Jersey City

CODEY ANNOUNCES 30 HIGH SCHOOLS PARTICIPATING IN
COMMUNITY SERVICE PILOT PROGRAM

Workshop to be held on Monday for Participants

(TRENTON) – Acting Governor Richard J. Codey today announced the 30 high schools that have been selected by the state Department of Education (DOE) to participate in a three-year pilot program requiring juniors to complete 15 hours of community service before graduating. The pilot program, part of a bill Codey signed into law in September, makes New Jersey just the second state in the nation to require community service for high school students.

A reader writes:
Steve:
Your readers (this one anyway) would like your comment on this juxtaposition of positions on the turnout from your recent posts:

[Sherry Sylvester] added:"We think our vote is a later vote, with suburban professionals coming in later."

This from a Republican: ". . . GOP vote is an early vote, Dem votes are later in the day. Republicans are starting to worry about a blowout."
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There are a couple of ways to read this. One is that a campaign communications director is going to give you nothing but good news right up until the polls close, no matter how doomed that communications director's candidate might be. Now I'm not saying Forrester is doomed, but he is the underdog. So the Forrester explanation might be spin.

But I'd be careful too, because most of the turnout talk right now is based on anecdotal evidence. I've heard from Republicans who've told me turnout is through the roof in their GOP-friendly towns, and I've heard from Democrats who've told me the GOP is taking one big nap. I've also heard Democrats say their machine is really getting the job done in the cities, just as I've heard from Republicans who say the Democratic base has no passion for Corzine. In short, we don't know yet, and it's possible all of that is true. Maybe turnout will spike in some Republican towns (for instance, where there are competitive legislative races) and bottom out in others. And maybe the Hudson Democratc machine will crank out a big Corzine number in Jersey City, even as their Camden County counterparts fall short of their goal in Camden City.

If something like that happens, then the anecdotes might all be right, and then they'd probably just cancel each other out. So who knows. It's just after 3:00 now, and both campaigns-- surprise, surprise-- are telling me that they're going to own the next few hours-- the Democrats with their street walkers, the Republicans with returning commuters.

9/11 FAMILIES, FIRST RESPONDERS:
NEW JERSEY'S SECURITY AT STAKE
'Only one candidate has vision, leadership, experience'

JERSEY CITY - Families of 9/11 victims and first responders joined today to underscore the constant threat still posed by terrorists and other disasters and stressed the importance of electing a governor who both understands those threats and has the capacity to effectively deal with them. Both groups pledged their support for U.S. Senator and gubernatorial candidate Jon S. Corzine, touting him as the only candidate in the race for governor with the vision, leadership and experience to keep New Jerseyans safe and secure.

Menendez: Today's Leak is a Reminder of the Dangers in Our Chemical Facilities