Standing Up Not Down

by: Jason Springer

Sun Mar 14, 2010 at 03:18:29 PM EDT

One of the key differences that has emerged resulted from Cryan's push to restore a tax surcharge on the wealthiest New Jerseyans. Cryan is advocating for the so-called "millionaire's tax" both on the merits (it would raise money during a budget crunch) and on the politics (it would give Democrats a chance to portray Gov. Chris Christie as tool of the rich and enemy of the working class). But Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester), The Auditor is told by key Statehouse sources, has told Cryan he doesn't support it and Christie would veto it.

While millionaires get tax cuts, the working class faces higher bus fares, less funding for schools, and higher property taxes. If the Democrats aren't willing to show they will stand up and fight for the people that put them there and are taking it on the chin, why should those people keep fighting to put them in office? It's time for our leaders to stand up, not down.  

Sweeney +FDU "call out" Union Leaderships

by: firstamend07

Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 04:43:51 PM EST

State Senator Sweeney exposes the State worker union leadership as disingenuous.This "calling out" coincides with todays FDU Poll that reveals what many state workers already know. THE UNION LEADERSHIP IS OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE THOUGHTS AND WISHES OF THE MEMBERSHIP.

The membership was never asked their opinion on the Pension Reform Bills until the FDU people asked. The results expose the Union leadership as manipulators .

To the surprise of no one except the union leadership the average state worker is in favor of pension reform .

The survey, conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind, shows that many New Jersey voters are behind Christie's reform ideas. But poll director Peter Woolley adds a potentially surprising twist. "Public employees agree with a number of these reforms."                  

Woolley says 78% of voters think that all public employees, including teachers, should contribute some of their salary toward their health care benefits. Meanwhile, a majority of public workers, 51%, feel the same way, while 45% are against such a plan.

In addition, 69% of voters want the state to cap payouts of unused vacation time at retirement, compared to 64% of public employees who agree. Similarly, 69% of voters want a cap in place for retirement payouts regarding unused sick time, and 56% of public workers feel that way as well. Woolley explains, "A lot of these people really do have not only their own interests in mind, but the state's interests in mind."

When it comes to a proposal that would limit salaries at top public jobs, Woolley says, "Three-out-of-four voters say 'Yeah, cap those salaries at $200,000.' But public employees are even more emphatic, with 84% saying those salaries should be capped." He explains one possible reason why. "They (public employees) recognize that there are abuses in the system, and those abuses have to be curbed."

Sweeney: Unemployment Insurance Cuts "A Total Nonstarter"

by: Hopeful

Thu Feb 25, 2010 at 11:46:42 AM EST

"The dead of winter is no time to leave New Jersey's unemployed out in the cold," said Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Cumberland/Salem). "This is not a plan to trim costs, it is a hit on families who right now depend on their unemployment checks to make ends meet. This is money that pays the monthly heating bill, puts food on the table or gets the gas in the car to go job-hunting. This idea is a total nonstarter that will not even find its way through the Senate doors."

Good for him. He also cautioned against the proposal to kill increased business taxes mandated by law due to the poor state of the unemployment fund:

"While I understand the concerns of business, we cannot paper over the fact that this increase is inescapable," said Sweeney. "Whether the pain is felt immediately or takes two years - the fund still must be able to meet the needs of the unemployed. Keeping money from going into the trust fund is every bit as wrong as raiding it."

Quote of the Day: "I've already told you, It aint happening"

by: Jason Springer

Thu Feb 18, 2010 at 04:00:00 PM EST

"I can tell you, I'm not posting a VLT bill for anywhere outside of Atlantic City,"

"Threatening VLTs, he has to deal with me with that, and I've already told you, it ain't happening,"

Senator Sweeney: "So much for a handshake"

by: Hopeful

Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 12:29:48 PM EST

           "So much for a handshake.

           "Governing by executive order and keeping plans secret until the last minute is not bipartisanship.

           "Sure, these cuts will close the budget gap, but they do so in an irresponsible manner.

