Village of Ridgewood Seeking Residents to Volunteer Deadline for submissions is May 16, 2014.
TO SERVE ON THE COMMUNITY CENTER ADVISORY BOARD, PLANNING BOARD, ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT, FINANCIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE, RIDGEWOOD ARTS COUNCIL, AND RIDGEWOOD SHADE TREE COMMISSION.
The Village Council is looking for residents who are interested in volunteering to serve on the Community Center Advisory Board, the Planning Board, the Zoning Board of Adjustment, the Financial Advisory Committee, the Ridgewood Arts Council, and The Shade Tree Commission.
The Community Center Advisory Board develops policies and procedures for the operation of the Community Center facility and assists in the fulfillment of the County Municipal Alliance Grant requirements. Membership includes: Senior Citizen residents; adult residents with children in the school system; and adult residents with no children in the school system.
The Planning Board reviews site plans and subdivision applications; prepares, adopts, and amends the Master Plan; makes recommendations to the Village Council regarding amendments to developmental regulations and the official map.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment hears variance applications and appeals from rulings and determinations arising from the enforcement of Village zoning ordinances.
The Financial Advisory Committee assists in the review and understanding of the financial considerations necessary to the operation of the Village and the Village’s preparation of the Annual and Capital Budgets; provides review, advice and recommendations to the Village Council on Village financial and budgetary matters; and prepares an annual report for the Village Council to assist the Councilmembers in their budget preparation. Members will preferably have strong finance, accounting, government and/or business backgrounds.
The Ridgewood Arts Council will assist in the promotion of and encourage artistic and cultural programs and will provide for educational opportunities in the areas of art and culture. The Ridgewood Arts Council will also provide advice, guidance, and recommendations to the Village Council, as needed.
The Shade Tree Commission works closely with the Parks and Recreation Department, the Ridgewood Environmental Advisory Committee, and the Green Team to promote awareness and education of the residents as well as advise and provide recommendations to the Village Council in promoting and sustaining a safe and productive shade tree resource. Members will preferably have forestry or tree backgrounds or hold the designation of a certified Arborist.
All interested residents should fill out a Citizen Volunteer Leadership form (found on the Village website), and send it along with a cover letter indicating on which board(s) the resident wishes to serve, and a biography or resume to:
Heather Mailander, Village Clerk Village of Ridgewood 131 North Maple Avenue Ridgewood, NJ 07451
Why was a Suspected Muslim Brotherhood Spy Copied on the Benghazi ‘Smoking Gun’ E-mail? By Kevin Boyd 4 hours ago
The Obama Administration was recently caught red-handed trying to push false motives for the Benghazi terrorist attack of September 11th, 2012 – just months prior to that year’s presidential election.
Last month, Judicial Watch obtained a copy of a now- infamous e-mail sent by then-White House Deputy Strategic Communications Adviser Ben Rhodes to various top Obama Administration PR flacks.
The e-mail was part of a series of talking points for administration officials to use when talking about the Benghazi attack. In the email, it instructs Rice not to imply that (the attack) was not reflective of a “broader failure of policy.”
Another one of the key talking points Rice used on the Sunday talkshow circuit following her briefing was to blame the terrorist attack on a non-existent protest of a YouTube video that insulted Muhammad, the prophet of Islam.
Interestingly, one of the recipients of the e-mail to Rice was a Mehdi K. Alhassani. According to Shoebat.com, Alhassani is an alleged Muslim Brotherhood spy. Alhassani is the Special Assistant to the Office of the Chief of Staff, National Security Council Staff, and the Executive Office of the President.
Alhassani was president of the Muslim Student Association which is analleged Muslim Brotherhood front organization.
Village of Ridgewood Commercial Power – Landscaping and Tool Regulations
Reminder: Ridgewood Code Chapter 221-1: The hours for the commercial operation of power tools including landscaping equipment are 7:30am to 6:00pm Monday to Friday and 9:00am to 1:00pm on Saturday. No use is permitted on Sunday. (Ordinance #2772)
Graydon Pool Memberships – Available to All Are Now on Sale!
After a big increase last year !!!
The Village Council and the Ridgewood Department of Parks and Recreation are excited to announce memberships are now on sale for the upcoming summer season and all are invited to join the Graydon Pool facility as season members for the 2014 summer season. Come enjoy fun in the sun so close to home! Opening day is Saturday, May 31st.
