LD-13 Senate Candidate O'Scanlon: You May Have to Vote for Someone Else

Candidate claims to be a "truth teller" and stands up for taxpayers with "real" solutions.

By Monmouth Watchdog

Declan O'Scanlon

When a politician has to stress in his online ads that he is a "straight shooter," or makes social media claims on Facebook like, "If your looking for someone to tell you what you want to hear rather than the truth you need to know, your going to have to vote for someone else." You know an embattled politician's campaign is floundering, and in need of a lifeline.

Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon, (R-Monmouth), whose office is located outside the district he represents, (Red Bank), wants to replace retiring state Senator Joe Kyrillos. O'Scanlon may have spoken words that prophetically may come true this November.

Lets look at the record:

O'Scanlon did not stand up for his constituents when he voted for the very unpopular 23-cent gallon gas tax. He sided with special interests that have donated thousands of dollars towards his political campaigns.

He was the only legislator in the Assembly---the only legislator--that voted against enhanced penalties against drunk drivers operating motor vehicles with minors as passengers. Is that standing up for taxpayers?? Ok, they're children-- so what? Who is looking out for the childrens' safety?? Certainly not Assemblyman O'Scanlon! Kudos to the 79 legislators that did in fact vote for this measure.

Law enforcement?? There's no standing up for those taxpayers! He was just one of four legislators in the Assembly that voted against a financial package that would protect unarmed, outnumbered correction officers, injured during a riot or other physical altercation with violent prisoners. I guess they're not taxpayers worthy of being "stood up" for.

Ok, perhaps half the population? Our hard working mothers, sisters, friends and daughters?? How can we not be supportive of this group? Well, with O'Scanlon's vote, there is no standing up for them either. Our hard working women--discounted and rendered insignificant with his vote. No support for this hard working group.

You didn't read or hear about that vote did you?? Of course not! That is one vote I am sure Mr. O'Scanlon would love to take back.

So much for standing up for our citizens--The Monmouth Watchdog sees a disturbing trend in O'Scanlon's voting record when it comes to the safety of our women, children, and law enforcement officers. Now Assemblyman O'Scanlon wants a promotion to a four-year term as a state senator representing LD-13, which is comprised of 16 municipalities within Monmouth County.

Lets try the truth: When O'Scanlon first ran for the Assembly in 2009, he became embroiled in an ethics controversy brought about by his Democratic rivals. His Democratic opponents at the time accused him of a conflict of interest regarding his business dealings with the town of Fair Haven. Shortly after his victory in the Assembly, O'Scanlon sponsored Bill A-2585. which would prohibit legislators from conducting business within their own legislative district. Unfortunately, the bill gained no traction; however, Mr. O'Scanlon was quoted in an online publication saying he would voluntarily impose the same standards on his own business activities.

There seems to be a little problem with Mr. O'Scanlon's "voluntary" imposition of the same standards in the bill he sponsored. In January of 2017, Mr. O'Scanlon was named "Cell Tower Consultant" in the Holmdel Township Re-Organization Minutes. And as recently as May 17, 2016, O'Scanlon's company was awarded a contract from Keyport (Resolution #166-16; For Cell Tower Contract Services). That contract called for payment of services not to be less than $500 dollars and not to exceed $3000 dollars. (see above for copy of Keyport Resolution).

A check of Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon's financial disclosures reveal since 2009, he inexplicably has not reported his income as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly. A requirement mandated under state financial disclosure rules.

District 13's women and children need support and an advocate from its representatives in the Assembly. O'Scanlon's votes are in total dichotomy of his running mate, Assemblywoman Amy Handlin. Ms. Handlin voted for women's equality; voted for enhanced penalties against drunken drivers with minors as passengers in their vehicles and has voted against the increase in the gas tax. And her office is located within the confines of the district she represents.

Perhaps its time to drain the swamp in Trenton.

***********************
The above is an opinion of the Monmouth Watchdog

Education Committe Rejects Assemblyman O'Scanlon's Plea Regarding School Bus Cameras

By Monmouth Watchdog
May 25, 2017

Assemblyman Has a Questionable Record Regarding Public Safety Issues

In a stinging rebuke to the aspirations of Republican Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon’s bid for the state Senate seat of Joe Kyrillos in Legislative District 13-- and yet another question mark on his public safety record regarding children--the Assembly Education Committee, by a vote of 9 to 0, voted for Assembly bill A3798, which authorizes the installation of school bus cameras to capture images of those reckless drivers passing school buses while loading and unloading children. This bill now heads to the full Assembly for a vote by all its 80 members—including O’Scanlon.

