Lincoln Project: State Line

 Project 2025 and its evil architects envision an America where women will be monitored, prosecuted, and jailed for exercising their own bodily autonomy. We are not going back!

Pallone Calls for Investigation into Christie’s Misuse of Disaster Aid for Political Gain

Long Branch, NJ – Congressmen Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today called for an investigation into the contract and bidding process used by Governor Chris Christie for the marketing campaign to promote the Jersey Shore and encourage tourism. While the Congressman supports the campaign, he questions whether Governor Christie took advantage of the federal funds for his personal political gain.

In a letter to the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Pallone questions the Governor’s decision to award the contract to a bidder that cost the state $2.2 million more than a comparable firm’s proposal. These taxpayer-funded television ads feature the Governor and have been aired in New Jersey and surrounding states during his reelection cycle. However, the proposal from the less expensive firm that was not chosen during the bidding process did not propose featuring the Governor in the ads.

“The fact that this particular proposal was chosen despite an obvious conflict of interest, in addition to the higher costs, raises serious concerns with the entire process. I fought hard for passage of the Sandy aid package in Congress by assuring our colleagues that this funding was critical to our recovery and that it would be spent responsibly without waste, fraud and abuse,” wrote Pallone in the letter.

Had Governor Christie chosen the less expensive firm, $2.2 million in federal disaster aid could have potentially been directed elsewhere, for example, to provide 44 Sandy impacted homeowners $50,000 grants to raise their homes.

Full text of the letter follows:

David A. Montoya
Inspector General
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20410
August 8, 2013

Dear Inspector General Montoya,

I write to you today regarding the State of New Jersey’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Action Plan. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provided a waiver for the state to spend $25 million of its CDBG award on a marketing campaign to promote the Jersey Shore and encourage tourism. While promoting tourism at the Jersey Shore in the wake of Hurricane Sandy is certainly a worthy endeavor, recent reports have led me to believe that the state has irresponsibly misappropriated funding allocated by Congress from the Sandy aid package and taken advantage of this waiver for political purposes. I respectfully request that you review and investigate the contract, bidding process utilized by the State of New Jersey, and appropriateness of the content of this marketing campaign.

Recently released documents relating to the bidding process and contract award for this marketing campaign show that the contract was awarded to a firm that is charging over $2 million more than the next lowest bidder to develop the marketing plan. The winning firm is being paid $4.7 million for their work, while a comparable firm proposed billing the state $2.5 million for similar work. This large discrepancy between the competing proposals raises concerns as to whether these federal funds are being spent in the most cost effective manner, and should be reviewed by your office.

I am also concerned that the winning bid proposed including Governor Chris Christie in the advertisements, while the lower cost proposal that was not selected did not. As you know, the Governor is running for reelection this year in a high profile race. It is inappropriate for taxpayer-funded dollars that are critical to our state’s recovery from this natural disaster to fund commercials that could potentially benefit a political campaign. In these sensitive circumstances, even the appearance of a conflict of interest should be avoided.

The fact that this particular proposal was chosen despite an obvious conflict of interest, in addition to the higher costs, raises serious concerns with the entire process. I fought hard for passage of the Sandy aid package in Congress by assuring my colleagues that this funding was critical to our recovery and that it would be spent responsibly without waste, fraud and abuse. Many in Congress objected to this funding precisely because of concerns their citizens’ tax dollars would be misspent. In that regard, the state’s mismanagement of taxpayer funds for this marketing campaign is extremely troubling, especially when there are so many New Jersey residents still in need of assistance to recover and rebuild from this historic storm.taxpayer

Once again, I ask that you investigate the state’s actions regarding this contract selection process, the appropriateness of the Governor appearing in taxpayer-funded advertisements in an election year, and report back to Congress with your findings. We must ensure all taxpayer funds from the Sandy aid package are being spent appropriately. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.


Sincerely,

FRANK PALLONE, JR.
Member of Congress

Christie's Shameful Self-Promotion Comes at the Expense of Sandy Victims

Josh Levitt
Buono for Governor


Democratic gubernatorial candidate Barbara Buono called out Governor Christie yesterday for spending an extra $2 million in recovery funds to secure a starring role for himself in the Hurricane Sandy ad campaign. It's evident that, once again, Governor Christie's top priority is his national ambitions, not the needs of New Jerseyans. See for yourself below...

