Tom Kean

Governor Corzine's plan to let school districts borrow from the state to make up for lost state aid is just another gimmick designed to get around the intent of the Constitution and the will of people as expressed in last year's vote bannding borrowing without voter approval.

The Senate Community Urban Affairs Committee unanimously passed a bill sponsored by Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean (R-Union) that would bring greater transparency and accountability to government spending. Senate Bill 1465 would require all towns to report their tax abatements to the Department of Community Affairs (DCA). The information would then be used to determine a town’s eligibility when it applies for “Special Municipal Aid.”

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PolitickerNJ.com's Matt Friedman had an interesting observation during his coverage of the Republican gubernatorial debate.  He notes that Christopher Christie, "in recounting the damage he says has been done by seven years of Democratic governors," skips Richard Codey - he goes from James E. McGreevey straight to Jon Corzine. 

Christopher Christie says that congressional hearings scheduled for next week on federal monitors and deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs) are part of a calculated, multi-front effort to distract him from his Republican Primary and to give rival Steve Lonegan a better leg-up to win the Republican nomination for Governor.

Christie wouldn't say whether he'd first need to see a subpoena before appearing to testify in the matter of DPAs, the subject of the hearings scheduled as a direct result of controversial federal monitors Christie appointed when he served as U.S. Attorney.

"I haven't gotten any formal invitation to go and testify," Christie said on a conference call with reporters this afternoon. "I learned of the hearing in a press release from (U.S. Rep. Frank) Pallone and (U.S. Rep. Bill) Pascrell," who have sponsored legislation to reform the way the feds apportion federal monitoring contracts as part of DPAs.

"It's another part of a concerted Democratic effort two weeks before a Republican Primary," Christie said of the hearings. "When and if I receive an invitation, I will consider it in light of my schedule."

Pointing to a commitment by the Democratic Governor's Association (DGA) to spend money now targeting presumptive GOP gubernatorial frontrunner Christie and prosecutor-targeted legislation at the state level, Christie said the Democrats are trying to use the press and the levers of government to influence an election rather than undertaking the hard work of government.

"It's the front group to ensure Steve Lonegan is the Republican nominee or the ridiculous legislation introduced by Dick Codey (designed to curtail the political ambitions of prosecutors at the state and county levels) using government funds to negatively influence the Republican Primary," Christie explained. "This is political caddies carrying water and carrying clubs for the governor.

New Jersey seems headed for the first end-of-year deficit in state history. With just eight weeks remaining in fiscal 2009, state revenues are running a gut-wrenching $1.2 billion below Governor Corzine's projections, and the governor's lack of transparency is adding to the crisis.

The public deserves an honest budget. Legislators can't produce one if Governor Corzine can't or won't provide a true picture of the state's fiscal situation, especially how much revenue is coming in to finance state programs.

Legislation Creates Educational Security Task Force

Legislation sponsored by Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean (R-21) that would create an Educational Security Task Force to assist the State Board of Education in developing security guidelines for New Jersey schools was approved by the Senate Education Committee today. The bill, S-1627, would create a 16-member task force to review and recommend best practices for providing safe and secure learning environments for students and school employees.

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I grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh.  The first time I ever saw the name "Jack Kemp" was when my father took me to a Pittsburgh Steelers football game at the late, lamented Forbes Field in 1957 against the Green Bay Packers. 

Kemp was listed in the program that day as the third string quarterback behind the starter, Earl Morrall and his backup, the Steelers' first round draft pick, Len Dawson.  Prior to reading the program, I did not even know that the Steelers had a third string quarterback.

I actually remember that game, because it was the first National Football League game I ever saw in person, and the two teams, the pre-Lombardi Packers and the hapless "same old Steelers" of the 1950s were exemplars of futility on the gridiron.  Also, the Packers' first round draft pick out of Notre Dame, Paul Hornung was then playing fullback, rather than his later Packer halfback position, and was injured in the game.  Ultimately, however, the real significance of that game to me was my first awareness of Jack Kemp, a man whose vision and ideas did so much to change the course of American history for the better.

Jack Kemp, the former NFL player and nine-term New York Congressman who passed away tonight at the age of 73, played key roles in two New Jersey Republican statewide primaries.   In 1978, Kemp campaigned for Jeffrey Bell, a conservative former Reagan speechwriter who beat four-term incumbent Clifford Case in the Republican primary.  Part of Bell’s campaign platform included his strong support for Kemp-Roth, which sought to reduce income tax rates by nearly 33%. In 1981, Kemp endorsed Tom Kean in his bid for the Republican nomination for Governor.  With endorsements from conservatives like Kemp and Bell, Kean was able to enhance his appeal to GOP primary voters.

Former Gov. Tom Kean called U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter's (D-Penn.) decision this week to change his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat a political "tragedy" for both the country and the Republican Party, which he said is becoming too ideologically narrow to retake a congressional majority.

"I think his decision to switch is a tragedy in a number of ways," Kean said.

Specter, a moderate who was elected to the Senate in 1980 - one year before Kean, a fellow moderate Republican, won the New Jersey gubernatorial election -- was facing what looked to be an uphill primary battle against conservative former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey before he announced his party switch on Tuesday.

If Democrat Al Franken ever overcomes former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman's legal appeals in Minnesota, then, combined with Specter's switch, Democrats will have the 60 votes necessary to achieve cloture - at least on paper.  Kean said that it's dangerous when either party reaches a filibuster-ending majority.

"I think it's never good politically for one party to get to the sixty number in the Senate. What happens is they get a little uppity and arrogant and overreach, usually," Kean said.

"It's not good for the country, party or anyone else. Our system is not built to have that kind of majority."

Kean did not fault Specter for making the switch.  He has had a good relationship with the Senator, relying on his help when he chaired the 9/11 commission and even donating $500 to his 1998 reelection campaign - something he does not often do for out-of-state candidates (one of the few non-New Jersey recipients of Kean's contributions has been Sen. Susan Collins [R-ME] who, like Specter, took heat from conservatives for voting for President Obama's stimulus bill).