Pool features include a shaded playground, water play fountains, shade kites, Adirondack chairs, picnic area, sheltered pavilion, charcoal grills, and The Water’s Edge Café. Additional amenities include a lending library of reading books, volleyball, basketball, ping-pong tables, shuffleboard, four-squares and hop-scotch. Special programs include “Storytime Under a Tree” for the little ones and swim instruction for children and adults, as well as an adaptive swim class. The Graydon Swim Team welcomes youth members, ages 8 to 14.
Resident fees are $120 per adult, $110 per child (ages 2 through 15) and $30 for seniors. Non-resident adults will be charged $200 and children, ages 2 through 15, will be charged $175 for the13 week season.
Badges are now on sale and can be purchased from the comfort of home on Community Pass at www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass (Visa and MasterCard are accepted). In person registration assistance will be available Saturdays, May 10 and May 17, 10:00 am to 12 noon, at the Graydon Pool Badge Office (onsite at the pool), 259 North Maple Avenue. Badges may be purchased daily throughout the operating season, May 31st through Septemer 1st.
Details are available at www.ridgewoodnj.net/graydon or you may call the Recreation Office at 201-670-5560 with any questions or if special accommodations are needed.
Hawthorne sets a new era of smaller-scale business development along two thoroughfares
MAY 7, 2014, 8:17 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2014, 8:24 PM BY MINJAE PARK STAFF WRITER THE RECORD
HAWTHORNE — The door was already shut on Wal-Mart coming to town, but borough officials — at the urging of opponents of the planned supermarket — locked it for good measure on Wednesday night.
Wal-Mart announced in March 2013 it would scrap plans to bring a supermarket to Wagaraw Road after its application was met with fierce resistance from some residents, who argued the supermarket undercut community aspirations for a better development suitor.
On Wednesday night, the council — which had argued Walmart would bring in much-needed tax ratables — unanimously adopted a zoning ordinance that forecloses the possibility of any big-box developments returning to a stretch of Wagaraw Road, including the 8.6-acre lot where Wal-Mart planned to locate.
The vote follows a series of public hearings on the ordinance that borough officials and Walmart opponents alike said were productive.
“This new ordinance was negotiated with extensive public input and without a pending project to shape it,” said Joe Osborne, president of Hawthorne Deserves Better, the non-profit that led the charge against Wal-Mart. “That’s how it should be. We’re very pleased.”
Mayor Richard Goldberg said, “I don’t know anybody who’s not happy with what we’re doing.”
“All in all, it should be a win-win for all the residents in the borough,” he said.
The ordinance is aimed at making it “a little easier for businesses to open up,” Goldberg said, by establishing two new business districts on parts of Goffle and Wagaraw roads. Officials hope the districts will attract bakeries, electronics stores, grocery stores, restaurants, offices, health clubs and other businesses.
The new ordinance is expected to end the lawsuit against the borough, the developer and the Planning Board brought by Hawthorne Deserves Better, which had claimed previous zoning ordinances, dating to 2000, had been adopted without public notice, and that a 2011 ordinance was adopted to benefit the Wal-Mart project.
The ‘Cure’ for Climate Change Is Far Worse than the Disease Nicolas Loris May 6, 2014 at 8:18 pm
Manmade greenhouse gas emissions already are causing gloom and doom and adversely affecting our way of life. That’s the conclusion of the National Climate Assessment released today by the Obama administration. But before we trade our Buicks for bikes, it’s important to highlight the climate realities and show that the administration’s proposed policy solutions will drive up the cost of energy for Americans and have no meaningful impact on climate.
Although the planet has warmed over the past six decades and a broad consensus exists that part of that warming is attributed to manmade emissions, what we’re seeing and where we’re headed is not toward climate catastrophe. As my colleague David Kreutzer writes, the climate threats do not match up with reality. Sea levels are rising but not as fast as projected. There have been no significant trends for floods, droughts, hurricanes or tornadoes. Although the report does not address hurricanes, it does admit that “other trends in severe storms, including tornadoes, hail, and thunderstorms, are still uncertain.”
