NJEA

Within 24 hours after the election of Chris Christie as Governor, the battle was joined between the Governor-elect and the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA).  This could become the Ali-Frazier of New Jersey issue battles.

NJEA launches issues advocacy campaign, NJ Kids and Families, to focus attention on education and health care, two issues that matter most to New Jersey's children and families. 

During the past week, I watched on NJN coverage of several campaign events trumpeting Governor Jon Corzine’s successes in education governance.  The message of each event was as follows:  Although Jon Corzine had to make drastic cuts in the state budget during a time of diminished revenues, he actually increased education funding, because he cares about our children.  

Will the Governor’s accomplishments in education become the new positive message of the Corzine reelection campaign?  It seems plausible to me.  Corzine is in dire need of a positive campaign message.  Without one, his negative attacks on Chris Christie will continue to backfire and cause his own negative approval ratings to increase at a more rapid rate than those of his Republican challenger.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                         CONTACT: Chris Pordon

Friday, August 7, 2009                                          (609) 651-0748

 ETHICS REFORM BEGINS WITH ENDING CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

LIVINGSTON, NJ – Twenty seventh District State Assembly candidate Barry Funt today called on Mayor/Assemblyman John McKeon and Assemblywoman Mila Jasey to renounce their endorsement by the NJEA...

Wojciech Siemaszkiewicz, a Republican candidate for Assembly in District 37 expressed his disappointment with the NJEA endorsement of entrenched Democrat incumbents Johnson and Huttle.

HILLSDALE – The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) has endorsed Assemblywoman Charlotte Vandervalk (R- Hillsdale) and Councilman Robert Schroeder (R- Twp of Washington) in their bids to represent District 39 in the New Jersey State Assembly.

The powerful New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) today released its endorsements of 70 candidates for the Assembly and one candidate for the state Senate in the special election in District 6.

The organization's list features the usual favorable tilt toward Democrats - 47 of them received endorsements, compared to 24 Republicans - with Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo (D-Hamilton) notably picking up an endorsement in the 14th from the same outfit that dissed him in his freshman run two years ago.

The organization did not endorse anyone in the District 23 special election, a lock Republican district where conservative Assemblyman Michael Doherty (R-Washington Twp.) is running.

Also of interest is the organization's endorsement of only Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Sayreville) in District 19, and not his embattled running mate, South Amboy Mayor John O'Leary, whom Wisniewski has asked to stand down while the mayor attempts to clear his name of corruption allegations that surfaced anonymously in a packet and distributed on the streets.

The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) today endorsed Governor Jon Corzine for reelection.  

"When it comes to this state's commitment to public education, Jon Corzine gets it,” said NJEA president Joyce Powell.

The endorsement, made unanimously by the NJEA PAC’s 125-member Operating Committee, does not come as a surprise, as Republican gubernatorial nominee Chris Christie declined to seek it.  The group hasn’t endorsed a Republican gubernatorial candidate since 1985, when Tom Kean, Sr. cruised to reelection. 

“Too many Republican and Democratic legislators are taking money from the NJEA and other public union bosses and I believe that is creating an unhealthy relationship that comes at the expense of taxpayers,” he added.

NJEA.org

New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) President Joyce Powell

In keeping with his tough campaign rhetoric on public employees' unions, Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie has declined to seek the endorsement of the New Jersey Education Association's  (NJEA) political action committee.    

NJEA President Joyce Powell, whose group claims about 200,000 members, was offended by what she perceived as a snub by Christie.  She announced today that he sent her a letter turning down an invitation to participate in the union’s screening process.  

"It is unfortunate that Mr. Christie is unwilling to take the time to have an honest discussion about educational issues with the organization that represents the overwhelming majority of the state's educators.  It is also unfortunate that the Republican standard-bearer has chosen to break his party's long-standing tradition of candid discussion and direct communication with NJEA,” said Powell.

Powell noted that the union endorsed Tom Kean, Sr., who is the Christie campaign’s honorary chairman, for governor in the 1980s, though it did not specify if it was for one or both his 1981 and 1985 campaigns.  

The Christie campaign provided a copy of the letter.   In it, Christie said he wanted to meet with union representatives to “engage in a frank dialogue about the future of our public education system,” but that “doing so under the specter of an endorsement is difficult... that is why I will not be seeking the endorsement of your organization.”