State Senator Ellen Karcher

KARCHER STATEMENT ON FORMER KEYPORT MAYOR MERLA'S GUILTY PLEA

TRENTON - Senator Ellen Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer, a leading advocate in the Legislature for top-to-bottom ethics reform, issued the following statement today on the guilty plea of former Keyport Mayor John Merla, as part of the FBI's 'Operation Bid Rig,' a sting to uncover deep-rooted corruption in Monmouth County:

"John Merla is the latest in a long line of public officials who will be sent to jail for abusing the public trust for personal gain. He took advantage of his office, and deserves the harshest penalties we can levy, to send a message that such action cannot be tolerated.

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State Senator John H. Adler

ADLER: GUILTY MAYOR SHOULD LOSE PENSION

TRENTON - Senator John H. Adler, D-Cherry Hill, made the following statement today following today's announcement that former Keyport Mayor John Merla pled guilty to a single public corruption charge:

"John Merla is getting off easy. A couple of years in jail and a fine pale in comparison to the damage he has done to the public trust.

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Indicted Mayor mulls re-election bid

Keyport Mayor John Merla, who is accused in an eight-count federal indictment of taking a $23,000 bribe from an undercover FBI agent whom he thought as a crooked contractor, says he might seek re-election as an Independent in November. Merla left the GOP after he was arrested in a sweep on allegedly corrupt Monmouth officials next year. The Republicans have not yet chosen a candidate, and the Democrats are running Robert Bergen, a Councilman.

Wake-Up Call

Morning News Digest: March 18, 2010

Runyan: ‘Different game, same mindset’  A lot of the hardest knocks Jon Runyan took in professional football he didn't see coming, and in that regard, he says the sport is not dissimilar from politics - where an email or phone call blast can drop out of nowhere and potentially...

Wally Edge

Democratic State Chairman John Wisniewski (D-Sayreville) put out a statement today accusing GOP congressional candidate Jon Runyan of “hiding from the press while trying to privately impress party bosses, and taking advantage of thousands of dollars...
The passing of Warren Wilentz means that David Norcross becomes the earliest nominated U.S. Senate candidate currently living.  Wilentz was the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 1966 against Clifford Case, and Norcross was the Republican U....
The national political environment favored the GOP in 1966.  It was the mid-term election of Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson, and the war in Vietnam had just begun to divide the nation.   In New Jersey, Republican Clifford Case was...
Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo issued a press release today urging the State Assembly to pass pension and health insurance reform bills, but did not mention in his 574-word that the person blocking the legislation, Assembly Speaker Sheila...
Two Republicans will formally announce campaigns for Congress this evening against Democratic incumbents: John Runyan, a retired NFL star who played for the Philadelphia Eagles, is challenging freshman U.S. Rep. John Adler (D-Cherry Hill), and Diane...

Contributors

This is going to be a budget that is going to be unlike any other you’ve probably seen in NJ in at least the last 20 years and maybe... more »
Everybody needs to start a new job with a list of priorities and Chris Christie is no exception. There might be a thousand things that need to get done... more »
It's impossible to support consolidation of government services and also support COAH.S1 paints with a broad brush and thus will miss some fine points.  COAH paints with... more »
Governor Christie seems to have played the rotten fiscal cards he inherited fairly well. As reported by the Star-Ledger, he is proposing to cut school aid by more... more »
As part of his solution to New Jersey’s current budget deficit, Gov. Chris Christie announced that, effective yesterday, he will not allow any additional parents to enroll in FamilyCare,... more »
Do I love Governor Chris Christie’s budget proposal?  Of course not.  Who would?  I’m sure he doesn’t like it, but that’s not the point, is it?  How could you... more »
The budget speech given on Tuesday by Governor Christie clearly illustrates his priorities – including disproportionately shifting the tax burden away from businesses and the wealthy, and... more »
On Rebate Issue, Christie Will Win.  The leading New Jersey Sunday newspapers yesterday confirmed that Governor Chris Christie will propose in his FY2011 budget the... more »
You’ve got to hand it to Christie; he calls it as he sees it.  I don’t mean the newly crowned Governor, Chris Christie, but his nine-year-old son, Patrick.  ... more »
Anyone involved in governing and administrating a town or county in New Jersey understands the economic problems outlined in The Star-Ledger editorials of February 28 and March 1.  The... more »
It is widely anticipated that Gov. Chris Christie’s first budget message, to be delivered on March 16, will show the harsh reality of New Jersey’s bleak financial outlook. No... more »
In keeping with the commitment I made to you in the November election, I am looking at every possible way to cut wasteful government spending and relieve your tax... more »
Republican Playbook:  Fear, Scorn & Partisanship -- Instill fear.  Sow uncertainty.   Create doubt.  Demonize.   These tactics may be the unfortunate norm for campaigning, but they are bad – if not... more »
Our new Governor suffers from no lack of advice.  Much of it, contained in the transition reports, deserves prompt attention.  Obviously, economic prosperity benefits everyone, and – as... more »
I have to genuinely wonder if this legislature will go down as the most taxing legislature in the history of the state of New Jersey surpassing the legislative actions... more »
Now that  the dust has finally settled after the grueling campaign for governor, there are a number of lessons that we can draw from this election. First and... more »
 March 18, 2010   Stop screaming. You’ll wake up the neighbors.If you're a local town mayor in New Jersey and you think that screaming about the impact Christie’s budget... more »
Limited government principles and fiscal conservatism are philosophically sound, because they preserve the people’s natural rights and they prevent government from overspending, over borrowing and overtaxing.   For more than... more »
New Jersey is in severe financial crisis because for years elected officials have been able to make irresponsible and short-sighted decisions without any restraint.  Future governors may... more »
On January 6, 2010, several newspapers published articles with titles like “no more aid for struggling cities”, “Christie will cut state aid” and the like; furthermore, in the body... more »
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, you target teachers. That’s not a positive note to start your tenure. You forget that the Teachers’ Union makes decisions on its own, such... more »
On the day of his inauguration, Governor Christopher Christie inherited a gaping $2 billion hole in the state’s budget and swiftly set about the people’s business in meeting our... more »