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Senator Doherty Slams Gov. Murphy’s Plan to Cut Property Tax Rebates by Half

Senator Mike Doherty

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.”

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State Senator Corrado Accuses Acting Treasurer Muoio of Mishandling & Missing Money, During Her Time as Freeholder

elizabeth muoio treasurer

photo acting Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio’

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.”

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Current School Funding Formula Inherently Unfair

RHS

March 24,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

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.”

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Bergenfield Mayor Norman Schmelz is running for Bergen County Executive

Norman for Bergen

March 5,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

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.)

(John McCann)

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RIDGEWOOD COUNTY COMMITTEE PETITIONS AVAILABLE

gop/democrats

February 26,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

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.

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Assemblywomen Threatened at Unemployment Office

Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi

February 13,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

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.”

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ECONOMIC GROWTH PAC ENCOURAGED GOP TO SEEK PRO BUSINESS SUCCESSOR TO FRELINGHUYSEN WHO WILL APPEAL TO YOUNG VOTERS

Rep

January 30,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

(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.

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Reader answers “Is this the same Steve Lonegan that was one of the most anti-Trump people during the campaign?”

"Steve" Lonegan

“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.
.
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.
.
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…

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Guadagno Proposes Full-Scale Audit on New Jersey’s Finanaces

Kim Guadagno

October 24,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

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.

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Chief of Staff John Kelly “stunned” by a Florida lawmaker’s criticism of President Donald Trump’s condolence call

Chief of Staff John Kelly "stunned" by a Florida lawmaker's criticism of President Donald Trump's condolence call_6615147422316534816_o

October 21,2017

Jim Arakelian

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.”

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Assemblyman Robert Auth never forgets he is a small business owner

Assemblyman Robert Auth

October 13,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Old Tappan NJ, Bob is an old friend of the Ridgewood blog and he is running for Assembly in District 39. Bob never forgets he is a small business owner . Bob is somone who can fight to set the balance right against ANTI-Business , ANTI-jobs Trenton.

District 39 is (Bergen and Passaic Conties)  Bloomingdale, Closter, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Mahwah, Montvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, Ramsey, Ringwood, River Vale, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Wanaque, Washington (Bergen), Westwood, Woodcliff

Unlike most modern day politicians Bob entered into politics to help the everyday people of New Jersey, like himself. After graduating from New York University, Bob opened a small insurance company with my wife, Elsa. While it was prosperous at first, the state of New Jersey began to pass heavy regulations that placed a burden on insurance companies like his. After all but six of my competitors went out of business because of these new laws I realized that it was very possible that I might also lose everything I had worked so hard for. It was at that point that I decided to reach out to my friend Senator Cardinale to see if there was any way that he could help me. With a little negotiation Senator Cardinale was able to get Allstate Insurance to work with me which stopped me from having to go out of business. Through this experience, I witnessed firsthand the power of the government to both destroy and to aid.

After Senator Cardinale had helped him Bob decided to try and return the favor. Little by little, Bob started to do additional work for him until finally he became an unpaid volunteer aide for him in Trenton. After working for Senator Cardinale for 25 years a seat in the Assembly opened up; and while Bob was hesitant at first to run for office, he realized that this was my opportunity to help people, just as Senator Cardinale had helped him.

So in 2014, against all odds and very tough competition, I won a seat in the assembly. Even after all his time in the New Jersey Legislature I have kept one rule; before Bob votes on anything he must ask himself how would I feel as a taxpayer seeing my own vote? Bob is an Assemblyman because he has witnessed firsthand the power of the government to both impede and to aid, and Bob wants to ensure it will not impede again.

https://www.electrobertauth.com/

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Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi Endorsed Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey

Cardinale, Schepisi & Auth - The District 39 Team

September 30,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

River Vale NJ , according to Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi , “As the first female in my family to graduate from college or run for political office, I have always worked towards helping other women succeed. I am a professional woman who has worked in male dominated fields. I am a mother who struggled with infertility and multiple miscarriages while working 80 hour weeks as the primary breadwinner in my household, I am a brain aneurysm and melanoma survivor who champions health care awareness programs for women and has created scholarsh…ip programs for women in transition. That is why I am honored to receive the endorsement of the Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey for my work on behalf of women.”

Trenton, NJ ,  The Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey (WPCNJ) is proud to announce its endorsement of forty-six female legislative candidates for the General Election in November. The WPCNJ PAC is set to distribute nearly $40,000 in contributions to support a key group of its endorsed candidates at an event in Trenton on October 5.

“These forty-six endorsements reflect a strong showing of female candidates whose platforms are consistent with our mission of protecting reproductive freedom and promoting equal rights, regardless of party affiliation,” said WPCNJ Political Resources Director Shari Weiner.

The WPCNJ PAC is prepared to make significant contributions to candidates in the 2017 election cycle. WPCNJ PAC Chair Jennifer Mancuso added, “We are thrilled to contribute nearly $40,000 to support a diverse group of talented women who are ready, willing, and able to represent all New Jersey citizens with their unique perspectives.”

The WPCNJ PAC will hold an event to celebrate its endorsed candidates on Thursday, October 5th from 8:30-10:30am at the NJ Realtors’ offices at 10 Hamilton Avenue, Trenton, NJ.

