Do You Support Trenton's A.C. Takeover? 
Jennifer Beck to Save Jersey: "Corzine is Unelectable"
By Matt Rooney | February 3, 2009
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of chatting with New Jersey Republican superstar State Senator Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth).
Elected to the State Senate in 2007 after an epic battle with incumbent Ellen Karcher (D), Senator Beck has been a vocal advocate for the taxpayers of New Jersey. Her proactive support of ethics reforms have earned the Monmouth senator widespread praise and, in recent months, growing support for a Lt. Governor candidacy.
We discussed Senator Beck's most recent legislative success, the 2009 Gubernatorial Election, Governor Corzine, and a possible "promotion" in her immediate future.
My general thoughts? She's funny, down-to-earth, witty, articulate, and easily displays a fantastic command of the issues. She also has no problem taking Governor Corzine to task.
Not bad for a statewide running mate, huh? I'm just saying....
On Ending Double-Dipping and Dual Office Holding in New Jersey
ROONEY: Can you elaborate on the effect of this latest legislation, A-1405/1433 ACS, for our readers?
BECK: It prohibits appointed or elected public officials from holding more than one health benefits package. Currently, there are elected officials also serving on public boards, and both entities end up paying the premiums. So it doesn't make a lot of sense, but a lot of officials were doing it, because depending on what the plan was, you might get a certain type of coverage under one health plan but not get it under another. And of course this was a huge burden for taxpayers.
I tried a couple of times to move it in the Assembly, and it was voted down. Today, in committee vote, it was moved out and done in a unanimous, bipartisan way. It also has come out of the Assembly, so it's my sense that this bill will become law. One of the amendments made today in committee expanded the language to ensure that it was completely comprehensive in order to cover both elected and appointed officials.
ROONEY: And I know one of the things you've expressed interest in adding in the future would be an enforcement mechanism. As it stands now, correct me if I'm wrong, these provisions are only self-enforcing.
BECK: Right. Although you would be violating state statute, as an elected official, if you held more than one policy. So yes, but there should be some check and balance here. We shouldn't have people continuing to hold more than one.
The other amendment we made today addressed the practice where some public agencies will pay a stipend if you turn down a policy as an incentive for not accepting it. So we decided to prohibit receiving a stipend if you're receiving one set of benefits while receiving another.
ROONEY: It's great that you've finally been able to make progress on this important issue.
BECK: We were happy that it was bipartisan. Sweeney-Weinberg have an identical bill to mine, so, ya know, we're going to work together. These changes are long overdue, but they've gotta be bipartisan. Senator Weinberg was even vocal today on some issues I've focused on, such as addressing part-time government employees receiving benefits. The guys shouldn't be getting benefits at all, so it's my hope that we begin to take on some of those issues as well.
Last year we tried, and the effort failed, to achieve some far-reaching health benefits reform.
ROONEY: Right, and I know that you've also called for a total ban on dual office holding, 'cause I think whatever's in place right now allowed whoever was in office at the time of the bill's passage to be grandfathered in?
BECK: Correct. The slap in the face was that it didn't take effect until February of 2008. So in the 2007 election cycle, we elected new dual office holders. So you had more dual office holders after the 2007 election than you did before. It's a crazy thing.
ROONEY: At least it gives Bob Ingle something to write about.
BECK: Well today was a good first step. It was something I've been working on pretty much since I was elected, and it was nice to see that there is some motivation on both sides of the isle to get some of this stuff done. It was long over due, since some of these practices are really offensive to taxpayers for having been allowed to go on for this long.
On Jon Corzine and the 2009 Gubernatorial Election
ROONEY: I'm excited. I think we finally have some momentum from our leadership, and 2009 could be a big year.
BECK: I think Jon Corzine is unelectable. Without a credible Republican candidate he potentially could have won, but with Chris Christie's entrance into the race, I don't think Jon Corzine can win this election. I don't think it's possible.
