Who Didn’t See This Coming? Minimum Wage Increase Leads To Group Seeking More Taxpayer Money

According to a report by NJ101.5 New Jersey’s “leading child advocacy group is planning a big rally at the Statehouse” today.

Apparently, the group Advocates for Children of New Jersey (ACNJ) has a petition “with over a thousand signatures” that calls for “an additional $19 million in child care subsidy funding to be included in the new state budget.”

From the NJ101.5 report:

Ceil Zalkind, president and CEO of Advocates for Children of New Jersey, said with the minimum wage rising from $8.85 to $10 an hour on July 1, many of the licensed child care centers across the state will be required to pay their workers a higher salary, but it’s money they simply do not have.

Imagine that! Raising the minimum wage is leading to workers getting a higher salary! Who didn’t see that coming?

One can assume the folks at ACNJ were supportive of increasing the minimum wage. The Vice Chairperson of the Board, Sara D. Thom, according to her LinkedIn profile was once a Legislative Associate for U.S. Senator Russ Feingold and is a former Legislative Fellow for the US Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources, Democratic Staff.

Obviously with that on the Vice Chairperson’s resume it’s safe to assume ACNJ has some left-leanings and likely supported the increase in the minimum wage.

And, now that they’ve gotten their wish of a higher minimum wage they want taxpayers to fork over $19 million.

What happens if ACNJ gets the legislature to agree to an additional $19 million in child care subsidy funding this year? Will they ask for an additional $19 million every year until 2024 when the minimum wage hits $15/hour?

Only in New Jersey!

They wanted an increase in the minimum wage – now they can deal with it.

GOP Primaries In LD8 And Morris County Have Become Heated

Just when I was getting ready to complain that outside of the insurgent Democrats in Camden County this primary season was boring things are starting to heat up on the GOP side of the aisle in the South and the North.

By now readers of the blog and listeners of the radio show are familiar with the battle in LD8 where one of the incumbent Assemblymen, Joe Howarth, has been forced to run off the line after being accused of trying to switch parties. He denies he ever tried to flip. In fact, Howarth came on the radio show and denied the claim. (We’ve said on the show Assemblyman Ryan Peters, former Sheriff Jean Stanfield are welcome to come on. They haven’t, but a fourth LD8 candidate, Jason Huf, has.)

Based on reporting by InsiderNJ and New Jersey Globe, it appears that the screaming about attempted party switching has stopped and Howarth has launched an assault via direct mail. See the pieces at InsiderNJ here and New Jersey Globe here.

Howarth’s mailers have been savage: He’s attacked Stanfield for failing to comply with an ICE request to hold an illegal alien who “was originally charged with sexual assault of a minor.” Howarth’s mailers basically attack Peters over who is more pro-President Trump.

On the line Republicans responded with an email sent by party Chairman Sean Earlen attacking Howarth for allegedly attempting to switch parties.

Then there’s the primary battle for freeholder in Morris County. In that race the incumbents have made an issue of a “mystery consultant” being used by challenger Donald Dinsmore. New Jersey Globe outed the ‘mystery consultant” as King Penna. For what it’s worth, I have it on good authority New Jersey Globe got the information correct, King Penna is the “mystery consultant.”

To be clear, I have no dog in the Morris County fight, but in the interest of full disclosure, I am NOT a fan of one of the incumbents, Freeholder Tom Mastrangelo.

Several sources have confirmed to me Mastrangelo is the leaker of information coming out of Morris County GOP meetings which was a contentious issue earlier this year.

I believe those sources because Mastrangelo is a big enough scumbag that he once threw his own son under the bus by denying he sent him to video an event hosted by his opponents. His son admitted to police he was sent by his father.

And, of course, there’s the time Mastrangelo filed criminal charges against me, as well as my clients, for publishing allegedly expunged police records. The charges were eventually dismissed because even the judge knew Mastrangelo was full of crap.

I mention the allegedly expunged police records because apparently those records have resurfaced in the Morris County fight. Apparently, and this is a guess on my part, Dinsmore’s “mystery consultant” has the same records I had years ago because sources have sent me this beautiful mailer:

Though I think it’s cowardly to use a phony paid for by line, I think it’s funny at least one of the allegedly expunged police records has resurfaced in Morris.

I guess all that’s left is to see if Mastrangelo files criminal charges against someone else this time. Glad I’m out of it! Happy primary election!

It Took 8 Months For America To Learn Who Shot J.R., But New Jersey Still Can’t Find Out Who Hired Al Alvarez

Gov. Phil Murphy

Remember the Select Committee on Oversight that was formed in the aftermath of the Katie Brennan’s ordeal? Remember that Select Committee on Oversight was formed for the purpose of investigating hiring practices and the way in which Murphy’s administration handled the sexual assault allegations.

I think it’s amazing that it took only 8 months for America to find out who shot J.R., but New Jersey still hasn’t a clue as to who hired Al Alvarez, the man Brennan alleges raped her.

One would think that we would know who hired Alvarez by now. He was hired as the Chief of Staff at the Schools Development Authority which means he had to have been hired by a high-ranking official in Murphy’s administration – meaning someone who reports directly to the Governor.

How could Murphy not know the answer to the question? Not knowing means he’s either incompetent or stupid, and I don’t think Mr. Murphy is stupid.

Then again, maybe Murphy doesn’t want to know who hired Alvarez. He did arrange for a soft landing for Lizette Delgado-Polanco after she finally resigned as the CEO of the Schools Development Authority where Alvarez was chief of staff.

The soft landing? Delgado-Polanco went to Adam Alonso’s consulting firm the Cratos Group. Of course, the press in New Jersey forgot the fact that Alonso was Murphy’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Public Engagement and Governmental Affairs.

You decide, does Murphy really want to know who hired Al Alvarez?

[Full disclosure: there was a time Alonso worked with Republicans. I know because I hired his Cratos Group for fundraising for a campaign in New Mexico in late 2009/early 2010. The relationship ended due to billing “issues.”]