Norris Clark

Republicans rally in District 1: left to right, Alex DeCroce, Norris Clark, Nicholas Asselta, Michael Donohue and Leonard Lance
Showing a capacity for Jersey road rage at the start of the political season, Republicans stood on the side of the Garden State Parkway in Cape May County today and vowed, once they win the majority, not to post a bill that would enable the leasing of the state’s toll toads.

This press conference, held in district 1 where state Sen. Nicholas Asselta is in a re-election tussle with challenger Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew, featured Senate Minority Leader Leonard Lance, Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce, Asselta and his running mates, Michael J. Donohue and Norris Clark.

They say they’re against the leasing of state assets, but at the very least the GOP want to know more. "I call on the governor to release the details of his plan," said Lance.

(OCEAN VIEW SERVICE AREA, Garden State Parkway, September 5) -- Senate Republican Leader Leonard Lance, Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce, Senator Nick Asselta and his Assembly running mates Norris Clark and Michael Donohue -- addressing the media at a press conference at the Ocean View service area off the Garden State Parkway -- today declared the clear difference between Republicans and Democrats over the increasingly critical issue posed by the Democrats’ plan to monetize New Jersey’s toll roads: the Republican leaders vowed to kill the scheme by refusing to post the enabling legislation for a vote, should New Jersey’s voters return Republicans to majority control of either the Senate or the Assembly.

The first district Republicans have seized on a new report from a Wall Street lawyer that says monetization could increase tolls by 150 percent.

The analysis by New York-based attorney Peter Humphreys, reported by the Associated Press this morning, said that issuing bonds to bring about a cash infusion would increase tolls in the long run. Although the details of the plan have not been made public by Gov. Corzine, Humphreys said that the average commuter on the Turnpike could wind up paying $2,400 a year in tolls.

(VINELAND August 30) – First District Senator Nick Asselta and his Assembly running mates, Norris Clark and Michael Donohue – responding to an analysis of the Governor’s proposal to monetize New Jersey’s toll roads that indicates that tolls on the average motorist would have to rise by 150 percent to pay back the bonds issued by a new state agency – today declared the prospect of such a massive toll hike a “non-starter,” and urged the Governor and his Democratic allies to scrap their plan.

(VINELAND August 23) -- First District Senator Nick Asselta and his Assembly running mates, Norris Clark and Michael Donohue --responding to Attorney General Anne Milgram’s directive to state and local law enforcement authorities yesterday to make immigration checks a regular part of routine police procedure, and requiring state and local law enforcement authorities to notify Federal officials when they have reason to believe a suspect is in the country illegally -- today lauded her order and called on her to expand the list of alleged offenses that fall under the directive.

(VINELAND, August 15) -- First District Senator Nick Asselta and his Assembly running mates Norris Clark and Michael Donohue -- responding to yesterday’s release of a new survey by Rutgers-Eagleton regarding strong public opposition to the Democrats’ plans to monetize New Jersey’s toll roads -- today reiterated their own strong opposition to any such transaction, and declared the Democrats’ plan dead on arrival.

(VINELAND, August 10) – First District Senator Nick Asselta and his Assembly running mates Norris Clark and Michael Donohue – following up on their statements of earlier this week, and furthering the outlines of their proposals to address social strains caused by illegal immigration here in New Jersey – today called on Trenton Democrats to address the stresses caused by an estimated 450,000 illegal immigrants here in New Jersey, and to put the needs of New Jersey's citizens back in their rightful place above the desires of those whose first act in our nation was to violate our laws.

(VINELAND, August 7) – First District Senator Nick Asselta and his Assembly running mates Norris Clark and Michael Donohue – responding to yesterday’s announcement by the Governor of the formation of a new 27-member commission to study how the State can handle problems posed by illegal immigration, with the commission to report back to him in 15 months – today said the problems posed by the estimated 450,000 illegal immigrants in New Jersey cannot wait 15 months for an answer, and offered instead their own plan: enforce the law.

(VINELAND, August 6) -- First District Senator Nick Asselta and his Assembly running mates Norris Clark and Michael Donohue -- responding to news reports indicating that some of the money Assemblymen Jeff Van Drew and Nelson Albano voted to spend in preparation for the sale or lease of New Jersey’s toll roads has already been spent on a British consulting firm -- today called on Van Drew and Albano to share with their constituents what they knew about the contract and when they knew it.

(VINELAND, July 31) – First District Senator Nick Asselta and his Republican Assembly running mates, Norris Clark and Michael Donohue, today offered their own First District Clean Campaign Pledge and invited their respective opponents to join them in conducting this fall’s campaign in the First District in a fair, honest, and above-board manner.