The bill overwhelmingly passed in the Senate in January.

After impassioned testimony against the bill before the committee, O’Scanlon, utilizing fear and hysteria, feels the input of private contractors serves no legitimate purpose other than to make a profit on the backs of motorists. In furtherance of Mr. O’Scanlons hysteria, he has re-named the bill with the moniker, “Use Our Kids As Pawns To Enrich Corrupt Companies.”

The members of the committee promptly rejected O'Scanlon's pleas, and forwarded the bill to the full Assembly for their vote.


The bill authorizes a municipality or school district operating or providing Type I or Type II school buses that transport students to contract with a private vendor to provide for the installation, operation, and maintenance of a school bus monitoring system for enforcement purposes. The bill provides that a school bus monitoring system must be capable of capturing and producing a record of any occurrence that may be considered illegal passing of a school bus, and include in that recorded image:

1. If the school bus is exhibiting its flashing light;

2. If a motor vehicle passes a school bus;

3. The license plate, make, and model of the violating vehicle;

4. The date, time, and location of the violation.

The bill requires any violation captured in a recorded image produced by a school bus monitoring system to be made available to the chief law enforcement officer of the municipality in which the violation occurred. After careful review; the application of good judgement and common sense, A law enforcement officer is tasked to issue a summons within 90 days of determining that a violation occurred. A summons may not be issued for a violation occurring more than 90 days from date of the violation.

Mr. O’Scanlon, of Little Silver, is the Republican nominee running for state Senator, opposing presumptive Democrat nominee, Mr. Sean F. Byrnes of Middletown. O'Scanlon is a staunch Chris Christie ally; voted for the controversial 23-cent a gallon gas tax, and was a member of Christie’s defunct Presidential Leadership Team while the governor mounted a brief and unsuccessful bid for the presidency.


**************

You can also find this article over on the Patch

Did Special Interests Influence LD-13 Assembly Member Declan O'Scanlon To Vote 'Yes' On Gas Tax?

The following snippet was posted on the Marlboro Patch. If you haven't read it, it will raise an eyebrow and my provide some insight into the politics behind last year's gas tax hike.

By Monmouth Watchdog
May 15, 2017

Organizations Benefitting From Gas Tax Increase Contributed Heavily Towards Assemblyman's Campaigns; Bumpy Road To Election Seen Ahead

On Decmber 9, 2016, Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon,(R-Monmouth), a staunch Chris Christie ally, and former member of Christie's Presidential Leadership Team, announced a bid for the senate seat being vacated by long-time representative, state Senator Joe Kyrillos.

In O'Scanlon's bid for the senate seat, he said, " I am running for the Senate. I am looking forward to the opportunity to double the value of my vote and volume of my megaphone...I have a history of bringing people together...I have allies in reform communities and labor..."

Well, it may be those very "allies" in labor that may be Mr. O'Scanlon's undoing to represent LD-13. Legislative District 13 is comprised of 16 municipalities--including the largest town in Monmouth County: Middletown.

Middletown is home of Democrat Sean Byrnes, who is the Monmouth Dems choice to run against O'Scanlon. Compounding O'Scanlon's woes is his vote for the very unpopular 23 cent a gallon gas tax, in a state that has the highest cost per mile to construct a roadway: two-million dollars per mile. This expenditure is 12-times the national average on other state controlled and operated roadways, and now brings New Jersey's gas tax ranking to number 7 nationwide--up from the near bottom. Add to that O'Scanlon's mind boggling public safety voting record in the Assembly, and you have a candidate that may have his political career in jeopardy.

For drivers of New Jersey, a near quarter increase in a gallon of gas is indeed a steep hike. And with today's announcement from the oil ministers of Saudi Arabia and Russia agreeing to extend production cuts until March of 2018, the pain could even worsen for the state's drivers.

O'Scanlon's "allies" contributed mightily to his campaign--- These organizations consist of unions, political action committees, and companies dealing with state-wide road construction projects. They would benefit greatly from any legislator's "YES" vote and subsequent passage. On October 7, 2016, Declan O'Scanlon did indeed vote for the gas tax.

According to NJ Election Commission reports, The Utility and Transportation Contractors Association PAC, Constructors for Good Government, gave him $7,600 on Nov. 07, and the NJ State Laborers PAC ponied up $8,200 as did Operating Engineers Local 825, which sent $8,200. The road paving company J. Fletcher Creamer, whose khaki trucks are a fixture on Jersey’s TLC-desperate roads, sent $2,600, joined by companies like George Harms Construction, Earle Asphalt Company, Northeast Remsco Construction, and the NJ Asphalt PAC....

