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DOT: No Additional Red Light Cameras

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“O’Scanlon: A good step, but rip-offs continue

NJ101.5 photo

NJ101.5 photo

The New Jersey Department of Transportation announced yesterday that no additional red light cameras will be installed in the state under the pilot program that is scheduled to run through the end of next year, according to an Associated Press report.

The program, which includes 76 cameras throughout New Jersey, was started in 2009 ostensibly to promote public safety and reduce motor vehicle accidents.  DOT says they are not installing new cameras because there is not enough time to collect data from them before the program expires.

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon says no more data is needed from any of the cameras.  They don’t enhance public safety, but are safety hazards.  The program is a money grab from New Jersey motorist.

“We know these cameras do  not improve safety,” O’Scanlon said, ”The data is indisputable. Every objective study on this  equipment demonstrates that. Subsequently, many jurisdictions are choosing to  eliminate the cameras altogether. But the camera companies continue to  relentlessly push for more cameras – clearly demonstrating that their only  motivation is stealing more money from NJ residents. It is long past the time  that New Jersey join the bandwagon and end this  failed program.”


O’Scanlon: New Jersey Committed to Rebuilding from Sandy and Redeveloping Fort Monmouth

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oscanlonAssembly Republican Budget Officer Declan O’Scanlon, commended the New Jersey  Economic Development Authority for its commitment to Monmouth County’s efforts to rebuild after Superstorm Sandy and  redevelop Fort  Monmouth.

 

“We were knocked down by Sandy and the State has been there from the  beginning offering a helping hand to get businesses and families back on their  feet,” O’Scanlon, R-Monmouth, said. “From providing temporary housing units for  families to providing grants and loans to businesses that suffered damage, the  authority has been absolutely committed to our region and intends to place staff  in our communities – potentially at Fort Monmouth – to ensure easy access to grants  and assistance for business owners.”

 

Budget testimony from EDA President Michele Brown revealed that the  authority is:

 

  • Administering $500 million of federal disaster recover aid  to storm-impacted businesses.
  • Planning a marketing campaign to let people know New Jersey is open for  business.
  • Provided 115 temporary housing units at Fort Monmouth  for Sandy  victims.
  • Successfully attracted two companies to former military  installation – CommVault Systems with 1,500 jobs and AcuteCare with 50 jobs.

“Since the closure of Fort Monmouth, we have taken great care to make  sure the military installation is redeveloped in a way that will help drive our  local and state economy for years to come,” O’Scanlon said. “I have complete  faith that this administration will make sure this transformation is done  right.”

Bayshore Tea Party Backed Slate Claims Momentum With Polling Data In LD13

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Won’t Say Who Is Doing The Polling Or Reveal Data

UPDATED: 1pm

townhall.com photo

townhall photo

Bellew for State Senate campaign manager Dwayne Horner called from Texas to say that the campaign polled 5,000 Republican voters in LD 13 on Sunday evening and that 83% said they favored replacing the incumbents.  Horner refused to name the polling firm, saying only that its a well respected Republican firm that worked for the Romney campaign in Florida and several Texas congressional campaigns.

Horner declined to say what questions were asked of those polled, saying he would not get into the specifics of the poll.  Twice MMM asked if the incumbents were named in the polling questions.  Twice Horner declined to answer.

“83% said the incumbents should not be re-elected,” Horner said. “Did you tell them who the incumbents are?” we asked. “I’m not getting into the specifics of the poll, but Leigh-Ann Bellew’s name was mentioned,” Horner responded.

Horner challenged Senator Joe Kyrillos and the anonymous Republican political operative quoted below to go door to door and find 8 of 10 voters who plan to reelect Kryillos.

~~

we the peopleThe slate of candidates challenging LD 13 legislative incumbents, Senator Joe Kyrillos, Assemblywoman Amy Handlin and Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon claim they have polling data that indicates “voters overwhelming want to fire the incumbents.”

An email sent to Bayshore Tea Party Group members by co-founder Barbara Gonzalez reads, in part, as follows:

Momentum  is on the side of the candidates of R4CL.  Voters overwhelmingly say they are ready to fire the  current incumbents. Internal polls show that voters are ready to support  a new slate of candidates.

Gonzalez told MoreMonmouthMusings that she does not know who is conducting polls for the primary challengers led by state senate candidate Leigh-Ann Bellew or what the numbers say. “That message was sent over by the campaign, I just cut and paste and sent it out,” said Gonzalez, “but my internal poll agrees with it.  Everyone I talk to wants a change.”

Neither Bellew nor her campaign manager Dwayne Horner have returned phone calls asking for information about their polling.

A Republican operative aligned with Kyrillos who declined to be named because he/she is not authorized to speak for the incumbents’ campaign laughed when told about the BTPG email.

“They’re making it up, just like Bellew is making up her resume,” the operative said, “we’re very comfortable with our numbers, Bellew won’t get 20% of the vote.” The operative also declined to say who was polling for the incumbents and what their numbers indicate.

Hypocrisy and the Bayshore Tea Party, Perfect Together

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Phil Russo, facebook photo

Phil Russo, facebook photo

By Phil Russo

Back in February 2009 I had the honor of being one of 10-15 people in the country that was on the conference calls that planned the first round of tea party protests.  There were only 50 cities and in Orlando, where I was organizing our rally, we only had about 100 people.  From the beginning we developed a set of core values for the tea party that many groups ended up adopting.  It was actually Justin from Cincinnati that came up with “fiscal responsibility, limited government, and free markets”.  Many tea party web sites you visit will have those core values listed.  I don’t know if the bayshore group uses the core values or not but it doesn’t matter if they do or not because those values become the core of the movement.  How the bayshore group could so ignore these core values in their selection of endorsements astounds me.

The fact that they have decided to run against Declan O’Scanlon shows that they have different reasons for picking their endorsements.  Our group in Orlando, and most tea party groups I know, encourage people to learn about all the candidates and talk to them. Ask them questions. Then decide.  We avoided telling people who to vote for because that is the very thing that the establishment we hate so much does.  Full disclosure:  I worked for Declan for about 2 years in his legislative office.  But I am not writing this article because I worked for Declan.  In fact, it is quite the contrary.  I worked for Declan because he is the kind of legislator about whom I would write such an article. 

Declan O’Scanlon is the living embodiment of the tea party core values.  He fights the Democrats in Trenton and their spending and taxing on a daily basis.  Trying to say that Declan is not a fiscal conservative is a joke.  The reason he ran against Mike Panter in the first place was because of Pantor and the Corzine democrats were taking NJ on a path to fiscal ruin.  Declan fought for years to reform the public employees’ pension and health benefit system.  Declan knew from his time as a councilman in Little Silver how much pension obligations were crushing municipalities. 

