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Gov. Christie declares regional cap-and-trade initiative ineffective, 'gimmicky' partnership

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TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie Thursday declared the nation’s first regional cap-and-trade program designed to reduce air pollution a failure and promised to pull New Jersey out of it by the end of the year. While acknowledging humans contribute to climate change, Christie called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative a "gimmicky" partnership and said it does nothing to reduce...

environmental.JPGGov. Christie and NJDEP commissioner Robert Martin announce changes in the NJ environmental policy during a press conference at the Statehouse Thursday.

TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie Thursday declared the nation’s first regional cap-and-trade program designed to reduce air pollution a failure and promised to pull New Jersey out of it by the end of the year.

While acknowledging humans contribute to climate change, Christie called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative a "gimmicky" partnership and said it does nothing to reduce the gases that fuel the problem.

"This program is not effective in reducing greenhouse gases and is unlikely to be in the future," Christie said at a Statehouse news conference. "The whole system is not working as it was intended to work. It’s a failure."

Critics of the governor called the decision a calculated move to appease conservatives nationwide, who have long pressured him to ditch the program, while still appearing to be pro-environment. They say it puts Christie, a national GOP star, on the same philosophical page as many within his party.

"The governor seems to be bent on impeding the progress we have made in generating green jobs powered by a green economy," said Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula (D-Somerset). "His missteps appear to be driven by partisan politics and are jeopardizing New Jersey’s clean energy future."

The initiative caps the total carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in 10 Northeast and mid-Atlantic Istates, and sets a goal for reducing the pollution by 10 percent by 2018.

The plants are assigned a certain amount of carbon dioxide they are allowed to emit. They can then buy and sell credits depending on if they need to release more or less of the gas.

Most of the credits are bought at auction, with the proceeds going back to the participating states to pay for renewable and clean energy projects.

RGGI Inc., a nonprofit that oversees the program, said in a statement that it will continue the program without New Jersey. Efforts to withdraw from the program in New Hampshire and Delaware have failed.

Conservatives have long savaged cap-and-trade as expensive and ineffective, and have during the past year ratcheted up pressure on Christie to leave the regional program. Environmentalists support the approach as a way to encourage power generators to produce cleaner energy.

In a preemptive strike on his detractors, Christie touted other clean energy initiatives, such as reusing landfills as solar farms, supporting offshore wind energy and opposing any new coal-fired power plants.

"From the outset the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative was a job killer," said Sen. Michael Doherty (R-Warren). "We can grow jobs and businesses and protect the environment at the same time without having to sacrifice one for the other."

Democrats and environmentalists said Christie is more interested in scrapping a model initiative than helping fix it.

"I’m glad the governor went to global warming school but he didn't learn his lesson," said David Pringle, political director of New Jersey Environmental Federation, which backed Christie in the 2009 campaign.

Luis Martinez, an energy attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, said Christie bowed to oil lobbyists who are bent on toppling the initiative. "Unfortunately, they found fertile ground here in New Jersey," Martinez said.

Christie said his analysis of the program found it was not effective at reducing greenhouse gases. He said the credits, which have fallen in price during the past year, were never expensive enough to change power plant behavior.

Without that incentive, Christie said the initiative was no more than a useless tax. He did, however, raid the program’s $65.2 million balance last year to help pay for the current year’s budget.

Environmentalists acknowledged the credits were worth less. RGGI Inc. said carbon dioxide emissions fell about 30 percent since 2005, and nearly half of that was because of the program.

Backing out of the program would save typical New Jersey households about $3.38 per year, according to RGGI Inc.

But the move will be worth far more politically for Christie, said Brigid Harrison, a political science professor at Montclair University. "This provides yet another example of the governor using one set of rhetoric in the state but enacting policies that are designed to placate a national conservative constituency," Harrison said.

Staff writer Ginger Gibson contributed to this report.


Gov. Christie seeks to change health benefits of state workers through collective bargaining

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TRENTON — After asserting for months that state employee health benefits will be overhauled through legislation, Gov. Chris Christie’s office is now seeking the changes through collective bargaining with the state’s largest employee union. "He’s out of his cage!" read a memo to Communications Workers of America members obtained by The Star-Ledger, joking about Christie’s comments in March that...

christie.JPGGov. Chris Christie speaks at a press conference at the Statehouse on Thursday.

TRENTON — After asserting for months that state employee health benefits will be overhauled through legislation, Gov. Chris Christie’s office is now seeking the changes through collective bargaining with the state’s largest employee union.

"He’s out of his cage!" read a memo to Communications Workers of America members obtained by The Star-Ledger, joking about Christie’s comments in March that he was looking forward to collective bargaining.

"Let me at them," Christie said at the time, showing his willingness to go out and negotiate. "Get me out of the cage and let me go."

At a Statehouse news conference Thursday, Christie called the offer to unions a "good faith effort" but reiterated his desire to have the Legislature pass a bill and force the unions to accept his plan to make them pay 30 percent of the cost of health benefits.

"We can chew gum and walk at the same time," Christie said.

The CWA, the state’s largest employee union, filed a complaint with the Public Employee Relations Committee (PERC) alleging violations of state employment law when Christie refused to negotiate over health benefits. That complaint is still pending.

Hetty Rosenstein, the state director for the CWA, said she is optimistic moving forward.

"We hope that we can begin to engage in serious negotiations with the governor," Rosenstein said.

The governor’s initial offer to employees at the bargaining table was nearly identical to the proposal he sent to the Legislature — having workers pay 30 percent of the cost of their insurance premiums, according to the memo. In addition, the administration could increase co-pays for the duration of the four-year contract.

The offer came during the seventh meeting between the CWA and the governor’s office to negotiate a new contract for the 40,000 employees the union represents. The current contract expires on June 30.

Christie has been adamant for months that he would seek changes to employee health benefits through legislation, but so far he has sent no bills to the Legislature; only Democrat Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) has filed a proposal.

Under Sweeney’s plan, employees would pay for health benefits based on how much they earn, and the rates would increase over three years.

"The Senate president has said all along that he believes the governor should at least hear the unions out at the table, so he is very happy with the administration’s action," said Chris Donnelly, a Senate Democratic spokesman.

Jeff Keefe, a labor professor at Rutgers University, said Christie was probably trying to short-circuit the complaint, since efforts to legislate benefit changes could be halted if PERC sided with the union.

"I don’t think they’re going to have any meaningful give and take at the bargaining table," Keefe said. "He wants to avoid having PERC rule against him. That would throw the whole budget situation up in the air."

Christie’s apparent shift in tactics didn’t surprise Peter Woolley, a political science professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

"Underneath the direct exterior, the governor tends to be very pragmatic," Woolley said. "He tends to be very practical in looking how attack a problem."

Previous Coverage:

Gov. Christie, state employees union begin bargaining over health benefits

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N.J. Gov. Christie, public workers union fight over changes in employee health benefits

Christie, unions spar over history of skipping collective bargaining to change health benefits

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Labor attorneys urge Legislature to abandon plan to increase N.J. employees' contributions to health benefits

N.J. Senate President Sweeney says costs of benefits are breaking local government budgets

Rev. Jesse Jackson to rally in N.J. for state union workers

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TRENTON — The Rev. Jesse Jackson will be in New Jersey for union rallies two days next week. The AFL-CIO is bringing in Jackson for a series of pro-collective bargaining rallies. Union workers are calling on lawmakers to pass a state budget that is fair to working families. Events will take place Tuesday and Wednesday in Camden, Trenton, Newark...

jesse-jackson.JPGThe Rev. Jesse Jackson in a file photo.

