Ed Potosnak was endorsed by the Hunterdon County Democratic County Committee this weekend. I'm a voting member; representing Voting District #1, Flemington. The vote was very close; the choice between a candidate many in the room knew - Zenon Christodoulou, Vice-Chair of the Somerset County Dems - and one they just met, Ed Potosnak, who taught chemistry at Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School, then went to work developing education policy for Rep. Mike Honda (CA-15), DNC vice-Chair.
I want to talk a little about why. Active Dems in NJ-7 are battle-scarred warriors, particularly those of us in the western region of NJ-7, in Hunterdon. I run the DFA group there, and we were instrumental running a chunk of Linda Stender's field operation in 2006, when there were few campaign resources to be spent in NJ's most crimson county. We did well, helping to drive the 9% momentum shift uptick over the 2004 congressional race numbers in the Hunterdon part of NJ-7, the biggest jump in-District.
But much of the grass/netroots infrastructure that sprang to life for her in 2006, here and elsewhere, was ignored in Stender's 2nd campaign, a standard DCCC cookie-cutter deal. And, no surprise to us, the woman who came within about 3,000 votes of victory in 2006, caved in 2008 and lost by a whopping 9 points, as Blue Jersey's post-mortem analysis recounts.
There's a backstory to this. Five years ago, before Stender, Nathan Rudy - tired of begging the DCCC - decided "we'd have to do it ourselves." And Blue 7th PAC and Dump Mike - home of opposition research on Rep. Mike Ferguson - were born. They're gone now, and DFA's congressional campaign muscle here has atrophied a bit since 2006. That's why it matters that Ed Potosnak showed Hunterdon Democrats that he's the candidate more likely to create a solid campaign infrastructure.
Potosnak and Christodoulou got less than 6 days notice that Saturday's Hunterdon meeting was going to be the endorsement voting meeting. And Potosnak, long scheduled out of state, flew back overnight to get there, evidence he's got his game-face on. He's also gained some ground: He's declared with the FEC, which Zenon had not, and is already fundraising. More importantly, he's working the phones. Potosnak called every committee member he had contact info for.
Christodoulou also did well in front of that crowd, and explained the date to defend his PhD dissertation is fast-approaching, which kept him too busy to match Potosnak's outreach to date. Many of us know Zenon, a well-spoken, well-liked businessman with a history of raising money for national Democratic candidates like Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. And I maintain that Somerset, where Potosnak also lives, is Ground Zero now. In October, the county shifted from majority GOP to majority Democratic. Riding that Obama wave. The Democrat who inspires Somerset County voters - including unaffiliateds - has a fighting chance of being the game-changer. But it won't happen without infrastructure, without doing all the homework. And before Hunterdon voted, the teacher Potosnak did that. Plus some extra credit.
Union County's screening of NJ-7 candidates is March 10. Somerset County's convention is 9am on March 27th, in Bound Brook. Middlesex County, not scheduled yet.
I live in Hunterdon County, which distinguished itself in the last election by delivering the biggest percentage victory for Chris Christie of all 21 counties. (Don't fight with me, Ocean.) In Hunterdon, that's the reality of our 21-County Strategy(except sometimes). I was reminded of that fact getting ready for tonight's Hunterdon DFA meeting. We're launching a 3-month series called Winning Uphill Battles, because here everything, everything, everything is uphill. (Tonight we screen Street Fight at Friendly Grounds Coffee, Flemington).
So, I'm fighting county-envy right now, with the news that our neighbors to the northeast - Somerset County Dems - are scouting for not one, but two interns. Actually, I'm kind of stoked for them.
Sixteen months ago, some of my friends made history. In late October, 2008, for the first time ever, registered Democrats outnumbered registered Republicans in a county the GOP used to own without effort. Now, I do not think a good enough effort was made to hold onto any of the half-million new Democrats in the Obama surge. But I like watching Somerset County try.
Somerset's building infrastructure, and I'm encouraged by it, given how uphill progress has been in both our counties. Somerset Dems, who have had a full-time, paid Executive Director in Alex Radus since last year (sigh, Hunterdon lacks one), are now enlarging their intern pool from one Executive Campaign Assistant position last year to two, adding a Finance Assistant internship. Both positions are now open, and they're looking for applicants for the summer and spring terms. Internships are unpaid, but school credit is encouraged. (No, no internships in Hunterdon ... yet.)
UPDATE: Ah, I'm now informed the 2 internship job descriptions can have multiple people filling them at the same time, i.e. last summer there were 4 Executive Campaign Assistants. So, go apply, people!