One of Declan’s other big issues has been prevailing wage, because once again, he recognizes the impact prevailing wage has on towns and counties and that translates directly into fiscal impact on the people through property, sales, and income tax increases.  I would like for Barbara Gonzalez or one of the other bayshore folks to explain to the voters of Monmouth County how Declan does not fit the tea party core value of fiscal responsibility.  One more important note on fiscal responsibility; Declan is not just fiscally responsible and conservative in his political life, he is fiscally responsible in his personal life, too.

The next tea party core value is limited government, again, let us look at the evidence.  Declan O’Scanlon has fought his entire adult life for less government intrusion into the lives of the people.  When the state of NJ started mandating vaccines for school children Declan stood up and spoke out against it because it is a parents right to decide whether or not to vaccinate their children.  Heck, Declan’s father is a doctor, so he might argue with you till he is blue in the face that you should get your kids vaccines but he recognizes that it is not the proper role of the state to force you to put something inside your child’s body that you do not want there.  Similarly, Declan has been leading the fight against red light cameras which are not just an invasion of our privacy but all the data shows they do not prevent red light running.  They just take tens of millions of dollars out of the pockets of hard working people and put them in the hands of greedy politicians and people like Dan Peters, the tea party candidate for Sheriff, who worked for Redflex, the red light camera company. 

Instead of living within their means and cut spending municipalities have decided they would rather install cameras so they can make money off of people rolling through a right on red.  This is big brother and big government at its worst.  Time and time again Declan O’Scanlon stands up for limited government, yet the tea party doesn’t support him?  Again I ask, what has Declan done to increase the size of government?  What has he done that is inconsistent with the tea party core value of limited government?  Yet, the tea party endorses a candidate for Sheriff who worked for Redflex. 

So, the tea party candidate for Sheriff was a policeman, collecting a paycheck from the government.  Now he is on disability (yet he can run a campaign and be sheriff.  Too disabled to work but not too disabled to campaign, which is physically grueling) and on disability he is, again, collecting a check from the government.  And then there is his time at Redflex, a company that’s sole source of revenue is a government enforced monopoly.  A company that’s sole source of revenue is the hardworking people of NJ.  The tea party candidate for Sheriff has spent his entire life collecting a check from the government, not to mention his disability fraud.  That’s not fiscal responsibility.  That’s not limited government.  That’s not free market capitalism. 

I am all for running against Shaun Golden but why would the tea party pick someone like this?  He does not seem to embody one of their core values.  Maybe he says the right things while campaigning but he doesn’t live them.

Speaking of free markets, Declan O’Scanlon is a small business owner and lives and breathes in the free market every day.  He has also spent years fighting job-killing regulations and legislation that picks winners and losers in the market place.  From his time as a councilman till today Declan has fought for capitalism and against attempts by the Corzine democrats to limit free markets with laws and regulations.  One final time I ask, what has Declan ever done that says he is anything but a champion of free market capitalism?  The answer is: nothing.  And the tea party knows it.

So why would the tea party group be running candidates against Declan?   You want to run against Kyrillos, fine.  He is an empty suit and an establishment hack.  You want to run against Shaun Golden, again, fine.  But to run against Declan is ridiculous.  To say that he is anything but a supporter of the tea party core values and the tea party’s causes is a flat out lie. 

Bellew, Gonzalez, Boracchia Attack LD 13 Incumbents, Blogs

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By Art Gallagher

Bayshore Tea Party Group co-founder Barbara Gonzalez pinning Sen. Joe Kyrillos

Bayshore Tea Party Group co-founder Barbara Gonzalez pinning Sen. Joe Kyrillos during happier times.

After over three weeks of media silence, the Bellew for Senate campaign issued a scathing 920 word press release this afternoon accusing State Senator Joe Kyrillos and Assembly members Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon of hypocrisy, liberalism, slander, ducking debates and being mean.

Also blasted by Bellew Jersey, was “an organized army of cronies (that) have waged a campaign of personal attacks and character assassination on members of the Tea Party.”

“They have used surrogates in a legion of non-journalistic blogs and Internet attack machines to call the Tea Party “nut jobs.” To the Tea Party, this closely resembles Obama campaign style tactics of personal destruction. In fact, it mirrors what the IRS is now in trouble for doing – trying to silence their critics. Conservatives know this destroys any credibility Joe Kyrillos, Declan O’Scanlan, and Amy Handlin and their liberal Republican establishment team could possibly claim to have in support of the patriots fighting for limited government.”

The release, which was sent out by and paid for by Bellew for State Senate, quotes Senate Candidate Leigh-Ann Bellew, Bayshore Tea Party Group co-founder Barbara Gonzalez, and Assembly Candidate Steven Boracchia.   Assembly Candidate Edna Walsh was mentioned but not quoted in the statement which can be read in its entirety here.

The Tea Party Group and their candidates were ostensibly set off by a joint press release that Kyrillos, Handlin and O’Scanlon sent out on Friday expressing their outrage over the recent IRS scandal over targeting Tea Party groups throughout the nation for intense scrutiny and demanding that the Obama Administration be held accountable for the IRS’s behavior.  The 13th District Legislator’s release can be read in its entirety here.

By my reading, the Bellew/Bayshore Tea Party team’s complaints don’t match up with the Legislator’s release, which did not defend Tea Party groups, but rather condemned the IRS actions and the Obama Administration’s suspected complicity.

I assume the unnamed “non-journalistic blogs and Internet attack machines” means MMM and CNJPolitics.  I can’t speak for or about CNJPolitics, but I stand by the fairness with which MMM has covered the LD 13 primary.

 

O’Scanlon On Offense

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Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon said the Bayshore Tea Party Group backed challenge of the 13th Legislative District incumbents and the Monmouth GOP county-wide incumbents, is inspired by nothing more than the need for attention and the desire for relevance on the part of the challenging candidates and of Barbara Gonzalez, co-founder of BTPG.  O’Scanlon flat out challenged the group’s integrity.

O’Scanlon made his charge directly to the faces of the challenging candidates who showed up last night, Leigh-Ann Bellew for Senate, Edna Walsh and Steve Boracchia running for Assembly, BTPG co-founder Barbara Gonzalez, along with approximately 30 other Republican primary voters at a Meet the Candidates Night hosted by the Two Rivers Republican of Fair Haven.