TRENTON — The Rev. Jesse Jackson will be in New Jersey for union rallies two days next week.

The AFL-CIO is bringing in Jackson for a series of pro-collective bargaining rallies.

Union workers are calling on lawmakers to pass a state budget that is fair to working families.

Events will take place Tuesday and Wednesday in Camden, Trenton, Newark and Jersey City.

The Rev. Al Sharpton was in the state last month for rallies at the Vineland Developmental Center, which Gov. Chris Christie plans to close.

Christie and the largest public workers union are in contract talks. The governor wants to significantly increase the amount government workers pay for health insurance.

Most government workers now contribute 1.5 percent of their salary toward health care costs.

Related coverage:

Gov. Christie seeks to change health benefits of state workers through collective bargaining

Gov. Christie, state employees union begin bargaining over health benefits

State workers demonstrate solidarity against Christie's proposed benefit, pension cuts to public employees

N.J. Gov. Christie, public workers union fight over changes in employee health benefits

Christie, unions spar over history of skipping collective bargaining to change health benefits

League of Municipalities president calls on Legislature for pension, benefit reform

Labor attorneys urge Legislature to abandon plan to increase N.J. employees' contributions to health benefits

N.J. Senate President Sweeney says costs of benefits are breaking local government budgets

N.J. voters would pick Obama over Christie in presidential race, poll says

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TRENTON — If Gov. Chris Christie ran for president in 2012, he would lose to President Barack Obama in New Jersey, according to a Rasmussen poll released today. The poll found 49 percent would back Obama and 44 percent would support Christie with the remaining 8 percent unsure or supporting another candidate, the conservative-leaning polling firm found. The poll...

obama-christie.jpgPresident Obama (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT) would lead Gov. Chris Christie among N.J. residents (Robert Sciarrino/The Star-Ledger) in a presidential race, a poll found.

TRENTON — If Gov. Chris Christie ran for president in 2012, he would lose to President Barack Obama in New Jersey, according to a Rasmussen poll released today.

The poll found 49 percent would back Obama and 44 percent would support Christie with the remaining 8 percent unsure or supporting another candidate, the conservative-leaning polling firm found. The poll asked 500 likely New Jersey voters yesterday and had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.

If the nominee were former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, the poll found nearly identical results, with 49 percent supporting Obama and 43 percent Romney.

The poll found that 53 percent of voters either approve or strongly approve of the job Obama is doing as president. The poll also found 53 percent approve of Christie's job as governor. In other polls conducted in the state, Christie has recently seen a drop in approval numbers.

The poll found New Jerseyans don't have a rosy picture of the economy.

Fifty percent responded that the rate of current economy is "poor" and 41 percent think it's getting worse. But 32 percent think the economy is getting better and 22 percent think it's staying the same.

A plurality, 49 percent, think the federal government will go bankrupt and be unable to pay it's debt before the federal budget is balanced. New Jerseyans also gave Obama negative marks for his handling of "the national budget crisis," with 41 percent saying "poor" and only 14 percent saying "excellent."

Locally, those polled said overwhelmingly that the bigger problem facing the state, when asked to choose between voters being unwilling to pay enough taxes or politicians being unable to control spending, was the former.

Also, when asked how Gov. Christie is "handling the New Jersey budget crisis" a plurality, 35 percent, said "poor." Of those polled, 24 percent said "excellent," 22 percent said "good" and 18 percent said "fair."

Read Poll here.

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Talk about Gov. Christie running for president hasn't impacted his work, poll says

Obama would carry N.J. over Christie in 2012 presidential election, poll finds

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Proposed law would ban N.J. public colleges from paying commencement speakers

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Kean paid John Legend $25K, while Rutgers paid Toni Morrison $30K

johnlegend.jpgGrammy award winning singer John Legend at the Kean University 2011 commencement. He earned $25K to speak and perform two songs.

TRENTON — New Jersey’s public colleges would be banned from paying for commencement speakers under legislation introduced in Trenton this week.

The bill comes two weeks after Rutgers and Kean universities cut big checks for celebrity speakers to headline their graduation ceremonies.

Rutgers officials paid Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison $30,000 for her May 15 speech at Rutgers Stadium. Kean paid singer John Legend $25,000 to speak and sing two songs at its May 12 ceremony at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel.

John DiMaio (R-Warren), one of the bill’s sponsors, said he objects to public institutions paying celebrities at a time when student costs are rising and state funding is shrinking.

"We’re in very, very difficult times," DiMaio said. "Tuitions are up. The amount of aid we have to offer is down."

Though Rutgers and Kean officials said they paid speakers to give their students the best graduation possible, DiMaio said it is not necessary to offer commencement speakers monetary compensation.

"That’s an honor enough to be asked," DiMaio said.

The bill, introduced in the Assembly Monday, has bipartisan support. It is co-sponsored by Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan (D-Middlesex), chairman of the education committee.

The legislation says if a public college or university pays a graduation speaker, the state treasurer will deduct the equivalent amount from the school’s state aid.

Rutgers officials said they plan to have their attorneys review the proposed law.

"We haven’t yet had the bill reviewed by the counsel’s office," said Greg Trevor, a Rutgers spokesman. "Once that is done we look forward to discussing its provisions with the sponsor."

Related coverage:

John Legend earns $25K as Kean University commencement speaker

Gov. Christie to give commencement address at Seton Hall graduation

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sotomayor to speak at Ramapo graduation

Author Toni Morrison to headline Rutgers commencement ceremony

Newark Mayor Cory Booker to deliver commencement address at University of Rhode Island

More lawmakers opposed to forcing N.J. workers to pay more for health benefits through legislation

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TRENTON — Opposition hardened Friday toward plans to change state employee health benefits through legislation, a day after Gov. Chris Christie acknowledged that he had begun negotiations with the unions. Christie remains determined to have lawmakers force state employees to pay more for health insurance but the Democrat-controlled Legislature, already reluctant, is backing away from the idea. Assemblyman Joe...

nj-statehouse-trenton.JPGA view of the exterior of the Statehouse in Trenton in this 2005 file photo.

TRENTON — Opposition hardened Friday toward plans to change state employee health benefits through legislation, a day after Gov. Chris Christie acknowledged that he had begun negotiations with the unions.

Christie remains determined to have lawmakers force state employees to pay more for health insurance but the Democrat-controlled Legislature, already reluctant, is backing away from the idea.

Assemblyman Joe Cryan (D-Union) said there was little support for legislating changes to health care among Democratic colleagues even before the governor began to negotiate, and now opposition is growing.

"The people I’ve talked to believe this should be collectively bargained, and there should be no bill taking away that right," said Cryan, a political foe of the governor. "We are a collective bargaining state, and we should respect that."

A spokesman for the governor, Kevin Roberts, said that "fundamentally" nothing has changed in his effort to get legislation passed.

"We have no doubt that there will be sufficient support in the Legislature for comprehensive health care reform," he said.

Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) has said he has enough votes to pass the legislation, which also includes a pension oevrhaul. The Star-Ledger has reported that Sweeney plans to enlist Republican support to get the measure passed.

"The Senate President is committed to reducing the burden of New Jersey property taxpayers, but in a manner that is fair to middle and lower income workers," said a Senate spokesman, Chris Donnelly. "He will continue to push for fundamental and systemic change of the pension and health benefit systems until it happens, whether it is through negotiations or legislation."

Lawmakers, looking at re-election, expressed their strongest opposition to passing a bill and said the governor should first work out an agreement with the unions.

"If the governor is negotiating, then we should allow that process to take place, and I don’t think its appropriate or necessary for us to intervene," said Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman (D-Essex), who has long opposed a bill.

