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Governor Murphy to Receive Governor of the Year Award at BIO International Convention

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

PHILADELPHIA PA, fitting because in many residents eyes New Jersey is going down the “sh$tter” , and critics often sight the governors efforts are like flushing money down the drain.

NJ Governor Phil Murphy will receive the 2019 Governor of the Year award this evening from the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) in recognition of his dedication and leadership to strengthening New Jersey’s bioscience industry. The award will be presented at the 2019 BIO International Convention in Philadelphia.“I thank BIO for this prestigious award, which is truly a tribute to the thousands of New Jersey entrepreneurs working to create life-saving and life-enhancing therapies and medical devices that will benefit the global community for decades to come,” said Governor Murphy. “Through our vision for New Jersey as the State of Innovation, we have committed to supporting biotechnology startups and companies of all sizes as they choose to locate and grow in the Garden State. We greatly appreciate the partnership of the biotechnology sector as we work to ensure that scientists, researchers, and other innovators have the resources they need to succeed.”

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Katie Brennan Demands: “‘Hold Accountable Those Who Failed To Take Action’ In Administration”

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, Following is a statement from Katie Brennan in response to the Select Oversight Committee report issued today:

“The findings of this report confirm what I have known all along–that sexual violence survivors in this state still cannot expect to receive justice. I waved a red flag at every turn of this process, and at every turn, I went unheard. And while my story should cause outrage, what should be even more disturbing is the knowledge that I am only one of countless survivors in our state who have gone voiceless and whose assaulters remain unaccountable. To our lawmakers, you now have a mandate–take meaningful action to create real accountability for perpetrators of sexual violence and for those who would protect them. To the Administration, you have a mandate as well, to hold accountable those who failed to take action or actively protected Al Alvarez. To truly claim the moral authority to implement a strong, pro-women, progressive policy agenda, the individuals in your senior leadership who have been complicit must be held to account.”

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Republicans Solidify Their Slate Of Candidates In The Murphy Midterms

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ,  Tonight, Republicans elected a solid slate of candidates around the state to fight back in the Murphy Midterms. NJGOP Chairman Doug Steinhardt releases the following statement regarding the results: 

“Republicans have a diverse slate of candidates in every corner of the state ready to fight back in the Murphy Midterms. The NJGOP is proud to support the Republican efforts to pick up a Senate seat in LD-1, fight for the majority in the General Assembly, and continue to add ideological diversity to our county and local governments. New Jersey residents deserve honest answers to our state’s real problems, and dishonest, Democratic spendthrifts like Phil Murphy and his bevy of rain tax, success tax, business tax, shore rental tax, Uber tax and gun taxes simply aren’t getting the job done. We can do better.”

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Murphy’s Millionaire’s Tax Announcement: ‘Relentless, Rabid Desire To Appease His Progressive Base’

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on today’s announcement by Governor Murphy:

“Governor Murphy’s relentless, rabid desire to appease his progressive base will end up hurting everyone, including the people he is trying to help,” Senator O’Scanlon said.

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Bergen GOP Freeholder Slate Demand That Gov. Murphy Reveal Dark Money Donors Group Promoting Tax Hikes

Phil Murphy

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Hackensack NJ, Bergen County Republicans are calling for transparency from Gov. Phil Murphy, demanding that he reveal the identity of the dark money donors behind political action committee pushing higher taxes in New Jersey. And, they are asking the Bergen Democrats to demand the same.

Bergen Freeholder candidates Corrado Belgiovine, Alyssa Dawson and Katie Cericola said the secrecy around the funding of a group known as New Direction New Jersey – which is using online ads to push Murphy’s high tax agenda – including the millionaire’s tax — is disturbing and detrimental to the state’s taxes and the economy.

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Retirees Fleeing New Jersey in Droves

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, no surprise here New Jersey, is the last place where people want to spend their golden years.

Almost 67% of all New Jersey moves were outbound last year, according to a survey from United Van Lines.

United Van lines polled 26,998 of its customers who moved last year, through Nov. 30.

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Reader says “Last kid graduates RHS and the family decides to move to Florida or another lower tax state. Are they greedy, or being financially prudent? “

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” Man/woman works in NYC. They move to Ridgewood for the ‘whole package’ (let’s leave the school rank out of it for a sec). They have 5 kids, all go to RPS schools K-12. Worker contributes to 401k, 403b, SEP IRA, whatever, and has a possible cash flow from these investments of 5k/month. Last kid graduates RHS and the family decides to move to Florida or another lower tax state. Are they greedy, or being financially prudent? Same goes for government employees. It’s just a desirable financial move. NJ pols (R & D alike) have screwed over the system to fix budgets, cronyism, over-spending, and going on a fiscal bender for decades. I lived here when there was no income tax (thank you Gov Byrne) and the sales tax was 3%. The pension system is broken and the culprits have since split the scene: Byrne, Kean, Florio, Whitman, DiFrancesco, Mc Greevy, Codey, Corzine, Christie. Now, we’re stuck with Murphy who believes that he can tax us out of the problems. With a democrat senate and assembly, it’s his baby now and can ram through as many tax bills as he wants. We have the prerogative to leave. “

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Did You Know that Every New Jersey Property Taxpayer Directly Funds New Jersey’s Most Powerful Special Interest Group?