For more info, job descriptions and how to apply, go here and click Internships.
Raids on the county sheriff's office, and the homes of her staff. Computers seized, records seized. Sheriff's officers stripped of their license to carry a weapon and banned for life from holding a law enforcement position anywhere in the state. Armed law enforcement officers lying on job applications. Resignations. Grand jury cases. Attempts to quash subpoenas. Sheriff's investigators hired without background checks, later found ineligible to attend the police academy, a requirement of their job. First Amendment violations and intimidation of citizens. Loyalty oaths required of staff. Taxpayer sticker-shock with one part of county government battling another part.
These are the kinds of things - and allegations - popping up in Hunterdon County against Sheriff Deborah Trout, who took office in January 2008, and has been in hot water ever since. A petition to recall the Sheriff has been approved and the clocks counting down 160 days to gather the signatures necessary to put the question on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The case against Sheriff Deborah Trout is complicated, dense with detail. And - depending on who you talk to - is either a slam-dunk or politically-motivated bull. It isn't easy to sort out what may be actionable from what is merely disagreement with the way the Sheriff does things.
Eagleton Institute of NJ Politics says this may be the first official effort to recall a county elected official in state history. If they succeed, it's definitely history. But the bar to take a sheriff's job is set high: 25% of all registered voters in the last general election and that's 21,866 signatures, which started with the first public meeting a few days ago of Out with Trout (which is officially non-partisan). I was surprised to see Marcia Karrow not only show up, but speak. Karrow (R-Raritan Twp.) will be sworn in in five days as State Senator, replacing Congressman Leonard Lance. Assemblyman Mike Doherty, who promises a he'll take that seat from her, skipped it.
Begin with the fact that Trout is a Republican. A dramatic primary left the first-ever Hunterdon woman to hold the job the surprise winner in 2007. The voters chose Trout over Democrat Bruce Cocuzza, arguably a better-qualified choice. But you find a lot of the same Republican names from the '07 primary pop up in this case, including George Muller, who gave up a Freeholder seat to run for Sheriff, perhaps motivated to add to his state pension years for a cushier retirement. Muller ended up in Trout's administration in a position, Freeholder George Melick alleges, for which there was "no funding" (Melick is calling on Trout to resign). And it appears that some of Trout's former primary rivals are involved in the recall effort, though how closely I don't know. Trout may feel the vultures circling.
Last night, the Flemington Borough Council voted unanimously to keep their Police Department - 15 F/T and 2 P/T officers - as it is, and forgo discussions with neighboring Raritan Township for shared services. It was probably the right decision, but it probably shouldn't have been made last night. The Council was forced into calling a vote on the matter by almost 300 citizens after more than two hours of complaint in a crowded church gymnasium in front of more reporters than attend Flemington Council meetings in any six months.
The story of how they got there is one of remarkable bobbling on the part of Flemington Mayor Bob Hauck, a well-organized Fraternal Order of Police union local, and a widely-recognized lack of transparency about the Mayor's actions that created the sense in both police ranks and citizenry that there were things they deserved to know that were being kept from them. Not so smart.
Full disclosure: I live in Flemington, and at the microphone thanked police for showing up at my house many times to help my mother, who died this week, get to the ER. I also live with the man who ran against Hauck for mayor, who also attended, and has not been shy in nailing the mayor for shortcomings. So be it.
For most of the people in the room, the story began at the last Council meeting, on Dec. 15, 2008. For the police, their union and Police Chief George Becker, it's been ramping up for a little longer.
Just a few days heads-up that shared services were on the December agenda was enough time to fill most of the seats in the tiny borough meeting room in the Hunterdon County seat.
But that 12/15 meeting turned ugly when Mayor Bob Hauck tried to eliminate the meeting's Public Comment section. It took a member of the Flemington Planning Board, sitting in one of about three dozen seats the room holds, to read to the Mayor the standard line printed on every Council agenda:
The Mayor can't shut down public comments, whether he likes what the public's likely to say or not. You'd think a Mayor, particularly one who served for years as the same borough's Clerk, would know that.
Hunterdon County had the lowest recycling rate in New Jersey for seven of the eight years between 1999 and 2006, the last available statistical year.
And the county can thank Warren County in 2001, when Hunterdon was second worst, for not allowing it to be a clean sweep.
Just where do they stand in relation to others:
The state has a goal of recycling at least 50 percent of garbage. The statewide average in 2006, the latest statistical year, was just under 55 percent.
