Corzine might look here for money
While Corzine is looking for ways to raise money he might consider collecting all the rent owed from people using the state's parklands. My colleague Mike Rispoli reports the Department of Environmental Protection has 232 leases on file -- everything from homes to education centers to utility lines -- but there is no complete list. It's estimated there are around 300 leases. There are at least 10 agreements reached since 2006 that aren't included. That's ironic because Corzine was willing to raise park user fees for the rest of us or even close parks. Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility director Bill Wolfe said "Corzine's willing to raise park user fees, but he's not willing to say the corporations who are using these lands have to pay up." Besides the sloppiness with leases, Rispoli reports the state doesn't keep track of special use permits which means an unknown number of supposedly temporary permits can go on indefinitely with a lower rate without being part of a lease.
posted by Bob Ingle at 5:59 AM
17 Comments:
Marie corzine was heard to exclaim, "Let them eat cake."
Corzine dosen't want to rile his corporte buddies ,he still is waiting to see if it's ethical to ask for donations to finish RU stadium ,remember the line about his jam packed roladex file
Corzine will tax church poorboxes before he'll go after industry or reduce government spending. I'm waiting for a "donation tax", where every donation to charity is taxed, using the logic: "if you can afford to donate, we're taking some of it."
He's the worst of the "reverse Robin Hoods" I've ever seen, and I'm in my seventh decade of life. It was said about Abraham Lincoln's first Secretary of War, Simon Cameron, that he would steal anything but a hot stove. When pressed to retract that statement, the accuser said "I remarked that Cameron would not steal a hot stove; I now take that back."
Seen any hot stoves lately? Check Corzine's garage.
The 'great' financial genius once again shows his ineptitude. Or is he going to claim that he wasn't aware of the situation so he can't comment. What a joke this guy is. And the other 127 in the legislature and Supreme court are just as bad. How do these people survive in the real world?
Anon 11:41
"How do these people survive in the real world?"
They don't live in the real world, and as for survival, they suck our lifeblood and feast on our children.
Anon 10:24, I love those Lincoln related stories. One other is that Lincoln was once accused of being two-faced. When asked to comment he replied that if he were indeed two-faced he certainly wouldn't be using his present one.
Jon Corzine, you wanted him New Jersey, not enjoy him!
CONSIDERING ONLY ONE IN EVERY 10000000000000000000000 EVER GETS CHARGED, MUCH LESS CONVICTED OF ANYTHING.....THIS OUGHT TO SAVE ABOUT 5 CENTS EVERY FOUR YEARS
N.J. Bill Would Strip Corrupt Politicians of Benefits
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- A Republican state lawmaker who thinks that elected officials should be held to a higher standard is calling for tougher penalties for politicians convicted of crimes.
Sen. Jennifer Beck, R-Monmouth, wants legislative leaders to pass a bill that would automatically strip politicians who are convicted of public corruption of their retirement benefits. The law would apply no matter when the crimes were committed.
``The Legislature must create a disincentive in order to discourage that small minority who view public service as a business opportunity,'' said Beck, a first-term senator.
Republicans reacted strongly to last week's sentencing of former Newark mayor and state Sen. Sharpe James, who received a 27-month term for his role in the cut-rate sale of city land to his former mistress.
Federal prosecutors were seeking up to 20 years for James, but U.S. District Judge William Martini said such a long sentence was not warranted. U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie, who is among the leading Republicans considering a challenge to Gov. Jon S. Corzine in 2009, said he would seek the permission of the U.S. Justice Department to appeal the sentence.
James, 72, was mayor of Newark from 1986 to 2006, but left office after declining to seek a sixth term. He was also a Democratic state senator from 1999 to January 2008.
As a result of his conviction, James could be stripped of pensions that provide a six-figure annual income. State Treasury spokesman Tom Bell said ``honorable service'' reviews can start now that sentencing has occurred.
``Violating the public trust should be more costly for politicians,'' said Sen. Kevin O'Toole, R-Bergen. ``Any theft is wrong, but stealing from the taxpayers of an economically disadvantaged city like Newark qualified as a particularly heinous act of thievery.''
Under current rules governing retirement from the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), benefits can be reduced or forfeited if the beneficiary is convicted of a crime related to their employment, Bell said.
The PERS board has slashed the benefits of several veteran public servants who tried to collect their pensions after being convicted of public corruption, including former Sen. President John Lynch.
