Wyckoff NJ, A measure permitting public-private partnerships for energy-related projects cleared a legislative committee today creating an opportunity for more savings say Assemblyman Christopher DePhillips and Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce.
“Everyone will see savings as a result of this legislation,” said DePhillips (R-Bergen). “We won’t burden our taxpayers for energy upgrades in our public schools and municipal buildings. Public entities can get a more energy efficient infrastructure and the private companies can use the utility savings.”
Hackensack NJ, on Tuesday BCRO Chairman Jack Zisa issued the following statements on the New Jersey CD-5 Congressional Race and on Frank Pallotta’s entry into the race:
Trenton NJ, Assembly sponsors of Right to Work legislation praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today that government workers cannot be required to pay union fees as a condition of working in public service.
“This decision restores free speech and freedom of association to every public school teacher and government worker across New Jersey,” said Assemblywoman Amy Handlin (R-Monmouth). “For far too long, unions have propped themselves up with money skimmed out of paychecks despite the workers’ objections.”
Handlin’s legislation (A183) would make New Jersey the twenty-ninth Right to Work state by allowing workers to decide whether to join a union. Assemblyman Robert Auth also sponsors the legislation.
After the top court’s decision, New Jersey’s 475,000 state and local public workers could opt out of their unions – taking money and political clout with them.
“This is a victory for rank-and-file teachers,” said Auth (R-Bergen). “Big unions have concentrated on procuring power and excessively paying its leadership while neglecting teachers in the classrooms. The NJEA’s executive director was paid $1.2 million thanks to dues as high as eleven-hundred dollars imposed on full-time teachers.”
Auth pointed to a Star-Ledger investigation that found the NJEA gave its top leadership a 42 percent pay raise in 2016. On average, the fourteen officers identified as NJEA leaders earned more than $530,000 — up from $379,000 the year before.
New Jersey is one of just 22 states where public employees can be forced to join and pay dues to a public union.
Trenton NJ, Assembly Republicans on the budget committee unanimously rejected a competing legislative tax plan today that raises taxes by $1.2 billion dollars. Legislative Democrats swapped Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed millionaires tax and sales tax increase for a corporate tax hike and other tax increases.
“Legislative Democrats keep warning about how Murphy’s millionaires tax will drive high-earners and their businesses out but their plan taxes businesses at a much higher rate,” said Assemblyman John DiMaio (R-Warren), the Republican budget officer.
Under their plan, the top rate on corporations would jump from 9 percent to 13 percent. Murphy proposed raising the top income tax rate from 8.97 percent to 10.75 percent on income over $1 million.
“That is much more likely to make businesses move out, not the other way around,” concluded DiMaio. “Their own argument refutes their plan.”
The new rate would apply on corporations earning more than $25 million and would become the highest business tax in the nation. Businesses earning between $1 million and $25 million would also pay a slightly lower rate of 11.5 percent. That would only be exceeded by Iowa at 12 percent, which is in the process of lowering its top rate to 9.8 percent.
New Jersey currently has the sixth-highest corporate tax rate in the country, and has been rated the worst business tax climate for the past four years according to the Tax Foundation.
“Increasing corporate business taxes for even two years to what is already one of the highest rates in the nation will slow already lagging job growth,” added Nancy Munoz (R-Union), a member of the budget committee.
New Jersey has lost nearly 15,000 jobs since January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while the labor force has decreased by 30,000 people.
“Democrats claim they want to help those who are struggling but they make it harder by increasing the cost of doing business,” continued Munoz. “When jobs are being lost, the poor get poorer and the middle-class shrinks.”
“Senator Bob Menendez has never seen a tax he didn’t want to hike.”
April 19,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
UNION COUNTY NJ, Tax day is yet another reminder of the immense tax burden placed on hard-working New Jerseyans. For years, tax-and-spend politicians like Senator Bob Menendez have voted to increase taxes—including taxes on Social Security and Medicaid—with little regard for the already overtaxed citizens of New Jersey.
“In his 25 ineffective years in Washington, Senator Bob Menendez has never seen a tax he didn’t want to hike—voting over 90 times to increase taxes. New Jersey is 50 out 50—dead last—in money we get back from Washington as a percentage of tax dollars we send there, and tax day is just another unfortunate reminder to millions of hard-working New Jerseyans that Bob Menendez has failed to stand up for them,” said Hugin Communications Director Megan Piwowar.
“For too long, New Jerseyans have been underrepresented in Washington and overtaxed here at home, and we’re confident that on November 6th New Jersey voters will say enough is enough to Bob Menendez’s tax hikes by supporting former Marine and business leader Bob Hugin, a senator they can be proud of.”