Hunterdon County's rate was 35.3 percent.
Somerset County's rate was 46 percent, while Middlesex County's rate of 64.5 percent was tops in New Jersey.
Not even close. Here is the complete breakdown of recycling by county. It's not like Hunterdon has to do it all on their own either because the state is offering financial assistance. It's has been short sighted on their part because other counties that have chose to push recycling realized economic benefits. Hunterdon County has 180 days to address the problem, but they've already gone years without much of a change.
A supermarket is defending itself for refusing to a write out 3-year-old Adolf Hitler Campbell's name on his birthday cake. Deborah Campbell, 25, of nearby Hunterdon County, N.J., said she phoned in her order last week to the Greenwich ShopRite. When she told the bakery department she wanted her son's name spelled out, she was told to talk to a supervisor, who denied the request.
Karen Meleta, a ShopRite spokeswoman, said the store denied similar requests from the Campbells the last two years, including a request for a swastika.
Well isn't that nice, they've moved on from the swastika and on to their creative child naming. Check out this explanation:
Heath Campbell said he named his son after Adolf Hitler because he liked the name and because "no one else in the world would have that name."
The Campbells' two other children are named JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, who turns 2 in a few months, and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell, who will be 1 in April.
Campbell said he was raised not to avoid people of other races but not to mix with them socially or romantically. But he said he would try to raise his children differently.
"Say he grows up and hangs out with black people. That's fine, I don't really care," he said. "That's his choice."
"Other kids get their cake," Campbell complained. "I get a hard time. It's not fair to my children. How can a name be offensive?"
The kids are growing up in a home festooned with a swastika in every room. The father wears boots that once belonged to a Nazi soldier, and claims a relative was a member of Hitler's feared Schutzstaffel.
The parents insist they are not racist, although they don't believe in mingling the races.
That's right, it's not fair to his children that his dad is an ass to saddle him with that legacy as a name. Thurman Hart asked whether a child's name can be abusive. Have no fear, Walmart came to the rescue and made the cake. ShopRite was willing to give the guy the cake and the icing, just not write out the message but that wasn't good enough. This one even made the #1 story on Olbermann:
Many people projected that Somerset County and the NJ7 would go blue as part of the Obama wave. It didn't happen...not even close. Why? How did the Freeholder and NJ7 campaigns go so wrong? Or is this "As Good As It Gets?"
In Republican Counties (see useful table below the fold to see where your county sits in the rank), I think there has been too much focus on county-wide, Legislative, and Congressional campaigns. These county and regional campaigns just don't seem to be winable...not yet. I feel that the focus should be on municipal success. We need to build strong Democratic Municipal Committees (DMCs). Strong DMCs can do grassroots education to make voters understand the importance of local, county, and congressional government positions. And a strong DMC is vital for building the resumes and experience of candidates at the higher levels. We need to crawl before we can walk.
Do you ever get sick of hearing how so many people are leaving New Jersey, or want to leave New Jersey, or plan to leave New Jersey. Why would anyone want to live here, anyway? It's actually become a recurring theme from republican politicians and candidates who alternately seek to paint New Jersey as either anti-business or anti-family.
So, when I saw that Forbes Magazine recently rated the top 20 counties in the U.S. to raise a family, I was sure New Jersey couldn't possibly fair well. Right?
Wrong. The magazine used ten data points, including such things as air quality, crime rate, commute time, graduation rate and standardized test scores. But, significantly, in order to account for disparities in incomes from state to state, it also took into account cost of living, home price, and property tax rate as a percentage of median home price.
And guess what? New Jersey landed 3 counties in the top 20 best places to raise a family - more than any other state - with Morris County leading the way at #6, Hunterdon just behind at #7, and Somerset finishing strongly at #16. Plus, the article notes that some wealthy counties in the nation didn't make the cut because their rankings were tainted by too high home prices. Makes me wonder how close counties like Bergen or Essex or Monmouth might have been to making the cut, save for the home prices there. It must have been close.
I guess if we keep this up, no one will want to live in New Jersey anymore - it'll be too popular.
There is an 18-year-old high school senior in Hunterdon who got a surprise today when he went to vote for himself, in his first election as a candidate. Soham Gupte, who is headed to George Washington University soon to study politics, found himself listed on the ballot as the female candidate for County Committee. Soham is a male.