Continue reading on Patch

I'm Voting Against Christie's Gas Tax Increase Here's Why

New Jersey needs to increase the gas tax to fund road and bridge repairs and infrastructure improvements, but the 23 cent a gallon increase coupled with a $600 mil. tax cut for our wealthiest residents is not the way to do it.

Also, the cost of transportation work in New Jersey is many time more costly than all other states.

Here's what must be done:

1. No tax cut for the wealthiest NJ residents.

2. Reforms to cut costs of construction and to include citizen oversight of spending of government agencies like the Port Authority and NJTransit.

3. Phase in gas tax increases over three years so motorists aren't hit with sticker shock and reforms to cut costs and include citizen oversight are enacted.

We need to fund road and bridge repairs and improvements but their's a wrong way and a right way. The current proposal is the wrong way.

Click Here To Read More

NJ Watchdog: Highway robbery? Bill seeks probe of state road costs

Why does New Jersey spend more on its highway system than any other state?

On the heels of reports by New Jersey Watchdog, a state senator is introducing legislation today to create a task force to address that question.

“When we’re spending two or three times more per mile than any other state, it’s extremely likely that significant savings can be found by the task force,” said Sen. Mike Doherty, R-Washington Twp., the bill’s sponsor.

New Jersey pays in excess of $2 million a mile per year – more than 12 times higher than the national average – to maintain 3,338 miles of state-administered roads, according to a Reason Foundation study.

State transportation commissioner Jamie Fox responded by calling the study “inaccurate and unfair.” However, Fox did not offer alternative figures, nor did he dispute that New Jersey has the costliest roads in the country.

“Some may quibble over how much more New Jersey spends on our highways than other states, but nobody disputes that we do spend more than everyone else,” said Doherty. “With New Jersey drivers already shouldering such a heavy tax and toll burden, it’s imperative that we find out why millions we spend on our roads get us so little in return.”

That weight will only get heavier if lawmakers pass a proposed 25 cents a gallon hike in the state gas tax. According to its proponents, the state must to raise $2 billion a year to fund its transportation projects.

The full story is online at http://watchdog.org/204570/new-jersey-highway-robbery/.

NJ Watchdog: Gas tax bid stokes debate on cost of NJ highways

As Gov. Chris Christie and state lawmakers consider a 25-cent a gallon gas tax hike to raise $2 billion a year to fund transportation projects, a war of words and statistics has erupted over the high cost of highways in the Garden State.

New Jersey pays in excess of $2 million a mile per year – more than 12 times higher than the national average – to maintain 3,338 miles of state-administered roads, according to a Reason Foundation study.

Three days after a New Jersey Watchdog report, state transportation commissioner Jamie Fox called the study “inaccurate and unfair” in a column published by NJ.com.

“Without the benefit of having the numbers the Reason Foundation used to base its calculations, there is no way to independently review its findings,” wrote Fox.

“That’s strange,” replied David Hartgen, the annual study’s senior author for 21 years. “Our annual highway report is based on data that New Jersey and other states provide themselves to the federal government. And we’ve readily shared the report’s data with state transportation departments and members of the media across the country.”

The story is online at http://watchdog.org/201704/new-jersey-gas-tax-highways-cost/.

10 ways Chris Christie's White House ambition hurts Jersey

If you haven't read the front page of today's Newark Star-Ledger you should. Tom Moran, the Ledger's Editorial Board Editor has a good take on how Chris Christie has hurt New Jersey due to his personal ambitions for a much higher office. 

By Tom Moran/ Star-Ledger

Gov. Chris Christie last week rejected the notion that his ambitions for the White House are driving his behavior as governor.

"Regular people don’t see it that way," he told reporters. "You all have been asking me about running for president since 2010, so is every action I’ve taken since 2010 been through the prism of the presidency? I don’t think so and I don’t even think you all can make that argument."

Granted, no one can peer into the man’s heart. We’d need his diary to divine his true motives.
And no sane person would argue that Christie’s "every action" has been dictated by the need to seduce the Republican base. He did concede the science on climate change, a move that will alienate the flat-Earth crowd in the Republican base, no small loss. He appointed a Muslim judge and called conservative critics of the move "crazies."

Worst of all, he hugged that usurper, President Obama, in the heat of the 2012 presidential race.

But enough nuance. Time to accept the governor’s challenge and make the case that he’s running this state with one eye on the White House, that he is putting New Jersey second, behind GOP primary voters.

