The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
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Trenton NJ, following a report in The Record detailing how Governor Phil Murphy surrendered $850 million of federal transportation funds to New York that should have come to New Jersey, Senate Republican Leader Steven Oroho blasted the Murphy administration for its weak representation of Garden State farepayers and taxpayers.
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Paramus NJ, an outbreak of COVID-19 at the Dellridge Health & Rehabilitation Center in Paramus has left two residents dead. Dellridge has confirmed cases of 36 residents and five staff members. State and local heath officials are currently investigating.
Continue reading COVID outbreak at Dellridge nursing home in Paramus
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Cape May NJ, The District 1 legislative team joined Cape May Sheriff Bob Nolan and local municipal officials for a conference call with local mayors to discuss the impact of New Jersey’s sanctuary policies on law enforcement and efforts to challenge the intrusive directives from the attorney general.
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TRENTON NJ, Legislation introduced in the New Jersey Senate would decimate the livelihoods of thousands of New Jerseyans who choose to work for themselves. Today, Fight For Freelancers NJ — a group of more than 1,000 independent contractors, creatives, and businesses — is launching a video series that will roll out in the upcoming weeks, educating lawmakers about the need to reject S863 and, instead, enact a modern labor law.
Continue reading Anti Business New Jersey Lawmakers Attack Independent Contractors
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NJ driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants. Democrat Governor Phil Murphy, is a staunch supporter of the idea, so staunch that the Governor used September 11th to promote this idea,The unapologetic liberal governor wants a stalled bill legalizing licenses for potentially 460,000 undocumented immigrants on his desk for his signature as soon as possible. “It’s a no-brainer,” Murphy told a crowd inside Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield recently , “I’m frustrated that it’s not on my desk. I encourage you to call your Assembly person, your senator, and ask him why it is stuck and not on the governor’s desk, because I will sign it.”
Continue reading Drivers Licenses of Illegals ‘No Brainer ” for Terrorists
file photo by Boyd Loving
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River Vale NJ, Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi speaks with reporters at a press conference on Feb. 14, 2019, about why public opinion polls increasingly show that Gov. Phil Murphy is taking New Jersey in the wrong direction.
Schepisi says, “We must work together, put aside partisan posturing and implement policies to ensure affordability for the middle class. NJ’s tax increases and Governor Murphy’s policies are crushing our middle class.”
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Trenton NJ, the process to recall Phil Murphy is officially under way . A petition to recall Phil Murphy has been filed and last Thursday, the state of New Jersey acknowledged receipt of the letter of intent filed by New Jersey residents Monica Brinson, Terry Becak and Patty Hoch.
Continue reading PHILL MURPHY RECALL PETITION FILED WITH STATE
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Wyckoff NJ, Assemblyman Christopher DePhillips joined Jill Horner on Comcast’s Newsmakers last week to discuss capping state spending each year at the same 2 percent placed on local government tax levies. Municipalities have a two percent cap, which is credited with helping to slow the rapid growth of New Jersey’s notoriously high property taxes; but the state is not subject to that cap.
“The towns have been largely living within the two percent cap without a problem,” DePhillips (R-Bergen) explained to Horner. “I think it would be hypocritical for us not to do this when we are imposing the same requirement on towns.”
November 17,2017
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Ridgewood NJ, According to recent filings with the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) , the New Jersey Education Association spent about $5.7 million in union dues on the recent general election. It did so through Garden State Forward, a Super PAC (political action committee) that the teachers union founded four years ago.
The amount spent was almost seven times more than the NJEA spent from voluntary donations to its regular PAC. NJEA communications director Steve Baker confirmed that all the roughly $5.7 million came from membership dues. Many NJEA members erroneously believe teachers union spent only funds from voluntary donations on recent political battles .
September 1,2017
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Glen Rock NJ, according to Glen Rock Police a non profit organization called “Clean Water Action” an anti Trump , anti energy independence leftist activist group will be conducting neighborhood canvassing over the next few weeks. This organization is engaging in constitutionally protected political activity that neither the Police Department nor the Borough can prohibit. This is in no way an endorsement of the political views of this organization. Residents not wishing to speak with a representative of this organization must communicated that message with them directly. The organization has provided us with a list of individuals canvassing and will check in with us each day as to the area of town they will be in. Police will not respond to calls about unwanted soliciting regarding this group, however any unlawful activity or disputes should be directed to our attention.
By NICK CORASANITIAUG. 27, 2017
Newark. Credit Todd Heisler/The New York Times
Sheila McPherson is listed as a homemaker on an Internal Revenue Service report from the Democratic Governors Association. This year, Ms. McPherson donated $80,000 to the association, the first time, records show, that she gave to the national group. She also sent $10,000 to the New Jersey Democratic Committee.
Mrs. McPherson, who lists her residence in Rutherford, N.J., is married to Kenneth McPherson, a lawyer at a powerful firm, Waters, McPherson, McNeill.
Had her donations gone directly to Philip D. Murphy, the Democratic candidate for governor in New Jersey, it would have prevented her husband’s firm from getting any state contracts under a potential Murphy administration, the result of New Jersey’s strict pay-to-play laws. She also would have been able to give only $4,300 to Mr. Murphy directly.
Had she donated to any of the officials in counties where her husband’s firm has contracts, which total about $630,000, according to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, they too would have come under scrutiny for potential pay-to-play violations.
August 22, 2017 at 6:23 PM
With the Rev. Al Sharpton at his side, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy made a campaign stop today at a hi-tech education center in Newark’s South Ward, saying the state needed to support urban youth to succeed in a globalized and digitized economy.
