Caroline Casagrande

The Trenton Times has endorsed North Hanover Township Committeeman John Kocubinski in his bid to unseat Assemblyman Ronald Dancer (R-Plumsted) in the 30th district because he holds three government jobs.  The newspaper endorsed Assemblyman Joseph Malone (R-Bordentown) for re-election.  In District 12, the Trenton Times is backing two freshman Republicans for re-election to the Assembly: Declan O'Scanlon and Caroline Casagrande.

The Asbury Park Press has endorsed incumbent GOP legislators for re-election in Districts 10 and 12, supporting the re-election of David Wolfe (R-Brick), James Holzpapfel (R-Toms River), Caroline Casagrande (R-Colts Neck) and Declan O'Scanlon (R-Little Silver).

Two Republican legislators continued the call for Gov. Jon Corzine to answer questions regarding his investments in a hedge fund with some connection to Texas Pacific Group (TPG).

"As Governor Corzine likes to say, facts are a stubborn thing. In this case, they point to conflict of interest in the governor's investments and a disregard for propriety in his financial dealings," said Assemblyman Gary Chiusano (R-Frankford).  "There are serious issues being raised that deserve more than the governor's flippant answers and dismissal of scrutiny.

Chiusano says that Corzine should divest himself of his TPG holdings.  Corzine maintains that is investment is with TPG-Axon, a hedge fund that is separate from TPG.  TPG says they have an internal fire wall to obviate a conflict between the two firms.

Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande (R-Colts Neck) says that Corzine's Atlantic City casino investments show a "clear conflict of interest and may be illegal."

"By refusing to disclose the details of his investments, Governor Corzine has shown he believes that the rules do not apply to him," Casagrande said. "He must tell the voters the truth to remove any appearance of an abuse of power or influence in our state's gaming industry."

The race for Governor is a toss-up and Democrats are favored to retain control of the State Assembly, according to a new PolitickerNJ.com Battleground 2009 analysis of state and county campaigns.  This breakdown will include key municipal races in future weeks.

This week’s unemployment rates for the Tri-State region were released, and once again, New Jersey’s numbers remain the highest in the region at 9.3 percent for July, up from 9.2 percent in June.

New York has the second highest with 8.6 percent and Pennsylvania reported a rate of 8.5 percent for last month.

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Senator Jennifer Beck, Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon, Jr. and Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande today sent letters to every State Legislator requesting support and sponsorship of two bills that will address the existing loophole, which allows public officials convicted of corruption crimes to receive pensions for public positions they held that were unrelated to the crime committed.

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Officials from Local, County, State and Federal Governments Worked Together to Save Facility

The 12th District Legislators, as well as officials from Freehold Borough, Monmouth County and House Representative Chris Smith, are happy to announce that the U.S. Post Office located in Freehold Borough, the county seat, will remain open.

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ASBURY PARK - Monmouth County Sheriff Kim Guadagno walked onto the boardwalk here with GOP gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie and stood at his side as he formally affirmed her as his choice for lieutenant governor.

"We are here to make history," announced Christie. "After a great deal of consideration, yesterday I called Kim Guadagno and I am thankful to say that she said yes."

Christie heralded the Iowa-born Guadagno's record as a crimebuster during her time as Assistant U.S. Attorney under Michael Chertoff in the 1990s, her past service on the Monmouth Beach local governing body, and what he cited as her aggressive one-and-half-year tenure as sheriff, during which time she has backed down unions and advocated for beefed-up federal powers for local law enforcement to combat illegal immigration.

Fair Haven Mayor Mike Halfacre

TRENTON - Fair Haven Mayor and private practice attorney Mike Halfacre figures he will probably need between $500,000 and $1 million to run an effective campaign against U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-Hopewell Twp.) in this major media market called the 12th Congressional District, and hhe sees postive signs early in his effort to muster support.

"As I stand here today I've raised $35,000," said Halfacre, 42, standing on the State House steps at the second of two press conferences he held today to formally launch his bid for U.S. Congress, where he savaged the sitting congressman.

In an unsuccessful 2008 bid against Holt, Halfacre's Republican predecessor, Alan Bateman, raised as much over the entire course of his campaign, which landed him an ovr 20% loss.

Bateman told PolitickerNJ.com yesterday that he intends to again seek the Republican nomination in the 12th District but as he nurses $6,000 in debt from last year, Halfacre and his allies say at a certain point the former deputy mayor of Holmdel "has to stop tilting at windmills."

The 12th District Legislators today unveiled a ten-point economic stimulus package for New Jersey at a press conference at the State House. The initiatives includes bills that will spur economic growth in the real estate and retail industries, to create a friendlier atmosphere for businesses, and to strengthen the overall budget planning in the State of New Jersey.

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