In the crimson heart of what used to be solid-red Hunterdon County, is Readington Township, a particularly hard nut to crack if you're an active Democrat. And that's what Soham intends to be; among his accomplishments is as co-founder of the 134-member Hunterdon High School Students for Obama facebook group. He goes to Hunterdon Central HS in Flemington.
The male/female glitch - apparently originating in the county clerk's office - is interesting enough. But what I find remarkable is that in a county where County Committee seats often go begging there are two males competing for that spot. That's a big deal in a county like Hunterdon.
In the last hour, the young candidate called me, I called the Board of Elections, who called the County Clerk, and they consulted with lawyers from the Attorney General's office. And I called NJSDC Exec Cirector Rob Angelo, so he'd be in the loop. And I learned something I didn't know - according to the Attorney General's office, the laws reserving one county committee slot per voting district for a female and one for a male, were changed some years ago. Nobody's quite sure how Soham's situation will be resolved yet. Lawyers are talking to lawyers, and certain issues like whether the county party bylaws would have to also be updated, are answers I just don't have yet.
Oddly enough, this is Soham's first election as a candidate, but it's not the first time he voted. He turned 18 a few days before the cutoff to register before Super Tuesday, and sent his application in before the deadline. But when he got a letter saying he was registered to vote but not in time for the Presidential Primary, I took him to court along with a lawyer donating his time for election protection work for ACLU-NJ. Hunterdon Superior Court Judge Steve Rubin determined Soham was not at fault and ruled he could vote. Soham's a bit of a veteran.
Two things seem remarkable here:
1. An 18-year-old is so determined to exercise his civic responsibility that he goes to court to safeguard his right to vote, and places his name on the ballot the first time he can. Hats off to Soham Gupte for that.
2. That things are changing so much, even in Hunterdon County, even in Readington, that County Committee slots are competed for. Hats off to everyone who makes sure that 50-State Strategy is 21-County Strategy in NJ, for that one.
Update: I spoke with Chairman Perr last night, and he doesn't agree with this characterization. Perr said that any campaign that asks has equal access to the Mt Laurel office space. The email from Michael Muller, the NJ Clinton campaign director, said that "the Burlington County Democratic Committee will host phone banks at their headquarters, 7000 Atrium Way in Mount Laurel, to help spread Hillary's message of change" so I take them at their word that they will also host phone banks for the Edwards or Obama campaigns. Has anyone requested to use the space and resources?
Also, two more BurlCo municipal chairs chimed in on the situation. One said that they never received the emails we noted below:
"It gets even worse - the County Dem Officers DO NOT EVEN HAVE THE DECENCY to send their emails to all County Committee Chairs... the emails from Jan 2 and Jan 9 that you cite never even arrived here...[...]... this is maddening - and does nothing to encourage party building at any level..."
This agrees with what Perr said. The emails were sent to the chair and vice chair's personal contacts, not the whole county committee (it wasn't clear to me if such an email list exists) or even all the municipal chairs.
Another writes:
"I am one of those in Burlco who was not pleased by the lack of Democracy in the decision to endorse Hillary. Chairman Perr talks about transparency, but the process to choose Hillary was completely opaque. I invite you to visit our County website http://www.burlcodems.com/cale... and check the Calendar. As of right now there are NO Committee meetings listed. Our bylaws state that we should conduct meetings monthly."
Although the Burlington County Democratic Committee has never voted to endorse anyone for the presidential primary, party leadership has decided to devote the county party's resources to the Hillary Clinton campaign. Many rank and file County Committee members are not happy.
On Wednesday, January 2nd, Chairman Rick Perr emailed Democrats to announce the "kick-off the Hillary Clinton campaign office" in their Mount Laurel office.
On Wednesday, January 9th, Vice Chairwoman Alice Furia forwarded a Clinton campaign email and urged members to "Please volunteer" for a Clinton phone bank. The Clinton email read in part: "Starting Monday, the Burlington County Democratic Committee will host phone banks at their headquarters, 7000 Atrium Way in Mount Laurel, to help spread Hillary's message of change."
This comes just weeks after Perr penned an editorial in the Burlington County Times supporting Senators Diane Allen and Loretta Weinberg's legislation for more transparency in the political process:
I firmly believe the strength of our governmental institutions, including our political parties, which are intricately intertwined in our government, derives in large part from its transparency, openness and adherence to a set of rules and standards upon which the informed and uninitiated alike can rely. [...]
We add to voter apathy when we continue to send signals that government and the political parties are closed to everyone but the well-connected.