O’Scanlon was representing himself and his running mates, Senator Joe Kyrillos and Assemblywoman Amy Handlin at the gathering.  Freeholder Director Tom Arnone and Sheriff Shaun Golden spoke on behalf of themselves and Freeholder Deputy Director Serena DiMaso.  All three men defended the conservative records of the incumbents and called out the challengers for running against the wrong candidates, dividing the party, and distorting their records to the Republican primary voters.

O’Scanlon went after the challengers aggressively on the content of their campaign, without personal attacks.

“Is this what we’re here for?” Gonzalez shouted out as O’Scanlon defended his conservative bona fides, that of his running mates and accused his challengers of distorting the incumbents record.  “We were invited here on false pretenses,” Walsh objected.  Bellew prepared to walk out, but stayed at Walsh’s behest.

“Joe Kyrillos has more integrity in his pinky finger than all of our challengers combined,” declared O’Scanlon, “he will look you in the eye and tell you where he stands. These people(the challengers and BTPG) are distorting our records. They are lying to voters at a time when we should be united to defeat Democrats and take control of the legislature.”

“We have not attacked you and we’re not lying,” Walsh retorted. “You’re trying to get me fired,” O’Scanlon snapped back, “Let’s look at your literature,” he said as he took a campaign piece out of a folder, “Did you review it before it went out?” Walsh sat silently, dumbfounded.

In his three minute presentation to the group, Boracchia spoke of the need for smaller government and local control. “I’m from Atlantic Highlands, a small town where I can talk to the mayor in the coffee shop and tell him what’s going on.”  “I talked to your mayor, Fred Rast, two hours ago,” O’Scanlon replied, “he doesn’t know you. Fred said you’re not involved in anything in the town.”  Borachhia sat silently, dumbfounded.

“When you ran two years ago, ” O’Scanlon addressed Borachhia who ran for Senate as an Independent in 2011, ”your tax reform proposal would have sent income taxes skyrocketing. Your numbers don’t make sense. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”  Borachhia sat silently, dumbfounded.

O’Scanlon read aloud a text message that Bellew sent Kyrillos on November 9, 2012, three days after the general election that Kyrillos lost to U.S. Senator Bob Menendez.  Bellew was shaking her head and fidgeting like a ragdoll as O’Scanlon read.

“Joe you should have no regret about running. You were clearly the better choice. But the voters were blinded for lack of knowledge. Our job is to change that. You ran we’ll (sic) my friend and I am proud that I can still call you Senator Kyrillos :) (emphasis added)

O’Scanlon followed the reading of Bellew’s glowing text message by showing a photograph of Gonzalez presenting a Gadsden Don’t Tread On Me pin to Kyrillos .

Bellew got up to defend the text. “Kyrillos was a better choice than Mendenez, but he doesn’t defend life and he doesn’t defend our liberty.”

“Joe Kyrillos’ record hasn’t changed since you sent that text,” retorted O’Scanlon, “proud to call you Senator!”

“What about that bill, S1901, clone and kill,” said Walsh trying to bail Bellew out, “that’s current.” ”That was in 2003,” O’Scanlon snapped back, and you all have supported Kyrillos since!”  Walsh sat silently, dumbfounded.

When it was all over, Gonzalez said to MMM, “This is what happens when regular people get absorbed into the machine.  They (O’Scanlon, Arone and Golden) are too polished.  I should run.  I should really run.”

Chucky-horror-movies-8014363-420-530For Gonzalez’s perspective on the evening where she calls O’Scanlon “Chuckie” the small doll from the horror movie, complements Arone and calls Golden a liar, click here.

Why I am voting against Leigh-Ann Bellew on June 4

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Art headshot 2012By Art Gallagher

Yesterday I was interviewed by The Star Ledger and went on the record saying that I would be voting for Joe Kyrillos for State Senate in the 13th Legislative District Republican primary on June 4th.   Consistent with my slogan of being fair and biased, it is appropriate that I tell you, my readers and the reason my opinion matters to The Star Ledger, that MMM is now part of the story and that I have made a decision that can’t help but color my coverage of the rest of the campaign.

MMM is part of the LD 13 story, instead of just covering the story, because we’ve provided the bulk of the media coverage of the primary campaign to date and because Kyrillos’ challenger, Leigh-Ann Bellew, attacked this site in a press release, according to The Star Ledger.

On many important issues, Life and The Right to Bear Arms in particular, I am in more philosophical agreement with Bellew than I am with Kyrillos.   Despite my philosophical differences with Kyrillos, the choice between him and Bellew has become a very easy one.  Kyrillos is a very good State Senator.  Bellew is a deeply flawed candidate.  She never should have exposed herself, her family, and friends who care about her deeply to the rigors and vetting of this campaign.

I first met Bellew when she was a candidate for Congress in 2006.  I was not really impressed with her, yet I was impressed by her willingness to take one for the team by running a futile race against Frank Pallone.  We owe a debt of gratitude to those who are willing to disrupt their lives to take on the quixotic but necessary endeavor of running against an entrenched incumbent.

In 2010 Bellew and I became acquainted again as part of Anna Little’s ‘inner circle’ in the primary race for the Republican nomination for Congress from the 6th NJ district.  I was now impressed with how versed she had become with the nuts and bolts of politics.  I became very impressed with her work ethic and commitment.   There were a handful of people who were responsible for Little winning the 2010 primary.  Bellew was one of them.

Bellew made me aware of the lifesaving good works of the Solutions Pregnancy & Health Center.  If the free ad I have given Solutions since Leigh-Ann made me aware of the center saved one life or made a difference in the life of one young women in crisis, I will be forever grateful to Bellew for the opportunity to contribute, however modestly.

During the immediate aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, Bellew, a Union Beach resident, called me frequently to help coordinate the delivery of supplies and the deployment of Christian volunteers from throughout the country to Highlands and other areas of Monmouth County that were devastated by the storm.  No one would have expected Leigh-Ann to give generously of herself during the storm, or noticed if she didn’t.  But she gave generously of her time and talents and did so very well.

I admire and deeply respect Leigh-Ann Bellew.

I am also deeply disappointed in her.

It has become apparent that Bellew has inflated her educational and professional credentials throughout her political career. Why, I don’t understand.  I know Leigh-Ann Bellew makes significant contributions to society regardless of her credentials.   Some of the most accomplished people I know do not have college degrees, graduate degrees or professional degrees.

When questions about Bellew’s credentials started being raised, before they became public, I asked her about her education.  She told me she graduated from law school and did not take the bar exam.  When PoltickerNJ raised those questions publicly, I called her again.  She hasn’t returned that call or any since.  I am left to conclude that he has inflated her resume.  That is a fatal flaw for any employment application, especially a public service, elected position.

