School funding formula barely passes, Obama will come to Jersey City tomorrow, Corzine about to give make or break speech.
CORZINE MUST BE GLAD BARK DIDN’T RETIRE EARLY
After three hours of bare-knuckle lobbying on the Senate floor, Gov. Jon Corzine's plan to boost state school aid by $532 million won final approval from lawmakers late last night.
The proposal won the support of only 16 of the Senate's 22 Democrats, with all six African-American senators opposing it. The final tally, prompted by a pledge to boost state aid for special education by $20 million later this year, was 21-8, with the minimum number of votes needed for passage. Eleven senators did not vote.
Earlier, the Assembly also approved it with the minimum number of "yes" votes, voting 41-36.
Corzine hailed passage of the complex bill, which he made a centerpiece of the legislative agenda he promoted during the short lame-duck session that followed November's legislative elections.
"The new law replaces a flawed system with an equitable, balanced and nonpartisan formula that addresses the needs of all students, regardless of where they live," he said in a statement. "This formula puts the needs of all children on an equal footing and will give them the educational resources they need for success."
The funding plan hung in limbo for more than three hours last night, as only 20 senators endorsed it when it came time for the final vote.
After a long and very public standoff, Democrats coaxed a deciding vote from Sen. Martha Bark (R-Burlington), one of 15 senators who was leaving the Senate after last night's session. They won her vote by agreeing to add $20 million in the upcoming state budget to supplement aid for students with autism and other special education needs. (McNichol, Star-Ledger)
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1199772333107120.xml&coll=1
The bill would hike this year's state education funding by 7 percent. Some districts would see an increase of as much as 20 percent, and all would get at least a 2 percent increase.
But urban lawmakers bitterly predicted the bill would harm 31 disadvantaged school districts, including those in Camden, Newark and others that have received tens of millions in extra school aid in recent years.
Republicans, meanwhile, criticized a part of the law that would for the first time allocate a big chunk of state special-education aid based on the relative wealth of communities.
As a result, affluent schools would get less per handicapped student, under the theory that local taxpayers can more easily pick up that cost.
As Corzine pushed to get the bill through yesterday on the last day of the lame-duck legislative sessions, its passage became a cliff-hanger in the Senate.
There, Democratic leaders initially could only muster 20 "yes" votes – one short of a majority – after the chamber's six African American senators, all Democrats, linked up with Republicans to vote against the measure. (McCoy, Philadelphia Inquirer)
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/nj/20080108_Corzines_school-aid_overhaul_approved.html
The drama yielded moments of pure political theater and high-stakes brinkmanship. At one point, at least 15 senators huddled in the middle of the Senate floor, not unlike the way baseball players, anxious, huddle around the pitcher’s mound.
At another point, Assemblyman Joseph R. Malone III, a Republican who was part of a 41-36 majority that approved the bill in the Assembly earlier in the evening, wandered down the hall to the Senate. He escorted Senator Martha W. Bark, a fellow Republican who had voted no, to his office, fueling speculation that he was trying to win her over.
But in the end, it was something much simpler — a promise, with Mr. Corzine’s approval, of an additional $20 million for special education in next year’s budget — that compelled Ms. Bark and two other Republicans, Senator Gerald Cardinale and Senator Joseph A. Palaia, to switch their votes.
“I’m jubilant,” said Senator Barbara Buono, a Democrat from Metuchen who was the bill’s sponsor, and who helped to craft the compromise. “This is the way it’s supposed to work.” (Chen, New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/nyregion/08legis.html?ref=us
NEW JERSEY MUST REALLY BE IN PLAY AFTER ALL
Sen. Barack Obamahas scheduledan organizational meeting and rally at St. Peter's College in Jersey City on Wednesday, Jan. 9, the day after the New Hampshire primary.
The presidential candidate hopes to gather supporters and organize volunteers before statewide canvasses this weekend, according to State Director Mark Alexander.(Pizarro, PolitickerNJ.com)
http://politickernj.com/obama-due-jersey-city-wednesday-15157
CORZINE’S DEFINING MOMENT?
After nearly a year of speculation about how Gov. Jon S. Corzine's administration plans to use the state's toll roads to fix the state's finances, details will emerge today when he makes his State of the State address to the Legislature, a speech that could define his gubernatorial tenure.
As critics — including some in his own party — have pressed Corzine to spell out his plan, which loosely relies on setting up a new public corporation that will borrow against future toll increases to free up cash to pay down existing debt, the governor has refused to release specifics until now.
