Anthony Bucco

DEMOCRAT PROPERTY TAX BILL NEEDS FURTHER SCRUTINY
A-1 May Not Pass Constitutional Muster

Senator Anthony Bucco, (R-25), issued the following statement regarding the press conference held today by Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce, Assemblyman Rich Merkt and Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow.

“The argument made by the Assembly Republican Leadership is quite clear, the current version of the Democrat property tax relief bill may not pass constitutional muster. In order to resolve any constitutional questions this bill should be referenced to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

“It is vital that any legal issues are answered before this bill is signed into law so that New Jersey’s property taxpayers can receive their frequently promised relief. The best method of ensuring that this legislation moves forward without any fatal errors is to fully vet it through the customary Senate committee process. The committee process exists for a reason, we should be aware that the property taxpayers of this state will not stand for another delay in this process.�

Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce held a fundraiser for his own re-election campaign on Tuesday night. Worried that he could get lost in the already heated contest for an open Assembly seat in the 26th disrict, the 70-year-old Republican leader is not taking the June GOP primary for granted. In 2006, DeCroce sent out four separate direct mail pieces to Republican primary voters in his own district.

DeCroce's problem is that dollars spent on his own campaign in GOP-safe Morris County (where there is no organization line in primaries) comes out of the money he can export to other districts where Republicans are seeking to unseat Democratic incumbents. That makes it harder for DeCroce to recruit strong challenger candidates, and tougher for them to win without the Assembly Republican Leader's full warchest. Assembly Republican Victory 2007, DeCroce's leadership PAC, has $422,663cash-on-hand (Assembly Democrats have almost four times as much).

In 2003, Senate Co-President John Bennett and Republican Majority Leader Anthony Bucco spent a combined $1.2 million defending their seats in safe Republican districts after personal problems made each of them vulnerable. Bennett had to fend off a primary challenge before losing to Democrat Ellen Karcher; had he not run for re-election, his seat would have likely remained in GOP hands -- and some insiders argue strongly that the million dollars could have flipped 32 votes from Fred Madden to George Geist, giving the GOP twenty Senate seats and shared control of the upper house.

Senator Bucco Believes Governor is Out of Touch
Governor’s State of the State Address is Pure Political Rhetoric

Senator Anthony Bucco (R-25) issued the following statement regarding Governor Corzine’s State of the State address.

BUCCO: TOLL ROAD SALE WRONG FOR NEW JERSEY
One Shot Deal Could Cost State Billions in Future Revenues

Senator Anthony Bucco, (R-25), a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee issued the following statement regarding the Corzine Administrations consideration of the sale or long term lease of the New Jersey Turnpike and other state toll roads. Published reports indicate that the administration is contemplating using the revenues derived from the sale of state assets to retire some state debt.

Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce is taking his own 2007 re-election campaign seriously. Worried that he could get lost in the already heated contest for an open Assembly seat in the 26th disrict (incumbent Joseph Pennacchio is running for the Senate) between attorney Jay Webber and Kinnelon Council President Lawrence Casha, this week DeCroce sent out his fourth direct mail piece of 2006 to Republican primary voters.

DeCroce's problem is that dollars spent on his own campaign in GOP-safe Morris County (where there is no organization line in primaries) comes out of the money he can export to other districts where Republicans are seeking to unseat Democratic incumbents. That makes it harder for DeCroce to recruit strong challenger candidates, and tougher for them to win without the Assembly Republican Leader's full warchest. Assembly Republican Victory 2007, DeCroce's leadership PAC, has $239,311 cash-on-hand (Assembly Democrats have almost three times as much) and has just $109,920 in his own account accont.

In 2003, Senate Co-President John Bennett and Republican Majority Leader Anthony Bucco spent a combined $1.2 million defending their seats in safe Republican districts after personal problems made each of them vulnerable. Bennett had to fend off a primary challenge before losing to Democrat Ellen Karcher; had he not run for re-election, his seat would have likely remained in GOP hands -- and some insiders argue strongly that the million dollars could have flipped 32 votes from Fred Madden to George Geist, giving the GOP twenty Senate seats and shared control of the upper house.

One strategist suggested that the 70-year-old DeCroce could put his party first and not run for an eleventh term and instead devote all his energies to helping Republicans battle Democrats in districts where his party might pick up seats -- but even that strategist says that few politicians are that selfless. DeCroce could try to put an end to the primary in his own district by convincing one of the candidates to wait for the next opportunity.

LITTELL, BUCCO & MCHOSE BLAST CANCELLATION OF BEAR HUNT
Governor Acts In Defiance Of The Law

Senators Robert Littell, (R-24), Anthony Bucco, (R-25), and Assemblywoman Alison McHose, (R-24) issued the following joint statement regarding Governor Corzine's refusal to permit the routine re-approval of regulations re-authorizing the fish and game code.

TAXPAYER-FUNDED NEEDLE BILL ADVANCES
Budget Committee Barred from Examining $10 million Appropriation

Assistant Senate Minority Leader Anthony R. Bucco (R-Morris), a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee issued the following statement on the release of a taxpayer-funded needle exchange bill from the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee.

TAX BASE SHARING = TAX BURDEN SHIFTING
The Time Has Come to Cut Spending and Taxes

Assistant Senate Minority Leader Anthony R. Bucco (R-Morris) issued the following statement regarding testimony on the need to implement a system of tax base sharing presented at today’s hearing of the Joint Legislative Committee on Constitutional Reform and Citizens Property Tax Convention:

BUCCO BLASTS SCC REQUEST FOR $3.25 BILLION MORE

Senator Anthony Bucco, (R-25), issued the following statement regarding the School Construction Corporations request for an additional $3.25 billion in funds.

A pair of New Jersey political operatives now holding senior positions at the Republican National Committee can rightfully claim a great deal of credit for U.S. Senator Lincoln Chafee's victory in the Rhode Island Republican primary yesterday. It was the voter turnout operation of RNC Political Director Michael DuHaime and Bill Stepien, who runs the 72-Hour Campaign operation, that helped Chafee -- who trailed conservative Stephen Laffey, the Mayor of Cranston, 34%-51% in a recent poll -- secure a solid victory in a record turnout primary. Hotline Editor Chuck Todd said last night that the "RNC 72-hour program has once again surpassed expecations."

DuHaime joined the RNC in 2004 after serving as Regional Political Director for the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign. He served as Executive Director of the New Jersey Republican State Committee, as Deputy Campaign Manager of Bob Franks' 2000 U.S. Senate bid, and as Campaign Manager for Anthony Bucco's successful State Senate campaign in 1997. Bucco's defeat of Gordon MacInnes nine years ago was the last time an incumbent Democratic Senator lost re-election.

(DuHaime's hometown is Hoboken, which has become the political capital of New Jersey; Governor Jon Corzine, Senator Bob Menendez and Senate Majority Leader/Hudson County Democratic Chairman Bernard Kenny all live there.)

Stepien spent the last week on the ground in Rhode Island, as he did earlier this year in a special election for Congress in California's 50th district, where the 72-Hour campaign was credited with the win in a nationally important House race. He started out in politics working on Bucco's '97 campaign, worked as Franks's driver in the 2000 Senate race, managed Bill Baroni's 2003 campaign that unseated incumbent Gary Guear, and served as Field Director of the Bush/Cheney campaign in New Hampshire in 2004.