But that is not my biggest disappointment.  My biggest disappointment in Bellew is how she has distorted Joe Kyrillos’ record and that of Assembly Members Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon.

Bellew has virtually no philosophical disagreement with O’Scanlon on Life or The Right to Bear Arms.  Her differences with Handlin are negligible and politically insignificant.  Yet Bellew has misinformed her gullible running mates and supporters. She has distorted Handlin’s and O’Scanlon’s positions and records.  Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon are social and fiscal conservatives who should be supported by social conservatives and Tea Party groups.

Bellew has legitimate differences with Kyrillos over the Life, The Right to Bear Arms, and other issues.  Yet, rather than wage an honest campaign on those differences, Bellew has distorted Kyrillos’ record and positions in order to mislead her gullible supporters and running mates into believing Kyrillos is a liberal to the left, or as far left as President Obama.   Why?  I can’t imagine.  A skilled politician and communicator as Bellew purports to be (she’s claimed she worked with Roger Ailes of FoxNews) could simply confront Kyrillos with his multiple contradictory positions over the years on many issues and force him to explain himself.  Bob Menendez did it brilliantly last year when he dubbed Kyrillos “multiple choice” on the Life issue. Whatever chance Kyrillos had to gain traction in his uphill battle to unseat the U.S. Senator last year was over when the Menendez dubbed Kyrillos with the “multiple choice” label.

But Bellew had to go overboard and tell people that Kyrillos supports partial birth and late term birth abortions.  He does not.  On that the record is clear.

Rather than exploit Kyrillos’ weaknesses, Bellew surrendered the high ground and allowed her opponent to accurately label her “silly and foolish.”

Bellew’s political track record, from embellishing her own credentials to distorting her opponents’ records, suggests that she believes that in order to win an election, she needs to fool the voters.  Either she believes she is unworthy of the office she seeks, or she believes the voters are stupid.  In that regard, she has a lot more in common with President Obama than Joe Kyrillos does.

That’s why I am voting against Leigh-Ann Bellew on June 4th, and why I am so very disappointed in her.

Sometime between now and June 4, Why am I am voting for Joe Kyrillos.  There is a litany of good reasons for conservatives to vote for Joe Kyrillos.  I’ll tell you why I am voting for Joe Kyrillos after the hubbub over this post dies down.

 

O’Scanlon Endorsed By NRA PAC

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Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon has been endorsed by the NRA Political Victory Fund for the June 4th Republican primary in the 13th legislative district.

In an email to their members in the 13th district, NRA-PV said,

“Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon is rated “A” by the NRA-PVF and has been a proven Second Amendment supporter throughout his tenure in the state legislature.  He has been vocal in his support of your Second Amendment rights and has stood strong against anti-gun lawmakers pushing their radical agenda in Trenton.  Declan O’Scanlon has stood by gun owners in New Jersey by consistently voting against onerous gun proposals, including sweeping ammunition bans, magazine capacity restrictions, one-gun-a-month limitation, and more.

On Election Day, remember your gun rights are at stake and Vote Freedom First by voting to reelect Declan O’Scanlon for Assemblyman in District 13.”

O’Scanlon welcomed the endorsement as a confirmation of his conservative credentials by “one of the most effective advocacy groups in the nation.”

“This is confirmation that my opponents have be lying about my record and confirmation that my opponents have no integrity,”O’Scanlon said, “The NRA knows enough to say away from my opponents,

“As the only candidate endorsed by the NRA-PV in the district, I enthusiastically endorse Senator Joe Kyrillos and Assemblywoman Amy Handlin.”

Barbara Gonzalez, co-founder of the Bayshore Tea Party Group which is supporting O’Scanlon’s opponents in the primary did not respond to a request for comment.

UPDATE

Gonzalez responded to MMM late last evening, declining to comment. “Nope….your blog has become trashy.  Just….nope,” she wrote.

 


NJ Right To Life Defends Kyrillos And Handlin Against Bellew’s ‘Misinformation’

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Pro-Life Advocate Endorses O’Scanlon In LD13 Primary

NJ Right to LifeMarie Tasy, Executive Director of New Jersey Right to Life issued a statement last night refuting the “misinformation” being circulated by State Senate Candidate Leigh-Ann Bellew and her Bayshore Tea Party Group backed running mates in the 13th legislative district Republican primary.

Tasy was quoted in a mailer sent by the Bellew/Bayshore Tea Party slate as saying that Senator Joe Kyrillos voted in favor of partial birth abortion.

In her statement to MoreMonmouthMusings, Tasy went into painstaking detail to list Kyrillos’s votes against partial birth abortion. She said that bill cited in Bellew’s mailer that Kyrillos voted for, S1909, was a “bill filled with very technical, scientific jargon that was rammed through the Senate at breakneck speed.” The bill legalized embryonic stem cell research and cloning, NOT partial birth abortion.  Tasy said that many Senators voted for the bill without fully understanding it.  Subsequently, Kyrillos voted against the funding of embryonic stem cell/cloning research with increased taxes and bonding.

Tasy noted that Assembly Members Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon were not legislators when the partial birth abortion and embryonic stem cell/cloning research bills were voted on.

Tasy’s statement is particularly extraordinary because Kyrillos is pro-choice on abortion.  Tasy said she is not defending Kyrillos, but setting the record straight on the misinformation campaign.

 I am not writing to defend Senator Kyrillos’ record and well known position on abortion, but to set the record straight on the misinformation campaign that is being circulated regarding his voting record and the positions of Assemblyman O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Handlin.  It should be noted that Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Amy Handlin were NOT  in the legislature at the time these bills were voted on and  therefore did  not vote on any of these bills.

“It says a lot about our opponents who call themselves conservatives that someone as highly respected in the Pro-Life community as Marie Tasy would take the time to refute the misinformation in their literature,” said O’Scanlon, “This is further confirmation of what I’ve been saying throughout the campaign, Bellew, her running mates, and the Bayshore Tea Party Group’s leadership have no integrity.”

Neither Bellew nor Bayshore Tea Party Group co-founder Barbara Gonzalez responded to an invitation to comment.