"New Jersey is at a crossroads here, and we have two very clear options: We can continue down the path that we're on, which has led us to the brink of financial ruin into a situation where we cannot invest in our infrastructure and our future, or we can do something different," Corzine spokeswoman Lilo Stainton said. "The governor will be talking about some new and very bold ideas."
Stainton said motorists will know today how much Corzine is proposing to raise tolls.
Other financial wrinkles the governor is expected to call for include requiring voter approval for new borrowing measures that don't have a dedicated funding source and a freeze on state spending.
Three sources said Corzine will propose a budget no larger than current spending. Last year, the Legislature approved a $33.5 billion spending plan, which has increased to roughly $33.9 billion through supplemental spending.(Volpe, Gannett)
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080108/NEWS0301/801080399/-1/NEWS10
“HE WILL EITHER GET IT DONE OR BE JUST ANOTHER GOVERNOR WHO MUDDLED THROUGH”
Gov. Jon Corzine has a 48%-32% approval rating, according to a new Fairleigh Dickinson University poll released today. Those numbers, released on the eve of his third State of the State address, is about the same as his 51%-29% rating in October 2007, and his 51%-29% rating one year ago.
“The bottom line is that the governor’s public standing has held up well so far,” said Peter Woolley, the poll director. “Even if voters are pessimistic about the direction of the state, they retain some optimism about the governor. But this is his third and most important year. In the eyes of the public, he will either get it done or he will be just another governor who muddled through." (Editor, PolitickerNJ.com)
http://politickernj.com/corzine-approvals-48-32-15143
SO LONG, FAREWELL, AUF WIEDERSEHEN, GOODBYE
The state Legislature dispatched a flurry of bills Monday, the final voting day of the two-year session.
Lawmakers voted to allow the state to charge power plants for greenhouse gas emissions and made New Jersey the first northern state to apologize for slavery.
Much of the State House day was spent bidding farewell to colleagues in both houses. Twenty-nine new lawmakers will take office today for the new legislative session, after a year that saw dozens of retirements, defeats at the polls and many Assembly members moving to the Senate.
Last year marked a low point of sorts for corruption in the state Legislature. Senators Wayne Bryant, D-Camden, and Sharpe James, former mayor of Newark, were both indicted on corruption charges and will not be returning, although both were present Monday. Sen. Joseph Coniglio, D-Paramus, who is the target of a federal investigation, also dropped his reelection bid. Former Assemblymen Alfred Steele, D-Paterson, and Mims Hackett Jr., D-Orange, resigned from their legislative seats last fall, also to face corruption charges.
Both the Senate and Assembly worked late Monday night on lengthy agendas. (Lu, Salazar and Nussbaum, Bergen Record)
http://www.northjersey.com/news/njpolitics/13519467.html
HAINES LEAVES OTHER JOB. NOT RUDDER AND ADDIEGO
Burlington County Clerk Philip Haines is the only one of three new Republican legislators-elect from the 8th District who will resign his present elected office before becoming a state lawmaker Tuesday.
Haines, 57, of Springfield, has announced he will leave his county post today — the day before he is to be sworn in as the new state senator from that district when the Legislature's new session begins in Trenton.
"I am leaving the day before I become a senator so there won't be any possible conflict in waiting until Tuesday," said Haines, 57, of Springfield.
State law on dual office holding specifically prohibits a state legislator from also holding the elected office of county clerk simultaneously because both are constitutional offices.
However, there is no such state requirement that a county freeholder or a municipal councilman leave those posts immediately when becoming state legislators.(Comegno, Courier-Post)
http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080107/NEWS01/801070339/1006/NEWS01
NEW TOLLS WON’T BE COLLECTED UNTIL AFTER 2009 ELECTION
Tolls would rise every four years and be extended to Route 440 as part of the financial restructuring plan Gov. Jon Corzine is expected to offer up in today's State of the State speech, according to individuals involved in crafting the plan.
The Star-Ledger has learned that any new or increased tolls proposed in the plan would not be collected until at least 2010, the year after Corzine would stand for re-election. A source with direct knowledge of the plan confirmed Statehouse reports of a 50 percent toll hike every four years mixed with annual cost of living increases.
Corzine spokeswoman Lilo Stainton said the administration would have no comment on the plan until the governor addresses the Legislature this afternoon.
Three individuals involved in drawing up the plan said Corzine agreed to tolls on Route 440 — five miles of highway between the New Jersey Turnpike and the Outerbridge Crossing to Staten Island — because 30 percent to 40 percent of the motorists using the road are from out of state.
