The Save Jersey Blog

Sipprelle Needs to Explain His Donor History

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — 2010-03-16T07:00:00Z

| March 16, 2010

I've been pretty hard on Mike Halfacre for his "evolving" abortion-related beliefs, Save Jerseyans.

Scott Sipprelle's loyalty to the Republican cause, however, is rapidly emerging as a much more troubling issue. At first, we were told that his generous contribution to arch liberal Chuck Schumer was an isolated incident. His "my boss made me do it" excuse was bad enough, but I can (maybe) accept that an eight year old mistake doesn't necessarily define a man, even if that mistake is named "Chuck Schumer."

But what about questionable donations made just nine months ago?

In a Monday release, Halfacre CM Tom Fitzsimmons slammed Scott Sipprelle for donating to the following Democrats during the ObamaCare and Cap-and-Trade debates:

(Source: fec.gov)

The Halfacre release also point out that Sipprelle donated to the liberal Democrat mayor of his own town -- Princeton -- just three weeks after he apparently re-affiliated as Republican in 2007.

I'm starting to get a bad feeling here, Save Jerseyans.

GOP congressional candidates should be expected to consistently exercise loyalty to the Republican brand and conservative values over time. Scott Sipprelle's voter registration and campaign donor histories -- taken together -- suggest either severe ideology schizophrenia or some degree of political nihilism. Whatever the real case may be, I won't feel comfortable supporting his candidacy until these worrisome FEC facts are explained in full. How can I trust a guy to vote against ObamaCare in Washington if he donated to some of that legislation's most vocal Capitol Hill supporters?

PHOTO: The Goodwin Swearing-In Ceremony

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — 2010-03-15T22:13:00Z

| March 15, 2010

New Jersey's newest State Senator is hitting the ground and running in Trenton, Save Jerseyans. A photo from today's ceremony is posted below.

State Senator Tom Goodwin's (R-Hamilton) official web presence is already up and running. Please check out Tom's website at http://goodwin.senatenj.com, follow him on Twitter at @TomGoodwinNJ, and friend him on Facebook.

He's going to need your active support, folks. Note that Goodwin was sworn-in by Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester). Ironic, to say the least. Goodwin's seat will be Sweeney's first Democrat takeover target since no other Senate battles loom until 2011. It'll also be an important bellwether for future state elections. Christie performed well in this densely populated district in '09, but a large (and soon-to-be disgruntled) state worker population resides within its borders.

The Senator's likely opponent will be the current LD-14 Assemblywoman, Linda Greenstein.

NJEA Cries Poor While Buying Expensive Attack Ads

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — 2010-03-15T18:42:00Z

| March 15, 2010

New Jersey teachers will be happy to know that MILLIONS of dollars worth of their union dues are being spent on a high-priced smear campaign direct at the Governor of New Jersey. Sadly, this is the standard operating procedure for the state's largest teachers union. The NJEA spent $3,000,000 in Election '09 alone.

I guarantee you this, Save Jerseyans: if the NJEA invested just a fraction of the money it spends on political attack media BACK into the pension fund, then many more teachers could expect a secure retirement! Governor Christie's teacher-specific health benefit reforms would be a drop in the bucket by way of comparison.

Here's the latest misuse of your union dues, New Jersey teachers. Time to speak up and demand the truth from your leaders... and your money back, too:

Dissecting An NJEA Smear Ad:

Webber Slams Corzine's Overpaid Mouthpiece

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — 2010-03-15T18:00:00Z

| March 15, 2010

We've been Corzined (again), Save Jerseyans!

Josh Zeitz was the Corzine holdover transition spokesman and, since Chris Christie took office, has been Jon Corzine's chief apologist to the media. He hasn't yet missed a chance to lie about the past four years or smear Governor Christie. And the most aggravating part?

The taxpayers have been paying handsomely for him to do so!