Tasy’s statement can be read in its entirety below:

I am writing to set the record straight regarding some misinformation that is being circulated in mailers to voters in the the 13th legislative district.   As the Executive Director of New Jersey Right to Life,  I have been actively involved in matters dealing with pro-life issues which the NJ Legislature has voted on over the years.    One of these which I am very familiar with is the NJ ban on partial birth abortions which passed in 1997. The truth of the matter is Senator Joseph Kyrillos  voted yes to ban partial birth abortions on June 16, 1997 (Bill A2409).  He also voted yes to override then- Governor Christine Todd Whitman’s veto of the partial birth abortion bill on December 15, 1997. To his credit, Senator  Kyrillos voted  yes three times  on two bills which would have required parental notification before a minor gets an abortion ( Bill A527 on June 24, 1999 and ACR2 on 6/28/01 and 01/07/02.)  It is true that Senator Kyrillos did vote for a bill (S1909 on 12/15/02) that legalized embryonic stem cell research and cloning as did many Senators at the time who didn’t have time to fully understand a bill filled with very technical, scientific jargon  that was rammed through  the Senate at breakneck speed.       Senator Kyrillos  voted No on all subsequent ballot measures that were posted for a full Vote in the Senate which would have raised taxes to fund stem cell/cloning research through a multi-million dollar bond  borrowing scheme (S2913 on 12/15/05, S2649 on 6/27/05 and S-1091 on 6/21/07).   I am not writing to defend Senator Kyrillos’ record and well known position on abortion, but to set the record straight on the misinformation campaign that is being circulated regarding his voting record and the positions of Assemblyman O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Handlin.  It should be noted that Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Amy Handlin were NOT  in the legislature at the time these bills were voted on and  therefore did  not vote on any of these bills.  

New Jersey Right to Life PAC  is proud to endorse  Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon for Assembly in this primary as we have done in past legislative elections.   As the  Republican Budget Officer on the Assembly Budget Committee, Assemblyman O’Scanlon has been a responsible, tenacious fighter for NJ  taxpayers.     He has been a vocal supporter of  Governor Christie’s decision to eliminate $7.5M in taxpayer money from the state budget for Planned Parenthood while ensuring that funding for legitimate healthcare for women is preserved.    Senator Kyrillos, Assemblyman O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Handlin have repeatedly voted against Democrat attempts to restore $7.5M in taxpayer funds to Planned Parenthood which Governor Christie eliminated in the state budget.    Again, to reiterate my earlier point,  Assemblyman O’Scanlon and Assemblywoman Handlin did NOT serve in the Legislature when the NJ partial birth abortion ban and the Stem Cell/Cloning bill were voted on and any  implication in recent mailers by their opponents that they voted in favor of these measures is completely false.  

Marie Tasy,  Executive Director

New Jersey Right to Life

Wake up call

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Dirty Trick Alleged in LD 13

wake up callA robo call went out to Republican primary voters in the 13th Legislative District at 4am this morning urging people to vote for Senator Joe Kyrillos and Assembly Members Amy Handlin and Declan O’Scanlon.

“You have four hours to get out and vote…” the call said.  The obvious impression was that the call was supposed to go out at 4PM.

The Monmouth GOP did not order the call.  Kyrillos, Handlin and O’Scanlon did not order the call. Both campaigns say they had no calls scheduled for 4PM.

The caller ID was a secondary number of Monmouth GOP’s, yet the call did not mention the county candidates, Sheriff Shaun Golden or Freeholders Tom Arnone and Serena DiMaso.

O’Scanlon said the call looks to be a dirty trick.

Monmouth GOP Chairman John Bennett is furious. He said the call was a crime. He’s gathering data and plans to file a complaint with the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office this afternoon.

“We’ve never had this from the Democrats and they have not had it from us,” Bennett said, “I’m not accusing anyone, but we will get to the bottom of it and file a criminal complaint. This was a dirty trick and attempted voter suppression, pure and simple.”

Both Bennett and O’Scanlon said they became aware of the call before 4:30 this morning when they received phone calls from friends who had been woken up by the call.

MMM left a voice mail and a text with Bayshore Tea Party Group cofounder Barbara Gonzalez asking if she knows anything about the 4am robocall.  Gonzalez has yet to respond. The Bayshore Tea Party Group is supporting the slate of challengers running against the LD13 and Monmouth County Republican incumbents.

 

Tax revenues indicate that New Jersey’s economy is on the upswing

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1999_NJ_Proof

 

New Jersey’s tax revenues exceeded projections for the seventh consecutive month and income tax collections were the highest ever in June, even without a “millionaires tax.”

The Treasury Department announced yesterday, that income tax collections in fiscal 2013 were 12.4% higher that in fiscal 2012 (the fiscal year ends on June 30) and sale tax collections increased 3.7%.

The State’s fiscal 2013 revenue collections through June totaled $25.6 billion, $1.58 billion higher than in fiscal 2012.

The revised State 2013 Budget was $31.19 billion.  Treasury spokesman Bill Quinn told MMM that the $5.59 billion difference between revenue collected and the budget is 1) taxes due in June, $1 billion or more, but not collected until July, inter-fund transfers from dedicated funds with surpluses, funds from the lottery, and other miscellaneous fees and taxes. In fiscal 2012, the State collected $7.82 billion in revenue from sources other than the income tax, sales tax and corporation business tax.

Assemblyman Declan Scanlon ,the Assembly Republican Budget Officer, said, “The latest revenue update reflects our state’s improved job creation numbers, particularly in the private sector, and the confidence which people have in New Jersey’s economy. Income tax and sales tax collections are correlated to the sustained job creation we have seen and the increased confidence by consumers. People who have a steady job contribute to our economic growth and send a positive message to businesses throughout the state.

New Jersey was in a very dark place in many categories when Governor Christie took over. Today’s stellar economic numbers bear out the wisdom of the conservative fiscal policies we’ve implemented under this administration. Our state is not only weathering the havoc created by Sandy, but the continued good news about revenues and jobs demonstrates we have every reason to maintain our optimism.”

 

O’Scanlon: Red Light Cameras Sacrifice Safety For Revenue

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Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon and Attorney Joseph Santoli presenting Red Light Camera findings in Tinton Falls this morning.

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon and Attorney Joseph Santoli presenting Red Light Camera findings in Tinton Falls this morning.

In a scathing indictment of Red Light Camera (RLC) operators and the New Jersey municipalities that deploy the devices, Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon today revealed what he described as “irrefutable evidence” that  yellow light times at many New Jersey intersections do not meet the standards required by law, causing thousands of motorist to be hit with millions of dollars in unlawful fines.

Backed up by Barnet Fagel, a traffic expert with the National Motorists Association and Attorney Joseph Santoli who discovered in a New York case that RLC companies were shaving yellow light times in order to entrap drivers into being caught on camera running a red, O’Scanlon said that shortened yellow lights cause more accidents and that “safety is being sacrificed” for municipal and RCL company’s revenue.