The sources, all of whom asked not to be named because they did not want to upstage the governor's speech, said yesterday that Corzine also seriously considered imposing tolls on Routes 78 and 80, but ultimately rejected the idea as politically impractical. (Howlett and Donohue, Star-Ledger)
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1199772369107120.xml&coll=1
UH OH, CONIGLIO
Sen. Joe Coniglio got a few farewell handshakes and a soft backslap or two from his soon-to-be former pals on Monday. But it took half the night to get the votes he needed.
At first, The Paramus Democrats did not get the 21 he needed to win passage of his last bill on his last day of power. Typically, lawmakers give an outgoing senator a sendoff by supporting his last few bills, but the camaraderie of the Senate Democratic caucus abandoned him.
Instead of needling him with a good-natured prank of changing a "no" to a "yes" vote at the last second, Coniglio actually was forced to defend the measure — which would allow municipalities to install traffic-control systems — against criticism from a fellow Democrat………….
Starting today, Coniglio is formally a footnote to a legislative session mired in scandal. There are other consolations — he is, after all, part of an elite club of 5,432 state residents who have served as a New Jersey legislator since 1776.
The Coniglio file, in a still-evolving database being stitched together with care in the Office of Legislative Services library, will reveal a man who rose from modest means, a plumber and union official, a onetime Paramus councilman. It will include his picture.
But there is an unresolved chapter of the Coniglio biography that every member of the Legislature knows and remains, even to the very end, a source of their ambivalence. He is among a trio of outgoing Senate Democrats whose career crumbled under the weight of federal corruption investigations. (Stile, Bergen Record)
http://www.northjersey.com/Coniglios_final_day_is_ordeal.html
GOOD LUCK WITH THAT
The 40 new legislators taking office in Trenton today won't have a lot of time to settle in – they'll immediately face the most severe fiscal crisis in recent state history.
A $3 billion deficit, the nation's third largest, is just the start. A growing pension and health benefit crisis and a simmering taxpayer revolt also are expected to help quash the big dreams of grand programs that typically materialize at the start of a legislative session.
Gov. Corzine, who will give his annual State of the State address today after the 213th Legislature is sworn in, wants to fill the budget hole by raising tolls on state highways and creating a new agency to issue bonds. But he is likely to get ardent opposition, even from members of his own Democratic Party.
Despite the obstacles and controversies ahead, legislative leaders promise progress on toughening the rules for campaign contributions and official conduct; providing affordable housing and paid family leave; and cutting taxes and spending. (Burton, Philadelphia Inquirer)
FAR BE IT FROM AL SHARPTON TO SEEK PRESS ATTENTION
As the Rev. Al Sharpton promised yesterday to "personally" prod Union County Jail escapee Otis Blunt to turn himself in within the next 24 to 48 hours, the county prosecutor said he is "upset" with the civil rights leader's methods.
A day after Sharpton announced he had been contacted by associates of Blunt to help arrange his surrender, Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow said he welcomed a peaceful surrender but did not like the fact Sharpton's National Action Network notified the press Sunday night without contacting Union County authorities.
Sharpton's organization then contacted police in New York to propose Blunt's surrender, leaving Union County police to reach out to Sharpton yesterday, officials said.
"I am upset that Rev. Sharpton is waiting 24 to 48 hours to 'personally see if I can physically facilitate Mr. Blunt's request' while the escapee is on the loose," Romankow said, quoting from a statement Sharpton issued yesterday afternoon. (Lucas, Star-Ledger)
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1199772339107120.xml&coll=1
THE VANQUISHED
Just days after losing one of the hardest fought legislative campaigns of 2007, outgoing Republican state Sen. James “Sonny” McCullough found himself on a flight to Myrtle Beach, S.C. with Democratic Assemblyman Jim Whelan, who had just ousted him from his state Senate seat by a 14 point margin.
Democrats had spent over $3 million to beat McCullough in one of the nastiest races in the state – succeeding in taking him out but not his Assembly running mates Vince Polistina and John Amodeo. But the two former opponents had, even by then, set aside their differences and were on friendly terms.
“I told (Whelan) that if I played the dirty tricks they wanted me to play, I would have beat him by 30,000 votes,” said McCullough……….
Today is the last day in Trenton for many legislators, and McCullough is one of the few leaving who were hoping not to have to call it quits just yet.
For McCullough’s last day in Trenton, he plans to vote no on the governor’s new school funding formula, citing caps on the percentage of increased aid each town can get. And although he’ll remain mayor of 75 square mile Egg Harbor Township, he can finally take some time to relax – just like he thought he could for that brief moment in 2006 when he retired from his non-political job and didn’t yet know that State Sen. Bill Gormley was leaving the Senate. Soon, he’ll be able to fish on the boat he bought with a friend after his initial retirement.