NJGOP Chairman Jay Webber is none too pleased:

NJGOP RELEASE (3/15/10) – Citing the state’s dire fiscal condition and looming $10+ billion deficit, New Jersey Republican State Committee Chairman Jay Webber today expressed outrage at former Governor Jon Corzine’s awarding of a $26,000 pay raise to transition spokesman Josh Zeitz on his last day in office, as reported by the Star-Ledger yesterday:

“Even after his resounding rejection by New Jersey voters, Jon Corzine continues to find ways to waste taxpayer money and line the pockets of his friends. This time, it’s by awarding a $26,000 pay increase to ‘policy adviser’ Josh Zeitz – from his $115,000 salary to $141,000 – on his last day in office. Since then Zeitz, now earning a cabinet-level salary, primarily has served as a taxpayer-funded mouthpiece for an era New Jersey voters just rejected at the ballot box, and desparately are trying to forget.

“While New Jersey families continue struggling with nearly 10% unemployment and the wrecked economy Governor Corzine left in his wake, it’s unconscionable that he would authorize a $26,000 pay increase to Zeitz and authorize his subsequent conduct. Worse, Governor Corzine gave him the raise as the state faced a $2.2 billion deficit. Given that Zeitz admits his work for Governor Corzine is almost done, and that the State faces historic budget challenges, I call on Zeitz to give back the raise the Governor snuck him in the waning hours of his administration. No one else in this economy is getting a 25% pay raise, and Zeitz should be no different."

Josh "The Tool" Zeitz

Senator-Elect Goodwin Takes Office at Noon

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — 2010-03-15T15:08:00Z

| March 15, 2010

Councilman Tom Goodwin (R-Hamilton) will be sworn in as LD-14's State Senator at Noon today, Save Jerseyans.

The ceremony will take place in the State House's Senate Chamber. Goodwin, who won a special convention vote last week by defeating former Assemblywoman Barbara Wright, will replace former State Senator Bill Baroni in Trenton. It can truly be said that the Senator-elect is jumping straight from the frying pan into the fire, since his first full day on the job (Tuesday) will witness Governor Christie much-anticipated (or dreaded, depending on your perspective) budget address. A true "baptism by fire," if you will.

But today is a day for celebration. Congratulations and 'good luck' to the new Senator! We know he'll do right by his district and the entire Garden State.

POLL: Who Will Win the Middlesex Convention?

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — 2010-03-15T13:00:00Z

| March 15, 2010

A record number of Republicans will vote at next week's Middlesex County GOP Convention, Save Jerseyans. The fate of the NJ-12 congressional endorsement is undoubtedly the prime factor driving attendance. Mayor Mike Halfacre won the screening committee's favor, but early reports suggest that Scott Sipprelle's campaign is outpacing his rival's camp in the all-important war to register affiliated convention delegates.

Who do YOU think will emerge victorious on March 27th?

Vote now:

(Above) Rush Holt, stopping to smell the spending...

A Tale of Two Democrats

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — 2010-03-15T09:00:00Z

| March 15, 2010

What do you do when your party is headed off an electoral cliff, Save Jerseyans?

Do you stubbornly dig in, ignore popular sentiment and hope for the best? Or do you change course, spin like crazy and pray that the party leadership gives you a pass to save your own butt? Welcome to the unfolding twin dramas of Rep. Rob Andrews (D-NJ) and Rep. John Adler (D-NJ) respectively.

Andrews is a committed liberal who, without the benefit of upward mobility in the New Jersey Democrat Party following his failed attempt to overthrow Frank Lautenberg, decided that moving up within the Democrat Congressional power structure was a better option. That's fine work if you can get it!

Just don't "run me over," Rob. This isn't fooling anyone: the White House summit you attended was little more than staged theatre. Rahming ObamaCare through was always the plan, and you admitted it back in June '09:

John Adler, for his part, is running scared from Republican football star Jon Runyan who will formally launch his congressional campaign later this week. His district's profile makes it very, very difficult for the freshman incumbent to support the President's expensive "reforms." NJ-3 is lean Republican and deeply opposed to ObamaCare, so at least on some level, he instinctually recognizes that another "no" vote on health care would be advisable if he wants to get reelected in November. However, complicating Adler's calculus is pressure applied directly from the White House.

What's a born-again budget hawk to do? Poor confused Adler doesn't seem to know.

