Sean Kean

Shore protection, EMT training and arts funding should never have been cut in the first place because the Legislature dedicated fees and taxes to these programs. Now the governor has the resources not to deplete these vital programs.

Democrat Paul Escandon, who won 27% of the vote in his 2003 State Senate race against Joseph Palaia (D-Ocean Township), was nominated to serve as a Superior Court Judge today.  A former Loch Arbour Village Trustee, he is the law partner of Palaia's Republican successor, State Sen. Sean Kean (R-Wall).

Gov. Jon Corzine discusses his budget with Eatontown resident Andrew Bauer on Tuesday afternoon.

EATONTOWN – Sarah Palin’s prime time debate shout-out to Joe Six Packs likely turned the heads of more than several occupants on bar stools here in Eatontown, a town whose classic blue collar image was finally tempered somewhat nearly 50 years ago when the Monmouth Mall landed in the midst of farmlands and roadside bars and turned a generation of tool and die Jack Sprats into mall rats.

Set midway between the 11th Legislative District’s economic extremes – Rumson on the hill and Long Branch at the shoreline – Eatontown leans Democrat in a district that more than leans Republican and – in a gut check moment - went for McCain last year over Obama, a fact noted with some pride by state Sen. Sean Kean (R-Wall), who watched Gov. Jon Corzine come here today with no small amount of skepticism.

Looking to shop his budget proposal in New Jersey’s version of the heartland, Corzine trotted up the steps of Frank and Marti Kijac’s house on his way in to head up a living room discussion of his $29.8 billion working document, which Republicans believe crashes in especially punishing fashion on the middle class.  

Senate Republicans have agreed to a rules change that will expand the size of two Senate committees.  The Judiciary Committee will go for eleven to thirteen (eight Democrats and five Republicans), and the Labor Committee will increase from five to seven (four Democrats and three Republicans).  Brian Stack (D-Union City) will get the Judiciary post, and James Beach (D-Voorhees) will get the Labor seat. 

On the Republican side, things are a little more complicated.  Sean Kean (R-Wall), a pro-Labor Republican, is expected to get the new Labor Committee seat.  For the Judiciary seat, Senate Minority Leader Thomas Kean, Jr. might be forced to choose between two Senators who want the assignment:  Christopher Bateman (R-Branchburg) and Kevin O'Toole (R-Cedar Grove).  This puts Kean in the uncomfortable position of possibly passing over O'Toole, the Essex County Republican Chairman and the Chairman of the GOP County Chairmen, for the second time this year.  Kean picked Anthony Bucco (R-Boonton) to serve as the ranking Republican on the Appropriations Committee after Leonard Lance resigned to take his seat in Congress.

A bill sponsored by Senators Sean Kean, (R-Monmouth), and Diane Allen, (R-Burlington), that would create a task force to address the needs of older workers was unanimously passed by the Senate Labor committee today. Senate Bill 2450 would create a nine-member panel to study and make recommendations to help senior workers succeed in New Jersey's labor force.

State Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth), left, introduces former U.S. Attorney Chris Chrisite, with wife Mary Pat.

LINCROFT – On the second day of his two-day campaign kickoff, Chris Christie has sharpened his Wednesday speech into a few short bursts, and in front of a packed house at the Lincroft Inn in this one-time horse farm country turned box store sprawl zone, he toughens his anti-COAH (Council on Affordable Housing) rhetoric.

“If I am governor, I will gut COAH and I will put an end to it,” says Christie, an edited version of underdog gubernatorial candidate Assemblyman Richard Merkt’s (R-Mendham) “If I am governor, I will drive a stake into COAH’s heart, bury it, and make sure it never rises again” mantra.  

The comment gets a raise-the-roof response. 

“You just won the election,” Monmouth County Freeholder Lillian Burry tells the candidate.  

She’s standing behind him and facing the crowd along with other Republican elected officials, including state Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Middletown), state Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-Red Bank), state Sen. Sean Kean (R-Wall), Monmouth County Sheriff Kim Guadagno, and Middletown Mayor Pam Brightbill.

Fed Correction of Job Data Is More Evidence That Data Is Faulty

Former Neptune Mayor Randy Bishop, right, wiith ex-Gov. Brendan Byrne, is considering a bid for State Assembly in the 11th district.

Democratic sources say that Neptune Township Committeeman Randy Bishop, who was one of two openly gay Mayors in the state when he served in 2008, is mulling a bid for State Assembly in the 11th district this year.   The two Republican incumbents, Mary Pat Angelini and David Rible, are expected to seek re-election to their second terms this year.  

As former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie tries to make up his mind about whether or not to run for governor, state Sen. Sean Kean (R-Monmouth) and Assembly members Dave Rible (R-Wall) and Mary Pat Angelini (R-Ocean) are trying to nudge him into the race against incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine.

“Having served in the Legislature for six years, I have seen firsthand the urgent need for reform in New Jersey government,” said Kean in a release. “Chris Christie has demonstrated that he will not hesitate to take on the system that has made New Jersey increasingly unaffordable.”  Kean and his running mates pledged their support for Christie. 

“New Jersey is clearly headed in the wrong direction and that is why tens of thousands of people move out every year,” said Rible. “We need someone like Chris Christie in Trenton to lead the fight to make New Jersey more affordable and less corrupt.”

In the Matawan Borough Council race, Republican Thomas Fitzsimmons and his running mate, Joseph Urbano, defeated their Democratic Party rivals. Fitzsimmons ran state Sen. Jennifer Beck's (R-Monmouth) victorious 2007 campaign over Ellen Karcher and remains a Republican Party Trenton insider and Beck confidante.

In Middletown, Republican Deputy Mayor Pam Brightbill and her running mate, Tony Fiore, defeated their Democratic Party rivals to maintain a Republican majority on the Township Committee.

In Wall Township, a ginned up McCain-Palin effort overseen by state Sen. Sean Kean (R-Monmouth) may have contributed to the loss of Democratic Mayor John Devlin. Republicans George Newberry and Ann Marie Conte defeated Devlin and his Democratic running mate Joseph Tonzola to strengthen GOP cntrol of the Towship Committee.