The report has a variety of serious problem. Many of the models the federal government relied on to promulgate these regulations projected a 0.3-degree Celsius warming over the past 17 years, when in reality no warming occurred (although CO2 emissions have increased). Since 2011, 16 experiments published in peer-reviewed literature found the equilibrium climate sensitivity (the effect that a doubling of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would have), is 40 percent lower than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the NCA project. In other words, a lot of variability exists in projecting what impact increased GHGs will have on the planet, which has serious implications not just for future temperature projections but all the other scary scenarios NCA outlines.
What’s most troubling is, even if climate change were occurring at an unsustainable rate, the administration’s policy prescriptions will not fix anything but will further harm the economy. The proposed limits for carbon dioxide emissions essentially would prohibit the construction of new coal-fired power plants and force existing ones into early retirement, driving up the cost of energy on American families and businesses. Higher energy prices shrink production in consumption, resulting in less income for families, more people in the unemployment line and less economic growth. And even if we were to stop emitting greenhouse gas emissions entirely, we would not moderate the Earth’s temperature more than a few tenths of a degree Celsius by the end of the century.
Some of the NCA’s policy solutions are even more invasive. The report says greenhouse gas reductions is one of the co-benefits of replacing short vehicle commutes with biking or walking and reducing your red meat intake to reduce the amount of methane emitted from the animals we eat. Not that federal government nudging and taking away choice from consumers and businesses is new. Over several decades the Department of Energy now has set efficiency regulations for more than 50 commercial and industrial products, including everything from dehumidifiers to illuminated exit signs. DOE touts these regulations not only as ways to save energy and money for consumers but as greenhouse gas reducers as well.
What today’s report and the latest data show are that the cure for climate change, as envisioned by the Obama administration, is far worse than the disease. Congress needs to step up and stop the administration’s costly and ineffective solution to a non-problem.
RBSA: How to Lose Your 501(c)(3) Tax Exempt Status (Without Really Trying)
It’s easy for a nonprofit organization to maintain its tax exempt status—and can be just as easy to lose it.
Each year, the IRS revokes the tax-exempt status of more than 100 501(c)(3) organizations. Organizations recognized as exempt from federal income tax under this section of the Internal Revenue Code include private foundations as well as churches, educational institutions, hospitals, and many other types of public charities.
But these organizations can maintain their tax-exempt status if they heed the rules in six areas:
Private benefit/inurement Lobbying Political campaign activity Unrelated business income (UBI) Annual reporting obligation Operation in accord with stated exempt purpose(s)
(Note: The following subjects are described briefly. If you want more information about each area, visit the Tax-Exempt Status Virtual Workshop on the IRS educational micro-site, www.stayexempt.irs.gov.
1. PRIVATE BENEFIT/INUREMENT
Private benefit: “A 501(c)(3) organization’s activities should be directed exclusively toward some exempt purpose,” said Richard Crom, Staff Assistant for IRS Exempt Organizations Customer Education and Outreach office. “Its activities should not serve the private interests, or private benefit, of any individual or organization (other than the 501(c)(3) organization) more than insubstantially. The intent of a 501(c) (3) organization is to ensure it serves a public interest, not a private one.”
Inurement: The concept of inurement states that no part of an organization’s net earnings may inure to the benefit of a private shareholder or individual who, because of the person’s relationship to the organization, has an opportunity to control or influence its activities.
“A 501(c)(3) organization is prohibited from allowing its income or assets to benefit insiders (people with a personal or private interest in the activities of the organization),” said Crom. “Insiders are typically board members, officers, directors, and important employees.” He added that prohibited inurement includes the payment of dividends, the payment of unreasonable compensation to insiders, and the transfer of property to insiders for less than fair market value.
If a 501(c)(3) organization engages in inurement or substantial private benefit, the organization risks losing its exemption. Additionally, insiders guilty of inurement may be subject to excise tax.
2. LOBBYING
When an organization contacts, or urges the public to contact, members or employees of a legislative body for the purpose of proposing, supporting, or opposing legislation, or when the organization advocates the adoption or rejection of legislation, it is lobbying. “501(c)(3) organizations are allowed to do some lobbying,” said Melaney Partner, acting director for the IRS Exempt Organizations Customer Education and Outreach office. “However, if lobbying activities are substantial an organization risks losing its tax exempt status.” She added that an organization can elect to have its lobbying activities measured by an “expenditure test” to determine whether or not the activities are substantial. This is known as a 501(h) election, so-named for the section of the Internal Revenue Code where the rules for the expenditure test are spelled out.