Just listen to the reaction Adler received this weekend at the Toms River Library town hall meeting in Ocean County. He still won't take a definite stand, but he comes right out and admits that the Senate bill is deeply flawed and that the House bill "has made things worse"... certainly sounds like a "no" vote to me, unless of course Pelosi needs the votes and starts pulling his (remaining) hair:

So which Democrat strategy is superior, Save Jerseyans?

Neither, if we're being honest. The best policy is principled opposition to big government intrusion from day one. This year, I've got a sneaking suspicion that November voters won't tolerate endless vacillation from their elected officials (sorry, John) any more than they'll suffer a politician who continues to support government's growth and expansion in our daily lives (sorry, Rob). But hey - it's their political grave, right? Let'em dig it. My advice and sympathy won't do them any good.

Over 700 Register for Middlesex GOP Convention

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — 2010-03-14T11:00:00Z

| March 14, 2010

The NJ-12 primary battle between Mike Halfacre and Scott Sipprelle appears to be having a major effect on registration for the Middlesex GOP Convention.

According to a tweet from last night, the Middlesex GOP is reporting over 700 registrations for their March 27th event to decide who gets the coveted "line." MoreMonmouthMusings later spoke with Chairman Leo, who places the final number of expected attendees at 761 -- double last year's turnout when Christie waged war with Lonegan for the gubernatorial nomination. That's positively epic! It's a clear sign of renewed vitality for the county organization, driven by both a competitive NJ-12 race as well as Chris Christie's November victory in the typically-Democratic county. Great to see!

For more convention information, bookmark the Middlesex GOP's webpage.

A DEEP THOUGHT: What's So Painful About Budget Cuts?

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — 2010-03-13T21:21:00Z

| March 13, 2010

You could call this weekend the "quiet before the storm," Save Jerseyans, were it not for the fact that New Jersey residents are already grappling with nor'easter-like conditions outside. There's no rest for the weary.

As you try to stay dry today, consider allowing your beloved Blogger-in-Chief to get something of his chest? Something's really been bothering me lately: why are New Jersey Republicans qualifying all of their budget cut commentary and accepting the liberal premise that spending reductions will necessarily translate to "pain" for our state?

Frankly, I expect to feel pretty good about life after Christie's Tuesday address!

Will public school teachers who have paid literally NOTHING towards their generous medical plans now suddenly be required to contribute meaningfully? Sure.

Will state worker unions responsible for coercing bloated pensions and salaries from taxpayers at above-market rates now have to cut back and trim their sails? Absolutely.

Will those who generally take more out of the system than they put in now find themselves responsible for more of their own financial upkeep? You bet.

So exactly which aspect of these allegedly terrible cuts will be "painful" for the average taxpayer? Beats me, Save Jerseyans! If you've been dutifully contributing to our state's fiscal maintenance as a property and/or business owner, then you have nothing to fear from Tuesday's budget speech. For you, the skies are finally clearing! If, however, you've allowed taxpayers to pay your way for the past decade or longer, then your day of reckoning has indeed arrived. Just deal with it. Taxpayers have "dealt with it" for years. Now it's finally time to distribute the tax burden fairly. The producing class can't afford to carry the government class on its back any longer.

And guess what? My outlook doesn't reflect a minority viewpoint anymore. That same sentiment carried Governor Chris Christie into office in November. I lived it, just like many of you who were battling in the trenches as voters were making their decisions. Hence, those fools whining about budget cuts represent an entitled minority who never supported Chris to begin with. Let'em scream, Republican leaders! And don't forget that Tuesday shouldn't be a "sad" day at all. Quite to the contrary, it should be represented as a glorious day for taxpayers! We're finally going to take an affirmative step towards returning government to the people. Isn't that what getting Chris elected was always about?

I promise you this, Save Jerseyans: if Republicans adopt a more positive attitude about the Governor's budget cuts, the voters will once again recognize that downsizing government in the interest of affordable and accountable governance is an act worth endorsing with their votes! Take it to the bank...

