Ronald Chen

Calls on Chen to Investigate Secret Plan to Hike Tolls on Working Families

Senator Diane Allen (R-Burlington/Camden) called upon Public Advocate Ronald K. Chen to open an investigation into Governor Corzine’s plan to sell the State’s toll roads.  Senator Allen transmitted her request to the Public Advocate in a letter dated today.

Seema Singh's campaign for the New Jersey State Senate is not going well. A Trenton Times story details an ethics complaint against her -- seemingly at the suggestion of her former boss, Public Advocate Ronald Chen. Last week, a Gannett story revealed that she accepted campaign contributions from top utility company executives just weeks after leaving her job as state Ratepayer Advocate. And Gannett columnist Bob Ingle wrote about the potential conflict of Singh's decision to hire political consultant Steve DeMicco, the husband of Board of Public Utilities Commission President Jeanne Fox.

The ethics investigation lends credibility to comments from Corzine administration officials that Singh was on the verge of being asked to leave state government. Some Democrats say her willingness to challenge popular GOP State Senator Peter Inverso was a face-saving exits strategy.

But Singh has qualified for the first round of public financing -- the only one out of eighteen possible candidates to do that so far -- and her GOP opponent, Assemblyman Bill Baroni, hasn't said a word about Singh's bad press -- not exactly the uber aggressive campaign New Jersey watched in April when Inverso announced his retirement.

“I have seen the abuse of eminent domain up close and personal and I don’t like it and I will not be party to taking people’s homes or businesses to enhance a private redevelopment,” said Massa. 

TURNER: PSE&G RATE HIKE WRONG FOR NEW JERSEY RESIDENTS

TRENTON - Senator Shirley K. Turner said today that the rate hike proposed by PSE&G is unwarranted and urged the members of the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to reject the proposal in its entirety.

"This rate hike is absolutely ludicrous. I am completely opposed to it," said Senator Turner, D-Mercer. "As far as I can see, PSE&G hasn't even come close to making a convincing argument for why this rate hike is necessary. The only acceptable course of action for the BPU to take is to deny the request."

BUCCO QUESTIONS CHEN’S MOTIVES
Public Advocate Designee Activist for Radical Causes

State Senator Anthony Bucco, (R-25), issued the following statement regarding Governor-elect Jon Corzine’s nomination of Rutgers law professor Ronald Chen to be New Jersey’s Public Advocate.