Sen. Linda Greenstein (D-Middlesex), who represents a district heavily populated by state workers, said she is encouraged by the governor’s decision and that with the negotiations, the bill is unnecessary.

Christie was also facing possible pushback on his plan to legislate the changes from the Public Employee Relations Commission, which is reviewing a complaint from the CWA, the state’s largest union, that his refusal to negotiate health benefits violated state law.

A ruling from PERC could have quickly stopped efforts in the Legislature.

Brigid Harrison, a political science professor at Montclair State University, said that Christie’s effort to negotiate could be a sign that he lacks the votes to get the bills through the Legislature.

Christie has made lawmakers’ reluctance to act on his proposals a frequent point of criticism at his town hall meetings. But Harrison said that from a practical standpoint, it’s difficult to negotiate the same issue on two fronts.

"He will continue to put the blame on the shoulders of the Legislature, but how can you have dueling solutions?" she said.

Assembly Speaker Shelia Oliver (D-Essex) has borne the brunt of that criticism and is more reserved in her outlook.

"Everyone agrees changes are needed to protect taxpayers and workers, and the Assembly has always believed collective bargaining would be the preferred course for negotiating health benefits changes," she said in a statement. "I encourage the governor to continue aggressively engaging in collective bargaining, but in the meantime I will continue my efforts to bring all sides together with the shared goal of property tax relief and reasonable benefits for workers."

By Ginger Gibson and Jarrett Renshaw/The Star-Ledger

Lake Hopatcong Commission invests additional $12K in weed harvesting

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MOUNT ARLINGTON — It’s a bit of a gamble. Backs against the wall, the Lake Hopatcong Commission has decided to go ahead and invest a few of its remaining dollars so it can begin this season’s weed harvesting in June. The commission last week voted to spend $12,000 to put men in the lake some time in the middle...

weeds.jpgAitor Ostolaza, a worker for the Mount Arlington Department of Public Works, unloads weeds removed along Lake Hopatcong in Mount Arlington, in this file photo.

MOUNT ARLINGTON — It’s a bit of a gamble. Backs against the wall, the Lake Hopatcong Commission has decided to go ahead and invest a few of its remaining dollars so it can begin this season’s weed harvesting in June.

The commission last week voted to spend $12,000 to put men in the lake some time in the middle of next month. That’s on top of $20,000 that was authorized in April to repair and ready the harvesters for action.

This leaves the commission with about $60,000 in its till, which could run out before the end of the year if the state fails to step in.

But there really is no other choice, said Russ Felter, Jefferson mayor and chair of the Lake Hopatcong Commission.

"We have got to start harvesting," he said. "We understand that it is a risk. We’re going to be working on a shoestring but we are kind of used to that."

The commission was given $3 million of start-up money in 2001, though funding has been a serious concern almost from the beginning.

By 2003, the commission had to furlough its employees for several weeks.

Some harvesting has been done each year, but gone are the days when the commission had a full-time staff at its disposal. Last year, harvesting didn’t begin until July.

This year, the commission will employ its longtime foreman Michael Calderio and four other seasonal employees.

"We’ll do what we can," Felter said.

The commission submitted its budget request to the state in December, a yearly ritual that several commissioners have described as frustrating and more pro forma than productive. They requested $414,000 — $245,000 less than last year. Their request was acknowledged but they have not heard if it has been accepted, Felter said. Last year’s was not.

Weed harvesting is one of the commission’s most important — and certainly most visible — tasks. It is good for swimmers and boaters, good for businesses and good for the lake’s ecology. Left unattended, the weeds can snarl boat propellers and make for some slimy swimming.

State Sen. Anthony Bucco (R-Morris) has for years tried to coax the legislature into providing a permanent source of funding. He has introduced legislation to that effect but has not had any luck.

lake-hopatcong-weed.JPGWeed growth poses a hazard to boaters and swimmers in Lake Hopatcong, the state's largest lake.

"We’re continuing our best efforts to create a consistent funding source for the Commission," Bucco said in an e-mail. "We’ve met with the DEP Commissioner and the Governor, and (are) proud of the bi-partisan support that has been built for our bill."

But that does not assure its passage.

Gov. Chris Christie at a March town hall meeting in Hopatcong said he would consider restoring state aid. But tomorrow marks the unofficial start of his second summer as governor, and there are still no dollars floating in from Trenton.

"We’re not asking for a zillion dollars," Felter said. "We’re keeping our fingers crossed. That’s all we can do."

Decline in N.J. pollution control raises environmental concern

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The review comes on the heels of a decision by Gov. Christie to pull out of a regional environmental initiative

chris-christie.jpgGov. Chris Christie last week decided to pull out of a regional environmental initiative.

TRENTON — State scrutiny of air polluters ranging from oil refineries to neighborhood dry cleaners slipped during the past decade, according to a Star-Ledger review.

Statistics show that while oversight of New Jersey smokestacks often fluctuated during the decade, inspections, investigations and enforcement all hit lows in 2010.

Department of Environmental Protection numbers show that from fiscal year 2001 to fiscal year 2010:

•Routine inspections of air polluters decreased 65 percent, from 1,387 to 490.

•Surprise investigations, often spurred by complaints, fell 40 percent, from 1,027 to 621.

•Actions taken against polluters breaking the law fell 25 percent, from 984 to 739.

•Staffing for air pollution enforcement dropped 19 percent, from 75 people to 61 people.

Environmentalists said the numbers show the weakened state of a department stripped of jobs under former Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine during dire budget times.

The numbers only cover the first six months of Gov. Chris Christie’s term, but the DEP faces fresh pressure from the governor, who had said he wants to cut regulation and be more business-friendly.

Last week, the Republican governor pulled the state out of a landmark regional program intended to reduce air pollution, calling it a useless tax. Detractors seized on the move as another break for corporate polluters.

"At the very least, after this decision, no one can argue that this governor favors environmental protection," Assembly environment chairman John McKeon (D-Essex) said.

The Christie administration also plans to bolster alternative ways for polluters to settle their debts rather than pay a fine. That move matches the DEP’s shift in recent years away from slapping polluters and toward enticing them to behave better, an approach officials said led to the decline in enforcement actions. Clean air advocates criticize the approach as back-room dealing.

"The best environmental benefit is a penalty structure that deters the violation in the first place," said David Pringle, political director of the New Jersey Environmental Federation.

The link between the DEP’s enforcement muscle and the quality of New Jersey air is hard to measure. Industrial air pollution in the state fell during the decade, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, because some businesses closed and stricter federal pollution laws were enacted.

But a weakened DEP does not bode well for more improvement, said Craig Oren, a law professor at Rutgers University in Camden and an expert on the Clean Air Act.

"It’s safe to say that the less the department enforces, the more emissions there will be," Oren said.

From 2002 to 2009, the percentage of air polluters following the law fell from 75 percent to 66 percent, according to the DEP.

DEP officials said the enforcement numbers show a more efficient program to improve compliance and air quality. Scrutiny of polluters is getting better, they said.

"Is the cup half empty or half full?" said Wolfgang Skacel, assistant commissioner for compliance and enforcement. "You’re viewing it as we must be doing a bad job because compliance rates have dropped. We’re looking at it as we’re doing a good job."

DEP officials also said the department performed fewer inspections because more were delegated to county health agencies. According to the DEP’s most recent report on that work, however, county agencies completed 3,377 air inspections in 2009, only 63 more than in 2001.

When asked about the numbers, DEP spokesman Larry Ragonese said the agency gave more duties to counties but also cut back on inspection requirements due to the costs.