Halfacre Slams "Checkbook Primary Candidates"

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — 2010-03-13T01:34:00Z

| March 12, 2010

The latest from Art's ongoing interview series with Mike Halfacre:

A904 Needs Amending

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — 2010-03-12T20:17:00Z

| March 12, 2010

The following is an important message from our good friend Marie Tasy, Executive Director of New Jersey Right to Life, Save Jersey:

Yesterday, the Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee held a hearing on A904, a Bill sponsored by Democrat Assembly members. Prime sponsors are Upendra Chivukula (D-17), Joseph Egan (D-17), Linda Greenstein (D-14), Pamela Lampitt (D-6). The bill would establish an innovation zone program to stimulate technology industry clusters aroud New Jersey's Research Universities, Colleges or Research Hospitals. I testified before the committee in opposition to the bill because I feel it may be a stealth campaign to circumvent the will of NJ voters to fund Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research.   I pointed out that this bill calls for "innnovation zones" to be created in Camden, Newark City and Greater New Brunswick - which is the exact same locations where former Governor Corzine and former Assemblyman Neil Cohen tried to build Stem Cell Institutes before the voters wisely rejected their scheme. I also reminded the Committee that the voters spoke loudly and clearly in 2007 that they did not want to fund Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research.

The legislation grants very broad powers to the Economic Development Authority and Commission on Science and Technology "to call upon any department, authority, commission, board, office, division or agency of the State to provide such information, resources or other assistance deemed necessary . . ." The departments include, but are not limited to the Department of Treasury with the Business Incentive Program, the Tecnology Tax Certificate Transfer Program and other technology funding programs.

The bill also says, the goal of the innovation zones program is to "attract high technology business and research scientists to these defined areas, where proximity to research universities and colleges and resarch hospitals will increase collaborative research . . ."   The bill goes on to say that the innovation zones will "encourage the more rapid transfer of discoveries from New Jersey's laboratories to the marketplace;" and "will require focusing of resources on geographic areas where research clusters presently exist or have the potential to form because of the location of the research universities and colleges or research hospitals,"

It is important to note that "geographic areas where research clusters already exist" include Rutgers and UMDNJ in New Brunswick and Piscataway (which is considered Greater New Brunswick). Rutgers and UMDNJ established a partnership to form the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey on Rutgers Campus a few years ago. Under the Codey and Corzine adminsitrations, both of these entities were allocated a disproportionate share of stem cell grants from the Commission on Science and Technology to specifically perform research on human embryonic stem cells so  it is certainly feasible that this bill is a stealth attempt to do an end run around the voters to fund human embryonic stem cell research.

We asked the committee to add an amendment that would specifically prohibit any funding of HESCR under the scope of the bill to ensure the will of NJ voters would be honored. Assemblywoman Alison McHose (R-24) and Assemblyman Anthony Bucco (R-25) supported our efforts and offered an amendment to this effect but it did not pass. They also prepared a Minority Statement voting against reporting the bill favorably and urged that an amendment be added to the bill which would address our concerns.

For News coverage of the hearing and to learn more about our attempt to add an amendment, please click here

Action Needed:
Please call and email your two State Assembly Members and State Senator as soon as possible. Call 1-800-792-8630 to find out the names and contact information for your three legislators.
Click here to go to the NJ legislature's webpage: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp

Also call, fax and email Governor Christie. Phone: 609 292-6000, Fax 609 292-3454, To email link the Governor, go to link below and choose "Commerce" from the drop down topic menu on the page:
http://www.state.nj.us/governor/contact/

Halfacre: I Can Raise (and Beat Holt With) One Million Dollars

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — 2010-03-12T14:00:00Z

| March 12, 2010

The single largest concern surrounding Mike Halfacre's NJ-12 campaign has been fundraising, Save Jerseyans. He had approximately $40,000 on hand at the last reporting period.

In the latest installment of MoreMonmouthMusings's interview with Mike Halfacre, the Mayor asserts that he will have around $150,000 to report on April 15th (raised, not cash on hand). The final figure will depend on whether Mayor Mike wins the Middlesex and Monmouth lines this month. If he does, the money should start flowing in and this race could be a real dogfight to the finish. Without the Middlesex and Monmouth lines, Sipprelle will have to spend an obscene amount of cash just to survive the primary. Possible, but difficult to do.