Yellow lights are required to have either 3 or 4 second intervals, depending on the level of traffic and speed at the intersections.  Fagel conducted a study this weekend of 12 of the approximately 80 New Jersey RLC intersections.  All but “one or two” were found to have yellow lights that were between 1/10 and almost 3/10 of a second too short. Fagel presented the video evidence of his finding.

The most egregious of Fagel’s findings was in Jersey City at the intersection of Rt.1-9 and Sip Ave, a 4 second yellow light location.  Fagel’s video showed that the yellow light lasted only 3.753 seconds.

 

JERSEY CITY-SIP – 1-9 from Barnet Fagel on Vimeo.

O’Scanlon said that 80% of all RLC infractions occur during the first second of the red light. By shaving 1/10-3/10 of a second off the yellow lights, roughly 30% of the RLC generated tickets are unlawful.

O’Scanlon places the lion’s share of the blame for these rip-offs on the RLC operators. “These companies don’t give a damn about safety,” he said, “the industry is built on a fraudulent foundation and is rotten to the core.”

The municipal elected officials who authorized RLC in their communities, and the traffic engineers they employ, did not escape O’Scanlon’s wrath. “They are either incompetent or they are intentionally ripping off the public. Either was it’s egregious.”

O’Scanlon produced a June 2012 statement for the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) wherein the department found that only 22 of New Jersey’s 85 RLC intersections were in compliance with the nationally accepted standards which DOT requires.  The statement said that intersections with lights that do not meet the yellow standard will be removed from the New Jersey RCL pilot program.

New Jersey’s RLC five year pilot program expires in December of 2014.  O’Scanlon said he is forwarding his finding to DOT and expects that those intersections not in compliance will be removed.

Additionally, O’Scanlon is proposing “One Second for Safety” legislation which would require an additional second be added to all yellow lights in New Jersey. He said that Virginia adding 1/2 second to their yellow lights resulted in a 60% reduction in red light infractions.

O’Scanlon is rallying public support to kill red light cameras

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NJ101.5 photo

NJ101.5 photo

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, New Jersey’s most vocal advocate for the elimination of red light cameras, has taken to social media to rally public support for his quest to remove the devices that he has proven increase traffic accidents and are designed to rip off motorists from New Jersey intersections.

O’Scanlon has created an online petition at change.org that demands the New Jersey Department of Transportation end the red-light camera program in the State.  The petition can be found by clicking here.

red light camerasOn August 19, O’Scanlon provided video evidence to the press that red light camera operators shorten the required yellow light times at the intersections where the devices are installed in order to entrap motorists into running red lights and incurring fines that boost municipal revenue by upwards of $50 million dollars per year and put millions of dollars in the pockets of the companies that sell and service the red light cameras.

Backed up by Barnet Fagel, a traffic expert with the National Motorists Association and Attorney Joseph Santoli who discovered in a New York case that RLC companies were shaving yellow light times in order to entrap drivers into being caught on camera running a red, O’Scanlon said that shortened yellow lights cause more accidents and that “safety is being sacrificed” for municipal and RCL companies’ revenue.

Yellow lights are required to have either 3 or 4 second intervals, depending on the level of traffic and speed at the intersections.  Fagel conducted a study this weekend of 12 of the approximately 80 New Jersey RLC intersections.  All but “one or two” were found to have yellow lights that were between 1/10 and almost 3/10 of a second too short. Fagel presented the video evidence of his finding.

The most egregious of Fagel’s findings was in Jersey City at the intersection of Rt.1-9 and Sip Ave, a 4 second yellow light location.  Fagel’s video showed that the yellow light lasted only 3.753 seconds.

New Jersey’s Red Light Camera Program is a five year experiment that will expire in December of 2014 unless the legislature extends it.  O’Scanlon says there is already more than enough evidence to demonstrate that the program is a failure. RCL’s do not increase public safety.  On the contrary, they put lives at risk and serve no purpose other than to raise ill-gotten revenue for municipal governments and their unscrupulous vendors.

O’Scanlon has forwarded his findings to NJ DOT and hopes to enlist the support of at least 10,000 petition signers to pressure the DOT bureaucrats to end the program immediately.

Booker ♥ Red Light Cameras

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 O’Scanlon gathers 4,000 signatures to stop Red Light Cameras  in only two weeks

red light camerasThe City of Newark is ripping off motorists with Red Light Cameras and Cory Booker loves the revenue.

Newark announced yesterday that the seven intersections in the city that have RLCs have seen a 64% decline in accidents since the cameras were installed four years ago, according the a report in The Star Ledger.

But Newark did not disclose the number of accidents at the intersection before or after the installations of the RLCs, which could make the percentages meaningless.  A Newark spokesman declined to elaborate.  Additionally, Newark has 19 intersections with RLC’s.  Their news release touted the results of only 7 intersections.

Booker said,

“Since their installation four years ago, our city’s red light cameras have been an effective mechanism in significantly reducing auto accidents at busy intersections,” Booker, a candidate for U.S. Senate in next month’s special election, said in a statement. “The investment in this technology has made our residents safer and served as a strong deterrent for people who may otherwise consider breaking traffic laws.”

Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth), the state’s leading advocate against the Red Light Rip-offs  called Newark’s press release disingenuous.

Upon learning of their city’s bogus report hailing the success of RLCs, a group of residents gathered under a light, looked in the camera and started chanting, “We don’t want you here, We don’t want you here!”

Just kidding. Those guys were really heckling GOP nominee for U.S. Senate Steve Lonegan yesterday outside of Booker’s former abandoned property.

DOT Regulations require that yellow lights last either 3 or 4 seconds depending on the level of traffic at the intersections.  O’Scanlon commissioned a study that demonstrated that intersections with RLCs have shorter than required yellow light times. Included in O’Scanlon’s study was the intersection of Market Street and Raymond Blvd in Newark, a 4 second intersection with a light that changes after 3.872 seconds.

NEWARK-MARKET-RAYMOND from Barnet Fagel on Vimeo.

Public support to kill New Jersey’s Red Light Camera program is growing.  O’Scanlon started an online petition two weeks ago that has already gathered 4,000 signatures.

“My campaign to stop the red-light camera programmed has received some incredible support from the public,” said O’Scanlon. “The office was flooded with calls, but it seemed that some folks felt there really wasn’t a vocal outcry to end this failing program. That was why I started this petition and now we have over 4000 people signed up – unlike the red-light camera companies, our numbers don’t lie.”

“I think it is fortuitous that, on the heels of Newark’s disingenuous press release claiming that the cameras have significantly decreased accident rates, we reach this hallmark with our petition,” O’Scanlon explained. “The facts are simple: red-light cameras do not improve safety, they are revenue generators and the public is tired of being fleeced. The more signatures we compile, the harder it will be to ignore us. We are not going away, and our effort will not be dismissed as a few people making noise.”