ROONEY: I hope you're right! It just seems there's a culture of party identification that can be hard to break through regardless of external conditions. But it also does seem like Governor Corzine is suffering from some of the same popularity issues that drug down President Bush's second term and, vicariously, the rest of his party.
BECK: We have to keep reminding people that this guy, at a time when New Jersey's economy is tanking, puts in place affordable housing laws that penalize job creation. We're the only state in the United States of America that when you create 16 jobs you have to pay $200,000. We have to remind people that he taxes every employee in the state's wages to support paid family leave when we already have the highest taxes in the nation. We can go on and on and on about the poor policy decisions. We're launching a preschool program at a time when we're cutting support for our regular education programs. Some public schools aren't getting the funding they deserve, but we'll launch a brand new program for preschool.
The Governor has no core policy. There is no public policy consistency. He just throws stuff at the wall and hopes it sticks, and then he realizes he's made a mistake and ends up flopping around trying to correct it.
I think he's a nice man, a smart man - but he's done a very poor job of leading the State of New Jersey. I really don't think he has any core philosophy when it comes to leadership. It's random.
ROONEY: I think you're dead on, and it's funny because we hear about his staff meeting "hourly" to address the financial crisis. I don't know what they're talking about, because they haven't come up with anything new! It doesn't seem like there's a governing ethos attached to this administration's policy execution.
BECK: This guy came in in 2006. New Jersey was already not doing well. More people were moving out of the state than moving in, the only positive growth we had at the time was government. He's stood idly by for three years and did nothing but make it worse. And now all of a sudden he's in a panic because of re-election? We haven't been doing well since the day he took office! He did nothing to address the highest taxes in the region, some of the worst corporate taxes in the country, the small business climate is ranked last... he couldn't have done any worse. His legacy will be a legacy of job loss. Period. There's nothing else he can point to.
I just think his policies are largely responsible for where we are now. New Jersey has consistently represented 3% of our nation's economic growth over the decades. Always. In Corzine's tenure, we've fallen to 1%. That means New Jersey businesses aren't growing. And they're not just shaving growth off with these layoffs- they're cutting legs off. It could mean more bankruptcies in this state.
It's a scary time for us.
On Running for Lt. Governor???
ROONEY: Hopefully we'll get some new leadership in 2009. If asked, would you consider being a part of a gubernatorial ticket as a candidate for Lt. Governor?
BECK: I'm very focused on serving in the Senate right now, being a good leader for my 220,000 residents, being their voice. I will also absolutely work night and day to get Chris Christie elected. I think he is much needed change for this state.
But I'm really just focused on being a good senator. It's an honor to be there, and I wanna make sure I do a good job for the people I represent.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of chatting with New Jersey Republican superstar State Senator Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth).
Elected to the State Senate in 2007 after an epic battle with incumbent Ellen Karcher (D), Senator Beck has been a vocal advocate for the taxpayers of New Jersey. Her proactive support of ethics reforms have earned the Monmouth senator widespread praise and, in recent months, growing support for a Lt. Governor candidacy.
We discussed Senator Beck's most recent legislative success, the 2009 Gubernatorial Election, Governor Corzine, and a possible "promotion" in her immediate future.
My general thoughts? She's funny, down-to-earth, witty, articulate, and easily displays a fantastic command of the issues. She also has no problem taking Governor Corzine to task.
Not bad for a statewide running mate, huh? I'm just saying....
On Ending Double-Dipping and Dual Office Holding in New Jersey
ROONEY: Can you elaborate on the effect of this latest legislation, A-1405/1433 ACS, for our readers?
BECK: It prohibits appointed or elected public officials from holding more than one health benefits package. Currently, there are elected officials also serving on public boards, and both entities end up paying the premiums. So it doesn't make a lot of sense, but a lot of officials were doing it, because depending on what the plan was, you might get a certain type of coverage under one health plan but not get it under another. And of course this was a huge burden for taxpayers.
I tried a couple of times to move it in the Assembly, and it was voted down. Today, in committee vote, it was moved out and done in a unanimous, bipartisan way. It also has come out of the Assembly, so it's my sense that this bill will become law. One of the amendments made today in committee expanded the language to ensure that it was completely comprehensive in order to cover both elected and appointed officials.