Conventional wisdom (and your Blogger-in-Chief, in the interest of full disclosure) assumes that Sipprelle's money and the endorsement of the incoming Middlesex chairman should be enough to help Scott win on the 27th. Whether Halfacre's victory at Wednesday's screening committee signals an upset in the making will be a matter of great interest to yours truly and everyone else who is trying to handicap this wacky race.

Enjoy Art's new segment. He really presses Halfacre on the money issue:

N.J. Democrat GOTV: Terrorists, Gangbangers and Communists! Oh My!

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — 2010-03-12T12:00:00Z

| March 12, 2010

Yesterday afternoon, we reported that Jon Corzine's campaign had paid a member of Al Qaeda to help turn out the vote for Election 2005. Just the other day, this individual (originally from South Jersey) was arrested in Yemen on suspicion of participating in a hospital massacre.

Sure wish I could feign surprise, Save Jerseyans, but I just can't.

Hiring the worst of humanity to accomplish their dirty work isn't anything new for N.J. Democrats. It's no secret that ACORN actively tried to steal the '09 vote for Corzine. Back in November, the Hot Air blog reported that the New Jersey Democrat Party had actually hired known gang members to populate its GOTV (Get Out the Vote) efforts for Jon Corzine and down-ballot candidates. 2009 isn't the first time gang members got rich off of the Democrat State Committee's electioneering. Recall the infamous 2006 check fraud incident when members of the Bloods infiltrated the NJDSC and stole $6,000.

With a track record like this, I suppose the only undesirable elements absent from the Democrat GOTV payroll were black panthers guarding polling places!

If I've piqued your interest to learn more, the following unsettling video accompanied Hot Air's gangbanger story:

REPORT: Public Workers Earn More While Private Sector Employees Suffer

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — 2010-03-12T10:00:00Z

| March 12, 2010

As if we needed it, here's more evidence that Chris Christie is correct to pursue aggressive civil service compensation reforms.

Believe it or not, the Feds released a new comparative compensation study on Wednesday morning (how did Obama's people let this get out?). The report confirmed something that New Jersey taxpayers already know all too well: government worker compensation is disproportionately generous when compared to private sector compensation!

Click here to view the report summary from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

The report's key finding is that while economic downturns may have a negative impact on private sector employee compensation, government workers continue to see their salary and benefits increase over time. New Jersey is no exception to the rule, Save Jerseyans, and it's a large part of the reason we're broke. It's not complicated or difficult to understand! If taxpayers are paying less taxes due to declining earned income levels, then how can they also be expected to support an ever-expanding government workforce demanding higher salaries? They can't, which is why New Jerseyans are running for the bridges and far away from Trenton's ballooning budget shortfall.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: our own state's pension system woes aren't the result of "underfunding." That conclusion puts the cart before the horse. The root cause is overcompensation in the first place!

An illustrative chart from the report:

Supplemental Reading: "Gov't Workers Feel No Economic Pain" - (Washington Times, 3/11/10)

Congratulations to State Senator Goodwin

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — 2010-03-12T03:47:00Z

| March 11, 2010

Tom Goodwin was elected to the State Senate tonight in Hamilton. The vote -- Goodwin 75 to Wright’s 31 -- occurred at a special LD-14 GOP convention to replace the departed Bill Baroni. Now there will be a special election in Hamilton to fill Goodwin's council seat, where he served as council president for one of the state's largest municipalities.

Goodwin will be formerly sworn in on Monday. Congratulations to Tom and his family!

UPDATE: Sipprelle Demands Apology and Halfacre Refuses

mattrooney@savejersey.com (Matt Rooney) — 2010-03-11T23:27:00Z

| March 11, 2010

The cold war in NJ-12 GOP Primary is getting hot, Save Jerseyans!