“We’ve got to be here, backing up these kids, to make sure that they can achieve all that they can achieve,” said Murphy, flanked by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Newark native Sheila Oliver, the Democratic lieutenant gubernatorial candidate. “Centers like this are at the very center of our economy. This is the future of our economy.”
Murphy appeared at NAN Newark Tech World, a center dedicated to improving Internet-based technological skills critical for many careers in the increasingly digital economy. A key part of the center’s mission is to provide access to opportunities available through the Internet by offering classes in computer training skills and other technology programs.
June 18,2017
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Paramus NJ, Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi hosted a meeting on June 15th at Bergen Community College to talk about OVERDEVELOPMENT, affordable housing and the biggest issues affecting Bergen County local communities.
The event was packed with legislators, mayors, engineers, planners, environmental experts, school superintendents, non-profit housing groups and others who joined Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi at the Thursday night legislative hearing to address New Jersey’s affordable housing crisis.
The hearing will provided the first significant legislative discussion addressing New Jersey’s affordable housing crisis in 5 years.
The meeting was very well attended given how little publicity from New Jersey main stream press .Senator Gerald Cardinale, Assemblymen Robert Auth and Kevin J. Rooney and the several hundred people took time to talk about overdevelopment and affordable housing.
The Speakers included Mayors and former Mayors from Closter, Haworth, Demarest, Dumont, Upper Saddle River and Montvale. Council members from Park Ridge, Ramsey and Dumont. Elected officials and representatives were also present from communities including Westwood, Mahwah, New Milford, Old Tappan, Emerson, Paramus, Allendale, Mountain Lakes, Montville, Hillsdale and Woodcliff Lake. Tom Toronto and Lynn Bartlett, the heads of non-profit affordable housing agencies United Way and the Bergen County Housing Authority, along with Bruce Young, the President of the Bergen County School Boards all provided great testimony.
Captain Bill Sheehan from Hackensack Riverkeepers for discussing environmental concerns. I was disappointed that none of our other Bergen County legislators chose to attend. This is an issue that every municipality is struggling with regardless of political party lines. We must work together to assist the communities we represent.
Joanne Minichetti, mayor of Upper Saddle River, told Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi and other state officials that the analysis leading to the obligations was “ridiculous” and “stupid.” The obligations were created by the Cherry Hill-based Fair Share Housing Center.
Derek Michalski also from Upper Saddle River recounted to the Ridgewood blog ,” in the case of USR two developers father and son “forced” rezoning Apple Ridge property on USR mayor and Council and after obtaining the “rezoning signature” re-sold the same property to Toll Brothers for $20-30milion quick gain. if the town did this deal for its own benefit(residents) we wouldn’t have to raise taxes for decades to come. Thus such chaos is creating enormous benefit to developers and leaving communities in fear.”
Schepisi has recently introduced two bills to freeze municipal affordable housing obligations through the end of the year, and establish a commission to study the issue and determine each town’s obligations. Over fifty municipalities throughout the state of New Jersey have passed a resolution urging action on Schepisi’s bills.
However NJ Housing and Development Chairman Jerry Green (D) is not going to release those two bill to the floor for vote (IMHO). They will die waiting…..in the meantime the town in fear of loosing this issue in court are marketing (horrible deals with developers). For instance in the case of USR two developers father and son “forced” rezoning Apple Ridge property on USR mayor and Council and after obtaining the “rezoning signature” re-sold the same property to Toll Brothers for $20-30milion quick gain. if the town did this deal for its own benefit(residents) we wouldn’t have to raise taxes for decades to come. Thus such chaos is creating enormous benefit to developers and leaving communities in fear.
And you guessed it Green is a major fund raiser for Murphy (he told me that himself in his office) so this issue is almoeast a dead issue.
Former Goldman Sachs executive Phil Murphy leads the state’s Democratic gubernatorial primary ahead of Tuesday’s election.
By Daniel Marans
Phil Murphy, the front-runner in New Jersey’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, faces new questions about his tenure at Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs with the election just days away.
The campaign of attorney Jim Johnson, Murphy’s closest competitor in the race, criticized Murphy for serving as president of Goldman Sachs Asia at a time when the division profited from an investment in Yue Yuen Industrial, a Taiwan-based shoemaker. Human rights groups claim to have documented widespread labor abuses by Yue Yuen, including the company docking workers’ already modest pay for mistakes and running factories where machines sometimes severed workers’ hands and fingers, according to an NJ Advance Media report.
“Murphy’s record at Goldman Sachs undercuts what he says on the campaign trail to working families, and it shows that he should not be trusted when he promises to disavow money in politics,” Johnson campaign manager Jocelyn Steinberg said in a Friday statement. “Voters in New Jersey don’t need any more political gimmicks ― they deserve an explanation from Phil Murphy about his time at Goldman Sachs before they head to the polls on June 6.”
Governor candidate Murphy pitches his state bank plan to bankers. Opponents pounce.
By Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on April 19, 2017 at 8:30 AM, updated April 19, 2017 at 10:54 AM
TRENTON — Phil Murphy, the early Democratic front-runner for governor, defended his proposal to create a state bank to an audience peppered with skeptics Tuesday: members of New Jersey’s banking industry.
Meanwhile, speaking to the same group, a number of his fellow candidates from both parties — including Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, the Republican favorite — assailed the idea as being dangerous for the Garden State.
Murphy was one of five gubernatorial hopefuls who addressed a gathering of the New Jersey Bankers Association at the Trenton Masonic Temple. The candidates pitched their plans to stimulate the state’s economy in the wake of Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican whose final term ends in January.
The speech came as critics are worried that Murphy’s proposal for a state bank — a key plank in his economic platform — would hurt local banks in New Jersey and that political influence and corruption could seep into the process.