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Last week, the Sunlight Policy Center of New Jersey issued a report that made news throughout the state, when we uncovered that the NJEA has been secretly funneling millions of dollars into a dark money group supporting Governor Murphy.

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Return of Saudino Leaves Bergen GOP Conflicted

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the staff of Ridgewood blog

Hackensack NJ, District 39 legislators Assemblyman Robert Auth (R-Bergen) and Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi (R-Bergen), District 40 legislators Assemblymen Christopher DePhillips (R-Bergen) and Kevin Rooney (R-Bergen), District 38 candidates Michael Kazmir (R-Bergen) and Christopher DiPiazza (R-Bergen) and Freeholder candidates Corrado Belgiovine (R-Bergen), Alyssa Dawson (R-Bergen), and Kathleen Cericola (R-Bergen) released the following statement in response:

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GOP Efforts to exempt the Jersey Shore communities from Renters tax shot Down by Democrats

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Jersey Shore NJ, Ahead of the Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start to summer, Assemblyman Hal Wirths and Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso fought to protect consumers and the tourism industry from the so-called “Airbnb tax.” Last July, Gov. Murphy and the Democrat-controlled legislature passed a law that applied an 11.6 surcharge on short-term rentals not booked through a real estate agency.

The Assembly voted on legislation yesterday to limit the scope of the Airbnb tax to rentals obtained through a marketplace, but Wirths and DiMaso say it doesn’t go far enough. The tourism industry is starting to feel the consequences of the tax as short-term rentals at the Jersey Shore struggle and vacationers choose less expensive destinations.

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NJ Democrats Devolve into Civil War

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, Democrat Governor Phil Murphy’s growing discord with his own party continues to drag down his administration in New Jersey.

Politico is reporting that Murphy’s conflict with South New Jersey Democrat Party boss George Norcross “has turned into an open civil war” with Murphy launching “an unprecedented public attack on Norcross” by opening an inquiry into state tax incentive programs. This comes as Norcross has savaged Murphy in the press, calling him “politically incompetent” and a “liar” who thinks he is “the King of England.”

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Rating Agency Warns New Jersey Not Prepared for the Next Recession

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, Treasurer Elizabeth Muoio is right about New Jersey needing a much bigger surplus than the one being proposed right now. But the same analyst she cited in support of her position also has suggested that raising the millionaires tax is the wrong way to go, the New Jersey Business & Industry Association said this morning.

“NJBIA agrees with the Treasurer that New Jersey should have a much bigger surplus than it has now, and the one being proposed by the Murphy administration is the largest we’ve had in a long time,” said Andrew Musick, NJBIA vice president for Government Affairs. “That’s to the governor’s credit. But the way to grow New Jersey’s surplus is through the structural spending reforms that were introduced by legislators last week, not raising taxes in an economy that’s been growing for years and remains strong.”

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NJEA: New Jersey’s Political Machine

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Who is funding New Direction New Jersey, the dark money group supporting Governor Murphy’s agenda? 

No surprise: it’s New Jersey’s most powerful special interest, the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA).  This $2.5 million in surreptitious spending is just one example of how the NJEA obscures its political activities from the public and even its own members.  There are many others.

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Reader says , “Ummm, those unfunded pension liabilities are based on some outrageous assumptions”

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“Ummm, those unfunded pension liabilities are based on some outrageous assumptions:

1. The State Investment Council assumes an annual return of 7.5% on the NJ state pension assets; a 30 year US treasury (which matches a long term pension liability) currently yields 2.825%. Pew Charitable Trusts suggests 6.5% is a more conservative assumption, which would increase the unfunded liability by 28% versus the current assumption assuming 7.5% annualized returns…

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ICE arrests 13 fugitive Aliens in 4-day New Jersey Surge

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Agency targets fugitive aliens and those with criminal offenses

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

NEWARK NJ, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 13 immigration violators in New Jersey during a 4-day surge effort that targeted aliens who have been issued a final order of removal in the past five years, have failed to depart the United States, and have received criminal convictions or have pending criminal charges.“As this operation clearly demonstrates, ICE continues to focus its efforts first on public safety threats,” said ERO Newark Field Office Director John Tsoukaris. “The vast majority of the individuals targeted in this effort have criminal offenses in addition to their immigration violations, making them among the highest priority for enforcement.”

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