“By making this election, an organization agrees to not spend more than a certain percentage of its total expenses on lobbying activities,” Partner said. “The other way to measure lobbying activity is to determine whether, based on all of the pertinent facts and circumstances, an organization’s lobbying comprises a substantial part of its overall activities. This substantial part test is a more subjective method compared to the more mathematical, objective expenditure test.”
Organizations must file Form 5768, Election/Revocation of Election by an Eligible Sec. 501(c)(3) Organization to Make Expenditures to Influence Legislation, in advance to be subject to the expenditure test.
3. POLITICAL ACTIVITY
All section 501(c)(3) organizations are prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate running for public office. The prohibition applies to all campaigns (federal, state and local level). “Political campaign intervention includes any and all activities that favor or oppose one or more candidates for public office,” said Crom, who speaks to non-profit organizations on a regular basis about tax-compliance issues. “The prohibition extends beyond candidate endorsements.”
Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made by or on behalf of an organization in favor of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition on political campaign intervention.
Section 501(c)(3) organizations may engage in some activities to promote voter registration, encourage voter participation, and provide voter education, but they can’t engage in activities that favor or oppose any candidate for public office. Whether an activity is political campaign intervention depends on all the facts and circumstances.
“The political campaign intervention prohibition is not intended to restrict free expression on political matters by leaders of organizations speaking for themselves as individuals,” said Crom. “Nor are leaders prohibited from speaking about important issues of public policy. However, for their organizations to remain tax exempt under section 501(c)(3), leaders cannot make partisan comments in official organization publications or at official functions of the organization.”
4. UNRELATED BUSINESS INCOME (UBI)
Another activity that can potentially jeopardize an organization’s 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status is having too much income generated from activities that are unrelated to the exempt function of the organization. This income comes from a regularly-carried-on trade or business that is not substantially related to the organization’s exempt purpose. “An organization that produces unrelated business income as a result of its unrelated trade or business may have to pay taxes on that income,” said Partner. “Income-producing activity must meet three conditions before the income is potentially taxable.”
First, the activity must be a trade or business. Second, the trade or business must be regularly carried on. Third, the business activity is not substantially related to an organization’s exempt purpose. In other words, the activity itself does not contribute importantly to accomplishing the exempt purpose, other than through the production of funds.
Some of the most common UBI generating activities include: the sale of advertising space in weekly bulletins, magazines, journals or on the organization’s website; the sale of merchandise and publications when those items being sold do not have a substantial relationship to the exempt purpose of the organization; provision of management or other similar services to other organizations; and, even some types of fundraising activities. Generally, organizations that generate unrelated business income should file Form 990-T, Exempt Organization Business Income Tax Return, and pay tax on the income.
“An organization must be careful generating money in activities that do not further its specific exempt purposes,” said Partner. “In addition to the taxability of income from unrelated activities, if those activities are substantial in relation to your exempt purpose activities, you may be putting your exempt status in jeopardy.”
5. ANNUAL REPORTING OBLIGATION
While 501(c)(3) public charities are exempt from Federal income tax, most of these organizations have information reporting obligations under the Internal Revenue Code to ensure they continue to be recognized as tax-exempt. In addition, they may also be liable for unrelated business income tax as described above, employment tax, excise taxes, and certain state and local taxes.
Public charities generally file either Form 990, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax, Form 990- EZ, Short Form Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax, or submit online Form 990-N, Electronic Notice (e-Postcard) for Tax-Exempt Organizations not Required To File Form 990 or 990-EZ.
“The type of form or notice required is generally determined by the public charity’s gross receipts and the value of its assets,” said Crom. For tax years ending on or after December 31, 2010, an organization may file Form 990-EZ if its gross receipts are normally less than $200,000, and if its total assets are less than $500,000 at the end of the year. If the organization’s gross receipts are $200,000 or greater, or if its assets at the end of the tax year are $500,000 or more, the organization generally must file Form 990. If the organization’s annual gross receipts are generally $50,000 or less, the organization may in lieu of Form 990 or 990-EZ submit online new Form 990-N, Electronic Notice (e-Postcard) for Tax-Exempt Organizations not Required to File Form 990 or 990-EZ.
There are some public charities that are not required to file Forms 990 or 990-EZ, including churches and certain church-affiliated organizations. Organizations can learn about filing and new requirements applicable to supporting organizations at the IRS Nonprofits and Charities website.