When state inspectors do find polluters breaking the law, they often postpone formal action and instead talk out the problem, Skacel said. That approach, adopted in 2007, has reduced the number of enforcement actions, he said.

"What we’ve done is try to get to compliance quicker," Skacel said.

The state in 2010 collected about $3.1 million as a result of those actions, the lowest amount since 2003. But in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, the DEP has already collected $3.4 million, officials said.

Fines might dip under Christie as the DEP allows more polluters to undertake an alternative approach known as "environmental projects," rather than pay fines, Skacel said. The projects cost polluters as much, if not more, than fines and often yield better results, he said.

The use of environmental projects is not new, but their success has been mixed, said Oren.

"The trick is being sure you’re actually getting a clear improvement in environmental quality," he said. "That’s often very hard to do. It’s hard to track, and to be honest, sometimes the projects aren’t really that successful."

Environmental advocates take a tougher stance.

"It basically makes it open season on air violations," said Jeff Tittel, director of the state chapter of the Sierra Club.


Gov. Christie's battle over scrapped ARC tunnel costing N.J. $225K a month in interest alone

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TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie’s fight with the federal government over abandoning a train tunnel under the Hudson has already cost New Jerseyans more than $1 million in legal fees and interest, records show. For a month, Christie has been vowing to appeal a decision from the Obama administration ordering the state to repay $271 million for abruptly pulling...

actunnel.JPGPart of the canceled ARC Tunnel Project in North Bergen, shown in this file photo. The Obama Administration is demanding Gov. Christie pay $271 million for scrapping the project.

TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie’s fight with the federal government over abandoning a train tunnel under the Hudson has already cost New Jerseyans more than $1 million in legal fees and interest, records show.

For a month, Christie has been vowing to appeal a decision from the Obama administration ordering the state to repay $271 million for abruptly pulling out of what was the largest public works project in the country.

In the meantime, interest on New Jersey’s debt is adding up at the rate of $225,000 a month. In addition, bills from Patton Boggs, the Washington law firm hired by Christie in December to fight his battle, have averaged another $300,000 a month, invoices obtained by The Star-Ledger show.

The interest on the $271 million, which began accruing on April 29, could be frozen by a federal judge once an appeal is filed, but neither the governor nor Patton Boggs has said when the case will be brought to court.

A spokesman for the governor, Michael Drewniak, declined to comment, as did a Patton Boggs spokeswoman.

Some transportation experts say Christie is spending good money after bad. When the last brief is filed, they predict, New Jersey will have to surrender a large portion of the $271 million — if not all of it.

"Christie is not arguing about dollars and cents. He’s saying they don’t owe anything, and he’s on unsound ground," said Martin Robins, a transportation expert at Rutgers University who was closely involved in planning the tunnel. "I suggest we should be talking in terms of collaboration and reduction in the debt that he owes and that he caused by the stomping of this project."

Janine Bauer, a transportation lawyer who ran the Tri-State Transportation Campaign for 10 years, said she is "not really a fan of the position that the state of New Jersey has taken. Although, obviously, I’m conflicted about that since we’re all taxpayers and commuters."

The federal government has a stronger hand, Bauer said, but added that Patton Boggs has made some persuasive arguments. New Jersey had won $219 million in stimulus funds and transportation grants before it signed the contract with the federal government. That money was later included in the tunnel deal, she said, and Christie may have a shot at keeping it depending on how the initial grants were negotiated.

The Obama administration has dismissed that argument on the ground that Christie knew when he signed off on the agreement that all the money was meant for the tunnel.

"I don’t think it’s going to be all or nothing for either party," Bauer said. "The winner is the one who ends up with more money in the pocket."

State Sen. Joseph Pennacchio (R-Morris) said the state has reason to keep the federal funds: The money could later be folded into alternate tunnel projects, and the state, struggling financially, would suffer if it returned the money.

"Put yourself in the governor’s shoes," Pennacchio said. "I wouldn’t want to give the money back without a fight, and that’s exactly what he’s doing."

He said the matter would not enter into this year’s budget negotiations because it was likely to be "tied up in litigation for years."

Whatever the legal outcome, emotions over the decision to pull out of the project are still raw.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was incensed by the governor’s decision to kill the deal after months of voicing support for the tunnel and snubbed him earlier this month when doling out $450 million for high-speed rail projects.

The state desperately needs money to repair the aging Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River, but LaHood put that option out of Christie’s reach when he allocated the funds for other Amtrak projects.

"We owe it to the American taxpayer to protect their investments and work with reliable state partners," LaHood told The Star-Ledger last week. "We need to know we are working with strong partners who will see big projects through."

LaHood, an Illinois Republican known for his diplomatic touch, contends Christie is misleading people when he says unexpected cost overruns led him to cancel the tunnel — a massive public works project 20 years in the making that would have doubled train capacity to Manhattan.

When Christie first announced his decision in October, LaHood offered different financing methods to salvage the project, including one in which private investors assumed responsibility for cost overruns. The governor flatly rejected that option — and continued to say New Jersey alone was on the hook for more than $2.5 billion in unforeseen costs.

"Only the governor felt that the entire burden would have fallen on the state of New Jersey," said David Widawsky, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s point man for the tunnel project. "Over the course of the many years of construction ahead, these kinds of things could have been worked out."

The governor has redirected the $271 million and other funds meant for the tunnel to the state’s Transportation Trust Fund, a heavily underfinanced account that covers road maintenance.

Fate of employees uncertain as New Jersey Network public television station to be run by PBS flagship

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TRENTON — New Jersey officials are completing a deal to give New Jersey Network’s television operation to a new nonprofit corporation run by WNET Channel 13, the PBS flagship station based in New York City. Treasury officials are expected to announce the agreement this week. According to sources who are familiar with the negotiations, WNET will incorporate a new...

christie.JPGGov. Chris Christie signed a law last December stating discussion on fate of the station must be completed by this week.

TRENTON — New Jersey officials are completing a deal to give New Jersey Network’s television operation to a new nonprofit corporation run by WNET Channel 13, the PBS flagship station based in New York City.

Treasury officials are expected to announce the agreement this week.

According to sources who are familiar with the negotiations, WNET will incorporate a new nonprofit company in New Jersey that will manage the operation. It will work with several programmers, including Caucus Educational Corp., the nonprofit New Jersey production company run by Steve Adubato Jr., to provide local content.

The new company is still being formed and has not fully assembled its governing board, said sources who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly about the deal.

WNET will pay nothing to the state for the right to run the station, they said. The deal allows the PBS giant to broaden its reach, acquiring a New Jersey audience as well as access to NJN’s donors and underwriters.

Though the state is giving away the station, it will save the roughly $11 million annual cost of running it.

WNET had no comment Saturday. Treasury spokesman Bill Quinn said talks are ongoing.

"Talks concerning the future of New Jersey’s radio assets and broadcasting operation are continuing," Quinn said. "No agreement has been finalized."

Viewers can expect to see some of the same national PBS programming currently broadcast by NJN on its various stations as well as new local programming. The nightly newscast, a hallmark of NJN, and its other existing shows probably will not continue.

New Jersey will retain ownership of the licenses of the public broadcasting network, and the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority will have oversight. But the day-to-day operation will be handled by WNET’s new company.

The four public affairs series currently co-produced by WNET and Caucus Educational Corp. — "Caucus: New Jersey," "One-on-One with Steve Adubato," "New Jersey Capitol Report" and "On the Line" — will be part of the lineup, according to Adubato, who declined to comment on the details of the agreement because he is not directly involved.