           "Voters sent a clear message last November that they want smaller, more responsible government that is focused on its core responsibilities. These cuts don't even begin that job.

           "Instead of using the state's current surplus to protect property taxpayers, he is simply plowing under the small, middle-class districts that have been carefully watching their budgets.

           "His cut to hospitals will be doubled by the loss of federal matching aid.

           "The Governor has a month before he will present his budget for next year.

           "Hopefully, he'll remember what he promised during his inauguration and actually look to the Legislature as an active partner in governing, not just a studio audience."

The anti-leader

by: Thurman Hart

Thu Jan 28, 2010 at 10:05:13 AM EST

In fiction, antiheroes are wonderful.  Gotham is safer because of Batman's disregard for such things as due process or Constitutional protections.  The West is won due to folks like Paladin who are willing to throw down the shootin' irons when necessary.  Sam Spade gives people their just deserts...but he'll help himself to a few womanly wiles and massive monetary rewards along the way.

Steve Sweeney must love this genre.

Caption Contest: Like a proud papa

by: Jason Springer

Mon Jan 25, 2010 at 04:30:00 PM EST

Sweeney gives himself 341 days

by: Rosi Efthim

Sun Jan 24, 2010 at 02:01:31 PM EST

I gave myself a deadline of 2010 and I will not go beyond that," said the West Deptford Democrat, "but when in 2010, I can't say.

Here's the way it works: If Sweeney gives up his seat before early September, the party can appoint to fill his seat, but that person would have to stand for office in November, if they want to keep the seat. After that date, the Dems can fill the seat with someone who can keep it until Sweeney's term expires the end of 2011. So, if Sweeney holds on long enough, the decision who to replace him with goes out of the voters' hands, and stays in the Democratic Party's hands.

It's not illegal. But Sweeney's decision stinks of calculation and party protectionism. Sweeney claims "unfinished business" (declining, of course, to say what), but pollster Patrick Murray sees right through that:

"Voters can ask, "Why are you the only person who can finish that business?,' Murray said. Murray said every elected official leaves office -- some unwillingly -- with unfinished business. Murray suspects that the unfinished business Sweeney is referring to is "How do we keep this seat Democratic?"

The Democrats have squandered too much reputation on corruption hijinks, tone-deaf campaigns and the base-alienating marriage equality vote.  
If we want to repair the party's reputation with voters and deserve our power, then please can we stop treating voters like they're stupid? Like they can't figure out that Sweeney's timing is more about Democratic positioning and less about their choices?

I don't care that Sweeney doesn't take his county salary or benefits. The point isn't payment, but power. And his statement - "If I don't take pay, how can you criticize me for serving as a volunteer? - hits my ear as arrogant.

The truth is Gloucester just sent a brand-new GOP assemblyman - Dominick DiCicco - to Trenton and the party's hold on the county may be slipping. But if Sweeney feels the pulse of Gloucester's voters in his hands (which I think he does), there's no earthly reason why he can't step down now from a job he can't possibly still do and use his skills to help another Democrat make an honest try for the seat he's held for 13 years.

Sure would look better from where I sit.  

(Letter) Grading Sweeney+ POLL

by: Jay Lassiter

Sun Jan 24, 2010 at 11:34:39 AM EST

On the one hand he dodges tough votes and stubbornly holds multiple elected positions.  But on the plus side, he can bench press heavy things.

How do you rate his tenure thus far?  

