support the union members.”
Would you be more inclined to vote for an Independent candidate?
Shortly after Democratic U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez was indicted on corruption charges in 2015, former Sen. Robert Torricelli started meeting with New Jersey political insiders.
Menendez’s term expires in January 2019, but Torricelli was signaling his interest in the seat should Menendez step down sooner. All the while, though, he continued to voice his support for the embattled senator.
Washington Twp NJ, One (1) person was transported to a local hospital following a two (2) vehicle collision at the intersection of Ridgewood Road and Walnut Street in Washington Township on Monday afternoon, 03/20. Both vehicles were removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck. Washington Township PD, Westwood EMS, and a paramedic unit from Hackensack University Medical Center North responded to the incident. Injuries to the victim, an adult female, appeared to have been non life threatening.
As Republicans in Congress continue to craft a legislative solution to the disastrous Unaffordable Care Act, the Democrats continue to mislead its defenders with more and more dishonest and deceptive rhetoric. The latest installment comes from Senator Cory Booker (D-New Jersey), and is deserving of a complete deception diagnosis.
By the way, Booker is considered by Democrats to be a future Democrat presidential candidate, and he won the un-coveted “Liberal Lunacy of the Week” last week on the Herman Cain Radio Show with the following litany of false statements:
“The Republicans cannot just force this down our throats. It’s going to knock a lot of folks off, hurt long-term care, hurt good working class folks. I don’t understand this almost, I don’t understand their political strategy because this is bad politics. Deeper than that it is bad policy and bad process.”
Let’s break this down, shall we?
The Republicans cannot just force this down our throats.
Most of us will recall then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying that the Democrats had to pass the UCA and then tell us what was in it. They did just that in 2010 with no Republican votes in Congress, because it was that bad and they wanted no Republican input. They forced it down our throats.
In 2017, the Republicans’ American Health Care Act (AHCA) is working its way through Congress and we know what’s in it, and sensible people like most of it. Some of the favorite features are no mandates, no penalties, repeal of taxes hidden in the UCA, and allowing the states to manage Medicaid. These features are the exact opposite of what’s in the UCA, which has failed miserably.
By Matt Arco and Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on March 20, 2017 at 7:05 AM, updated March 20, 2017 at 11:26 AM
TRENTON — Phil Murphy, the early Democratic favorite in this year’s race for New Jersey governor, has donated at least $1.15 million to state and local Democratic organizations and candidates since 2001, according to an NJ Advance Media analysis of campaign finance records.
More than 40 percent of that money — about $466,000 — was shelled out over the past three years, a period during which Murphy, a millionaire former Goldman Sachs banking executive, took steps toward launching his campaign to succeed Republican Chris Christie as governor.
The donations came from Murphy, his wife Tammy, jointly from the couple, or from his gubernatorial campaign, according to the analysis, the most in-depth look so far at how much Murphy has given to in-state causes.
We had a significant snow and rain storm across the Garden State last week, but the New Jersey Department of Environmental protection has not changed any of its drought warnings or watches in central and north Jersey — yet.
A drought warning remains in effect for Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties.
However the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report for New Jersey shows 43 percent of the state (southern and coastal) is now classified as being drought-free, while only 6 percent of northern New Jersey is still listed as being in a “severe drought” situation.
The U.S. Drought Monitor report takes into account several hydrological indicators, including soil moisture and stream flow variability, while the DEP drought indicators strictly measure reservoir levels in New Jersey.
“This is definitely good news but we can’t get too excited because all it takes is a prolonged dry spell at the wrong time of year and we can quickly move back into drought conditions,” said Tony Broccoli, a professor of atmospheric sciences and chairman of the Department of Environmental Sciences School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University.
Paramus NJ, An aerial lift platform trailer being towed by a pick up truck rolled over on Route 17 southbound in Paramus on Monday afternoon, 03/20. Only one (1) travel lane of traffic on Route 17 southbound near A&S Drive remained open while two (2) flatbed tow trucks worked in unison to right the device. No injuries were reported in the mishap. Paramus PD responded to the incident. The trailer was removed from the scene by one of the aforementioned flatbed tow trucks.
The Supreme Court has rejected Sen. Bob Menendez’s attempt to throw out the bribery and corruption charges against him, setting the stage for a trial for the New Jersey Democrat this fall.
With Monday’s announcement, Menendez can no longer block the proceedings against him from moving forward, a major setback for his efforts to avoid criminal trial.
Abbe Lowell, Menendez’s lead defense attorney, said the Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the appeal was “disappointing,” but still said Menendez will be “vindicated when all the facts are heard at trial.”
“It’s disappointing that the Supreme Court did not take this opportunity to set a clear, bright line of the separation of powers to ensure that Congress remains an independent and co-equal branch of government, free of interference and retribution from the executive as the Framers intended,” Lowell said in a statement. “While the senator always understood it is rare that the Supreme Court hears any case before trial, given the gravity of the Constitutional issues raised, he believed it was important to try.”
JOHN LATKA, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT ELECTRIC & GAS OPERATIONS – PSE&G
Ridgewood NJ, You may have seen dramatic TV coverage of manhole covers popping off in the street and hurdling through the air. While rare in our service area, manhole covers sometimes become dislodged. The root cause varies; however, these incidents all have two ingredients: combustible fumes and an ignition source.
During the snowy months and spring thaw, the flammable gases are often caused by the salt we put on roads and sidewalks to keep us safe from slippery snow and ice. Other sources of potentially dangerous fumes include sewer lines, gas pipes, decaying organic matter, and the disposal of combustible materials in the streets.
In the late winter and early spring, salty runoff can make its way down a manhole shaft and compromise the insulation around electric cables. The cables begin to smolder, releasing gases like carbon monoxide, methane and hydrogen. In high concentrations, all that’s needed to release this energy is a spark.
Manhole covers serve an important purpose. They keep debris from falling into our electric vaults, keep unauthorized people out and ensure we can provide you the safe, reliable electricity service you expect from PSE&G.
We have 28,547 manholes in our system. Underneath their 400-pound cast iron covers are vaults measuring 6 feet high, by 12 feet long and 8 feet wide. The vaults house high-voltage electric cables about the size of your fist in diameter. Multiple cables are bundled together and wrapped in insulation. Those cables feed transformers that step down the high voltage electricity to a level suitable for distribution to homes and businesses.
We have another 11,251 “hand holes” that are covered by the small, rectangular metal covers you most often see in urban areas. These smaller vaults house low-voltage lines that bring electricity to individual customers such as small businesses, apartment buildings, or street and traffic lights. The covers on these hand holes don’t pop often. The lower voltage, combined with a smaller space, make it less likely to trap and ignite gas.
Manhole incidents in our system happen very infrequently. However, if you see something suspicious, like a manhole spewing smoke, it is important to report it. Call 911. Also, be sure to call PSE&G if you see a manhole or hand hole cover ajar or in any way out of place. It could be a sign of a problem lurking underneath.
