Craig Stanley

There is considerable buzz in Essex County that Democrats will not back Freeholder Donald Payne, Jr. for re-election to a second term this year. The family of Congressman Donald Payne has suffered a reversal of fortunes in 2007: William Payne gave up his Assembly seat to run as an Independent candidate for State Senate, angering Essex Democrats; and Assemblyman Craig Stanley lost re-election in the Democratic primary.  Payne Jr. was elected Freeholder in 2005 and to the Newark City Council in 2006 – now he faces a loss of his county post at the request of some Newark Democrats who oppose dual office holding, and by some Newark political leaders who aren’t happy with Payne’s record as a City Councilman.

PAYNE/STANLEY NEW JERSEY SLAVERY APOLOGY
APPROVED BY ASSEMBLY
Would Make State Fifth in Nation to Formally Apologize for State's
'Disgraceful Past Embrace' of Slavery

(TRENTON) - Legislation Assemblymen William D. Payne and Craig A. Stanley sponsored to authorize a formal state apology for New Jersey's role in slavery during the early years of our nation's history was passed today in the General Assembly.

STANLEY/GREENSTEIN/VOSS BILL EMPOWERING SCHOOLS TO INVESTIGATE ABSENTEEISM SIGNED BY GOVERNOR
New Law Requires Schools to Look into Inexcusable Absences,
Follow-Up on Reenrollments to Help DYFS Combat Abuse, Neglect

(TRENTON) - A bill Assemblyman Craig Stanley and Assemblywomen Linda Greenstein and Joan Voss sponsored to empower school districts to help combat child abuse by aggressively investigating unexcused absences by students and scrutinizing student transfers to new school districts was signed into law today by Governor Jon S. Corzine.

PAYNE/STANLEY NEW JERSEY SLAVERY APOLOGY CLEARS ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE

Would Make State Fifth in Nation to Formally Apologize for State's 'Disgraceful Past Embrace' of Slavery

(TRENTON) - An Assembly panel today released legislation Assemblymen William D. Payne and Craig A. Stanley sponsored to authorize a formal state apology for New Jersey's role in slavery during the early years of our nation's history.

STANLEY: BASEBALL REPORT UNDERSCORES NEED FOR ANTI-STEROID PROGRAM FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES

Calls for Passage of Bill To Deter Use of Performance-Enhancing Drugs Among High School Athletes

(NEWARK) - Assemblyman Craig Stanley today said the release of a bombshell report linking more than 80 current and former major league baseball stars to the use of performance-enhancing drugs should compel the Legislature to take swift action on legislation to crack down on the use of steroids among the state's high school athletes.

Assemblyman- elect Ralph Caputo last served in the Legislature from 1968 to 1972.Newark and the political arena were a lot different when 27-year-old Ralph Caputo was first elected to the State Assembly in 1967.

The city had just seen its infamous race riots the summer before the election, and Caputo, a Republican from the then Italian-American North Ward, was elected to serve in district 11-C -- made up predominantly of working class whites.

Now, at age 66, Caputo will again be an Assemblyman – this time as a Democrat – returning to Trenton after a 36 year hiatus.

Senate President Richard Codey is seeking an African American woman to replace Mims Hackett in the State Assembly-- a move that could eliminate Black men from the Essex County Assembly delegation, and make State Senator Ronald Rice the only African American man in the Essex delegation.

Assemblyman Craig Stanley will appear in Superior Court on September 11th to contest the results of the June Democratic primary in the 28th district. He lost to Cleopatra Tucker, the widow of the late Assemblyman/Newark City Councilman Donald Tucker, by 127 votes.

"We have identified numerous anamolies," Stanley said.

The old rivalries endure in neighborhoods broken in half by an atmosphere of drugs and dread.

In Newark, the Bloods hold turf in the south ward and the Crips control much of the west. The Latin Kings take up the slack in parts of the north. In the smaller towns around Newark the gangs split their fiefdoms along municipal boundaries. The Crips are dominant in Linden, while the Bloods hold sway in Roselle.

With the arrest last week of Jose Carranza of Peru and two Latino minors, held in the execution-style killing of three Newark college students, MS-13, the gang with roots in El Salvador and ties on the West Coast, again came to the fore - at least on the street - as a prime organizational suspect.

As he made preparations to attend the National Conference of State Legislatures, District 28 Assemblyman Craig Stanley sat down with Newark Mayor Cory Booker last Thursday to talk about ways he could convince other lawmakers around the country to coordinate gang combat measures.

"While I was en route here, the kids were shot," Stanley said in a telephone interview from Boston, reflecting on the West Ward execution-style murders of Terrance Aeriel, Deshawn Harvey and Ofemi Hightower.