ROONEY: And I know one of the things you've expressed interest in adding in the future would be an enforcement mechanism. As it stands now, correct me if I'm wrong, these provisions are only self-enforcing.
BECK: Right. Although you would be violating state statute, as an elected official, if you held more than one policy. So yes, but there should be some check and balance here. We shouldn't have people continuing to hold more than one.
The other amendment we made today addressed the practice where some public agencies will pay a stipend if you turn down a policy as an incentive for not accepting it. So we decided to prohibit receiving a stipend if you're receiving one set of benefits while receiving another.
ROONEY: It's great that you've finally been able to make progress on this important issue.
BECK: We were happy that it was bipartisan. Sweeney-Weinberg have an identical bill to mine, so, ya know, we're going to work together. These changes are long overdue, but they've gotta be bipartisan. Senator Weinberg was even vocal today on some issues I've focused on, such as addressing part-time government employees receiving benefits. The guys shouldn't be getting benefits at all, so it's my hope that we begin to take on some of those issues as well.
Last year we tried, and the effort failed, to achieve some far-reaching health benefits reform.
ROONEY: Right, and I know that you've also called for a total ban on dual office holding, 'cause I think whatever's in place right now allowed whoever was in office at the time of the bill's passage to be grandfathered in?
BECK: Correct. The slap in the face was that it didn't take effect until February of 2008. So in the 2007 election cycle, we elected new dual office holders. So you had more dual office holders after the 2007 election than you did before. It's a crazy thing.
ROONEY: At least it gives Bob Ingle something to write about.
BECK: Well today was a good first step. It was something I've been working on pretty much since I was elected, and it was nice to see that there is some motivation on both sides of the isle to get some of this stuff done. It was long over due, since some of these practices are really offensive to taxpayers for having been allowed to go on for this long.
On Jon Corzine and the 2009 Gubernatorial Election
ROONEY: I'm excited. I think we finally have some momentum from our leadership, and 2009 could be a big year.
BECK: I think Jon Corzine is unelectable. Without a credible Republican candidate he potentially could have won, but with Chris Christie's entrance into the race, I don't think Jon Corzine can win this election. I don't think it's possible.
ROONEY: I hope you're right! It just seems there's a culture of party identification that can be hard to break through regardless of external conditions. But it also does seem like Governor Corzine is suffering from some of the same popularity issues that drug down President Bush's second term and, vicariously, the rest of his party.
BECK: We have to keep reminding people that this guy, at a time when New Jersey's economy is tanking, puts in place affordable housing laws that penalize job creation. We're the only state in the United States of America that when you create 16 jobs you have to pay $200,000. We have to remind people that he taxes every employee in the state's wages to support paid family leave when we already have the highest taxes in the nation. We can go on and on and on about the poor policy decisions. We're launching a preschool program at a time when we're cutting support for our regular education programs. Some public schools aren't getting the funding they deserve, but we'll launch a brand new program for preschool.
The Governor has no core policy. There is no public policy consistency. He just throws stuff at the wall and hopes it sticks, and then he realizes he's made a mistake and ends up flopping around trying to correct it.
I think he's a nice man, a smart man - but he's done a very poor job of leading the State of New Jersey. I really don't think he has any core philosophy when it comes to leadership. It's random.
ROONEY: I think you're dead on, and it's funny because we hear about his staff meeting "hourly" to address the financial crisis. I don't know what they're talking about, because they haven't come up with anything new! It doesn't seem like there's a governing ethos attached to this administration's policy execution.
BECK: This guy came in in 2006. New Jersey was already not doing well. More people were moving out of the state than moving in, the only positive growth we had at the time was government. He's stood idly by for three years and did nothing but make it worse. And now all of a sudden he's in a panic because of re-election? We haven't been doing well since the day he took office! He did nothing to address the highest taxes in the region, some of the worst corporate taxes in the country, the small business climate is ranked last... he couldn't have done any worse. His legacy will be a legacy of job loss. Period. There's nothing else he can point to.
