CWA Holding Christie To Account for Breaking Word & Law on Pensions

On June 12th, 600 Communications Workers of America shop stewards descended on Trenton in protest of Governor Chris Christie breaking both his word and the law by failing to make promised pension payments. It was a big deal if you missed.

Pallone Recognizes Shannon Wedel of Monmouth Beach with Congressional Award Gold Medal

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) presented Shannon Wedel, of Monmouth Beach, New Jersey, with the Congressional Award Gold Medal. The medal is given in recognition of the work Shannon has done to better her community and the goals she has set for her own personal development. The Congressional Award is the highest honor bestowed upon America’s youth. To earn the Award, recipients must set and achieve goals in the four program areas: voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition/exploration. Congressman Pallone recognized Shannon’s achievements at the 2014 Gold Medal Award Ceremony held in the U.S. Capitol.

“I’m pleased to present Shannon with this Congressional Gold Medal today, and I commend her for her extraordinary service to our community, especially all her work helping people recover from Superstorm Sandy” said Congressman Pallone. “She is an outstanding young adult, and I am confident that her proven abilities to set goals and achieve them will lead to a very bright future. I also hope that Shannon’s service will inspire others to find ways to give back to the community as well. I wish Shannon all the best and know we will see great things from her in the years to come.”

To earn her Congressional Award Gold Medal, Shannon completed over 400 hours of voluntary public service by assisting at a local food bank, working with the Family Promise program for the homeless, and helping businesses and families recover in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. To complete the physical fitness requirement, Shannon was an active member of her high school dance team, performing at football and basketball games. She also hiked Haleakala Mountain in Hawaii to fulfill the exploration component.

Established in 1979, the Congressional Award was created by Congress to promote and recognize achievement, initiative, and service in America’s youth. The Congressional Award is open to all young people ages 14 to 23.

Making College More Affordable

From the E-Newsletter of Congressman Rush Holt:


This is a challenging moment for students and young workers in New Jersey. College has never been more crucial to our economy and to job creation than it is today – but college also is more expensive now than ever before.

As a longtime teacher, I have seen firsthand the power of higher education to transform lives, and I want to share with you the steps I am taking in Congress to make college more affordable:

Congressman Rush Holt

• Keeping College Loan Rates Low. A few years ago, I helped write a law that cut student loan interest rates from 6.8 to 3.4 percent, saving the average student borrower more than $2,000. Recently, the new tea party members in Congress sought to undo this rate cut, creating an unnecessary crisis as students sought to plan for the year ahead.  The good news is that I helped reach a compromise to ensure that rates will remain low for at least another year, helping 144,000 New Jersey students. Please know that I am supporting legislation to make the rate cut permanent.
   
• Helping Math and Science Teachers Afford College. The TEACH Grant program, created by a law that I helped write, provides up to $4,000 a year in grants – up to $16,000 over four years – for students who commit to teaching math, science, or foreign language for at least five years.
   
• Supporting Graduates Who Enter Public Service. Students who want to serve their communities as teachers, police officers, firefighters, and soldiers should not be prevented from doing so by college debt. A law that I helped write forgives student loan debt after 10 years for graduates who enter public service.

Education is key to the American Dream for individuals – and importantly, it is key to our nation’s economic future. Each of us has a stake in ensuring that the next generation of workers, business leaders, and innovators has access to the opportunities they need to learn, succeed, and create new jobs.

Resources to Make College More Affordable

Recently, I joined officials from Rutgers and the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority to talk with local students and parents about college aid opportunities.  Among the resources we shared:

• StudentAid.Ed.Gov is the Education Department’s official source for free information on preparing for and funding education beyond high school.
   
• www.HESAA.Org, the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority’s website, offers information on grants, scholarship, loans, and programs for veterans.

I am always happy to help you learn more about college affordability options or to help resolve problems with your student loans. Send a message atholt.house.gov/contact or call 1-87-RUSH-HOLT (1-877-874-4658).

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

Middletown Cancels Fall Brush Pick-Up; who will pay to have their brush picked up after Hurricane Irene blows through?

Some may have come to hear that Middletown has suspended its fall brush pick-up this year and will levy a hefty fine on any homeowners placing brush in the street curbside. I would bet however that many more haven’t heard about it.

On July 29th, the Township announced that it was suspending the fall brush pick-up through a newsflash and posting on its website.

During the August 1st Township Workshop meeting a further discussion took place amongst Mayor Fiore, Deputy Mayor Brightbill, Committeeman Gerry Scharfenberger and other township professionals that sighted apathy of residents, the cost to pick-up brush, diminished manpower and the fact that the Fall brush pick-up just isn’t that important.

Furthermore a new and improved brush/leaf ordinance was introduced that puts some teeth into the old brush/leaf ordinance by allowing the Police Department and Code Enforcement Officers to issue summonses of some, as yet undetermined sum. In addition, if the Department of Public Works has to cleanup the improperly placed debris, they will charge the homeowner with the costs of removal and disposal of said debris.

But what will happen to homeowners now that the brush pick-up is canceled, when a hurricane like the upcoming Hurricane Irene, blows through and leaves widespread storm debris and broken tree limbs all over the place; will the Township decide that they must reverse it’s decision and collect fallen debris or just leave homeowners to their own recourses? This isn’t right and seems like way to squeeze residents with a hidden tax to clean up fall brush that has always been part of the residents’ taxes to being with. After all, the cost of gasoline and the amount of roads throughout the township hasn’t changed much from last year; how much additional would it really cost? If you look back to just last year, the Township combined the leaf and brush pick-up in many areas and those on the Township Committee almost fell over backwards, patting themselves on the back and heaping praise on the DPW for completing the job before Christmas.

The same could be done this year.

Another possible solution to the cancelling of the fall brush pick-up altogether and then charging/fining residents if they place debris curbside would be to publish scheduled brush pick-up dates as is normally done, but instead of going house to house picking up brush, have residents call the DPW and inform them of the need for pick-up. In this way the collection can be done efficiently in one or two days as opposed to the several or more days currently scheduled. If after that time, it is found that residents in a given zone have left brush at the curbside do you charge them for pick-up service or send them summonses for non-compliance of the new and improved ordinance.

The past few years the Republican majority in Middletown have ran on slogans like "Taxpayers First" and "New Faces/New Ideas" but all Middletown has gotten is higher taxes and less services from a few new faces that have recycled ideas from others as if they were their own.

If a couple of big storms/hurricanes make it our way before the end of the season there will be a need need for a fall brush pick-up, hopefully that need will not be a burden. All ready stressed residents shouldn't have to pay a hidden tax to have their storm debris collected by the Township when they have become accustomed to this type of public service in the past.

This truly is a "Quality of Life" issue.