“I’m back to my original thoughts back in 2006. You worked hard all your life; you’re in your mid-60s, why don’t you enjoy it a little bit?”(Friedman, PolitickerNJ.com)
http://politickernj.com/vanquished-get-ready-leave-trenton-15153
CONNORS’S LAST VOTE
State Sen. Leonard Connors was not worried Monday about his legislative proposals during his final session – none were up for a vote. Instead, he was concerned about blocking a proposal with his last chance to vote.
While his colleagues voted Monday to hike judges' salaries, the solidly built, 6'2" former Air Force sergeant sat back in his chair and impassively watched them pass a bill to which he said he was very much opposed.
Connors, R-Ocean, Burlington, Atlantic, was one of six state senators to step down Monday.
"Not that they (the judges) don't deserve it. It's a highly desired post; increasing their salaries at this time is not, in my view, appropriate," Connors said.
The 26-year Statehouse veteran had penned an "N" on the copy of the bill at his desk. He said he decides ahead of time which way he'll vote and seldom changes his mind. He said he still "wakes up in a sweat" about a switch he made in 1984 on a law regarding car insurance. He intended to vote against it but said he caved.
People credit Connors' continued re-election to his conviction and attention to his constituents' concerns. Connors is known for personally penning response letters and answering telephone calls in the 9th District offices in Lacey Township.
Connors announced last year that – after eight terms in the state senate – he would not run again because he was frustrated with the way state government was operating, particularly overspending.
"I believe the state is headed for the ice fields, and I didn't want to be part of the crew," he said. "I don't see it changing. That's the sad part about it. … We elect people to represent us in government. I find people represent themselves in the most part." (Previti, Press of Atlantic City)
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/top_three/story/7526605p-7427997c.html
OUR BAD
New Jersey last night joined a list of states that have apologized for slavery, after lawmakers overwhelming passed a resolution expressing the state's regret.
The resolution merely offers the Legislature's opinion and would not require the governor's signature.
It would be recorded in the state annals of declarations. The resolution's sponsor, Assemblyman William D. Payne (D., Newark), noted that New Jersey had 12,000 slaves and was the last Northern state to free them. Last night, New Jersey became the latest state to apologize. "This is an apology for their descendants . . . and all mankind," he said. (Graham, Philadelphia Inquirer)
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/nj/20080108_N_J__offers_an_apology_for_slavery.html
AN ENVIRONMENTAL BILL ENVIRONMENTALISTS HATE
A bill aimed at curbing global warming that has been attacked from a gamut of interest groups, including environmentalists and business associations, received final legislative approval Monday, paving the way for New Jersey to begin auctioning off pollution credits to energy producers.
To reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions coming from New Jersey, the measure would require electric producers to bid on how much carbon dioxide they release into the air. The money would fund a roughly $60 million pot that will be split among various state agencies to give grants for energy efficiency in businesses, homes and local governments, as well as forest stewardship.
t has been opposed by environmental groups who say little of the money will go toward reducing energy consumption and by business and consumer groups who say prices will rise at the expense of consumers to benefit utility companies who have supported the measure.
The bill — pushed strongly by Gov. Jon S. Corzine's administration — barely passed, by votes of 42-31 with five abstentions in the Assembly and 23-16 in the Senate. (Volpe, Gannett)
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080108/NEWS0301/801080410/-1/NEWS10
YOUR DAILY ATLANTIC CITY DRAMA
ATLANTIC CITY – City Council President William Marsh says council has not had the chance to approve the city's new business administrator and is deeming her current employment "illegal."
Marsh authored a memo addressed to Mayor Scott Evans on Monday insisting that Carol Fredericks "should immediately cease from working as the business administrator until a resolution is approved by City Council."
Marsh also said he had the backing of City Council Solicitor Billie Moore, who he said researched the matter and agreed with his complaint…….
Evans countered Marsh's call for Fredericks to step down, saying he has the authority to appoint someone to the position for 90 days before getting approval from City Council.(Clark, Press of Atlantic City)
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/top_three/story/7526623p-7428002c.html
THE MAYORAL RACE THAT NEVER ENDS
Former Parsippany Councilwoman Rosemarie Agostini, seeking to overturn her Nov. 2005 defeat for mayor, opened her long-awaited election contest trial Monday by charging that 31 absentee ballots were improperly gathered by county officials.