O’Scanlon’s petition has only been up for two weeks, it can be found at: http://www.change.org/petitions/new-jersey-department-of-transportation-end-the-red-light-camera-program-in-nj

 

O’Scanlon Reiterates His Support Of Gay Marriage

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declan-oscanlon-budgetVarious news sources are reporting that Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) has “broken with Governor Christie” over the issue of same sex marriage.

The news reports are inaccurate.

O’Scanlon was never “with” Governor Christie on the same sex marriage issue. He’s been on the record as favoring the Marriage Equality and Religious Exemptions Act since February of 2012 when the bill passed both houses of the legislature and was vetoed by Christie.

O’Scanlon was absent from the February 2012 vote because he was attending Senator Jennifer Beck’s wedding in Jamaica.   Upon his return to New Jersey, he told triCityNews that he would have voted for the bill had he been present and that he would vote to override Christie’s veto if it ever comes up for a vote.

triCityNews is not published online.  Publisher Dan Jacobson verified my recollection of O’Scanlon’s quotes on the phone this evening.

The issue is in the news again because marriage equality advocates have been in Trenton this week lobbying for an override of Christie’s veto before the end of the legislative session in January.

The Marriage Equality and Religious Exemptions Act passed the Senate with a vote of 24-16 and the Assembly by 42-33, with 5 Assembly members, including O’Scanlon and Mary Pat Angelini not voting.   An override requires a 2/3 affirmative vote.  In order for an override to succeed, the bill needs three additional yes votes in the Senate and 12 yes votes in the Assembly. O’Scanlon and Angelini represent two of the needed yes votes. Republican Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi of Bergen County also didn’t vote in 2012.  Schepisi said she would vote to override, leaving the bill needing 9 votes to pass in the Assembly.

If there is a override vote, it probably won’t occur until the “lame duck” session after the November election and before the new legislature takes office in January.


Storms and Fires Aren’t the Only Disasters Our Governor Has Led Us Through

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declan-oscanlon-budgetBy Assembly Declan O’Scanlon

While storms and fires can’t be ignored or missed as we go through the motions of our daily lives, one of the biggest threats to the well-being of our state was silently ignored – or even enhanced – by the folks supposedly in charge for the 8 years preceding Governor Christie’s election.  When Governor Christie took office our state was on the precipice of insolvency.  Governor Corzine and the folks leading the legislature – Barbara Buono amongst them – continued, either blindly or incompetently, to steer us toward utter disaster.  Some of you public workers still upset over the pension and benefits reforms that helped to dramatically turn our outlook around?  Get real.  The only alternative would have been huge, economy-strangling tax increases, or insolvency.  You don’t want to imagine the negative impact on your pensions – or our state’s economy – had that outcome become reality.

Yet that is exactly the outcome Governor Corzine and the Democrat legislative leadership were opting for.  Barbara Buono herself voted against the unquestionably necessary Christie administration reforms that have helped save our state.  She was also the Senate Budget Chairperson that authored resoundingly irresponsible budget after budget during the Corzine era – digging the hole deeper every step of the way.

Senator Buono blatantly demonstrates that, if elected, she would take us right back to the boldly naive, if not downright dishonest, and disastrous policies of the past.  Take her recent roll out of education policies.  Some of the policies she is advocating would leave our poorest students stuck in some of the most dismal, failed schools in our state.  The cost of her – substantially misguided – policies would run into the billions of dollars – and Buono’s plan doesn’t include where the money will come from.  We must remember – since Senator Buono apparently doesn’t – that every penny of additional spending on anything – no matter how worthy – will come out of our pockets and will have an impact on our ability to pay our bills and grow our economy.

To pay for her education package Buono says she would rely on a “millionaire’s” tax – completely ignoring that she and her Democrat legislative cronies have made promises to spend any new revenue over and over again.  Another problem with her plan to raise taxes is that we already have higher taxes than other states.  The people whose wallets Buono supposedly targets can easily transfer their taxable residency to other, lower tax states. When they do so their NJ tax rate is cut – to 0 – which results in an increased burden on all of us non-millionaires.  Oops.  Buono also fails at the math of her proposal.  The tax increase she relies on will only generate around $600 million.  The cost of her pie-in-the-sky proposal is around $3 billion.  It’s fiscally irresponsible thinking like this that almost destroyed New Jersey when Senator Buono and Governor Corzine were in charge.

Buono’s other big pitch is that Governor Christie has neglected women’s health care.  This is a shameful, bold-faced lie that is easily refuted.  We have made positive strides in women’s health care under this administration.  Every time I challenge the purveyors of the women’s health care fiction to introduce me to women being denied care – there is no response.  They haven’t produced even 1 person.  Anyone making this pitch is shamefully trying to play on the emotions of the women of New Jersey – and those of us who care about them.  Governor Christie – who has a wife and two daughters he loves dearly – falls into the latter category by the way.

Governor Christie has competently and bravely guided us through more than our share of disasters during his first term – and helped us avoid others.  We should send a message with our votes that we support those who tell us the truth and face tough challenges head-on with policies that make sense.  Those votes should include Republican legislative candidates right below the Governor on the ballot.  We have come a long way under Governor Christie, but the work isn’t done.  We have an opportunity right now, as never before, to fix our state.  It is time to turn control of the legislature over to Governor Christie’s partners so we can finish the job.  If we fail to take advantage of this opportunity we may not get another – until it’s to late.

 

 

Buono would raise sale taxes

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Lost in the headlines of yesterday’s special election is the fact that State Senator Barbara Buono would not rule out raising New Jersey’s 7% sales tax, if elected governor, during her debate with Governor Chris Christie on Tuesday night.

Governor Christie noted that the Democrats, with Buono as the Senate Budget Chair, shut down New Jersey’s government in 2006 when Jon Corzine was governor, because they couldn’t agree how high to raise the sales tax.

Assembly Republican Budget Officer Declarn O’Scanlon issued the following statement regarding Buono’s  taxing vision for New Jersey:

“Sen. Buono tells everyone that she doesn’t believe in ‘trickle down’ economics. But her failure to rule out an increase in the sales tax clearly shows she is fine with sending a tsunami of economic pain on middle class workers and their families.

“At a time when New Jersey is in the middle of an economic recovery, she has no concept of what a public policy disaster that proposal would be to creating jobs and maintaining our momentum. Increasing the sales tax is regressive and would further impact the most heavily taxed people in the country. It effectively sends the message to consumers to shop elsewhere and keeps New Jersey from being competitive with surrounding states. I am glad she no longer chairs the Senate Budget Committee. We are still trying to recover from the damage done to our economy.