"The CEC is looking forward to expanding our long-standing partnership with WNET," Adubato said. "It is that history of partnering with WNET that makes us feel confident that we can create more and better quality New Jersey-centric programming."

new-jersey-network.jpg'.JPGIn a television camera monitor, News Anchor Jim Hooker prepares for the evening news broadcast at the NJN studios in Trenton in this file photo.

Other potential contributors are the state’s colleges and universities. "Actively engaging the higher ed community is a critical part of that effort," he said.

As outlined in the law signed by Gov. Chris Christie last December, negotiations on the fate of the station must be completed by this week. The final deal then goes to the Legislature, which has 15 days to review and approve it. Officials hope to have the deal completed by June 30, the end of the fiscal year. The state is also expected to decide the fate of the network’s radio system by year’s end.

The decision on the successor to NJN is the last step in the 15-month effort to spin off the public broadcasting network from government control. Gov. Chris Christie first proposed the idea in March 2010, when he said the state could no longer afford to be in the TV business and keep NJN’s 130 employees on the state payroll. In 2009, the state spent more than $11 million to run the network of radio and television stations.

The fate of the network’s employees is unclear.

After a series of public hearings and months of closed-door dealings, Christie and the Legislature agreed on a bill that gave the state treasurer the right to negotiate the deal, which lawmakers have the right to refuse.

Working with Public Radio Capital, a public media consultant in Colorado, the state issued three requests for proposals in February seeking bidders to manage the television station and to either manage or buy the radio network. At an Assembly Budget Committee hearing in Trenton earlier this month, Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff said the state received 10 bids, but he would not disclose any names. He said the finalists are "entities that are incorporated or formed in New Jersey" and that the bidding process is on schedule.

The New Jersey Network Foundation and Montclair State University were two of the unsuccessful suitors. An MSU spokeswoman last week said the university had no comment because "to our knowledge the state has not made a final determination as to our proposal or any other." Calls to the NJN Foundation were not returned.

Three years ago, the NJN Foundation made a similar proposal to move NJN from a state-licensed network to a community operation run by the nonprofit group. Faced with repeated cuts in government grants, foundation officials said a nonprofit structure would be more nimble and effective at raising private funds to support the network’s broadcasting.

The plan met fierce resistance from the union representing most of the network’s employees.

A skeptical Assembly committee wondered why the state would give away such a valuable asset. Lacking strong support from Corzine, the plan died.

Lawmakers continue to be skeptical. Assemblywoman Nellie Pou (D-Paterson) was among those who grilled Sidamon-Eristoff about the pending deal. Pou was a member of the Legislature’s bipartisan task force that last fall held more than 11 hours of hearings about the governor’s proposal to spin off the network.

The committee heard testimony from researchers, union officials and many local broadcasters, although representatives from Caucus and WNET did not make statements.

Pou and others pressed the treasurer about ensuring the new operator will be committed to New Jersey in both scope of programming and broadcasting reach.

N.J. Senate Republicans discuss strategy following state Supreme Court education funding decision

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TRENTON — New Jersey Senate Republicans have been asked to consider taking a unified position on public education that includes removing the Supreme Court from school funding decisions and granting the Legislature the power to determine what it means to provide a "thorough and efficient" education in public schools. A Republican strategy memo, laid out in an e-mail from...

kean.JPGState Senator Tom Kean Jr., left, speaks with former state education secretary Bret Schundler in this 2010 file photo.

TRENTON — New Jersey Senate Republicans have been asked to consider taking a unified position on public education that includes removing the Supreme Court from school funding decisions and granting the Legislature the power to determine what it means to provide a "thorough and efficient" education in public schools.

A Republican strategy memo, laid out in an e-mail from Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. (R-Union) to his caucus Friday and obtained by The Associated Press, asks fellow GOP senators for feedback on a three-pronged education plan in wake of a Supreme Court order requiring the state to invest $500 million more in 31 poor school districts.

"The purpose of this e-mail is to put forth what I believe to be the strongest course of action for the caucus as a whole and solicit your feedback and/or approval or disapproval," Kean wrote.

The plan includes supporting a constitutional amendment ending judicial interference in school funding decisions and giving the state wiggle room to reduce education funding in lean budget years. The resolution, sponsored by Sen. Steven Oroho of Sparta and co-sponsored by the other 15 members of the GOP caucus, was introduced in January but hasn't gained traction. It would require voter approval.

"It was meant as a framework for discussion within the caucus in light of the latest Supreme Court decision," Adam Bauer, communications director for the Senate Republicans, said of the e-mail. "It's a proposed plan for discussion — nothing's formalized, nothing's finalized."

Kean did not return messages for comment Saturday and today.

Many Republicans, including Gov. Chris Christie, have disagreed with prior Supreme Court rulings on school funding, which have repeatedly ordered more funding for poor districts, known as Abbotts, in cities lacking a sufficient tax base to fully fund public education. Most recently, the court determined that Christie's education cuts were too deep to provide poor children with the "thorough and efficient" education the constitution requires. The order scrambled the state budget-making process weeks before a balanced budget must be adopted by June 30 and left some clamoring for the Legislature to assume a stiffer posture against the activist court.

"I have a plan for the Republicans, keep the funding formula intact," said Senate Democratic Leader Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex), an advocate for public education funding. "And we need to build in models of successful school districts. The great equalizer is having a quality educational system that is accessible for all."

Besides pushing the Oroho amendment, Kean's approach includes advocating a change in the school funding formula so it allocates more money to suburban districts without shortchanging city schools, and embracing Gov. Chris Christie's education reform agenda, including ending traditional teacher tenure, tying teacher evaluations to student achievement and establishing merit pay. Kean suggests a push to make the Abbott districts more accountable for the money they receive, but he doesn't specify where additional funding would come from for 174 other districts the court says are inadequately funded.

"This course of action stays true to Republican principles, complies with public opinion, removes the court from school funding decisions, and requires accountability within the education system," Kean said in the memo. "It satisfies the sentiments expressed at our last caucus without alienating large swaths of the public."

Kean cites recent polling data to build his case to the caucus, saying solid majorities of women, independent and Republican voters all oppose education cuts in suburban and poor districts.

"Cuts to education are deeply unpopular, even among Republicans; beating up on Abbotts isn't wildly popular with Republicans, let alone anyone else; everyone understands that money isn't the best way to improve education, but they're not willing to give it up; and reform proposals put forward by Gov. Christie and GOP senators dealing with tenure, merit pay, and salary caps are stone cold winners," Kean wrote.

Kean's memo doesn't suggest possible support for other proposed constitutional amendments sponsored by Republicans in the Senate or Assembly that allowing certain court orders to be defied or giving the Legislature final authority over public education. It also doesn't mention an amendment proposed by Sen. Michael Doherty, R-Oxford, that would do away with extra funding for poor children, and would provide equal school aid for each student no matter where they live.

Head of N.J. State Police is up for re-appointment

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TRENTON — The Senate Judiciary committee is set to consider whether to re-confirm the long-time head of the State Police. Col. Rick Fuentes, 60, was first appointed in 2003 by Gov. James E. McGreevey. He was reappointed by Gov. Jon Corzine and has served under his third governor, Chris Christie, for more than a year. Fuentes is a career...

fuentes-state-police.jpgThe Senate Judiciary committee is set to consider whether to re-confirm Col. Rick Fuentes, the long-time head of the State Police

TRENTON — The Senate Judiciary committee is set to consider whether to re-confirm the long-time head of the State Police.

Col. Rick Fuentes, 60, was first appointed in 2003 by Gov. James E. McGreevey. He was reappointed by Gov. Jon Corzine and has served under his third governor, Chris Christie, for more than a year.