Bob Hugin, a Marine Corps Veteran and business leader who has created thousands of New Jersey jobs, is seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate to challenge incumbent Democrat Senator Bob Menendez.
SENATOR MENENDEZ HAS VOTED TO INCREASE TAXES OVER 90 TIMES SINCE BEING ELECTED TO CONGRESS.
SENATOR MENENDEZ HAS VOTED TO INCREASE TAXES ON THE MIDDLE CLASS, ON WORKING FAMILIES, AND ON SOCIAL SECURITY RECIPIENTS.
SENATOR MENENDEZ HAS VOTED TO INCREASE TAXES ON SMALL BUSINESSES AND ON SELF-EMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS.
UNDER SENATOR MENENDEZ’S WATCH, NEW JERSEY RANKS 50 OUT OF 50—DEAD LAST—IN MONEY SENT TO WASHINGTON THAT COMES BACK TO THE STATE.
MENENDEZ VOTED TO RAISE TAXES OVER 90 TIMES WHILE REPRESENTING NEW JERSEY IN CONGRESS.
Voted to raise taxes on Medicare and Social Security recipients – 05/27/1993
Voted to raise the gas tax and delay cost of living adjustments for the military – 08/05/1993
Voted against Social Security tax relief and a child tax credit for working families – 04/05/1995
Voted against a child tax credit and against $31 billion in tax relief for college students – 06/26/1997
Voted against gas tax decreases and giving New Jersey more control over infrastructure funds – 04/01/1998
Voted against tax relief for self-employed individuals, for farmers, and for married couples – 09/26/1998
Voted against $778.5 billion in tax relief and protecting Social Security revenues from other uses – 03/25/1999
Voted against $792 billion in tax relief, against increasing Education Savings Account limits, and allowing self-employed individuals to deduct health insurance premiums – 07/22/1999
Voted against $792 billion in tax relief for individuals and families – 08/05/1999
Voted against $182 billion in tax relief for married couples – 02/10/2000
Voted against $46 billion in tax relief and allowing self-employed individuals to deduct the cost of their health insurance – 03/09/2000
Voted to increase Social Security taxes – 07/27/2000
Voted against middle class tax relief – 03/08/2001
Voted against tax relief for married families with children – 03/29/2001
Voted against $958 billion in tax relief – 05/16/2001
Voted against $1.35 trillion in tax relief – 05/26/2001
Voted against $159 billion in tax relief for individuals and small businesses – 10/24/2001
Voted against tax relief for individuals and small business, extending unemployment benefits for workers, and providing a refundable tax credit to purchase health insurance – 12/20/2001
Voted against tax relief and extending unemployment benefits for workers – 02/14/2002
Voted against making individual tax relief permanent – 04/18/2002
Voted against $350 billion in tax relief, an increase in the child tax credit, and $20 billion in new Medicaid funding – 05/23/2003
Voted against extending middle class tax relief for individuals and working families – 5/11/2006
Voted to raise taxes on small businesses – 12/24/09
Voted against payroll tax cuts for hard-working New Jerseyans – 12/01/2011
Governor Murphy Wants to Slash Homestead Benefit Program After Campaigning to Increase Rebates
March 31, 2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ,Senator Michael Doherty said that Governor Phil Murphy’s budget proposal for 2019 is looking even worse as more details are revealed, including his plan to cut property tax rebates by more than 50 percent next year.
Sen. Mike Doherty slammed Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposal to cut property tax rebates by more than 50 percent next year. (SenateNJ.com)
“It’s sickening that Governor Murphy wants to reduce property tax rebates further despite promising during his campaign to restore cuts imposed by Democrats in the current budget,” said Doherty (R-23). “With the highest property tax bills in the nation, New Jerseyans need more property tax relief, not less as Governor Murphy has proposed.”
According to the Fiscal Year 2019 Budget in Brief provided by the Murphy Administration (see page 18), the governor has chosen to perpetuate a 50 percent cut to the Homestead Benefit Program in the current year’s budget that was to be fully restored in 2019.
This proposal directly contradicts his campaign pledge of “restoring rebates to low-income, seniors and disabled residents.”
“Not only has Governor Murphy chosen to prevent the restoration of funding to rebates, which would have doubled this important form of property tax relief in 2019, he has proposed cutting another $12.5 million from the Homestead Benefit Program,” Doherty said. “It’s a gut punch to property taxpayers.”
Doherty said the Governor has a constitutional obligation to increase property tax relief, given a projected budget surplus of $800 million to $1.5 billion that’s tied to larger than expected income tax collections.