“The IRS will remove many organizations previously recognized as tax-exempt from its Master File due to provisions of the Pension Protection Act of 2006,” said Crom. “The act requires that all tax-exempt organizations—except churches and church-related organizations—must file an annual return with the IRS. And if they don’t do so for three consecutive years, they automatically lose their exempt status.”
The IRS conducted an extensive outreach effort over the past several years to remind tax-exempt organizations about this new legal requirement — and to file on time. “There were many organizations that we still did not hear from and we will post a list of those revoked organizations on the IRS website in February 2011,” said Crom.
If an organization finds that its exempt status has been automatically revoked due to non-filing and it wants its tax-exempt status reinstated, it will need to reapply and pay the appropriate user fee. For more information on that process, visit the Charities and Non- Profits pages on the IRS website.
6. OPERATION IN ACCORD WITH STATED EXEMPT PURPOSE(S)
“If you stop doing all or a significant amount of the exempt activities you told the IRS you were going to do in your original application for exemption—you could lose your exemption,” said Crom. “If your organization’s direction has changed, let us know. It could prevent future problems.” He added that organizations must adhere to the guidelines inherent in these six areas. “If they do this, they will maintain their tax-exempt status and continue enjoying the benefits associated with it,” said Crom.
To receive periodic updates on current Exempt Organization issues of interest, visit www.irs.gov and sign up to receive the EO Update by e-mail.
Attkisson Charges ‘Well-Orchestrated Strategy’ Underway to Diminish Benghazi Coverage
Former CBS investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson had some harsh words to share about the Obama administration and its supporters while she was a guest on Monday morning’s Fox & Friends program.
After viewing some clips from Sunday’s edition of ABC’s This Week With George Stephanopoulos in which conservative pundit Laura Ingraham and Democratic analyst David Plouffe clashed over the death of four Americans in Benghazi on Sept. 11, 2012, Attkisson said she believes that a concerted effort is taking place to divert investigations into that deadly attack, an effort that is being orchestrated by people close to the White House.
The state Senate’s Economic Growth Committee today approved a bill intended to make New Jersey more attractive to film and video production companies by expanding a tax credit program.
The bill (S1952) would remove a $10 million limit on incentives for film production, as well as a $5 million incentive cap on digital production.
The advance of the legislation by a vote of 4-0 comes less than a week after industry insiders, speaking on a panel at the Montclair Film Festival, said New Jersey is losing its appeal as a filming location because it is not offering competitive incentives.
Christine Peluso, an attorney with Tax Credits LLC – which helps studios secure tax credits – told lawmakers that incentives were her clients’ “number one consideration” when considering shooting locations.
“In order to attract filming, you have to have an incentive,” Peluso said.
New York, by contrast, offers $420 million a year in credits. (Friedman/Star-Ledger)
Boehner taps Gowdy to lead Benghazi select committee
By Russell Berman – 05/05/14 01:38 PM EDT
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has named Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), a second-term Republican and former federal prosecutor, to head a new House select committee investigating the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11, 2012.
Gowdy was the preferred choice of Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) to take on what will be a high-profile assignment for the GOP over the next several months. The deep-voiced South Carolinian is known for his prosecutorial style in questioning witnesses at hearings as well as his impassioned floor speeches.
“Trey Gowdy is as dogged, focused, and serious-minded as they come,” Boehner said in a statement announcing the appointment on Monday. “His background as a federal prosecutor and his zeal for the truth make him the ideal person to lead this panel.
“I know he shares my commitment to get to the bottom of this tragedy and will not tolerate any stonewalling from the Obama administration,” Boehner continued.
“I plan to ensure he and his committee have the strongest authority possible to root out all the facts,” he added. “This is a big job, but Rep. Gowdy has the confidence of this conference, and I know his professionalism and grit will earn him the respect of the American people.”
Bookends of Ridgewood Hosts Rick Springfield and Guy Fieri on May 6th
Rick Springfield Tuesday, May 6th @ 5:00pm Singer of “Jessie’s Girl, Rick Springfield, will sign his new book: Magnificent Vibrations Books available May 6th
Guy Fieri Tuesday, May 6th @ 8:00pm Star of Diners, Drive-ins & Dives, Guy Fieri, will sign his new book: Guy on Fire Books available May 6th
Bookends is a legendary New Jersey Landmark! We are known for our incredible author events and have hosted well over 1,000 authors in the past 15 years!
