The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
A new Rutgers poll suggests that New Jersey residents are as uninformed and uninterested as ever when it comes to state-level politics. PolitickerNJ decided to visit the Cherry Hill Mall and see whether people at one of South Jersey’s biggest commercial centers would buck the trend. JT Aregood, PolitickerNJ Read more
OCTOBER 18, 2015, 11:48 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2015, 9:03 AM
BY DUSTIN RACIOPPI
STATE HOUSE BUREAU |
THE RECORD
The biggest challenge candidates for the New Jersey Legislature may have is not persuading people to vote for them, but convincing people that there’s an election this November.
And it’s an election that may prove historic — a possible record high for money spent by the campaigns and super PACs, and a possible record low for voter turnout.
For the first time since 1999, all 80 seats in the Assembly top the ballot. But most eyes are on the 2016 presidential race, and off-year elections are “notoriously” known for little voter interest and lackluster crowds at the polls, said Ashley Koning, assistant director of Rutgers University’s Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling.
Yet a fierce battle costing millions of dollars is being waged by candidates, committees and super PACs in a few legislative districts, including Bergen County’s District 38, where one of the candidates still on the ballot resigned in disgrace over a raunchy book he self-published 12 years ago.
Debate season gets under way this week, with candidate forums for Bergen County Freeholder, Assembly and several local races all scheduled this month. John C. Ensslin, The Record Read more
Candidate Forum in Village Hall Courtroom
Sponsored by the League of Women Voters
The District 40 State Assembly Candidates forum will be held on October 26 th 7:30pm in the Village Hall Courtroom
October 13,2015
by Patrick Basel
Top 10 reasons Tracy Zur Tom Sullivan and Steve Tannelli should be voted OUT of office and Bergen County residents should vote for all of column one including John Mitchell ,Daisy Ortiz Berger and Ken Tyburczy for Bergen County Freeholder.
10. The democrats raised your taxes 4.3% this year.
9. The democrats wanted to tax school districts for use of County parks.
8. The democrats are wasting a million dollars on an ice skating rink when other issues are much more pressing.
7. Bergen Regional is understaffed and workers are being attacked the democrats solution is to add more members to committee of cronies to do nothing but talk about problems.
6. The democrats say they are for a minimum wage of 15.00 an hour but don’t even offer that to campaign workers.
5.The democrats refuse to take action on Bergen County prosecutor Mollinelli despite lawsuits mounting and questions about lost evidence.
4. The democrats refused to let a victim of a sexual crime be heard at a public freeholder meeting because the doctor accused of the crime gave a 500000 donation to their former boss.
3.Over 10000 jobs left the state this summer.
2. Sullivan is an appointed yes man. He has never been elected and will vote whatever way Tedesco wants. Tedesco has taxed people as a Freeholder Mayor and County executive and will continue to do so if you allow his politically appointed yes man to stay in office.
1. John Mitchell has a proven track record both balancing your budget without a tax increase as well as working in a two party system as chairman of finance. He also worked on behalf of the disabled community which I am a member of as well as for seniors and veterans. He doesn’t make empty promises he delivers solid solutions. On November 3rd bring John Mitchell back with the rest of Column one. They will restore honor and integrity back while putting the voters interests before the special interests.
October 13 – Last Day to Register to Vote in Nov. 3 Election
On Tuesday, October 13 from 8:30am to 4:30pm, voter registration forms are available in the Village Clerk’s Office on the 5th Floor of Village Hall.
On October 13 from 4:30pm to 9:00pm the Village Clerk will be in the Ridgewood Library Lobby with forms to assist residents with voter registration.
Ramsey Councilman Ken Tyburczy and Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno.
OCTOBER 4, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY MARINA VILLENEUVE
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RAMSEY — A Republican candidate for Bergen County freeholder, campaigning on the importance of fiscal management, filed for bankruptcy protection in 2011.
Ramsey Councilman Ken Tyburczy said his failed coupon business taught him the “importance of debt management.”