Fuentes is a career lawman who rose through the ranks in the state police, which he joined as a recruit in 1978. He has Ph.D. in criminal justice from City University of New York.

He came to lead the department on the heels of a racial profiling scandal but emerged from federal oversight. More recently he has faced scandals involving incidents of off-duty bad behavior by troopers, including a sex scandal and drunk-driving incidents.

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Rev. Jesse Jackson to lead Camden rally for state worker unions

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CAMDEN — The Rev. Jesse Jackson is on a solidarity tour across New Jersey to support union workers and oppose cuts to public services by Gov. Chris Christie. Jackson's tour will start with a picket-line rally in Philadelphia this morning, followed by a rally with New Jersey state employees in Camden's Walt Whitman Park. The tour will continue Wednesday...

rev-jackson.jpgRev. Jesse Jackson will hold rallies in Camden, Newark and Trenton over the next two days to support union workers and oppose cuts to public services by Gov. Chris Christie.

CAMDEN — The Rev. Jesse Jackson is on a solidarity tour across New Jersey to support union workers and oppose cuts to public services by Gov. Chris Christie.

Jackson's tour will start with a picket-line rally in Philadelphia this morning, followed by a rally with New Jersey state employees in Camden's Walt Whitman Park.

The tour will continue Wednesday with a press conference in Jersey City and rallies in Newark and Trenton.

The state workers union is negotiating a new contract with Christie, and has accused him of negotiating in bad faith by sidestepping the union and trying to legislate cuts to workers' health benefits.

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Rev. Jesse Jackson to rally in N.J. for state union workers

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Gov. Christie's Supreme Court nominee gets confirmation hearing following extended standoff

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Anne Patterson has sat on the sidelines while Christie and State Senate President Stephen Sweeney tangled publicly over the makeup of the state's highest court

pattersonchristie01.JPGGov. Chris Christie presents Anne Patterson, his nominee to replace Justice John Wallace on the New Jersey Supreme Court, at a press conference in Trenton last year. Patterson will have a confirmation hearing Tuesday.

TRENTON — Anne Patterson’s year in limbo ends today.

Caught in the middle of a fight not of her own making, Patterson, the newest nominee to the state Supreme Court, is poised to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee for her long-delayed hearing.

Patterson has sat on the sidelines while Gov. Chris Christie and Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) tangled publicly over the makeup of the state’s highest court.

"It would be a shame to lose her as a justice," said former Gov. Brendan Byrne. "I thought for a while Sweeney might want to sacrifice her."

If confirmed by the full Senate, the 52-year-old Patterson will be seated in September.

A products liability attorney with Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland & Perretti, Patterson was nominated last May 3 to replace Justice John Wallace, whom Christie declined to reappoint. Wallace’s term was up 17 days later.

But the decision to force out Wallace, also from Gloucester County, infuriated supporters and Democratic lawmakers. They claimed Christie ignored a 63-year-old tradition by refusing to reappoint a sitting justice, and that he sacrificed the court’s only black justice to reconfigure the bench with judges who more closely share his views.

Wallace, who was 68 at the time, had less than two years to serve before mandatory retirement.

Sweeney, who said he was incensed by the episode, refused to move Patterson’s nomination forward. Chief Justice Stuart Rabner then temporarily elevated the appellate division’s most senior judge, Edwin Stern, to the court.

In a compromise struck with Sweeney three weeks ago to end the year-long impasse, Christie nominated Patterson to fill the seat held by Justice Roberto Rivera-Soto, who has said he will not seek renomination when his term expires in September.

Rivera-Soto.JPGNew Jersey Supreme Court Justice Roberto Rivera-Soto will step down in September, paving a way to break a stalemate over the court appointments.

"I’m part of a number of lawyers rooting for her," said William Dreier, a retired appellate court presiding judge, who serves with her on several bar association committees. "She’s had a real rough time waiting to get on the court."

State Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union), who is chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said he had a preliminary meeting with Patterson more than a week ago. He said panel members will be looking for her philosophical views and thoughts on certain "facts and circumstances."

He would not disclose the types of questions he planned to ask, though he said he would ask how she would feel in seven years if not reappointed for the same reasons Wallace was not, "considering she accepted the nomination under these difficult and unusual circumstances."

Business can be slow for lawyers between nomination to the bench and confirmation. They curtail court appearances and are selective about their clients to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

In Patterson’s case, she is working but not making court appearances, said a fellow partner, Glenn Clark. "She went over with us what she could and could not do," he said. "She wanted to make certain she did everything properly."

Patterson, a member of Phi Beta Kappa who graduated from Dartmouth College in 1980, was admitted to the state bar in 1983, the year she graduated from Cornell Law School. She is married to James E. Patterson, a lawyer in Morristown.

She was a special assistant to the attorney general and a deputy attorney general under Gov. Christie Whitman.

"Best Lawyers in America," a peer review of lawyers, lists Patterson, a Mendham resident, among the top commercial litigation attorneys in the state. In 2007, Patterson was chosen Professional Lawyer of the Year by the New Jersey Commission on Professionalism in the Law.

And last week she was made a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, an honor society of judges and lawyers. "She should have — and would have — been selected without the nomination to the Supreme Court," said Douglas Eakeley, a former partner at Riker Danzig. "She’s that good."

Others described Patterson as an attorney who pursues all sides of an issue before reaching a decision.

"She’s someone who can listen to all views," said Steven Karg, a lawyer who has worked with Patterson through bar association committee.

Over her career she defended such corporations as RJ Reynolds Tobacco and Abbott Laboratories against lawsuits alleging faulty or inferior products.

In 2001, Patterson represented a three-member Republican panel sued by Mayor Bret Schundler of Jersey City over their selection of Rep. Bob Franks to succeed Senate President and acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco in the gubernatorial primary. Schundler lost the challenge but won the primary.

Poll shows half of N.J. voters have no opinion of U.S. Sen. Menendez

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A year and a half before he faces re-election, half of New Jersey voters still have no opinion of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) Twenty-two percent of Garden State voters have not heard of Menendez, while another 28 percent do not have an opinion of him, according to a Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll released this morning. Of the...

menendez.JPGU.S. Sen. Robert Menendez speaks at an event in North Bergen in this October 2010 file photo.

A year and a half before he faces re-election, half of New Jersey voters still have no opinion of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.)

Twenty-two percent of Garden State voters have not heard of Menendez, while another 28 percent do not have an opinion of him, according to a Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll released this morning.

Of the other half who do have an opinion of Menendez, 30 percent view him favorably and 20 percent unfavorably.

In a head-to-head matchup with the largely unknown John Crowley — the Princeton biotech executive who many think will seek to run for senate as a Republican — Menendez gets 45 percent to Crowley’s 26 percent. Only 16 percent of New Jersey voters, however, have heard of Crowley, whose compelling life story was made into the movie “Extraordinary Measures” last year.

Even Frank Lautenberg, in office since 1982 with a two-year break between 2001 and 2003, is unknown to many New Jersey voters. Thirty-nine percent have either not heard of him or have no opinion. Thirty-seven percent view him favorably to 24 percent unfavorably.

Fairleigh Dickinson surveyed 804 registered voters from May 16 through May 22. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

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After Irvington suspected neglect case, legislator reconsiders home-schooling laws

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Weinberg to study whether monitoring home-schooled children is worth fighting for

glenn.jpgChristiana Glenn, the Irvington girl who authorities said died of complications from an untreated broken leg, in a 2008 family photo.

TRENTON — When Collingswood police found four brothers literally starving in their own home eight years ago, then-Assemblywoman Loretta Weinberg proposed a law requiring other home-schooled children to get an annual physical and pass standardized tests.