Agostini's attorney, John Carbone, said the county clerk's office erred in accepting absentee ballots that should have been directly submitted to the county board of elections. Carbone did not introduce any evidence that the ballots were altered. (Jennings, Daily Record)
http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080108/COMMUNITIES38/801080340/1203/NEWS01
ENCAP
EnCap missed last Thursday's deadline to submit a new budget for its required landfill cleanup in the Meadowlands, according to a letter released yesterday by the state attorney general's office.
The cleanup was originally estimated to cost $113 million. However, in May EnCap informed the state its costs had soared to $186 million.
On Friday, Robert Romano, assistant attorney general, wrote to Eric Wisler, an attorney for EnCap, demanding the new budget and a plan for "organization, management and performance of the work" be submitted "immediately," according to a copy of the letter re leased by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission.
Romano also asked whether Michael Cohen, special counsel at the Trump Organization, is now the project executive, and whether James Dausch of EnCap is still the project manager. (McDermott, Star-Ledger)
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1199772327107120.xml&coll=1
JUDICIAL PAY RAISES
New Jersey judges and county prosecutors are in line for double-digit pay increases under a bill that received last-minute legislative approval yesterday.
The Assembly voted, 51-26, and the Senate, 25-13, to give an 11 percent pay raise for New Jersey judges and a 17 percent pay hike to county prosecutors. The bill needs Gov Corzine's signature to become law, and Corzine has expressed support for it.
The bill needs Gov Corzine's signature to become law, and Corzine has expressed support for it.
The measure would put the pay for Superior Court judges on par with federal court judges, but it comes with the state facing a projected $3 billion budget deficit for next fiscal year. The judges also received a 5.7 percent pay raise this year.
Legislators also approved:
A bill to toughen the state's hate crime and bullying laws. The measure amends an existing bias intimidation law by adding the terms gender identity and national origin to the list of classes of protected people under the statute. (Hester, AP)
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/nj/20080108_Pay_raises_for_judges__prosecutors_backed.html
IN CORRUPTIONVILLE
PLEASANTVILLE – The city made great strides in 2007, and will grow even more in this year, Business Administrator Marvin D. Hopkins said.
With Mayor Ralph Peterson hospitalized for various health issues, Hopkins gave just a highlighted version of the state of the city at Monday's reorganization meeting, promising the mayor would give a full report when he returns.
Peterson's wasn't the only empty seat Monday night. The seven-member City Council had only six filled seats after Councilman Maurice "Pete" Callaway's resignation last week. (Cohen, Press of Atlantic City)
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/atlantic/story/7526573p-7427949c.html
IN TUCKERTON
It may take awhile for the old wounds caused by an ongoing rift between Mayor Lee Eggert and members of the Borough Council to heal.
That was apparent just minutes into the Borough Council's annual reorganization meeting Monday night when Eggert surprisingly stripped Council President George "Buck" Evans and Councilman James Bower of their regular committee chairman titles in response to what he called "a lack of communication and cooperation" from the councilmen. (Spahr, Press of Atlantic City)
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/ocean/story/7526616p-7427989c.html
IN GALLOWAY
Three newcomers, one of them a Democrat, have altered the dynamic of the Republican-controlled Township Council that comes together tonight for its first regular meeting of the year.
It will be the first significant shakeup the council has seen in four years, when Republicans knocked away the opposing party's long-time hold over Galloway politics by leaving Meg Worthington as the lone Democrat.
In the 2005 election, the council's composition remained unchanged with the sole addition of Republican Richard Dase. "This is the biggest change in awhile," Mayor Tom Bassford said. (Rao, Press of Atlantic City)
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/atlantic/story/7526577p-7427994c.html
IN DOVER
Since the sister of Dover Mayor James Dodd owns the painting company recently awarded more than $50,000 in town contracts — and his brother will be doing some of the painting — some critics are calling the bid award flawed.
Alderman Michael Ryan also said the town's own workers just painted town hall last year, and the money to be paid for a new paint job could be spent elsewhere, such as for new uniforms for public works employees. (O’Connor, Star-Ledger)
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/morris/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1199772379107120.xml&coll=1
IN ROSELLE
At Roselle's borough reorganization meeting Friday, Mayor Garrett Smith further increased his influence on the borough agenda when Council President Sally Samuel, a Smith ally, announced committee assignments.
Samuel assigned Smith's two political opponents seats on just two of the five council committees. While the four council members al lied with Smith will each serve on multiple committees in 2008, Councilwoman Cecilia Ricks and Councilman Jamel Holley were each assigned to just one committee. (Rothman, Star-Ledger)
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/union/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1199772351107121.xml&coll=1