“I took a risk, and it didn’t work out,” he said in a phone interview Friday evening. “I filed for bankruptcy. It was a rough period for my family.”
He is one of three Republican candidates running for freeholder. Democrats currently hold a 5-2 majority on the board. Three seats currently held by Democrats are up for election, and that gives the GOP an opportunity to regain control of the Freeholder Board.
Tyburczy said he was sole proprietor of the Hudson County business Super Coups, which tried to help small businesses deliver discounts by mail.
According to the bankruptcy filings, Tyburczy reported $538,598.85 in assets and $581,045.12 in liabilities.
He reported $163,720 in credit card debt, including $56,408.65 in a student loan and more than $79,000 in business debt. He reported taking out a first and second mortgage on his home and that creditors Bank of America Corp. and BAC Home Loans/Countrywide held $417,324.49 in secured claims.
He listed the current value of his interest in a home at 133 Orchard Place in Ramsey as $440,000. He reported $98,598.85 in personal property including cash on hand, a 2003 Toyota Highlander, a 2000 Ford 150 pickup truck, two watches, a wedding band and $68,425.06 in an IRA.
With his $500 stipend as a councilman and his wife’s income, the couple reported an average monthly net income of -$1,073.16.
“Basically, to sum it up, I never had the good fortune of being given anything,” Tyburczy said.
He framed the experience of filing bankruptcy as an important life lesson he can use in county government, where he hopes to reduce debt.
“It’s something that’s a primary focus and concern of mine, and I keep bringing it up in my campaign,” he said.
Controlled spending
https://www.northjersey.com/news/politics/bankruptcy-taught-fiscal-lessons-1.1425067
September 26,2015
Woodcliff Lake NJ, Voting is at the heart of democracy. A vote sends a direct message to the government about how a citizen wants to be governed……..That direct message was sent to the commuters/voters by a group of us at the Woodcliff Lake train station early this morning. There is too much at stake not to vote this year and in fact every year. Election Day is November 3rd. The experts are predicting a very low voter turnout. Let’s defy the experts. PLEASE VOTE!
…Pictured with John Mitchell are Woodcliff Lake Council President and Mayoral Candidate Carlos A. Rendo, Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi, Council Candidate Kristy Herrington, and my Freeholder running mate Daisy Ortiz Berger.
Ridgewood NJ, Freeholder candidate John Mitchell visited Ridgewood Train Station this morning after attending the GOP Candidates night in Hasbrouck Heights pushing a Tax Reduction and Strict Budgeting strategy .
It was a “Win-Win” at the Ridgewood train station this morning…
…It was a “win” that I was able to help a commuter understand the intricacies of the unfair school funding formula and how it impacts his ever rising property taxes. And it was also a “win” that I had a chance to meet hundreds of residents in this beautiful town.
BY THOMAS SOWELL
In a country with more than 300 million people, it is remarkable how obsessed the media have become with just one — Donald Trump.
What is even more remarkable is that, after six years of repeated disasters, both domestically and internationally, under a glib egomaniac in the White House, so many potential voters are turning to another glib egomaniac to be his successor.
No doubt much of the stampede of Republican voters toward Trump is based on their disgust with the Republican establishment. The fact that the next two biggest vote getters in the polls are also complete outsiders — Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina — reinforces the idea this is a protest.
It is easy to understand why there would be pent-up resentments among Republican voters. But are elections held for the purpose of venting emotions?
No national leader ever aroused more fervent emotions than Adolf Hitler did in the 1930s. Watch some old newsreels of German crowds delirious with joy at the sight of him. The only things at all comparable in more recent times were the ecstatic crowds that greeted Barack Obama when he burst upon the political scene in 2008.