Mike Halfacre dropped a bomb before last night's Middlesex candidate screening, accusing Scott Sipprelle of a pretty serious political transgression: not registering as a Republican until 2007. Halfacre then went on to win the screening committee's endorsement in an upset, 22-14. Clearly, Sipprelle blames the Halfacre voter registration press release for his surprise loss (Sipprelle had already won the backing of the county chairman). For what it's worth, I highly doubt that information alone pushed Mayor Mike over the top. Whether it was intended as a "dirty trick" is immaterial; if the accusation is ultimately found to be true, then there's nothing dirty about it.

Now Sipprelle is firing back by producing a few voting documents. These records demonstrate that Sipprelle declared himself a "Republican" as early as 1988.

Sipprelle consultant Chris Russell's release:

Official records show Sipprelle first registered as a Republican all the way back in 1988 in Hudson County.  The official records also show he re-affiliated as a Republican in Bergen when voting in the 2000 GOP Primary and then re-affiliated again as a Republican in Mercer when voting in the 2007 GOP Primary.  The State’s voter registration system has since been amended to allow party affiliation to follow residents from county-to-county when they change residences.

“Mike Halfacre is a career political insider who will literally say or do anything to win this campaign,” said Sipprelle Consultant Chris Russell.  “Issuing a press release, without any credible proof, that claimed Scott ‘was not even a registered Republican until 2007’ less than two hours before a major screening committee event and then reiterating that false claim in-person, is outrageous."

Russell continued, “Either Mike Halfacre knowingly lied about Scott’s long history as a Republican or he failed to research the question with any care whatsoever.  Either way, it’s an inexcusable way to run a campaign.  He owes Scott an apology, the people he misled at the Middlesex County GOP Screening Committee an explanation, and he should retract these lies about Scott via a press release to the media and his entire email list immediately.”

So we now know that Scott registered as a Republican in 1988. But did he remain a Republican?

Mayor Halfacre is asking the same question and refusing to apologize for the original release. His campaign responded to Sipprelle with a follow-up statement around 5:15 PM this evening, in which Halfacre CM Tom Fitzsimmons restates the accusation that there are discrepancies in Sipprelle's voter history.

The statement from Fitzsimmons:

“I’d like to thank Chris Russell for confirming what our campaign has been saying all along: that sometimes Scott Sipprelle is a Republican and sometimes he isn’t.

The fact remains that for a number of years- including from the time he registered to vote in Mercer County in 2001 up until 2007-Scott Sipprelle was not a registered Republican. He made donations to Democrats like Chuck Schumer, when he was in between Republican phases, and donated to five House Democrats last year even when he was registered as a Republican. He has been evasive about those donations, which have led voters to have their doubts about Mr. Sipprelle. This checkered voting registration history will only generate more doubt.

Finally..in the documents the Sipprelle campaign released, there seems to be a curious absence of any of Mr. Sipprelle’s voting history between the June 2001 primary and the November 2004 general election. Perhaps some enterprising reporter can dig up those records and see if they’re of any interest to the public.”

A legitimate issue? You be the judge, Save Jerseyans. I've posted the Sipprelle-supplied public records below so you can do your own private investigation. Take note of the gap between 2001 and 2007 where we cannot ascertain Sipprelle's affiliation.

Allow me to just make one point about all of this: Sipprelle brought it on himself. Regardless of whether he was registered as a Republican, a Democrat, or a Whig before 2010, it's undisputed that he donated to Congressional Democrats in the recent past. When something like a donation to Chuck Schumer is on your record, then you can't blame Republicans for demanding a higher level of disclosure from your campaign (nor can you blame a primary opponent for bringing it up). Scott's unwillingness to interview with outlets like Save Jersey and MoreMonmouthMusings has only made matters worse, so issues like holes in his voting record suddenly warrant greater scrutiny from everyone trying to cover this primary.

Don't misunderstand me: there's plenty of things I like about Scott Sipprelle. He'd undoubtedly be a better public servant than Rush Holt. But how can I back someone in the primary with so many outstanding questions that the candidate simply refuses to answer directly?

Who Will Win the Middlesex GOP Convention?
	Mike Halfacre
	Scott Sipprelle
	David Corsi
	Not Sure

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