“The New Jersey Constitution requires income tax revenues collected by the State to be dedicated to property tax relief,” added Doherty. “The Governor is trying to cut Homestead rebates when he should be increasing them. It looks like Governor Murphy has some explaining to do to property taxpayers.”
Independent Auditor Was Unable to Determine What Happened to $33 Million in State & Federal Grants, Said $475,000 in County Funds “Unlocated”
March 23, 2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ,Senator Kristin M. Corrado (R-40) said a new document provided by the non-partisan Office of Legislative Services (OLS) raises questions about financial irregularities that occurred during Acting Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio’s time in local government that will need to be answered at her confirmation hearing on Monday.
Sen. Kristin Corrado said that Acting Treasurer Muoio must answer questions at her confirmation hearing about missing and mishandled money during her time as a Mercer County Freeholder. (SenateNJ.com)
“The Senate Judiciary Committee has a responsibility to carefully vet gubernatorial nominees to confirm that they’re qualified and fit for the office to which they’ve been appointed,” said Corrado, a member of the committee. “During our routine research into Acting Treasurer Muoio’s time as a Mercer County Freeholder, we were disturbed to learn that the county could not account for the receipt or appropriate use of $33 million of state and federal grants. Further, we were shocked to learn that hundreds of thousands of dollars went missing, which an independent auditor was unable to locate. Given Acting Treasurer Muoio’s indication to the Judiciary Committee that she worked ‘closely’ on budgets during her time in local office, we’d like to know if she can explain these financial discrepancies that occurred on her watch.”
The OLS memo includes a 2003 audit in which an independent auditor noted “an inability of management” at Mercer County at that time to reconcile accounts receivable, including nearly $22 million of grants authorized by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and more than $11.4 million from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The auditor noted that it was “unable to confirm these accounts receivable” or the assignment of grants to “specific projects approved” by the FAA, or, apparently, the NJDOT.
Corrado said these financial irregularities were concerning since the county’s property taxes increased by 86 percent during Muoio’s time working on the Mercer County budget.
“I’m concerned that during Acting Treasurer Muoio’s time managing Mercer County’s money, tens of millions in grants couldn’t be accounted for, nearly half-a-million dollars went missing, and county property tax bills skyrocketed,” added Corrado. “We need to know if she assumes responsibility for these irregularities, or if she overstated her involvement in managing the county’s fiscal affairs. These are questions that Acting Treasurer Muoio must be prepared to answer.”
Given the massive budget and tax increase proposal recently unveiled by the Murphy Administration, Corrado said it’s important for the Acting Treasurer to explain how her prior experience has prepared her for the responsibility of managing tens of billions of dollars of New Jersey taxpayers’ money.
“We must presume that Acting Treasurer Muoio helped to craft the Governor’s budget proposal, which includes the most spending in New Jersey history and a $1.7 billion tax increase,” Corrado concluded. “New Jersey taxpayers need assurances that the fiscal mismanagement that occurred during her watch in Mercer County won’t be repeated at the New Jersey Treasury.”
River Vale NJ, assemblywomen Holly Schepisi comments on the unfair nature of the school funding formula, “If anyone ever wants to know why I fight so hard to revamp how we fund our schools in New Jersey and why I do not believe that the current formulas are fair, here is a glimpse into the school funding numbers for River Vale and Hoboken, New Jersey. River Vale is neither a “rich” nor a “poor” community but is representative of many of the communities comprising New Jersey. The average home assessment in River Vale is approximately $550,000 and pays $13,894 in property taxes with almost 70 percent ($9,725.80) of that amount going straight to school funding. In comparison the average assessed home in Hoboken is approximately $519,000 and pays $8,035 in property taxes with only 24 percent ($1,928) of that amount going to school funding. River Vale has 1202 students and receives $550,193 or $457.73 per student per year in State Aid for its schools. Hoboken has 1,872 students and receives $10,468,870 or $5,592.35 per student per year in State Aid for its schools. Hoboken has the highest median household income in Hudson County of $114,381 and the highest concentration of millionaires in that County. If we want to talk about parity and fairness, our State’s policies need a lot of work.”
Bergenfield NJ, Bergenfield Mayor Norman Schmelz made it official on Sunday with his as promised announcement that he is running for Bergen County Executive. The announcement comes on the heels Steven Lonegan’s declaration of war with the Bergen GOP .
Over 150 people showed for event ,noticeable absent was embattle Bergen GOP Chair DiGaetano . In fact, no leaders from the current BCRO or Bergen County Republican Organization attended the event.
Only John McCann who is running for the GOP spot to face U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer put in an appearance. Steve Lonegan was at State Senator Gerald Cardinale’s birthday party , the Senator and his wife have endorsed Lonegan in his race against McCann to represent the GOP against Gotteimer.