Several Burlington County Democrats say there was no transparency in how this happened. Though Perr and Furia support Clinton, the county committee was never asked for its input. Still, the Mt Laurel Democratic headquarters have been turned into Clinton headquarters and the only emails that have been sent out have been in support of Clinton.
This isn't the way democracy is supposed to work. The state party tried to stack the deck for Clinton by asking that she be put at the top of every ballot, and once it became public knowledge, the plan backfired and they reversed course. Burlington County's leadership apparently didn't get that memo.
In contrast, the Middlesex Democrats - despite leadership being strongly for Clinton - sent this out to their members:
Dear Middlesex County Voter,
I am writing today to give you information on how to get involved with the presidential campaigns here in Middlesex County. The two Presidential campaigns that have Offices in Middlesex County are the Hillary for President Campaign and the Obama for President Campaign.
Both campaigns are looking for people to volunteer their time for phone banking, canvassing and GOTV. No matter who you support please volunteer your time.
(their emphasis, not mine) The contact info for both campaigns was provided. That's how democracy should work and the Middlesex County Democrats deserve a lot of credit for this, particularly considering that they're potentially turning out volunteers for a candidate the leadership does not support.
On the other hand, what Burlington County is doing is undemocratic and disrespectful of the rank and file party members - regardless of who they support. It's happening all over the state, and in many cases, the leadership is out of touch with the grassroots. If it's happening in your neck of the woods, let us know.
Yesterday New Jersey's GLBT community flexed its political muscle with a gala fund raiser to support pro-equality Senate candidates in next month's elections. (Too much is at stake to let the GOP take the reigns, for a whole host of reasons too numerous to name but that's not for here...) Hosted by Garden State Equality, the annual Blue Jean Ball served three primary functions: to raise money, to have fun and to recognize some amazing New Jerseyans whose courage makes us all less unequal.
Andre Jackson takes the Hester Prize at the GSE gala. Click to enlarge
The day's top prize, the Laurel Hester Award went to Andre Jackson, he of the infamous yearbook flap earlier this year. While it's a shame that Andre was forced to endure such an ugly and public battle, the experience has clearly molded him into a poised and articulate civil rights champion. (Me and my blogmates here at Blue Jersey won last year's Hester Prize, and it feels really good to pass the torch to someone like Andre.)
Congressman Rush Holt and NJ Senator Ellen Karcher followed Andre on stage to an enthusiastic response, but it was still young Mr. Jackson who scored the day's only standing ovation.
Congressman Holt, NJ Sen Karcher
Probably the best thing about the BBQ was the atmosphere. the setting was (mostly red) Hunterdon County: lovely, bucolic, a pitch-perfect fall day. The theme: country western, and for good reason. The party was at a horse farmstead. Jersey Fresh, indeed.
Early in the day I was sharing a moment with a friend about my age (35) when the entire arc of my liberal activist life seemed to flash before my eyes. You see, there we were yesterday, the GLBT community (and allies) coming together to fight for marriage equality. When suddenly I had a flashback to what got me into politics to begin with: the AIDS crisis. Sitting there on that lovely farm with so many hundreds of nice people -- many with their pets and kids in tow -- listening to an amazing band and it felt so far removed from my early ACT UP days. I confess: I prefer issues like full marriage equality and transgender solidarity over watching my friends dropping dead of AIDS any day.
I suggest such a radical evolution would have been impossible without the Steven Goldsteins of this world who remain unflinchingly relentless in the face of inequality.
Tonight, in my tiny town of Flemington, New Jersey, Mark Legato (D) beat out Julie Luster (R) for a contested Borough Council seat Legato won in November by just one vote and Luster has contested ever since. We won by 30 votes tonight.
Our secret weapons were two young women in sneakers and blue jeans who pounded out our GOTV program over a sleepless two days in the inadequately-heated Hunterdon County Dem HQ. It was more efficient, more productive and frankly, one hell of a lot more fun than anything we have ever done. The Republicans didn't know what hit them. And it drove the win.
One of the fundamentals of Gov. Howard Dean's 50-State Strategy is Show up everywhere. And that doesn't mean just mayor's races in Salt Lake City, state contests in Alaska or gaining ground in the Show-Me State. For this to work it also has to mean that we concede no vote even in the most crimson portions of very blue states. Places like Hunterdon County. 50-State Strategy = 21-County Strategy.
So here's the thing: Next time you hear some self-serving dinosaur like James Carville spin bullshit about replacing Howard Dean as DNC Chair, remember the paradigm shift Dean presides over. Money lifts from the hands of Beltway consultants, and pays for organizers like Mary Campbell and Colleen Montgomery who fan out and help generate victories powered by us. Boom. Out of those victories emerge better government and better direction.