All books MUST be purchased from BOOKENDS for any of our events and a valid Bookends receipt must be presented for entry.
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt. Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change. Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.
While we try to ensure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
Missed one of our events? We have Signed Books from some of our recent signings. Call the store to order 201-445-0726.
The Woman’s Club of Ridgewood is hosting its first Home Design Expo on Thursday, May 15th from 11:00 am – 10:00 pm at the Clubhouse, 215 W. Ridgewood Avenue.
The event will showcase three key areas: a vendor exhibit; a guest speaker venue; and a dining area with catered lunches, wine service and dessert bar. Local designers, merchants and home improvement companies will display and discuss their offerings and services, guest speakers will present a variety of engaging topics including feng shui, green design, and home organization, and attendees will enjoy a day of interactive discussions, informative consultations, demonstrations and live entertainment.
Tickets are $25 in advance via www.ridgewoodwomansclub.com; $30 at the door. Proceeds from this event will benefit woman’s and children’s charities in Bergen County.
Tom MacArthur Millionaire New Jersey GOP congressional hopeful ran insurance company accused of cheating hurricane and wildfire victims
Wednesday, April 30th, 2014
Tom MacArthur ran York Risk Services Group, a unit of AIG insurance, when the company allegedly skimped on a series of high-risk claims York paid half of a $285,000 fine following government claims that it underpaid policyholders by $10.8 million after a massive California wildfire A Christian college in Houston and the Port of Galveston, Texas sued York and other insurers for skirting multimillion-dollar claims after Hurricane Ike The GOP establishment favorite is fighting a pitched battle with tea-party candidate Steve Lonegan for a chance at a U.S. House seat in November
By DAVID MARTOSKO, U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR
Tom MacArthur, a multi-millionaire former mayor who leads a prominent tea party challenger for the Republican congressional nomination in a New Jersey district, ran an insurance company accused of cheating disaster victims, MailOnline can reveal.
From 2002 until late 2010, MacArthur was chairman of the board of York Risk Services Group, a unit of the global insurer American International Group. He was also the company’s president and CEO from 1999 to 2009 and a major shareholder until at least 2006.
York boasts on its website that ‘We re-price 500,000 medical bills per year and save clients an average of 61% on each bill.’ That cost-cutting focus caught up with the company in 2008 after Hurricane Ike devastated the U.S. Gulf coast and a massive wildfire laid waste to hundreds of homes in Sylmar, California.
It ended up settling two Ike-related lawsuits and paying a sizable fine to the state of California in connection with allegations of underpaying claims from the fire’s victims.
York isn’t a traditional insurer, but its clients are. It helps them save money by carefully vetting and processing their claims.
Ritchie Venier, the company’s senior vice president, told MailOnline that ‘the amount of work we do is determined by what our clients would like us to process on their behalf.’
‘However, since we are not an insurance company we do not play the role of one.’
York’s apparent hand in determining the size of claim payouts, however, has landed it in the same legal hot water as the companies it serves, facing legal accusations along with them of unfairly slow-walking, low-balling or denying claims.
MacArthur, the New Jersey congressional candidate, is not named personally in any of the legal actions described in this report, but he was both a York officer and a major shareholder.
The Port of Galveston, Texas, which suffered extensive damage following Hurricane Ike in 2008, filed a lawsuit against York and three other insurers. Both the storm and the resulting insurance claims came on MacArthur’s watch.
And York, along with another AIG unit, paid the state of California a $285,000 settlement following charges that they violated the state’s Fair Claims Settlement Practice regulations while handling damage claims following a massive November 14, 2008 fire in the town of Sylmar.
That blaze, known in the American West as the Sayre fire, burned more than 11,000 acres of forest and destroyed 600 structures and 480 mobile homes.
It also produced hundreds of ‘total loss’ homeowners claims, including those covering 370 mobile home policies held by AIG’s New Hampshire Insurance Company.
The California Department of Insurance claimed that the two companies had underpaid the devastated homeowners by 10.8 million.
York, led by MacArthur, was responsible for processing and evaluating those claims as part of New Hampshire Insurance’s outsourcing strategy. The two companies each paid half the penalty, or $142,500, according to court documents.
