$4 Million already wasted on $548 per hour lawyers THROUGH OCTOBER to jam through Corzine's toll hike and borrowing scheme - no need to waste more.

Senators Jennifer Beck (R-12) and Steve Oroho (R-24) criticized the Corzine Administration today for awarding a government contract to the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP, to jam though his toll hike and borrowing scheme.

SARLO AND BECK SEEK UNITED FRONT FOR GAMING INTERESTS

TRENTON – Senators Paul A. Sarlo and Jennifer Beck today sought a framework for establishing a stable source of funding for the financially-threatened horse racing industry in New Jersey which faces slashed purses and stiff competition from neighboring states.

The best feud of the week -- so far – is the fight between Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce and his chief deputy, Assembly Minority Conference Leader Peter Biondi. On Monday evening, Governor Jon Corzine’s school funding bill had 41 votes to pass the Assembly when DeCroce noticed that Biondi, a yes vote, had left the statehouse – Christopher Bateman had voted for Biondi, a fairly normal practice in the Legislature.  DeCroce pointed out that Biondi’s absence meant that the bill did not have enough votes to pass, forcing Jennifer Beck to switch her vote to yes.  Insiders report that this caused quite a fight between DeCroce and Biondi – with Biondi making his dissatisfaction with the Minority Leader quite clear.

Chris Christie and Jon Corzine as The HoneymoonersRead PolitickerNJ.com's The Year in Review 2007, our annual lists of Winners & Losers of the Year, Politician of the Year, Best & Worst Campaigns, People to Watch, Rising Stars, and much more.

The list of Best Operatives of 2007 is headed by Raiyan Sayed, who managed Jim Whelan's Senate race, and Tom Fitzsimmons, who ran the campaigns of Jennifer Beck for State Senate and Caroline Casagrande and Declan O'Scanlon for Assembly.

Find out why Rodney Frelinghuysen is tougher than he looks, why Don DiFrancesco doesn't shock us, how Joe Roberts made the worst prediction of 2007, and what Jim Devine, Gerald Lange, Malik Cupid, Chris Daul and Chris Thieme have in common.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM POLITICKERNJ.COM

The new class of legislators isn’t even seated yet, but that won’t stop us from speculating about the Assembly election in 2009.

Granted, two years is a political eternity, and which party will hold an advantage in that time depends most heavily on who’s at the top of the ticket. But when the new Assemblymen and women take their places in Trenton early next year, there will be 25 freshmen – several from competitive districts. Those represent the best opportunity for each party to knock off some incumbents.

Right now, however, from this great distance, it doesn’t appear as though any new districts will come into the fold, or that control of either legislative body is likely to shift. Indeed, it’s more likely that 2009 will see a smaller number of districts in play.

Doherty-Beck Bill to Decrease Size of County Tax Boards Clears Committee

Sponsors Ask Roberts to Post the Bill for a Final Vote

A bill sponsored by Assemblyman Michael J. Doherty and co-sponsored by Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck, that would reduce the size of county tax boards across the state and save New Jersey taxpayers almost $2.5 million over the next three years, passed the Assembly Housing and Local Government Committee earlier today. 

Beck Urges Codey to Exercise Leadership and Ask Senators Under Investigation Not to Vote

Says the Integrity of the Senate is at Stake

State Senator-elect Jennifer Beck today sent a letter to Senate President Richard Codey urging him to show true leadership and ask those members of the Senate that are under investigation or indictment to forgo voting in the up-coming session of the Senate.

Gov. Jon Corzine is optimistic about New Jersey's futureSeated at a back table in an Ironbound restaurant on Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Jon Corzine listened as he heard the leadership of his party described as a three-headed hydra; an image used by Republicans on the campaign trail to characterize Senate President Richard Codey, Speaker Joseph Roberts - and Corzine.

The governor thinks it's ridiculous.

"We have a Constitution that separates power for a reason," said Corzine: to prevent one branch of government from usurping the authority that individuals have in each branch.

The appointment of former Attorney General Stuart Rabner to the office of state Supreme Court Justice is one of his proudest accomplishments as governor, given the quality and preparedness of the man, Corzine said. However, the judiciary is not the troubled branch of government by the reckoning of Corzine's fiercest critics - maybe philosophically with decisions such as Abbott - but at least not immediately.

Asw. Beck and Asm. Kean call on Corzine to release secret asset monetization report

Assemblyman Sean T. Kean and Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck today expressed deep concern that a report published in the Asbury Park Press this morning indicates that Governor Jon S. Corzine intends to disregard the will of New Jersey voters and forge ahead with his plan to sell New Jersey’s most valuable roads.

Remember all those ethics complaints during the campaigns?  Wonder what happens to them?

We’ll see tomorrow, when the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards meets to rule on the five complaints that have been filed since the committee last met.  But if history is any guide, they’ll mostly be dismissed. 

While legislators who sit on the committee say that complaints occasionally have at least some level of validity, some say they’re filed more to get a headline in the heat of a campaign rather than pointing out a real, troubling ethical infraction.  They also say they’ve noticed it happening more often in recently, with candidates taking advantage of a committee – one with a reputation for being toothless and ineffective -- for their political ends.   

Indeed, 2007 was the year of the ethics complaint, with 10 filed so far- the most of any year on record, going back to 1972.  Five have been settled, all of which were dismissed.