Sweeney announces new Committee chairs

by: Jason Springer

Fri Jan 15, 2010 at 01:15:00 PM EST

Committee	Chair	Vice Chair
Budget and Appropriations	Paul Sarlo	Brian Stack
Commerce	Nia H.  Gill	Ray Lesniak
Community and Urban Affairs	Jeff Van Drew	Ron Rice
Economic Growth	Ray Lesniak	Sandra Cunningham
Education	Teresa Ruiz	Jim Whelan
Environment and Energy	Bob Smith	Bob Gordon
Judiciary	Nicholas Scutari	John Girgenti
Labor	Fred Madden	Sandra Cunningham
Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens	Loretta Weinberg	Joe Vitale
Law and Public Safety	John Girgenti
State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation	Jim Whelan	Bob Gordon
Transportation	Nicholas Sacco
Military and Veterans Affairs	Jim Beach	Jeff Vandrew
Legislative Oversight	Barbara Buono

There were some changes to committees:

Sweeney added new committees would see their focus change. The Senate Environment Committee, which will also take up energy issues and be re-named the Senate Environment and Energy Committee, and the Senate State Government Committee, which will absorb the Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee and be re-named the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee.  He has also created the Senate Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.

Sweeney has bigger Problems than Blue Jersey.

by: Jay Lassiter

Sun Jan 10, 2010 at 03:34:29 PM EST

Courier Post: "No Excuse."
Star Ledger: "Incompetent."
Philly Inquirer: "Cowardly."
My Central Jersey: "No Guts, No Respect."
NJ.com: "Cowardice"
Star Ledger: "Spineless."

So Blue Jersey is not the only one calling out chickensh*t.  We're just doing it the loudest.

[Infuriating] Quote of the Day: Sweeney the Abstainer

by: Rosi Efthim

Sun Jan 10, 2010 at 12:03:00 PM EST

I regret it. This is a civil rights issue, and they made a good case. Sometimes, you just make mistakes.

What, Senator? Trying to curry a little favor now? Keep the activists off your back? Well, as a friend of mine said yesterday: Real leaders don't screw up easy ones like this.  

Moran thinks Christie has already made his first mistake

by: Jason Springer

Mon Dec 21, 2009 at 05:30:00 PM EST

Mark this down as Christie's first big mistake. Because he has just given his opponents a legitimate reason to resist his budget cuts, and a chance to seize the moral high ground.

Every time he cuts spending now, his opponents can point to that tax cut for the rich, which is worth roughly $1 billion.

"He'll give millionaires a tax cut, but he doesn't want to give more aid to food pantries?" says Sen. Steve Sweeney, who will take over as senate president next month. "We will definitely point that out."

Take Sen. Joe Vitale, chairman of the Health Committee. He's spent years working to expand health programs so working poor families can get coverage. Now the Christie team is warning eligibility standards will be tightened to save money.

"He's got to take a step back from that tax cut," Vitale says. "This is reverse Robin Hood. You're taking from the poor and you're giving to the rich. I'm telling you that just won't happen. This is going to be one long summer."

A "busy" day in the Senate Budget Committee

by: Scott Weingart

Thu Dec 03, 2009 at 12:59:19 PM EST

"If we learned anything in this last election it's that the main issue right now is the economy"

Thus incoming Senate President Steve Sweeney, a little more than two weeks ago at the New Jersey League of Municipalities Convention. According to Sweeney, the legislature doesn't have time to vote on a marriage equality bill during the lame duck session because they'll be too busy saving the economy.

The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, of which Sweeney is a member, is meeting at 1:00 PM today, so I perused their calendar for the day to see what economy-saving plans are keeping Sweeney and his fellow Senators so busy. To my utter surprise, only six bills have been placed on the agenda for today's meeting.

First, we have A2640/S2297, which would enact the "Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children." The bill, which costs an estimated $5,000 per year, will not create any jobs in New Jersey, but it will make it easier for children of military families who move between states to meet requirements for high school graduation.

Then there's S530, which would give New Jersey taxpayers the chance to donate money to a fund which helps National Guard families when the federal government sends a breadwinner off to fight in a foreign country. It's a safe bet this won't create very many jobs.

S1066 allows green developers to qualify for certain low-interest loans. Perhaps this will help create a few dozen green jobs several months from now, but I'm not holding my breath.

S1875 extends an appraisal process required by the Greeen Acres and farmland preservation programs for another two years, at an estimated cost of $51,000 per year. It's a safe bet this won't net the state more than one or two jobs during that time period.