Both denied wrongdoing, but agreed to a settlement in August 2012 to end California’s years-long investigation into 125 separate alleged violations of the California Insurance Code.
The two suits related to Hurricane Ike, the massive 2008 storm that swept through the Gulf Coast and crippled coastal Texas, were settled with undisclosed terms.
One, filed by Houston Baptist University, alleged that York low-balled its settlement offer after the hurricane laid waste to its main administration building and student center.
Robert Sloan, the school’s president, told The campus Collegian newspaper that it would cost more than $21 million to repair and rebuild the structure. But ACE American Insurance Company and York, which evaluated and vetted the claim, offered about $5 million.
‘They drug [sic] their feet,’ Sloan said in 2010 of the case that began during MacArthur’s tenure.
‘They weren’t very responsive. They obviously have not paid us what they owe us under our coverage. I don’t think the insurance company has acted in good faith.’
Terms of York’s 2011 settlement with Houston Baptist University – which came only after MacArthur left – were kept sealed. But on February 22, 2011 Sloan told the school’s trustees that he ‘went to bed the other night with a big grin on my face, and when I woke up, it was still there.’
The university president was happy enough about the size of the checks York and ACE wrote to credit the Almighty with the result.
‘This is a testament to the goodness and faithfulness of God,’ he said, according to the campus paper.
Another Hurricane Ike legal action involving York came from the Port of Galveston on the Gulf of Mexico. The Texas harbor was insured for at least $55 million, with Lexington Insurance Company owing the last $15 million after other insurers had paid their part.
York was the company tasked with evaluating and processing the Galveston claim for Lexington.
‘Lexington owed us the last layer of our insurance, which was $15 million,’ Port of Galveston Director Michael Mierzwa told the Houston-based Guidry News – which reported that the port recovered the entire $15 million in a 2012 settlement without going to trial.
The pool of insurers ‘had got to $40 million and had stopped paying us; and that’s why we sued them,’ he said.
The Republican National Committee has embraced MacArthur as one of its so-called ‘young guns,’ suggesting a vigor and fearlessness usually associated with strong retail campaigners.
But according to the Newark Star-Ledger, a $2 million cash loan from MacArthur’s personal wealth makes up nearly his entire election war chest.
He is running a tight race with tea party favorite Steve Lonegan. Both men are former mayors of New Jersey towns. MacArthur’s cash-on-hand, though, reportedly dwarfs Lonegan’s by a 10-to-1 margin.
‘I’m not going to buy a congressional seat,’ Lonegan told the Star-Ledger on April 15. ‘I could put a lot more money in the race. I’m not going to because you don’t buy your seat. You earn it.’
MacArthur has insisted that he is raising money from ordinary New Jerseyans as the June 3 primary election draws near.
Russell, his campaign spokesman, emailed MailOnline an aggressive statement, lashing out at Lonegan – who he claimed was responsible for this report.
‘Another day, another embarrassment for Steve Lonegan,’ Russel wrote, complaining that the tea partier’s campaign ‘would go to such extreme and underhanded lengths to plant a hatchet job story, and then fail to get their facts straight.’
‘Under Tom MacArthur’s leadership, York handled upwards of one million insurance claims,’ Russell added. ‘From that, the best Lonegan’s crew could do was find three cases – all of which were settled after Tom had already left the company and none of which found wrongdoing by York.’
‘Two of the cases were settled out of court and dismissed, and the third was a case pressed by an ultra-liberal California Democrat politician that was also ultimately settled.’
Lonegan lost a shot at a U.S. Senate seat last year, falling in a special election to defeat then-Newark mayor Cory Booker. But in that race, he carried the 3rd Congressional District that he now wants to represent in Congress.
Three Democrats are vying to face the Republican victor, including lawyers Aimee Belgard and Howard Kleinhendler, and Lyndon Larouche devotee Bruce Todd.
The eventual winner in November will replace two-term Rep. Jon Runyan, a former pro football player who is retiring.
In a March poll sponsored by PolitickerNJ, Lonegan held a commanding lead with 41 per cent support. MacArthur ‘barely moved the needle’ with 2 per cent, the political website reported.
But that was in a three-way race: Toms River, NJ city councilman Mo HIll withdrew from the race last month and later endorsed MacArthur. Since then, MacArthur has rocketed to a stronger position over Lonegan.