We won in Flemington tonight. If James Carville or Rahm Emanuel or anybody else wants to take down Howard Dean, they have to knock me down first. And I'm in a feisty mood. Did I mention we won?
UPDATE & Postscript, later that same year: On the night of this victory, our next candidate stood on a chair and announced that she was running next: Linda Mastellone, the first-ever candidate to emerge directly out of Hunterdon DFA. We won that race too, in a blitz of DFA-intensive work. And with Linda's win, the Democrats took control here, here in this town where Republicans outnumber Democrats two-to-one.Boom! - - Rosi
(If the 21-County and 40-District Strategy for New Jersey can succeed like the 50-state strategy has - I think we're onto something. But, let's remember that 40 means 40 - not just 14.
DFA-NJ's County Committee Project is designed to achieve exactly this. Sign up to take part. - promoted by noweeman)
New Jersey politics is very concentrated. There are 21 legislative districts that are completely Democratic. There are five districts that are split (electing one Democratic Senator and seven Democratic Assembly members): the 1st, 2nd, 7th, 12th and 14th. This means that there are fourteen legislative districts that are all Republican. If we want to continue to pin down the Republicans, then we need to have strong challenges in these districts. Instead if Republicans are forced to defend themselves against strong challenges, then their resources are further stretched and there is a chance to score some upsets. So, what I am suggesting is that we try to undertake a local version of Howard Dean's 50-State Project.
(more to follow)
Sorry I haven't been round much, but my blogging time is typically work time and the blogofascists at work decided blogging was bayd... mmmmkay?
Anyway, we got a real gem here folks. Scroll down past the tear jerking Habitat for Humanity part and find the part where they start talking about how some heads be explodin' over at Hunterdon County cuz' they gotta pick up dead deer from now on.
For some local officials, Trenton’s decision to make local governing bodies pay for removing deer carcasses off roads starting this October is just another example of passing the fiscal buck.
But in a recent letter, DOT Deputy Commissioner Stephen Dilts advised mayors that because of a $715,000 budget cut, the department would, as of Oct. 1, no longer pay for pickups on county- or town-owned roads. The state, however, will continue to pay for those collected on its own roads, like Routes 202 and 206.
...
The decision to impose the cost of clean-up on local governing bodies so incensed the Hunterdon County Board of Freeholders that they filed suit against the DOT last week, arguing that deer are, by tradition, the state’s responsibility.
While Somerset Hills officials might not lean toward litigation, some nevertheless expressed exasperation that the DOT forced the decision upon them.
“It’s obviously a pain we would prefer not to have,” said Somerset County Freeholder Peter Palmer, a resident and former mayor of Bernardsville, on Friday, July 28.
OK. So it's a real pain in the ass picking up a dead carcass from the side of the road and throwing it in the garbage truck, or giving it to the rabid dogs, or whatever the hell they do with dead deer. I understand that... I don't pick up dead deer off the road (despite the waste of all the yummy venison - which by the way, is divine ala tartar drizzled with truffle oil).
However, we must keep the objective in mind here folks... It is to save us all (including Hunterdon County residents) from paying even higher taxes, or cutting other services. So they decide to file a costly lawsuit to try and get the burden off their back.
As if that wasn't enough government waste...
According to County Engineer Michael Amorosa, the freeholders could, at that time, award a deer removal contract to one of three vendors who bid for the job last month. Amorosoa said the county issued the bid notice anticipating the DOT cuts.
UPDATE: Fixed link NJ newspapers haven't gotten the whole permalink thing down yet, so sometimes articles on their webpages get interlaced with other articles. Thanks Dennis for pointing it out.
Yesterday Leo Lance (Senate Minority Leader) put out a press release that basically said Corzine isn't comming through on his ethics reforms promises and hasn't been doing much in the form of cracking down on the corruption.
Today, Tom Moran writes a column detailing all the Governor has done regarding ethics (including a smack to the face of Sharpe James BRAVO!).
That alone isn't really enough to win the Tosser of the Day award, however, deep in the article, Moran asks Leo Lance for comment:
"It's clear beyond dispute that Gov. McGreevey did not engage in this type of behavior," says state Sen. Leonard Lance, the Republican leader. "This is a good sign."
The behavior that Leo Lance is talking about is all that ethical slapping around Corzine has been doing.
