Newark

PAYNE TAKES LEAD ON SUDAN DIVESTITURE DISCUSSION

(NEWARK) -- On 10 December 2006, Assemblyman William D Payne served as a panelist for the 'Divestment Strategy for Human Rights' workshop at the 10th Annual Summit of the States in Washington DC.

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LARRY CASHA FOR ASSEMBLY
WWW.CASHAFORASSEMBLY.ORG

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Larry Casha
December 13, 2006 973-263-1114

Needle Exchange Wrong for New Jersey
Republicans and Democrats agree; passage will do more harm than good

Kinnelon – 26th District Assembly candidate Larry Casha issued the following statement concerning the recent vote to approve a pilot needle exchange program:

“Tuesday’s vote to approve a needle exchange program highlights how out of touch the state legislature has become. Supporters of the bill cite scientific studies that show blood transmitted diseases such as HIV can be prevented by the government acting as middle man for illicit drug users. Instead of more scientific studies, we need more common sense.

“Those people that are addicted to illegal drugs need counseling and treatment to escape from the clutches of drugs. They do not need their own government acting as an enabler. Senator Ron Rice from Newark and many other Legislators – both Republican and Democrat - spoke out and voted against this bill because they understand that it will do more harm than good.

“An equally surprising part of the legislation gives the user a “get out of jail free card,� in that someone who is in the exchange program cannot be charged with possession of drug paraphernalia for syringes in their possession even if that person had a heroine-laced needle in a school parking lot. How will law enforcement be able to do their jobs – keeping drugs off the street – if our legislature has allowed drug users to get fresh needles with taxpayer’s dollars?

“What’s next, the Department of Health providing the drugs for the users to make sure they are top quality? The absurdity of this legislation is clear: government should do more to help get people OFF of drugs, not give them the tools to continue into the abyss.�

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McHOSE: CHEAP LAND DEALS IN NEWARK ARE IRONIC

CITY WHERE MILLIONS WERE SPENT ON LAND TO BUILD SCHOOLS WAS GIVING LAND AT A DISCOUNT TO THE POLITICALLY CONNECTED

Assemblywomen Alison Littell McHose today said she is disgusted by reports that in the final days of the administration of former Mayor Sharpe James the city engaged in a flurry of real estate deals to sell municipal property at as little as a one-seventh of its market value to politically-connected developers.

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NEWARK ARENA 50% COST OVERRUN AN OUTRAGE
Property Taxpayers Bear The Brunt Of Newark Mismanagement Yet Again

Senator Robert E. Littell (R-Sussex/Morris/Hunterdon), the Republican Budget Officer called upon the Corzine Administration to publicly state whether they will provide a $102 million bailout of the Newark Arena project in order to cover rising costs for the project.

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BUILDING IS DEDICATED TO
JUDGE ROBERT L. CARTER

TRENTON

- The New Jersey Department of Education building at 100 Riverview Plaza in Trenton was dedicated today to honor U.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Carter, a pioneering civil rights attorney and one of the architects of the NAACP’s legal strategy in the Brown v. Board of Education case, which outlawed segregation in public schools. Read More >

The conventional wisdom had been that Harold Hodes would lose his very lucrative contract as a lobbyist for the City of Newark after Cory Booker replaced Sharpe James as Mayor. Sources say that Hodes got Senate President Richard Codey, Essex County Democratic Chairman Philip Thigpen and others to intervene, and now that Hodes has formed a "joint" venture with Thigpen's son, Rick Thigpen, it now looks like the contract will remain intact -- albeit with a little bit less of a profit margin.

The Newark lobbying deal might be one of the reasons Rick Thigpen spent so much time with his cousin, Donald Payne, Jr., who serves as a Newark City Councilman and Essex County Freeholder, at the New Jersey League of Municipalities Convention in Atlantic City this week. Payne, Jr. is the son of Congressman Donald Payne, the nephew of Assemblyman William Payne, and the cousin of Assemblyman Craig Stanley.

For extreme political junkies: read Thigpen's analysis of a Fairleigh Dickinson University poll on the Newark mayoral race.

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GOVERNOR CORZINE ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF MONTHLONG COMMUNITY SERVICE/VOLUNTEER NJ! CAMPAIGN
New Jersey Volunteers – Transforming Communities

TRENTON

- Governor Jon S. Corzine today announced the launch of COMMUNITY SERVICE/VOLUNTEER NJ!, a monthlong campaign that begins on Saturday, November 4 with a series of events to highlight youth mentoring and efforts to combat hunger. The initiative gives all New Jersey citizens an opportunity to improve their communities through volunteer service. Read More >

THE JAIL NEEDS A SHERIFF

Essex County Corrections, Abused for Years by an
Inattentive Executive, Should Be Run Under the
Umbrella of the County Sheriff's Department

(Newark, NJ) -- Today Rich Mastrangelo joined members of PBA Local 382 and their allies from across the county and state to protest the violence and unsafe conditions at the Essex County Jail. PBA Local 382 President Joe Amato organized the rally to call for the replacement of the jail's under-qualified director, Scott Faunce. Mastrangelo proposed that the Department of Corrections be removed from control by the County Executive and transferred to the constitutional office of Sheriff, as is the case in Bergen , Cape May, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, and Sussex counties.

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WEINBERG PRAISES RYAN AS CONCERNED, COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL

TRENTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee today unanimously approved the nomination of Kevin Ryan to be Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families.

The 10-0 vote sent the nomination of Ryan to the full Senate where a floor vote could be held as early as next Monday, Sept. 25th.

“Kevin Ryan should be an excellent commissioner to lead this new department,� said Senator Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, a member of the panel. “He (Ryan) is concerned, competent and compassionate and he’s lived a life of helping children. That’s a good combination of qualifications.

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PETERS, LUCAS & LITTLE LAUNCH VISION
FOR MONMOUTH COUNTY’S FUTURE
Focuses on Streamlining Spending, Creating Efficiencies & Advocating for Taxpayers

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