(Photo above Jim Arakelian with Michael Homaychak, Norman Schmelz and Fernando Alonso.)
Ridgewood NJ, Petitions for County Committee are available in the Village Clerk’s Office. County Committee members represent their political party in each voting district, and they vote at the convention for the County Officials. There are two County Committee members for the Democratic party and two County Committee members for the Republican party from each voting district, one male and one female. The candidates running for County Committee must run to represent the voting district in which they reside. The petitions must be signed by voters in the same voting district and be of the same political party as the candidates. County Committee members are voted on in the Primary Election. The deadline to submit completed County Committee petitions to the Village Clerk’s Office is April 2, 2018 at 4:00 P.M.
Hackensack NJ , Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi intervenes in a constituents unemployment claim is almost tossed from the building.
According to Schepisi’s Facebook post , “Over the past two weeks I watched through social media the struggles of Monica Brinson as she attempts to have an unemployment claim fixed. Today I went to the unemployment office to see firsthand how it operates. I almost got physically removed for videotaping the attached but afterwards did get a comprehensive tour and analysis of the good, bad and ugly of these offices. First, the State needs to provide additional personnel. There is currently 1 employee working today in this office to service a county of almost 1 million people. They stopped handing out tickets to see people at number 7. That is right, for the entire day they will only be able to service 7 people. The group of people to the far right in the video against the wall are there to try to reach a live person at the Department of Labor. These are “dedicated phone lines” that are supposed to allow people to reach a human being but the minimum wait time on these phones is in excess of 1 1/2 hours. Many of the people I spoke to this morning wait outside in the cold for upwards of several hours because only 5 people at a time are generally allowed in the building. People will wait for 3-4 hours inside and then find out that they cannot be seen that day. We must find a better way to provide staffing. On the upside I was provided with a comprehensive tour of the building, including the employment opportunities, the Bergen One-Stop Career Center and the available training programs. In a separate post I will provide some of the resources given to me today. Finally I am glad that I did not need bail money today. The armed guard with the weapon on his side did tell me that if I continued to hand out my assembly business card to those seeking help that I would be physically removed from the premises. An exciting way to begin a Monday morning.”
(Wayne, NJ) New Jersey Organization for Economic Growth Chairman Joseph Caruso said the Republican Party should choose someone with private business experience to fill the seat of Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-11) who announced today that he is retiring from the House of Representatives “We commend Rep. Frelinghuysen for his service to our state and our nation,” said Caruso, a Wayne resident who started the NJOEG PAC in December.
“In choosing a successor to Rep Frelinghuysen we think it is very important that the GOP be creative. We urge the Republican leaders select someone with a solid background in the private sector – someone who has run a business and knows what businesses need to thrive both in New Jersey and in the country.”
Caruso said, “to beat a Democratic challenger in CD-11 in November, the GOP has to back a candidate who has bona fide business credentials and who is committed to backing an economic growth strategy while appealing to Millennials and other young voters who want good jobs and the ability to afford a house.”
“The Republican candidate needs to be someone who understands and will support the new Trump Tax reform plan and can articulate how that tax plan, along with other measures, will create a more prosperous nation -and hope for young people,” said Caruso.
The OEG chairman added that political experience is not necessarily an asset for a candidate to succeed Frelinghuysen.
“There are many fine people the GOP can choose for CD-11, but if the party is going to end up selecting a career politician, someone who has been in county or state government voting for bad budgets, a burdensome public pension system and tax hikes — while doing nothing to really work for economic growth — then I don’t see how that helps the Republicans win in November, ” added the chairman.
“Middle class voters are tired of the same old faces saying the same old thing. They want someone new, a fighter who will appeal to young voters as well as older residents. We hope the Republicans give them such a candidate,” said Caruso.
“Is this the same Steve Lonegan that was one of the most anti-Trump people during the campaign?”
Yes… but not what you seem to be implying.
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Lonegan was pro Ted Cruz (that’s why he was “against” Trump), Now that Trump is in he fully supports him even though Trump wasn’t his first choice in the primaries.
Lonegan is a solid guy if you believe in Republican values like tax cutting, etc and he aligns with Trumps agenda.
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If you are a supporter of the Trump agenda (which it seems like you are) then a Lonegan victory would help implement it.
If you are a McCain, McConnel, Murkowski, Graham, Flake type Republican then Lonegan might not be for you in the primary.