The board stripped Lynch of the entire pension he amassed during 19 years in the Legislature: $19,180 a year. The 68-year-old one-time Middlesex County power broker will be eligible for $267 a month after he gets out of prison, not the $1,865 monthly stipend he would have gotten had he not pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges.
A law that went into effect in April 2007 makes it impossible for a government employee to collect any pension benefits after a corruption conviction or guilty plea. That law makes pension forfeitures automatic and prison time mandatory for government employees, including politicians, who accept bribes, launder money or commit related felonies.
Beck's bill would amend that law to include all political corruption convictions, not just crimes committed after the '07 law was passed.
The new bill, S-686, and a companion in the Assembly, have been referred to the judiciary committees in both houses. A similar bill sponsored by Beck last session in the Assembly failed to gain traction.
Anon 10:24 wrote: "Corzine will tax church poorboxes before he'll go after industry or reduce government spending." Respectfully, that's a load of hooey. Corzine has reduced benefits for public employees, reduced the state payroll by nearly 2,000 employees through early retirement and other related programs, and he reduced the state budget from 2007-2008 by over 1/2 a billion dollars (and the state was complaining over those meager cuts!) Could Corzine do more? Yes, I'd say so, and Bob Ingle's blog certainly keeps him honest. But if we're going to have a substantive discussion about what he's done, and what programs have been cut, let's be accurate about it.
Regarding state parks, I was broken hearted when I heard that Parvin State Park (Salem County; a gorgeous park) was on the cutting room board, but it has thankfully been preserved. If there is any hidden revenue from the permits and leased Bob mentioned, then by all means the state government should attempt to procure it.
mm:
"Could Corzine do more? Yes, I'd say so.."
So why are you defending this weasel? Never mind, I already know. You have an agenda, a self-proclaimed agenda against conservatism, which makes you less than objective, so get off your high horse. And by the way, there's still a picture of a jackass in your post. Get a clue, you liberal fascist jerkweed.
Hey Michael Martin,yes the budget was reduced by 1/2 billion dollars but corzine cut the homestead rebates and after the budget was passed, borrowed 3.9 billion. I dont call that reducing anything!Its going to cost 7 billion dollars of taxpayer money to pay back that bond money.Stop spending and borrowing now!
dear mr. martin: YOU are a load of hooey. your clown corzine reduced staff by early retirement while other "real governors" do it the old fashioned way, layoffs like in the private sector. also, that horses ass blew 7 or 8 million dollars on his idiotic 800% toll increase plan which will go in effect when pigs fly. just admit that the jerk is in so far over his bald head that he doesn't have a clue as to what to do next.
And Amy Cradic is spouting off how they have things under control. She's the first one they should cut. She was promoted from some glorified coffee maker to Assistant Commissioner because Corzine's henchmen demanded cutbacks from his cabinet. Lisa Jackson wanted to keep her drinking buddy in an overpaid position so she put her in Jay Watson's job as Assistant Commissioner of Natural and Historic Resources and made Jay a Deputy Commissioner!
Asto governor Corzine and how much he has saved etc. Well first, the 2007-2008 budget yes, was about 600 million dollars. So that is still about 2% cuts? Were there any bonds floated last year?
The 2000 job cuts is one thing, were they ever filled? This year is early retirement, and again, does that mean more people out, but then will trickle back in?
Has anyone looked at the management heirachy recently? How many layers of management are there?
So Michael Martin, he has done some things, but he has not done enough. The answers are there before him, but that involves a decision that the party does not want and may harm his bonding cadre.
iceneedle: There are unbelievable layers of useless mgmt in NJ departments. I once worked at a huge federal facility that had fewer layers of mgmt above me and I was an entry-level person! Many of them can be removed. The problem is that there would be no place left to place those with political connections!
PS. Let's not forget that a bureaucray is great at one thing: creating bureaus! Whole bureaus are created in order to create more higher-level jobs and mgmt positions because all the baby boomers had a log-jam trying to get to better paying jobs. The higher pay also comes with other perks such as not having any real work to do if you so desire, a state car, fewer people to answer to and more people beneath to push around in order to feel important. You won't find anyone in the private sector with as much arrogance for so little talent than in NJ state gov't. The truly sad part is that the rank and file of these departments are the first to be cut and they are the ones doing the work. No governor ever sees fit to actually cut some of the useless so-called managers. They are sacred cows.
for decades the Mulvihills up here in Sussex county made millions on cheap state land leased for Action Park/Vernon Valley Great Gorge ski resort ...nee Mountain Creek. They should pay..all the corps who have $10 deals should pay
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