According to The Center of American Women and Politics (CAWP), women hold a mere 36 of the 120 (30%) New Jersey legislative seats, down from last year’s record of 37 women legislators (30.8%). “Women make up more than 50% of voters, however, their elected representation pales in comparison,” said Weiner. “It is incumbent upon organizations such as ours to endorse and support these women candidates and break that glass ceiling.”

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Tomorrow begins the hard core campaign season in New Jersey

Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi

Tomorrow begins the hard core campaign season in New Jersey. People oftentimes ask me, particularly in this current climate, why did I agree to run for office? I am an accomplished businesswoman, attorney, wife and mom. I have survived a bout of melanoma and a recent brain aneurysm. I have worked at the local truck stop flipping burgers and at a premier NYC law firm handling multi billion dollar transactions. I made more money prior to running for office than I do now. …I ran for office six years ago because I care. I grew up here and I chose, as an adult, to return. I am not a career politician. I became involved because I am passionate about trying to save our state from the bad fiscal policies enacted by mostly one party control over the past 15 years. I have watched my property taxes almost double, my take home pay shrink, our insurance premiums skyrocket but yet I stay because I love the state I grew up in. I have been the loud voice on difficult topics (and have subjected myself to horrible name calling as a result) because we must address a better way to govern this state. I am certain you will hear nasty, mostly untrue, things about me over the next 60 days but please remember leadership takes a spine of steel. Real leadership involves discussing and listening to all sides on the most sensitive topics. Leadership is voting no on bad legislation regardless of how much a special interest group may want it. If you ever have a question on why I voted a certain way or what my position is on a particular topic please reach out and ask. I also will be going door to door in all 23 of the towns I represent. I’m taking all volunteers for the journey.

 

Let me know if you’d like to help out.

 

Holly Schepisi New Jersey State Assemblywoman for District 39

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Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi : Our country and our children deserve better from all of us

Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi

I have always loved our country for the opportunities it provides. I am the child of parents who did not come from wealth but came from blue collar workers, a first generation American roofer on my dad’s side and a sea captain on my mom’s. From an early age I was pushed to succeed, to learn and to work hard. I stumbled along the way, almost failing out of high school at one point but managed to turn myself around becoming the first woman in my immediate family to graduate from college and transitioning into the person I am today. My life has not been an easy one. I have overcome many obstacles and failures but the things that always stayed with me were my work ethic and my willingness to learn from my mistakes. I have held every job a person could, from being the neighborhood babysitter to the shrimp de-veiner girl at a fish market to a successful lawyer and elected official. I have had money and I have had no money. I have traveled to and worked in other countries and have seen first hand how much we take for granted in our own country. I see the anger and hatred that people currently have and it candidly confuses and saddens me. Should our country work harder to ensure everyone is treated equally regardless of skin color, sexual preference, religion, gender, etc.? Absolutely. Have awful things occurred against people of color or in the name of religion throughout mankind’s history? Yes. Should we have more open and real dialogue on current issues involving race and religion? Yes. Are most people in today’s society racist, bigots, anti-Semites, Nazi’s, white supremacists or any of these items? No. I have been in public office for 5 years and I have prided myself on listening with an open heart to differences of opinion on all topics and issues. I am not someone who views issues as black or white but rather sees most issues are inherently grey without a right or wrong option. But this is the first time in 5 years that I fear for the future of our society as well as my own safety. We must stop the ramping up of hatred and labeling everyone who may not agree on every issue as racist, bigoted, Nazi, snowflakes, Antifa, etc. In the current climate it is dangerous and will result in violence if we continue down this path. I speak with hundreds of people each week. Almost everyone I meet or speak with falls on a bell curve with respect to their own beliefs. While not everyone will agree on all issues I find that most people ebb and flow on certain items depending upon their own life experiences. Very rarely do I encounter those who are the outliers that the press tries to make us believe are the norm and not the exception. Let us make a vow as Americans to respect one another, to bring back the ability to engage in meaningful dialogue on even the toughest of issues, to agree that people have the right to have a difference of opinion and to stop the labeling and name calling. Our country and our children deserve better from all of us

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Refunds for late NJ Transit trains? NJ lawmaker says yes

Ridgewood_Train_station_train-_is_coming_theridgewoodblog

By Joe Cutter August 16, 2017 11:20 PM

A bill sponsored by Assemblyman Rob Clifton, R-Monmouth, would force NJ Transit to offer a free replacement ticket to a rail rider if their train is more than an hour late.

Clifton points out that a similar idea was offered for awhile by SEPTA in Pennsylvania before it was discontinued.

“We heard from the customers and the commuters about the issues. You guys (New Jersey 101.5) reported, actually, back in April, about customer service issues, customer complaints and the delays. There was a hearing back in April before your story, where folks got up and addressed their complaints.”

Clifton says this refund idea is all about improving the customer experience for NJ Transit rail riders. The independently run NJ Transit reports that 13 percent of their trains in June were late.

Read More: Refunds for late NJ Transit trains? NJ lawmaker says yes | https://nj1015.com/refunds-for-late-nj-transit-trains-nj-lawmaker-says-yes/?trackback=tsmclip