Steve Sweeney's own S2755 makes it easier to use Transportation Trust Fund money for filling potholes. This bill seems to have the best job-creating potential of the lot, but it's hardly acceptable given the high expectations Sweeney set last week.

Finally, S3060 gives Chris Christie an extra few weeks to write his first budget address. It will not create any jobs.

While Steve Sweeney may think he can save the economy and wipe the unemployment rolls clean with this slate of bills, I'm not at all convinced. If Sweeney wants to use "we're too busy" as an excuse, he's going to have to come with a lot more and a lot better than what's on offer here. And if there isn't enough time to consider marriage equality, there certainly isn't enough time to put next year's budget address off for three weeks.

A Note on Marriage Equality

by: mtracey

Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 03:09:23 AM EST

I'm not quite sure how this media narrative first materialized -- but it's being widely propagated. And it needs to be stopped in its tracks, lest public opinion be damned.

Let's look at the facts:

Sen. Steve Sweeney, who was today elected senate president, made comments last week that were interpreted by one PolitickerNJ reporter to suggest that the senator wasn't in favor of bringing the marriage equality bill to a vote. But in the original PolitickerNJ article, Sweeney was never directly quoted as saying this, and quickly issued a statement affirming that same-sex marriage is "an important social issue" and would be on the lame-duck legislative agenda.

Sen. Loretta Weinberg intervened, calling on Sweeney to reaffirm his commitment to the bill's passage. After the initial dust had settled, though, it all seemed like much adieu about nothing. Again, from PolitickerNJ:

Update, 9:42pm -- Citing a miscommunication with Sweeney, Weinberg offered this revised statement:

"I think there has been a miscommunication between Steve Sweeney and myself.  I look forward to talking to him personally.  It really is up to Senate President Dick Codey to make a decision about pushing this bill forward, and the Judiciary Committee Chair [state Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge) has informed me that he will post the bill."

This, along with just about every other development related to the prospects of winning marriage equality in New Jersey, is excellent news. The result of today's lobbying in Trenton was invigorating; we vastly outnumbered the opposition, who were out in full force. I was personally able to hand-deliver a letter from the TCNJ College Democrats in support of the bill to Sen. Sarlo. TV, radio, and internet ads are now going on the air. Public opinion polls show a plurality of support for same-sex marriage. Garden State Equality has spent an unbelievable amount of time and energy organizing the LGBT community and its allies for this very moment. Democratic legislators are aware that by reneging on their commitments, they will be upsetting a very large proportion of their progressive base.

Further, college students (including myself) have organized a large rally in Trenton, scheduled for Saturday, December 5.

Please come, and invite your friends and colleagues. Let me know if you'd like to become an admin on Facebook (so you can invite people). This rally will likely closely coincide with the time around when the bill will have hopefully been brought to a vote, so a visible presence at the State House is vitally important! The opposition is sure to be out in full-force again. By outnumbering them, we are achieving a valuable psychological victory. And remember, changing trends in public sentiment are often much more consequential than the timing of arcane procedural votes. Legislators, especially state legislators, are very sensitive to the demands of their constituents.

These are the facts, despite the alleged doom-and-gloom reported by certain media outlets. Things, I can say with confidence, are looking up. No doubt, we have to keep vigorously applying pressure to our legislators, many of whom are endlessly frustrating with their ambiguously tenuous statements of support -- if only there were more Loretta Weinbergs. But think of how far we've come, and how close to achieving our goal we now are.

Let's kick it into high gear.

Crossposted at The Perspective.  

Quote of the Day: Dick Codey Edition

by: Rosi Efthim

Mon Nov 23, 2009 at 04:18:49 PM EST

Walking out of the 2nd floor caucus room, here's what Codey had to say about what happened behind closed doors, as he was forced to give up the role of Senate President that he has held since 2002. Star-Ledger:

A lot of blood on the floor there.