Read More At Investor’s Business Daily: https://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials-on-the-right/091415-770937-thomas-sowell-trump-obscures-worthier-candidates-but-only-because-public-is-poorly-informed.htm#ixzz3lqC9ekMW
MEET: DISTRICT 38 ASSEMBLY CANDIDATES
ANTHONY CAPPOLA & MARK DI PISA
BERGEN COUNTY FREEHOLDER CANDIDATES
JOHN D. MITCHELL, KENNETH TYBURCZY & DAISY ORTIZ-BERGER
ISN’T IT TIME YOU ACTUALLY MEET THE CANDIDATES AND FIND OUT WHAT THEY STAND FOR AND THE COMMITMENTS THEY MAKE TO YOU, THE VOTER, ON HOW THEY WILL BE GOOD STEWARDS OF YOUR HARD EARNED TAX MONEY?
HEAR THEIR VISION FOR A BETTER DISTRICT 38 AND BERGEN COUNTY
ASK YOUR QUESTIONS—BE THERE, KNOW BEFORE YOU VOTE
Tuesday September 15th at 7:00pm – 9:00pm
VFW 513 Veterans Pl, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604
September 04, 2015, 08:13 pm
By Elliot Smilowitz
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump leads Democrat Hillary Clinton head-to-head, according to a new poll released Friday.
The poll by SurveyUSA finds that matched up directly, Trump garners 45 percent to Clinton’s 40 percent.
In other head-to-head matchups, Trump beats out Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) by 44 percent to 40 percent; Vice President Joe Biden by 44 percent to 42 percent; and former Vice President Al Gore by 44 percent to 41 percent.
Trump’s surge past Clinton marks a dramatic turnaround in the polls.
A CNN/ORC sampling of national voters in late June — just days after Trump entered the race — found that 59 percent supported Clinton to 34 percent picking Trump in a head-to-head race.
The same poll taken in July saw Clinton at 57 percent to Trump at 38 percent. And a version taken in August had Clinton with 52 percent support and Trump with 43 percent.
Trump has seen his campaign’s popularity surge through the summer while Clinton’s has struggled with voter concerns over her transparency and trustworthiness as secretary of State.
The poll also found that 30 percent of respondents believe Trump will eventually be the Republican nominee, leading the field.
https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/252825-poll-trump-beats-hillary-head-to-head
They’re the pundits’ front-runners, but they’re at odds with a restless electorate.
BY JOSH KRAUSHAAR
August 27, 2015 By focusing so much on the candidates, consultants, and donors in political coverage, it’s easy to overlook the most important element in the political process—the voters. And at a time when Washington has prospered but much of the country has struggled, it’s easy to forget just how disaffected the American electorate is. For nearly all of the past decade, Americans have consistently believed that the country was headed in the wrong direction and have grown alienated from their elected leaders.
Consider: Since 2006, there have only been seven public polls (out of thousands) showing that more people believe the country is generally headed in the right direction than the wrong direction. In recent years, the “right-track” optimists have rarely hit even the 30 percent mark. In the year before the two most recent open presidential elections (2008/2016), nearly three-quarters of voters surveyed in theNBC/Wall Street Journal poll said they wanted the next president to take a different approach than his or her predecessor.
It has been a dismal decade for most Americans. Whether it’s government incompetence (Hurricane Katrina, the Veterans Affairs’ deadly lapses in medical care), economic recession followed by a slow recovery, deadly struggles in managing post-war Iraq, or the increasing threat of terrorism from a brutally repressive enemy, there’s been good reason for voters to distrust their government and its political representatives. Indeed, since 2006, we’ve seen wave elections occur in four out of the past five cycles. Democrats capitalized on the public’s anger to take back control of Congress in 2006 only to hit historic lows in representation across the country eight years later. If the United States had a parliamentary system, the government would be facing routine votes of no confidence.
So it’s no surprise that this year’s presidential campaign has been as unpredictable as ever. That happens when voters feel that government isn’t working for them, and they’ve been feeling that way for nearly 10 straight years. In past elections during times of voter alienation, the unexpected happens. In 1976, the first campaign after Watergate and amid rising crime and inflation, a little-known Georgia governor (Jimmy Carter) came out of nowhere to win the Democratic nomination and the presidency. That same year, a Republican president (Gerald Ford) was nearly unseated by a conservative insurgent (Ronald Reagan) that few pundits took seriously at first. In 1992, in the middle of a recession, Democrats chose a fresh-faced Arkansas governor (Bill Clinton) while Republicans saw a populist (Pat Buchanan) threaten their president (George H.W. Bush) in early primaries—with a billionaire winning 19 percent of the vote running as a third-party candidate (Ross Perot).