“The fact that Sen. Buono doesn’t regret any of the 150-plus tax increases she voted for during her time in the Legislature tells voters she has no remorse for taking their hard-earned money out of their pocketbooks. One would have thought she learned of all the harm all those taxes inflicted. People moved out of our state. Businesses either relocated or expanded their operations elsewhere. Sen. Buono’s economic policies would send our state back to the same place where we were for the eight years Democrats had total control of Trenton . Those days are finished and so is Sen. Buono’s career in politics.”

O’Scanlon Slams Rand Paul For Baseless Attack On Christie

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declan-oscanlon-budgetBy Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon

 

Yesterday Senator Rand Paul attacked NJ Governor Christie suggesting that the Governor’s landslide victory last week was the result of the federal aid package sent to NJ following superstorm Sandy.  

I occupy the unique combination of positions of Republican Assembly Budget Officer, long term fiscal conservative who has warned of New Jersey’s irresponsible spending polices for years, long-term advocate for reforms like pension benefit and collective bargaining reforms – and my District (13) covers the area of the bayshore hardest hit by the storm.

Unlike Senator Paul, I can state unequivocally – and based on first hand experience – that Governor Christie’s popularity wasn’t purchased with federal aid.  It was earned by tireless, extraordinary leadership on multiple crisis fronts from the moment Christie won election in 2009.  He inherited a state on the verge of insolvency, requiring reform solutions – pension and benefit, arbitration, property tax, budgetary – that no governor in the history of the state ever dreamed of tackling.  

Governor Christie assembled an almost impossible bipartisan coalition of legislators and tackled every major issue we faced.  His popularity was earned with those successes.  Earned even before the storm by a guy who could marshal bipartisan support for dramatic reforms that ignited a trend that swept the nation. 

The storm did enhance Christie’s popularity – but not due to the federal aid.  It again came back to rock-steady leadership in a time of crisis.  It came from an ability to instill confidence in leadership at a devastating time of turmoil when Americans are used to expecting less from typical politicians.  Christie’s popularity wasn’t purchased with federal dollars – it was earned with guts and sweat and determination and honesty and integrity and genuine achievement.

The attack, while being total, erroneous garbage against Christie , does say something about Senator Paul.  We now know without question that he is a man willing to gratuitously attack another based on wholly fabricated charges about issues he, Senator Paul, knows nothing about.  

So let’s recap – Christie is a tireless worker who can win over hearts, tell the truth – good or bad – to his constituents, inspire bi-partisan cooperation and support in a deeply divided legislature to solve heretofore intractable problems decades in the making.  Oh, and as a bonus, he can step up in times of extreme tragedy and instill confidence and optimism on the part of those in dire need of both.  Sounds to me like just the type of guy this country could use as President.  Just sayin’.

 

Declan O’Scanlon is a New Jersey State Assemblyman from the 13th Legislative District/ Monmouth County

Meanest red-light cameras in N.J. pumped out thousands of citations in 2013

O’Scanlon: Red Light Camera Corruption Warrants Investigations By Fishman, Wisniewski

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declan-oscanlon-budgetAssemblyman Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) said today that he is asking U.S Attorney Paul Fishman to open criminal investigations into the municipal clients of Redflex Traffic Systems, an Arizona based red light camera company, due to legal claims by a former executive that the company routinely bribed municipal officials in 13 states, including New Jersey, in order to obtain the lucrative contracts to operate camera systems that issue summonses for red light infractions.

Additionally, O’Scanlon is writing to Assembly Transportation Committee Chairman John Wisniewski to ask that the committee open an investigation into New Jersey’s red light camera program in light of the recent bribery allegations and scientific proof commissioned by O’Scanlon that red light cameras are a detriment to public safety that are rigged to cheat motorists.

Wisniewski’s Assembly committee conducted the investigation into the George Washington Bridge lane closures that exposed members of Governor Christie’s staff and campaign, as well as two Port Authority officials, involvement in the lane closures last September.  A joint Senate and Assembly committee co-chaired by Wisniewski and Senator Loretta Weinberg is continuing the Bridgegate inquiry.

Aaron Rosenberg, formerly the top sales executive for Redflex, alleged in a civil lawsuit that the company doled out bribes and gifts to dozens of municipal officials, according to a story first reported by The Chicago Tribune. Rosenberg said he is cooperating on an ongoing federal investigation.

Redflex’s $100 million contract with Chicago has been terminated by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.  The company continues to operate in Chicago until a replacement is chosen.

“Red light camera corruption, overt bribery and the inherent systematic corruption of the program, have a huge, negative impact on the motorists of New Jersey, ” O’Scanlon said, “There is sufficient evidence to suggest that New Jersey’s red light camera program is government sanctioned theft that systematically puts motorists lives and property at risk for the benefit of out of state crooks.”

“I’ve been saying this for years now,” O’Scanlon  stated. “The companies are not about safety or improving traffic, they are about the almighty dollar and they will stop at nothing to get it.  We can’t trust anything they say as they work to game the political system to ensure their lucrative public contracts are safe.”

“I’ve spent the duration of New Jersey’s red-light camera program proving that these companies will twist accident numbers and tamper with yellow-light timing to convince the public that they are serving a noble purpose,” O’Scanlon said. “But the truth is much more nefarious, companies like Redflex will do anything to get a contract. They have donated tens of thousands of dollars to lawmakers’ campaign funds here in New Jersey alone. These red light camera companies are not good corporate citizens; they are the worst kind of businesses who stop at nothing to ensure a profit.”

“Of course when the basic premise of your business model is based on a lie – that red light cameras provide any public benefit – then I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the companies would feel any compunction to be honorable at any level.”

MMM learned from a Redflex employee that the company actively operates cameras in the New Jersey municipalities of Cherry Hill, Edison, Newark, New Brunswick, Springfield and Stratford.  We left a message with the New Jersey Department of Transportation’s communications office with the named contacts, Joe Dee or Steve Shapiro, for confirmation.  Neither Dee nor Shapiro have returned our call.

New Jersey’s red light camera program expires at the end of this year, unless the legislature and the governor extend it.

A recent report by WatchdogWire revealed that the camera operator in Piscataway, American Traffic Solutions, keeps 46% of the citation revenue generated by Middlesex County Township’s cameras.  The Piscataway revenue totaled $4.2 million from November 2011 through November 2013.  O’Scanlon said that in many cases, the red light camera company keeps over half of the revenue.

 

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