Big day at the statehouse today. The lame duckiest. Leadership votes: Sheila Oliver's the new Speaker of the Assembly, first African-American woman elected to that office. Joe Cryan is the new Majority Leader. Mike Doherty is sworn in to the Senate.

And more than 300 supporters of marriage equality crowded into the statehouse, beating out the opposition by 4-1. Pictures here. And here.  

About that Tweet

by: Ron C. Rice

Thu Nov 19, 2009 at 05:04:22 PM EST

But it is because of that respect that I made my comments.  Senator Sweeney and others in the state Legislature are masters in fighting for the least of these in our society, those ignored and neglected by the world and that is why I am a supporter of his and a proud Democrat.  Being the voice of the voiceless is why our party has made the tough decisions that has brought the greatest positive changes to America and New Jersey.  We are at our lowest, however, when we retreat from those principles, when we adopt the Ostrich mentality, or when we say, why can't you wait.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote in a Letter from a Birmingham Jail about why African Americans could not wait when progressive White Southern Christian ministers and clergy questioned his direct, non-violent tactics.  He wrote:

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.

I sponsored the legislation creating the most progressive and powerful LGBTIQ Commission in New Jersey with Mayor Cory Booker in Newark because we understand that notion. At a community unveiling of the Commission last week, the pride, commitment to being an active component of our Newark community, and yes, tears of joy showed me the power of empowering someone else, of granting something to someone that you or I take for granted. And it was priceless.  But was also priceless was seeing same sex couples at the event, many of whom I know have been in loving realtionships for longer than most of my heterosexual, straight counterparts and I was struck by the fact that their love is not recognized by the law as it should be, FUNDAMENTALLY !!! They are half citizens of my state and city even as the Mayor and I were seeking to give them more power, a terrible dichotomy.

Marriage equality has to happen now and retreat is tantamount to waiting and thereby denying the LGBTIQ community their humanity and by association, a lil' bit of our own.

I know my leadership in Trenton won't fail us because they can't. And my "Tweet" represented that, rightly or wrongly stated.  Dr. King also coined the rationale for change in a manner that President Obama references reguarly: the fierce urgency of now.  Now, is the time and it is time to step up.

Paging Dick Codey. Dick Codey to the Floor, please.

by: Rosi Efthim

Thu Nov 19, 2009 at 12:50:54 PM EST

He's going to respect the prerogatives of the people who voted on November 3rd, and I certainly respect his prerogative.  It's a four year term.  It's not a three year, 10 month term.

Christie was talking about his former opponent, Jon Corzine, and the power he still wields until that cold day in January. But it's just as true of Dick Codey, Senate President.

Steve Sweeney thinks he's got the Senate Presidency sewn up. Maybe he does. But no matter how the leadership vote goes, that comes in mere days, Dick Codey is Senate President, and presides over the Senate in lame duck. And unlike Corzine, Codey is not going anywhere.

Senator Codey - you are one of Marriage Equalities powerhouse backers. I hope you're working the phones, and talking to your Senators, particularly since Steve Sweeney's disappointing wind shift last night.  

To the 20,000 municipal leaders conferencing in Atlantic City right now - if you read this, and support equality, please make your feelings known to every Senator and Assemblyman you see on the floor today. Including senators Codey, Sweeney and Sarlo. Don't underestimate your power to represent us.  

Deep Thought: Sweeney Edition

by: vmars

Thu Nov 19, 2009 at 07:57:40 AM EST

Sen. Loretta Weinberg responds to Sen. Steve Sweeney

by: Rosi Efthim

Wed Nov 18, 2009 at 05:31:57 PM EST

As the prime sponsor of the Marriage Equality Act, I am urging our current Majority Leader to honor the commitment he made to me to move this important civil rights bill forward. We have the ability in the legislature to talk about this bill and address the economic crises at the same time I received commitments from the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee as well as from Majority Leader Sweeney that they would allow this bill to move forward.  It will be a disappointment to so many in the grassroots of our party as well as to me personally if this commitment is not honored.