Gary Schaer

Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) campaigns for Alex Blanco on election Day last year.

Arguing that Gov. Jon Corzine’s $29.8 billion budget proposal should be a vehicle of “unity, not separation, a statement that we are all in this together, all of us affected by the cuts,” Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) defended Corzine’s working document in the face of his own party’s doubts about forestalling tax deductions on income taxes and capping property tax rebates at $75,000.

And against blistering, out-of-the-gate attacks by the GOP.

“I think that most people initially look at a budget in terms of how they will personally be affected,” said Schaer, who chairs the Assembly Institutions and Insurance Committee. “In that regard, what people need to look at are those fundamental areas where the budget is strong: in education, higher education and medical care. In that sense, the budget is addressing historic values of the middle class.”

PANEL RELEASES SCHAER/JASEY/COUTINHO/DeANGELO BILL
TO PUT MORE MATH, SCIENCE TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM
Pilot Program Would Recruit Non-Traditional Teachers

(TRENTON) - The Assembly Education Committee today released legislation Assembly members Gary Schaer, Mila Jasey, Albert Coutinho and Wayne DeAngelo sponsored to create a pilot program to enable more individuals with degrees and career experience in math and science to receive teaching certificates.

Right Choices made to protect education, health care and most vulnerable

 
Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts, Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, Assemblyman Gary Schaer, Assemblyman Joseph Cryan and Evesham Mayor Randy Brown held a press conference at the Statehouse in Trenton today to discuss the effects of Governor Corzine’s FY10 budget proposal on New Jersey’s middle class. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

SCHAER RESPONSE TO CORZINE BUDGET ADDRESS

"Surely, New Jersey would be in much worse fiscal shape had legislative Democrats and the Governor not taken steps last year to reign-in state spending and enacted a series of pro-business and pro-homeowner measures when the economy entered its tailspin."

Passaic Mayor Alex Blanco

Having vanquished a field of four other men in last November’s special election, Passaic Mayor Alex Blanco appears to have strengthened his position heading into the May 12th municipal election where he hopes to secure a full, four-year term.

If Blanco wants to continue as mayor in the aftermath of the jailed Sammy Rivera era, he will have to once again beat second-place finisher Vincent Capuana, the city super committed to making up his 203-vote deficit (3,859 to 3,656 votes) this time with the backing of Councilman Joe Garcia.

Garcia was 2008’s fourth-place finisher in the special mayoral election with 2,684 votes, and this year seeks reelection to the council.

The fusion of Capuana’s and Garcia’s troops on its face looks formidable – but in a small turnout election may be more than offset by Blanco’s ongoing alliance with Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic). 

SCHAER/SCALERA BILL TO PREVENT ENCAP REPEAT CLEARED BY SENATE COMMITTEE
Measure Would Protect Public from Being Financially Liable In Future Public/Private Deals Gone Bad

(TRENTON) - Legislation Assemblymen Gary S. Schaer and Fred Scalera sponsored to enhance the protections and oversight surrounding public investments in private redevelopment projects was today released by a Senate panel.

Democratic State Chairman Joseph Cryan, above, could wind up as Assembly Majority Leader, if Gov. Jon Corzine picks Bonnie Watson Coleman as the Democratic nominee for Lt. Governor.

The bigger inside contest if Bonnie Watson Coleman leaves the Legislature to run for Lt. Governor is who would succeed her as Assembly Majority Leader.  Her two main competitors when she won the post after the 2005 election, Neil Cohen and Wilfredo Caraballo, are no longer in the Legislature.  The race is significant because next Majority Leader could become Assembly Speaker someday.

The conventional wisdom is that Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D-Union), the Democratic State Chairman, would be a leading candidate for Majority Leader.  Cryan has a strong relationship with Speaker Joseph Roberts and with Democratic Party leaders across the state.  Watson Coleman was the Democratic State Chair before she became Majority Leader.

In 2007, political novices Don Diorio and Carmen Pio Costa were largely overlooked in District 36 until after Election Day, when they surprised by coming relatively close to beating the Democratic incumbents,  Fred Scalera (D-Nutley) and Gary Schaer (D-Passaic).

Now, with East Rutherford Councilman Joel Brizzi making an unexpected exit from the Assembly race, Diorio appears ready once again to join forces with Pio Costa for a rematch against Scalera and Schaer.  Only this time, state Republicans say they are going to play in the district in a major way, making it one of their most targeted races.

At the moment, Diorio appears to be the favorite to win the backing of the Republican chairs from the three counties that comprise the district:  Bergen, Essex and Passaic.

ASSEMBLY DEMOCRATS COMMENTARY ON FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS PANEL ECONOMIC CRISIS HEARING

(TRENTON) - Democratic members of the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee today issued a multimedia package on the panel's Monday hearing on the ongoing global economic crisis and the condition of New Jersey's financial institutions.

*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***

ASSEMBLY PANEL TO HOLD HEARING ON ECONOMIC CRISIS AND THE CONDITION OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

(TRENTON) – The Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee plans a Monday hearing on the ongoing global economic crisis and the condition of New Jersey’s financial institutions.