Joe Pennacchio

PARSIPPANY -- State Sen. Joe Pennacchio (R-Montville) stood in the hall with former Assemblyman Guy Gregg (R-WashingtonTownship) – two conservatives thrilled to see their party come out of the political wilderness with Chris Christie’s victory.

“I feel wonderful,” said Pennacchio, like Chis Christie a Morris County Republican. “A pro-life, pro-gun conservative in a blue state.  How did that happen?”  

Gregg, who went down in a primary in 2007 after an 18 year legislative career, noted that Christie is going to be the most powerful governor in the country, listing his powers come January. 

“Veto. Conditional veto.  Line item veto.  You not only can just veto a bill, you can rewrite it and send it back.  I’ve had it done to me so many times by both parties that I understand it.  Between that and executive order, this is a huge change.”

Local Finance Board Giving Special Aid to Newark Next Wednesday without Accountability

In response to a meeting of the Local Finance Board scheduled for next Wednesday to give an unknown amount of money to Newark, Senate Budget Committee member Joe Pennacchio (R-Morris) is calling on Governor Corzine to release a long overdue Special Municipal Aid Audit of that city following last year’s special aid award of $45 million.

“The State Budget requires an audit of Newark and Governor Corzine has yet to release it to the public that paid for it, ” said Pennacchio. “It’s embarrassing. Governor Corzine will be throwing more money at this problem without finding out how the last $45 million was spent.”

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Senator Joe Pennacchio, R-Morris and Passaic, said he will continue to monitor transparency in the spending of federal stimulus aid in New Jersey, after Governor Corzine announced that he has finally taken the first steps toward helping taxpayers track where their money is going.

The decision to make a risky investment of the $180 million magnitude of the Lehman purchase was clearly not made without the input of some appointee of the Corzine administration. Yet, one year later, the Treasurer continues to insist that the investment was solely the decision of low-level employees of the Division of Investment who are being demoralized by questions about the $118 million loss.

Secret investments by the pension funds in New Jersey companies invited corruption and political manipulation, says Senator Joe Pennacchio. No company unwilling to accept the increased scrutiny should be given public money, the senator says.

Governor Corzine is showing his Wall Street roots by being anything but transparent about how billions of stimulus money is and will be spent in New Jersey, Senator Joe Pennacchio said.

“Governor Corzine’s federal stimulus Web site is very attractive, but almost useless to busy taxpayers,” Senator Joe Pennacchio says “Messages remind us that taxpayers have every right to know on a timely basis how their stimulus money is being spent, but where’s the beef? (more…)

Chris Christie ally John Inglesino tried to staunch the wound of an ongoing news story tonight about his receipt of a state pension for part-time work performed for state Sen. Joe Pennacchio (R-Montville) by asking Pennacchio to remove him from the state pension system.

"As a 15 year public official, I have devoted a substantial amount of time to public service.  Over the past few days, my friend, Chris Christie, has taken harsh and unfair criticism because I am legally in the State pension system as a part-time legislative aide to Senator Joe Pennacchio.  I share Chris's view that part-time employees should not be in the State's pension system," Inglesino said in a statement released tonight.  "My job with Senator Pennacchio has never been about remaining in the pension system.  To prove this, I have asked Senator Pennacchio to remove me from the pension system effective immediatley.  I will remain an aide to Senator Pennacchio, but I will not be in the pension system.  I hope this will serve as an example for others to follow."

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, left, joins GOP frontrunner for governor Chris Christie in Cranford this morning.

UPDATED 

CRANFORD – A day after Mitt Romney gripped a podium and celebrated Chris Christie, the latter was back to the 2008 presidential candidate who by virtue of geography or resume has most frequently and fervently championed the GOP frontrunner for governor.

The appearance with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani at a table beside firefighters in the station house on Springfield Avenue occurred as Democrats fired off a press release savaging Christie for daring to promise the eradication of patronage jobs from Trenton while old chum and former Morris County Freeholder John Inglesino nurses a state pension for a $3,000 part-time gig he as a consultant for state Sen. Joe Pennacchio (R-Montville).

“It’s for the two of them to work out, it’s not for me to get into what they know I’m going to change when I’m governor,” said Christie of Inglesino and Pennacchio.

From afar, state Sen. Joe Vitale (D-Woodbridge) demanded that Christie get Pennacchio and Inglesino to produce a “work product,” making public exactly what work Inglesino fulfills in his capacity as a Pennacchio aide de camp.

Senate Budget Chair Barbara Buono (D-Metuchen)

TRENTON – The glare of the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) as a gubernatorial election year issue today forced state Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Joe Doria to challenge Republicans asking for his help in scrapping it outright.

“You can’t kill COAH,” snapped Doria at the Senate Budget Committee hearing, wading into terrain treaded frequently by GOP Primary campaign trail candidates, the most recognizable of whom argue for the demolition of the community affairs division responsible for ensuring fair and affordable housing in New Jersey.

Bad idea, said Doria.

“You need to simplify it in a way that will meet court muster,” he argued. “If we don’t do that, we’re back at the beginning again. If we kill COAH, a builder’s remedy takes effect, and the courts come in with any development they want. They can come in and ask for a change in zoning.  COAH was created to protect the towns from builder’s remedy.”