The state’s Republican establishment has also coalesced around MacArthur, with GOP parties in both counties straddling the 3rd district endorsing him in late March.
His campaign website describes him as ‘a self-made businessman running for Congress to be a leader in promoting policies that spur job creation and empower people; that ensure our recovery and renewal in the wake of [Hurricane] Sandy.’
MacArthur is quoted on the site saying he believes in a small federal government that, among other things, ‘gives a hand up to those in need.’
Washington, DC – (5/2/14) – Generation Opportunity, a national, non-partisan youth advocacy organization, is announcing its Millennial Jobs Report for April 2014. The data is non-seasonally adjusted (NSA) and is specific to 18-29 year olds:
The effective (U-6) unemployment rate for 18-29 year olds, which adjusts for labor force participation by including those who have given up looking for work, is 15.5 percent (NSA). The (U-3) unemployment rate for 18-29 year olds is 9.1 percent (NSA).
The declining labor force participation rate has created an additional 1.932 million young adults that are not counted as “unemployed” by the U.S. Department of Labor because they are not in the labor force, meaning that those young people have given up looking for work due to the lack of jobs.
The effective (U-6) unemployment rate for 18-29 year old African-Americansis 23.3 percent (NSA); the (U-3) unemployment rate is 16.6 percent (NSA).
The effective (U-6) unemployment rate for 18-29 year old Hispanics is 16.1 percent (NSA); the (U-3) unemployment rate is 9.5 percent (NSA).
The effective (U-6) unemployment rate for 18-29 year old women is 13.1 percent (NSA); the (U-3) unemployment rate is 8.3 percent (NSA).
Patrice Lee, Director of Outreach at Generation Opportunity, issued the following statement:
“False promises mean very little when we are faced with unemployment numbers in the double digits and crippling student debt. We don’t want slogans, we want jobs.”
“Only 37 percent of young people approve of the president’s handling of the economy. Thirty-one percent approve of his handling of the federal budget deficit. We recognize that our unsustainable deficits and skyrocketing national debt hurt our ability to grow the economy and create opportunity.”
On Tuesday, Harvard’s Institute of Politics released a new poll of 18-29 year olds:
Just 47% of 18-29 year olds approve of President Obama’s job performance, the lowest approval rating recorded during his entire presidency Only 39% approve of the president’s job performance on healthcare More than twice as many young people believe that, generally speaking, the nation is on the wrong track rather than the right direction Self-identified conservatives are 10 points more likely to vote in the 2014 midterm elections than self-identified liberals
Generation Opportunity is also issuing a revision for March’s Millennial Jobs Report. The overall U-3 unemployment rate for 18-29 year olds for March 2014 was 10.9%, two points higher than previously reported.
Generation Opportunity is a national, non-partisan organization advocating for economic opportunity for young people through less government and more freedom.
Voices from the First Round of the PARCC Tests in New Jersey Schools
The second phase in the field tests of the online PARCC exams will start next week, with the state Department of Education inviting still more districts to take part.
New Jersey is already one of the biggest participants in the shakeout, with more than 60,000 students taking part last month. More than 1,000 schools are expected to participate next week.
During the first cycle of field tests in April, NJ Spotlight asked its readers — teachers, administrators, parents, and students themselves — to comment on the new exams. As the second round starts next week, we’re again asking those involved in the testing to share their experiences with us.
Here’s a small sampling of what we’ve been told thus far:
“Teachers and nontesting students have no access to computers and media resources during the testing days. This is getting to be a real problem, since the amount of testing days can approach 30 and administration has not indicated that there is going to be an improvement in access next year.” — teacher with students involved in the field test
“Education in the school came to a screeching halt. No other uses of technology were permitted during testing time. Students reported that the test itself was a big waste of time. Students also reported many problems with the process itself. Administrators were invisible during the process, as they were preoccupied with the tests. — teacher with students involved in the field test
“She enjoyed the experience. She said the questions were hard . . . . Learning to manage your time as you take the test seems to be the biggest challenge. — parent of a child in the field test
“It will force technology to be used in instruction, and it will raise the bar for students to learn touch-typing. Classroom instruction time will be reduced due to testing time . . . It was very frustrating getting all students logged onto the [test site]. Some got on without a hitch. Others took over an hour of trying and retrying.– administrator in a district involved in the field testing. (Mooney/NJSpotlight)