Assembly Appropriations releases fast-tracked ‘Democracy Act’
TRENTON — Moving a step closer on its fast track to the governor’s desk, the Assembly Appropriations Committee voted up acomplex bill aimed at modernizing and streamlining New Jersey’s voter laws today.
Along party lines, members of the committee debated and ultimately passed the bill, introduced by Democratic leaders in both houses last week and dubbed the “Democracy Act” for its intended goal of increasing voting rights access to certain demographics in the state. Sponsors of the bill say it would make it easier for residents to register to vote and vote in state elections by implementing measures like online voter registration, same day registration, and new technologies at the ballot boxes — all of which would help increase voter turnout in the state, which ranks 39th in the country in terms of registered voters at 64 percent, with an average voter turnout of 54.5 percent. (Brush/PolitickerNJ)
Face it, Jersey pols, the people ain’t buyin’ what you’re sellin’.
Posted by Scott St Clair On June 05, 2015 1 Comment
By Scott St. Clair | The Save Jersey Blog
The 2015 New Jersey primary election came and went without me. That’s right: I didn’t vote, so sue me.
I live in the 29th Legislative District, which hasn’t supported anyone to the right of Henry Wallace or George McGovern since the Johnson administration – the ANDREW Johnson administration – so why bother? Additionally, there were no contested races – both the Republican and Democratic legislative nomination ballots featured candidates put up by the official party organizations and nobody else.
Since the last thing in the world I want to do is to further political party stranglehold control over the nominating process in New Jersey, I elected to pass. As P.J. O’Rourke entitled one of his books, “Don’t Vote It Only Encourages the Bastards.”
So then I get the lecture, this time from Max Pizarro at Thursday’s PolitickerNJ.com:
All right, don’t complain. You don’t like it? Fine. You think this state is a disaster area? Okay. But don’t complain. Just do not dare complain. Road rage? Suck it up. Violent crime? Suck it up. High property taxes? Suck it up.
Too much blood bled with the expectation – or at least the post-game public explanation – of that American-protected right to vote.
Last night, we didn’t earn the right to complain, as rain-bullied and civics-bothered “voters” allowed machine and independent expenditure PAC politics to blanket New Jersey in the absence of people power.
With all due respect, which means just the opposite whenever you hear it, put a sock in it, Max, because not voting is sometimes as much an expression of political will as voting. When you hold an election and nobody comes, what does that tell you about those who hold it?
I’m pretty sure my son did not do six deployments in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait, or my great-grandfather crouch behind a low, stone wall on Little Round Top some 152 years ago shy one month to protect entrenched political parties and bosses and fertilize a political system that ignores the people, prevents over half of them from participating and is a joke.
And all those problems you mentioned, Max? When the people who created them are the same people who control access to and are pretty much exclusively on the ballot, what exactly is the point of it all?
In looking around at various counties throughout the state, most of the turnout figures I saw were single-digit in nature, which tells me more about the product than it does the consumer. Face it, Jersey pols, the people ain’t buyin’ what you’re sellin’.
https://savejersey.com/2015/06/when-you-hold-an-election-and-nobody-comes-what-does-that-tell-you-about-you/
file photo Boyd Loving
Our fight to protect our village is NOT OVER!
Jun 3, 2015
Citizens for a Better Ridgewood
Ridgewood NJ, Last night, our petition was treated as if it was a joke. The community outreach that should of occurred before this major decision was made, never happened. It has all fallen in the laps of concerned citizens who simply care about their surroundings. Please make sure each and everyone of you are registered to VOTE. We will show our disappointment during the next election cycle or even earlier than that if need be. Spread this petition and have all household members who are 18 and over sign this as well.
VOTE NO on the High-Density Housing Amendment at 35 Units Per Acre! ** LAST MINUTE PETITION! **