The list below offers 10 cases in point.

1. Birth control

In his first budget, Christie cut $7.4 million in funding for family planning, giving up a potential 9-1 match in federal dollars as well. The money was not used for abortions, but for birth control, cancer screenings and other services for low-income women without insurance.
Six Planned Parenthood clinics were forced to close as a result, and others cut back their hours.

Christie claimed his only motive was to save money. But giving up that 9-1 federal match is irrational budgeting. And this program was tiny, amounting to less than 0.03 percent of the state’s $31 billion budget.

Gov. Pinocchio had political motive for this one. Funding Planned Parenthood clinics would have been tough to justify on the trail.

2. Gun control

Christie vetoed four gun control bills, including one that would ban .50-caliber sniper rifles, and another this month that would limit ammunition magazines to 10 bullets.

On this issue, he is an incoherent mess. He proposed a ban on .50-caliber rifles himself last April, then vetoed the ban that reached his desk. And he’s offered no rational reason why New Jersey gun owners could possibly need more than 10 rounds in a magazine.

"The last thing he wants is the right mad at him for being a gun control advocate," said Julian Zelizer, a political science professor at Princeton University. "He’s now entering the Republican primaries as a fragile candidate. He can’t have any more enemies."

3. Climate change

Yes, the governor conceded the science. But he’s following the GOP playbook when it comes to policy.

He pulled New Jersey out of the regional agreement to reduce emissions from power plants. He diverted roughly $1 billion from the state’s Clean Energy Fund for unrelated purposes. He withdrew from a bipartisan lawsuit aimed at reducing emissions from Midwest coal plants. And in the Hurricane Sandy recovery, he has set requirements for building heights that are 1 foot lower than in surrounding states.

So if he gets grief for his rational talk about the science, he can defend himself by showing that his policies are perfectly aligned with the dictates of the Koch brothers, the billionaire kingmakers who earned their fortune on fossil fuels. Even the flat-Earth crowd in the party’s grass roots might forgive him when they take a second look.

4. The gas tax

The condition of New Jersey’s roadways ranks 46th in the nation, according to a study by Reason Foundation. Nearly 10 percent of our bridges are structurally deficient, and another 26 percent are functionally obsolete, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.
But the trust fund for transit projects is broke. Worse, Christie broke the piggy bank and spent nearly $3 billion that had been set aside for the Hudson River tunnel. And he’s borrowed billions more to squeak by, breaking a promise and adding to the state’s crushing debt load.
The math is unforgiving: We need to raise the state’s gas tax, the third lowest in the nation. Privately, most Republicans concede this.

But raising any tax could be toxic on the trail. So count this as another mess Christie is leaving behind to protect his presidential ambitions.

5. Bridgegate

Christie was not content to just win last year’s election. He wanted a gigantic victory with bipartisan support to show that he could win a national election. That’s why his staff was pressing Democratic mayors such as Fort Lee’s Mark Sokolich for endorsements, even when it was clear Christie was coasting to victory.

In the end, the governor won re-election in a 22-point landslide, and the story line seemed solid.

Bridgegate wrecked that. Aside from exposing the ugly underbelly of the Christie administration, it has been an expensive distraction for the state government. The governor’s whitewash by attorney Randy Mastro is expected to cost taxpayers at least $3 million. On top of that, taxpayers are paying the legal bills for most of the key players, and for the Democrats, which are unknown at this time.

Continue reading

Handlin Thinks It's ‘unconscionable’ To Consider Water Rate Hike But Remains Silent on Proposed Gas Tax

Assemblywoman Amy Handlin (R–District 13) thinks it is "unconscionable" for New Jersey American Water (NJAW) to proposed to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) a rate increase and tiered pricing that would raise the average customers yearly water bill by $83 but would pay for capital improvements that were made to its facilities over the past two years. But she has thus far remained silent on the proposed idea of her colleague, State Senator Sean Kean, when he proposed earlier this week raise the state gas tax to fund needed road projects.

Kean's proposed gas tax increase has the potential to take hundreds, if not thousands of dollars out of ordinary commuters pockets, which would have far greater impact on residents lives and standard of living than an average 23 cents a day for the cost of clean and safe drinking water.

During her re-election campaign this past fall, she was against raising the state tax on gasoline when it was mentioned by one of her opponents as a way to refund the state transportation trust fund that is on the brink of collapse.

If she was opposed to a hike in the gas tax last November, then what is the difference now that would change her mind and potentially support it now other than her Republican colleague in the state senate, Sean Kean, has proposed it?

This is another example of Handlin Hypocrisy