I just think his policies are largely responsible for where we are now. New Jersey has consistently represented 3% of our nation's economic growth over the decades. Always. In Corzine's tenure, we've fallen to 1%. That means New Jersey businesses aren't growing. And they're not just shaving growth off with these layoffs- they're cutting legs off. It could mean more bankruptcies in this state.
It's a scary time for us.
On Running for Lt. Governor???
ROONEY: Hopefully we'll get some new leadership in 2009. If asked, would you consider being a part of a gubernatorial ticket as a candidate for Lt. Governor?
BECK: I'm very focused on serving in the Senate right now, being a good leader for my 220,000 residents, being their voice. I will also absolutely work night and day to get Chris Christie elected. I think he is much needed change for this state.
But I'm really just focused on being a good senator. It's an honor to be there, and I wanna make sure I do a good job for the people I represent.
run beck run!!!!!!
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The Bergen clerk Donovan is going to be it.
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Nice job, Matt. Senator Beck seems like a good legislator.
Of course, it's interesting to hear her say she supports Christie. Does she even know what he stands for? Does any Christie supporter know?
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District Two Assemblymen Vince Polistina and John Amodeo have been out front on elimintaing benefits for part-time government employees. Check out their bill, http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2008/Bills/A2500/2446_I1.HTM.
It is disappointing that a seemingly-intelligent legislator of Senator Beck's calibur is so quick to lend her full support to a candidate with a mediocre message and inability to articulate his message. Do not take my word for it. Listen to Senator Beck's choice for Governor answer questions for yourself, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xb1DOvWid0
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Mr. Kurtz-
First you said he has no message. Now you're calling his message mediocre. So does he have a message or not? =)
Let's all relax, talk about the issues, and may the best man win.
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Good article on the Senator. yes, indeed the best man. Mr Christie can do good work for the state. However, he was a Bush appointee and will have that millstone around his ncek when the campaign heats up. Second, he is a political novice who will be outmatch by the entrenched power in Trenton. There is one party in new jersey and is the party of Big Spenders.
Mayor Lonegan comes froma family of union members who was elected three times in a blue collar North jersey town. He alone exposed the unconstitutional spending which amounts to $40 billion so far. His pedigree is gaining hold at the grass roots where the majority of the population and votes will be in this election.
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My ideal ticket would be Lonegan for Gov. Jen Beck Lt. Gov and Christie for Attorney General
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I was very disappointed to read that Beck was tossing her vote away so quickly toward Chris Christie.
Especially since no one knew where Christie stood on the issues yet.
(If the above date of this conversation is correct, that is the first day Christie announced he was running)!
And Christie positions that day, were almost as clear as Obama's were during his run for President.
I have listened to both Steve Lonegan and Chris Christie, and I will watch NJN's "On the Record" program Sunday March 1 to help decide. The program airs Sunday morning at 9AM, and is repeated at 11AM and Monday 3-2-09 at 6:30AM.
I can tell you right now that Steve Lonegan can beat Corzine, and I think that Jennifer Beck has done a disservice to make it appear only Christie can win.
Jennifer Beck was out spent nearly 6 to 1 when she ran against the incumbent Senator Ellen Karcher in Monmouth County. She proved she could win.
Steve Lonegan also has proved he can win. He did so as mayor in a Democratic town, and anyone reading this should read Paul Mulshine's article written in November 2007.
Google "Lonegan leads the reluctant Republicans" to read Paul Mulshine's article.
Jennifer Beck should examine each candidate and their positions before throwing her support blindly behind Chris Christie.
I know I lean toward Steve Lonegan, but I can support them with facts.
No matter who the Republican Clubs choose, I will not be a sheep led to slaughter. I will vote with my head.
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Greeting. I hope that when I die, people say about me, 'Boy, that guy sure owed me a lot of money.'
I am from Kazakhstan and learning to write in English, please tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "Treating excessive sweating, night sweats, hot flashes."
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