If you are a Democrat then it does not matter who the Republicans put up since you’ll be voting “D” anyway…
Ridgewood NJ, Kim Guadagno the Republican candidate for governor has proposed conducting a full state audit of New Jersey’s finances or lack there of as part of her 8 point plan to right a sinking ship . Neighbors are fleeing New Jersey because of excessive taxes and the sky high cost of living, yet Trenton dose not seem to understand how dire the situation is for New Jersey families.
1)Conduct Full-Scale Audit
On day one, Kim will order a complete audit of state government finances, operations and programs to root out waste, abuse and inefficiencies in all areas of state government. Savings realized from the “Audit Trenton” initiative will be given back to the taxpayers in the form of property tax relief.
2) Support An Independently Elected Attorney General
New Jersey is one of only a handful of states that allows the governor to appoint its top law enforcement official. A Guadagno administration would support a proposal to establish an independently-elected attorney general, or commission an independent special prosector in the event the governor or lieutenant governor is under investigation. This will ensure the state’s top law enforcement agency in the state is accountable only to the people of New Jersey to root out potential corruption and abuse.
3) Use Zero-based Budgeting
The first budget proposal presented by the Guadagno administration will utilize “zero-based budgeting” techniques, forcing all state spending to be justified based upon need and cost. Kim will also nominate Cabinet officials who understand that finding savings for taxpayers ranks second only to protecting our citizens’ health, safety, and welfare.
4) Ensure Education Dollars Get To Classrooms
New Jersey taxpayers currently spend an average of $19,600 per student, but that amount varies widely district to district and a large portion never gets to the classroom. Before we can ask taxpayers to fork over another penny for schools, we must ensure that the education funding formula is fair and our tax dollars are actually being used to improve student performance. That’s why a Guadagno administration will immediately call on the State Department of Education to conduct an audit of the state’s 586 school districts to ensure we’re spending the money on improving educational outcomes for students.
4) Fix School Procurement And Construction
School district procurement rules and practices often get in the way of getting the best product at the lowest price. We must review and change these rules and develop benchmarks for districts regarding smart purchasing practices. Like collective bargaining, we should establish a uniform, statewide procurement policy and system that will allow for the leveraging of statewide bargaining power to secure the best possible price for school goods. New Jersey must also bring fairness to school construction by requiring the SDA districts to pay the same percentage on capital improvements as they do for their entire district budget.
5) Sell Surplus State Assets
A Guadagno administration would sell buildings and other assets no longer needed by the state. This would yield the two-fold benefit of producing income that could be used to reduce debt and would put these properties back on the local tax rolls to help municipalities reduce property taxes. This proposal would not affect parks, beaches or environmentally sensitive properties owned by the state.
6) Take The Politics Out Of Road Building
In New Jersey, it is no secret that it costs too much and takes too long to build roads and other infrastructure projects. Yet instead of fixing the problems, Trenton insiders created a politically-appointed panel of four to control how our transportation dollars are spent and demand everyday New Jerseyans pay more at the pump through higher gas taxes. A Guadagno administration will demand better and work to bring efficiency and common sense to road construction. This includes auditing the Transportation Trust Fund (TTF), eliminating political appointees, disbanding the panel of four politically appointed bureaucrats and ensuring infrastructure projects are funded based upon need, congestion and economic impact.
7) Oppose New Long-Term Debt
New Jersey’s state debt is about twice the national average and threatens to further erode the state’s declining credit rating. As governor, Kim will close the loophole that allows New Jersey’s Economic Development Authority to take on new debt without voter approval. In fact, Kim will oppose any plan that adds additional long term debt to the state’s balance sheet without getting voter approval via a referendum.
8) Scrap Plans To Build ‘The Palace Of Versailles’
At a time when we have the highest foreclosure rate in the nation, New Jersey cannot afford to turn the State House into the Palace of Versailles. Instead of spending $300 million on renovating the State House, Kim believes we should set up a charitable foundation to raise funds from private sources to make any necessary repairs to the aging building. This effort can be assisted by making charitable contributions tax deductible.
River Edge NJ , Heartbreaking… Democrats show no bounds when attacking our president… Disgusting!
NBC NEWS: In remarks about his own personal tragedy, Chief of Staff John Kelly, a former general whose Marine son was killed in Afghanistan in 2010, said Thursday that he was “stunned” by a Florida lawmaker’s criticism of President Donald Trump’s condolence call to a fallen soldier’s wife.
Kelly described himself as “broken-hearted” coming to work on Wednesday after Rep. Frederica Wilson,… D-Fla., had disclosed the private details of Trump’s call to the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, who was among four soldiers killed this month in Niger.
Kelly said he was so outraged that he went to Arlington National Cemetery “to go walk among the finest men and women on this Earth.”