Irate home-schooling parents flooded her office with calls, and a group of some 30 people followed her around the Statehouse one day urging her to withdraw the bill, recalled Weinberg, (D-Bergen), now a senator. Without support from her colleagues, she complied.

“You would have thought I had suggested the end of the world as we know it,’’ Weinberg said.

But Weinberg said she’s thinking about reviving the issue after the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office last week charged an Irvington woman with aggravated manslaughter in the death of her 8-year-old daughter, who authorities said died of complications from an untreated broken leg. Irvington school Superintendent Ethel Hasty has said Venette Ovilde, the child’s mother, never enrolled any of her three children in school.

New Jersey is one of 11 states that are regulation-free zones for home-schooling families because they do not require parents to file any paperwork with the school district. Consequently, home-schooled children get no public monitoring from the school system.

Weinberg, who chairs the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, said she will explore whether some form of tracking home-schooled children is worth fighting for.

Weinberg.JPGSen. Loretta Weinberg, (D-Bergen) in a 2010 file photo

The Collingswood case drew outrage across the nation when it came to light. The oldest of two adopted brothers was found emaciated and eating from a neighbor’s garbage can. The brothers and two other adopted children were being home-schooled.

Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen), who chairs the Assembly Human Services Committee, also said she is considering legislation on home schooling.

“We just want to know your child exists,’’ Weinberg said. “How do children disappear from view?’’

The legislators would have the support of Judith Meltzer, a national child welfare expert and monitor for New Jersey’s court-ordered overhaul of the child welfare system.

“I think it’s a big issue. I absolutely support the state not only requiring children to register, but to track the curriculum and track that the kids are there,’’ Meltzer said. “I understand why parents would choose to home school but not why they object to registering and certifying they have a curriculum that has standards for their children.’’

Those who support a parent’s prerogative to stay out of the traditional educational system say it would be unfortunate if home-schooling families were held accountable for a tragic case that does not represent their community, said Carolee Adams, president of Eagle Forum of New Jersey, a national organization affiliated with traditional family values and conservative politics.

“This is not a home-education issue; this is a problem that is squarely with DYFS,” said Adams, of Montvale, referring to the state Division of Youth and Family Services. Adams home-schooled her son, now 24, and daughter, 28. “The loss of life is a tragedy, but I point the finger at DYFS. Shame on them.”

The problem is also with poor and underserved areas where public schools are not up to par, Adams said.

“My kids had a privilege to be home-educated, and I only hope that others in the state would have that advantage,” she said.

“For many people, home schooling is slightly misunderstood and possibly poorly accepted,’’ said Scott Woodruff, senior counsel for the Home School Legal Defense Association, a national nonprofit advocacy group in Virginia. “It’s simply the human condition that when there is something different and something bad happens within a group, the knee-jerk reaction is to say it happened because of the people who were in that group.’’

Concerns raised

In addition to New Jersey, Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Washington are regulation-free zones for home schooling.

The Garden State’s closest neighbors, New York and Pennsylvania, both have strict rules for home-school families, said Keyport resident Rich Millward, president of Education Network Of Christian Homeschoolers of New Jersey.

“I am concerned, and I don’t think home-school families here would want to see more regulations,” he said.

The law giving New Jersey parents the right to home school says every parent or guardian must ensure their children “regularly attends the public schools of the district, or a day (home) school in which there is given instruction equivalent to that provided in the public schools for children of similar grades.’’

Even though state law doesn’t require it, the New Jersey Homeschool Association suggests parents notify the school district anyway when withdrawing their children from school or if school officials ask whether their child is truant, according to the association’s website.

Home-school supporters could compromise a little more and not lose the autonomy they cherish, said professor Robert Kunzman of the Indiana University School of Education, who has conducted research and written a book on the home-schooling movement.

Kunzman supports requiring home-schooled children to be registered with the state and to undergo periodic “basic skills” testing to measure literacy and simple math proficiency.

Those requirements strike a balance between a parent’s desire for autonomy and society’s right to know children are protected in the rare cases of abuse and neglect.

“If families are doing these horrific things to their kids, we are going to catch them in basic-skills testing,’’ he said.

Kunzman said he was not familiar with the Irvington case, but in general said religious home-schooling parents are the most sensitive to concerns about government interference. “They see educating their children as a fundamental right given to them by God,’’ he said. “There’s a lot of good ways to get educated, and the state should not be prescribing the minute details for what that means for every kid. There is a role the state ought to play in very minimal ways that are not terribly intrusive.’’

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Rev. Jesse Jackson warns Camden crowd of 'toxic wind' wiping out workers' rights across U.S.

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CAMDEN — The Rev. Jesse Jackson today warned a crowd of union workers and their supporters gathered in Camden that a “toxic wind” was blowing across America to wipe out collective bargaining and the rights of working-class families. “Save the workers, save the families. Save the workers, save the families,” chanted Jackson, who spent much of his youth in...

jesse-jackson.jpgThe Rev. Jesse Jackson, seen in a 2008 photo, today spoke to a crowd in Camden about what he calls a "toxic wind" blowing across America.

CAMDEN — The Rev. Jesse Jackson today warned a crowd of union workers and their supporters gathered in Camden that a “toxic wind” was blowing across America to wipe out collective bargaining and the rights of working-class families.

“Save the workers, save the families. Save the workers, save the families,” chanted Jackson, who spent much of his youth in the struggling South Jersey city. “The police, the teachers, the firemen, the nurses, save the workers, save the families.”

The outspoken civil rights activist said the country was too focused on its wars overseas while failing to reinvest in cities like Camden, where services including police protection are being cut as a result of dire budget times.

Jackson said the battle for workers rights and collective bargaining has already been won, and called on the crowd of about 70 people not to let Gov. Chris Christie roll back the clock on those achievements.

“Workers are being dumped on as if you are the reason we’re in an economic crisis,” Jackson said. “State workers must hold ranks and fight back. When we fight back we never lose.”

He added: “You have the votes. You must not let this governor break your spirit.”

The rally was Jackson’s second stop in a two-day “Solidarity Tour” of the New Jersey area aimed at firing up public workers, who are under pressure by Christie and state Republican lawmakers to relinquish some pension and health benefits.

Previous coverage:

Rev. Jesse Jackson to lead Camden rally for state worker unions

Rev. Jesse Jackson to rally in N.J. for state union workers

Gov. Christie seeks to change health benefits of state workers through collective bargaining

Gov. Christie, state employees union begin bargaining over health benefits

Christie, unions spar over history of skipping collective bargaining to change health benefits

N.J. Senate President Sweeney says costs of benefits are breaking local government budgets

Gov. Christie to meet with Iowa GOP donors who want him to run for president

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PRINCETON TOWNSHIP — Gov. Chris Christie is planning to meet with top Iowa Republican campaign contributors who want him to run for president. Christie is set to meet today with energy company executive Bruce Rastetter and a half-dozen other prominent Iowa GOP donors at the governor's mansion in Princeton. Christie maintains he's not running in 2012. The Iowans want...

christie.jpgGov. Chris Christie will meet today with top Iowa Republican campaign contributors who want him to run for president.

PRINCETON TOWNSHIP — Gov. Chris Christie is planning to meet with top Iowa Republican campaign contributors who want him to run for president.

Christie is set to meet today with energy company executive Bruce Rastetter and a half-dozen other prominent Iowa GOP donors at the governor's mansion in Princeton.

Christie maintains he's not running in 2012. The Iowans want to change his mind because they're unhappy with President Barack Obama.

Christie has already met with several potential contenders including former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour also stopped by before he decided he wouldn't run.

