Caroline Casagrande

Governor Jon Corzine today signed into law a bill initially sponsored in the Assembly by Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck which would make the votes of all legislators on all bills public via the internet. 

BECK, O’SCANLON & CASAGRANDE CALL FOR MORE ‘POWER TO THE PEOPLE’

Only about 30 senior citizens showed up to meet the Democratic Assembly candidates at the Applewood Estates, an assisted living complex in Freehold. But 30 votes may be enough to decide who wins the election in district 12.

The district, which is dominated by Monmouth County, is one of the most competitive in the state this year, as it was in 2005, when Democrat Mike Panter barely edged out his Republican opponent, Declan O’Scanlon, by 65 votes. While Republican Assembly candidate Jennifer Beck got about 1,000 more votes than anyone else, the three other major party candidates were separated by fewer than 250 votes.

District 12 Republicans want 12 debates against their Democratic opponents, but they’re not likely to get all of them.

Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck and her running mates Declan O’Scanlon and Caroline Casagrande sent a letter last week to their Democratic opponents challenging them to debates in 12 different parts of the district. After not receiving a response from their opponents’ campaign, they followed up with another press release today.

BECK, O’SCANLON & CASAGRANDE SEND SECOND REQUEST FOR PUBLIC DEBATES

12th District Republican candidates Declan O’Scanlon and Caroline Casagrande today criticized Governor Jon Corzine for his recent staff shakeup, saying his decision to make State Treasurer and asset monetization point man Bradley Abelow his chief of staff proves that the Governor is more committed than ever to his controversial asset monetization scheme.

12th District Republican legislative candidates Jennifer Beck, Declan O’Scanlon and Caroline Casagrande today criticized Ellen Karcher and Mike Panter for their prime sponsorship of a law which could allow corrupt elected officials like recently indicted Newark Mayor Sharpe James and federally indicted Senator Wayne Bryant to keep their pensions even if convicted of job related crimes.

The 12th district Republican candidates really would prefer to be in a “Clean Elections” district.

That’s because, had the 12th district been chosen, the Republican and Democratic candidates would almost certainly have gotten equal funds. But since it wasn’t, the Republicans are trailing in fundraising – badly.

Three districts were chosen to participate in the Fair and Clean Elections Pilot Program for the 2007 election: one Republican dominated, one Democrat dominated and one competitive. The 12th was a prime candidate for the “split” district, but it lost out to the 14th in a decision made by a panel headed by former Governor Jim Florio.

“There is absolutely no question that if we spend the same amount of money as our opponents, we will unquestionably beat them,” said Assembly candidate Declan O’Scanlon, who lost his bid for an assembly seat two years ago by under 100 votes. “If this were a fair election from a financial perspective, we’d clean their clocks. It’s only by ensuring that the financial playing field is grossly skewed do they have a shot.”

12th District Republican legislative candidates Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck, Declan O’Scanlon and Caroline Casagrande said today that by voting for a budget which paves the way for the sale of New Jersey’s toll roads, their opponents, Ellen Karcher and Mike Panter, had once again failed their district. O’Scanlon and Casagrande also echoed Beck’s call for Governor Jon Corzine to line item veto the asset sale language in the budget until public hearings were held on the issue.