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N.J. Gov. Christie gains popularity among GOP in Iowa

Christie befriends upstart Democrats in Hudson County

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Governor moves in on longtime political stronghold led by nemesis Menendez

ChristieRoqueinfiltrate.JPGGov. Chris Christie discusses matters with West New York Mayor Felix Roque after swearing him in May 26, 2011 outside West New York City Hall.

WEST NEW YORK — Republican Gov. Chris Christie was deep behind enemy lines in the Democratic bastion of Hudson County on Thursday night, but he wasn’t undercover or even unwelcome. In fact, he was the guest of honor, invited to ceremoniously swear in newly elected West New York Mayor Felix Roque, a Democrat.

After finishing the oath of office, Roque turned to the crowd and said: “This is like a dream come true to have the governor — the governor, ladies and gentleman, of New Jersey! — here with us in West New York.”

Christie later stepped down from the stage and, instead of scurrying toward his black sport utility vehicle, plunged into the crowd — shaking hands, kissing grandmothers, posing for pictures.

Christie’s presence was a direct shot at his political nemesis, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), the king of Hudson County politics who enthusiastically backed the incumbent mayor that Roque ousted and who faces re-election himself next year.

It was also the latest example of how the Republican governor is stirring the pot in this fabled Democratic stronghold, drawing city mayors into his fold and undermining the powerful Hudson County Democratic Organization.

“To go for the jugular there is a testimony to Christie’s political brassiness,” said Montclair State University political science professor Brigid Harrison. “He’s willing to go into the belly of the beast.”

RoqueChristieinfiltratetwo.JPGGov. Chris Christie swears West New York Mayor Felix Roque May 26, 2011 outside West New York City Hall.

Besides Roque, Thursday night’s ceremony was stocked with Democratic Christie allies, including Union City Mayor Brian Stack — also a state senator — and Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer.

All three mayors have butted heads with the Hudson County Democratic Organization. In recent interviews, all three said they would consider backing Christie in a re-election run — no small matter in a county where mayors can mobilize powerful grassroots organizations.

Jose Arango, who has slogged through more than a decade as Republican chairman in a county where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans six to one, is thrilled.

“Not since Tom Kean” — who in 1985 became the only Republican governor in recent memory to win Hudson County — “have we seen the reception we’re getting here,” Arango said. Asked if Christie was making inroads, he simply took stock of who was in the crowd: Christie, not Menendez; the Republican chairman, not the Democratic chairman.

“It’s a reality,” he said. “You can see it. You can touch it.”

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

Dating to the days of boss Frank Hague in the first half of the 20th century, Hudson County has been known as a Democratic power base, churning out huge votes for the party. But it’s also famous for bitter family feuds, presenting Christie with an opportunity to divide and conquer.

“There’s always factions fighting each other there. And if you’re willing, you can take advantage of it,” said William Palatucci, Christie’s friend and political adviser. “Governor Kean did it very well, and Governor Christie is doing the same.”

At the very least, Christie’s visits have the Democratic establishment on edge, said Jersey City Councilman Steve Fulop, who is planning a run for mayor in 2013.

“Every time he comes here, he sends the Hudson County Democratic Party in a frenzy,” he said. “Christie is not delusional in thinking that he can win Hudson County, but if he can peel off votes, that’s a success.”

Asked Thursday if he could turn the county Republican red, Christie said, “I don’t know about that. That’s a little ambitious even for me.”

Former Gov. Jon Corzine trounced Christie with 68 percent of the vote there in 2009. But political analysts said victory isn’t the goal — it’s disruption.

“What the governor is doing here is a little bit of triangulation, trying to maintain that division within the Democratic Party,” said political scientist Joseph Marbach, provost of La Salle University. “Anything the governor can do to cause dissension in the ranks will pay off in the long run.”

Kean praised Christie’s efforts but said it’s always tricky dealing with the county’s famously tumultuous political scene.

“You have to know exactly what you’re doing,” he said. “It’s a bit of a minefield.”

A ‘HISPANIC GOVERNOR’

So far, Christie is working most closely with politicians who have defied the Hudson County Democratic Organization. That includes Roque, an Army reservist and doctor, who said he first met with Christie 18 months ago.

Roque led a recall petition against former West New York Mayor Sal Vega, then beat him in the city’s nonpartisan election on May 10. Christie sent two aides to Roque’s private swearing in ceremony on May 17, the new mayor said.

Then two days later, the governor joined Roque and Stack for an espresso at Las Palmas, a popular Cuban restaurant, in a highly public show of support. In an interview later, Roque called Christie — who is Irish and Italian and doesn’t speak Spanish — the “first Hispanic governor of New Jersey.”

Stack, who made headlines earlier this year by calling Christie “the greatest governor this state has ever had,” led an insurgency against the Hudson County Democratic Organization in 2007. Although there’s been a sort of détente, Stack isn’t sure how long that will last.

“This is like the Cold War between the Russians and the U.S.,” he said. “Something’s going to happen.”

Assemblyman Jason O’Donnell (D-Hudson), an ally of county party chairman and Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith, downplayed the fault lines, saying “Hudson County remains as strong of a Democratic stronghold as it has been.” Smith did not respond to messages.

Longtime political consultant Paul Swibinski also questioned the governor’s moves.

“A Chris Christie endorsement is quite unpopular in Hudson County,” he said.
Swibinski doubted Christie can damage Menendez on his home turf when the senator is up for re-election next year.

“The only real question going into those elections is turnout, and I don’t think Christie can do anything about that,” he said.

Menendez, who won Hudson County with 76 percent of all votes cast in 2006, declined to comment through a spokeswoman.

The Hudson Democrats say Christie’s attempts to win friends may pay off with endorsements in a 2013 re-election campaign, but stressed that’s a long way off.

“If the election was tomorrow, yes,” said Zimmer. “But there’s two more years. A lot can happen in two years.”

-By Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Megerian/Star-Ledger Staff

Two anti-gun groups voice concern over Gov. Christie's Supreme Court pick

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TRENTON —Two groups that have campaigned against gun violence in New Jersey's cities say they are troubled by the legal trail of Gov. Chris Christie's Supreme Court nominee. Products liability lawyer Anne Patterson once represented gun makers in a lawsuit brought by the city of Camden. Camden sued more than 10 years ago, trying to get gun makers to...

patterson.JPGGov. Chris Christie at the press conference where he nominated Anne Patterson to replace Justice John Wallace on the New Jersey Supreme Court. Two anti-gun groups in the state have voiced concern over her legal past, where she represented gun makers in Camden.

TRENTON —Two groups that have campaigned against gun violence in New Jersey's cities say they are troubled by the legal trail of Gov. Chris Christie's Supreme Court nominee.

Products liability lawyer Anne Patterson once represented gun makers in a lawsuit brought by the city of Camden.

Camden sued more than 10 years ago, trying to get gun makers to take more responsibility when their products were involved in crimes. The city lost the suit.

The 52-year-old attorney has represented other corporations accused of wrongdoing including Wal-Mart and DuPont.

Bryan Miller of Ceasefire NJ and Jean Ross of People's Organization for Progress say Christie's first Supreme Court pick consistently has been on the wrong side of issues affecting urban residents.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on Patterson today.

Previous coverage:

Gov. Christie's Supreme Court nominee gets confirmation hearing following extended standoff

N.J. lawmakers strike deal to advance state Supreme Court nomination

N.J. Supreme Court stand-off may leave 2 seats open at end of Justice Rivera-Soto's term

N.J. assemblyman proposes amendment requiring action on governor's nominations within 60 days

Gov. Chris Christie nominates lawyer Anne M. Patterson to N.J. Supreme Court

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