Christie Storm Ads ‘Unseemly,’ Challenger Buono Says
By Terrence Dopp//Bloomberg
Democrat Barbara Buono, who’s trailing Gov. Chris Christie in her bid to oust the popular Republican as governor of New Jersey, wants him to pay $2 million for his appearance in the trademark “Stronger Than the Storm” ad campaign. Christie selected politically connected PR firm MWW of East Rutherford to run the campaign, aimed at highlighting the Jersey Shore’s post-Hurricane Sandy re-emergence, at a cost of $5 million, the Asbury Park Press of Neptune reported Aug. 4. That bid was more than $2 million higher than the runner-up planned to charge, the paper said. The centerpiece of the $25 million, federally funded advertising blitz is a series of commercials featuring Christie and his family highlighting the state’s coastline as open for business and ready for beach-goers. Buono said Christie should take the money from his campaign account and re-direct it to Sandy relief efforts. “His blatant self-promotion on the road to the White House is always embarrassing, but when it comes at the cost of Sandy victims, it goes too far,” Buono, a sitting state senator and lawyer from Metuchen, told reporters today in a reference to Christie’s suspected presidential aspirations. “It’s wrong. It’s unjust. It’s unseemly.”

Christie's ego trumps financial sense, Buono alleges
By Jarrett Renshaw//The Star-Ledger
Gov. Chris Christie's national ambition knows no limits, his Democratic challenger, Barbara Buono, charged today. When selecting a marketing firm to help entice tourists to return to the Sandy-ravaged Jersey Shore, Christie did not choose the lowest bidder, Buono said at a news conference today. Instead, Buono charged that he gave the winning firm an extra $2 million because it promised to feature his image and voice in television and radio commercials as part of multi-million ad buy. "It is nothing short of outrageous that this governor would put his ego and national ambitions above helping people," Buono said. "He gave $2 million to secure a starring role in the equivalent of a campaign commercial."

Buono calls on Christie to repay funds spent on 'Stronger than the Storm' ads
By Melissa Hayes//The Record
Accusing Governor Christie of “paving the road to the White House,” Barbara Buono called on her Republican opponent to repay the state $2 million for a tourism marketing campaign that prominently features him. The Middlesex County Democratic state senator chastised Christie after touring a Neptune home devastated by superstorm Sandy Wednesday. The state used $25 million in federal funds to hire East Rutherford-based MWW public relations firm to carry out the marketing campaign. The firm, which has ties to both Republicans and Democrats, was not the low bidder, according to a recent report in the Asbury Park Press. The Asbury Park Press found that MWW and its subsidiary are getting $4.7 million for employee compensation and other costs, while The Sigma Group, based in Oradell, bid only $2.5 million. A main difference in the bid packages is that MWW’s “Stronger than the Storm Campaign” prominently features Christie, while The Sigma Group did not propose using the governor in television and radio ads. Buono called the ads “shameless self-promotion,” and said Christie should repay the difference in the two bid prices. “This is a governor who is putting his ego and his national ambition ahead of the victims,” she said standing in front of the home of John Lambert and Lee Ann Newland.

Buono: Christie should pay back money for MWW ad campaign
By Bob Jordan//Asbury Park Press
Saying Gov. Chris Christie is more interested in his national profile than in running New Jersey, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Barbara Buono ripped into the Republican governor today for his administration’s awarding of a marketing contract to a company that used him in its television ads. "The shameless self-promotion is embarrassing. He's paving his road to the White House,” the Middlesex County state senator said during a noon press conference outside a home in Neptune Township. An Asbury Park Press investigation found that MWW, the powerhouse public relations firm with deep political connections in both the Republican and Democratic parties in the state, was awarded a $25 million contract, paid for with federal funds, to help the state advertise its recovery to potential tourists. The ad campaign, Stronger Than The Storm, features Christie and his family in the television and radio ads. Buono said Christie should pay the $2 million difference between the compensation included in the MWW contract and the compensation requested by the losing bidder, the Sigma Group.

Buono: Christie using Sandy ads to boost campaign
By Matt Katz//Philadelphia Inquirer
In a slashing attack accusing Gov. Christie of using the post-Sandy "Stronger Than the Storm" commercials to strengthen his own reelection campaign, his Democratic challenger, Barbara Buono, demanded Wednesday that he repay some of the millions of dollars being spent on the ads. Buono, a state senator from Middlesex County, launched her most direct assault yet on one of the Republican governor's key campaign assets - his shepherding of the state after Sandy - as she stood before a house gutted by the storm and owned by two teachers who say they have yet to receive rebuilding funds from the state. She seized on a weekend report in the Asbury Park Press indicating that Christie picked a high bidder for a federally funded, post-Sandy tourism advertising campaign. Another advertising agency would have cost $2 million less - but that agency didn't plan to make Christie the star of its TV commercials, according to the report. Buono wants Christie to take $2 million of his campaign money and direct it to victims of the storm.

Are the 'Stronger Than The Storm' ads political?
By Matt Katz//Philadelphia Inquirer
New Jersey may be stronger than the storm, as the jingle in the advertisement goes, but Gov. Christie isn't better than the victims of the storm. That's the message Christie's Democratic challenger, Sen. Barbara Buono (D., Middlesex), sought to send Wednesday at a news conference staged in front of a home gutted by Sandy and owned by two school teachers who said they've been denied rebuilding funds from the state. In her most direct attack yet on the Republican governor's chief political strength -- his shepherding of the state after Sandy -- Buono seized on a report last weekend from the Asbury Park Press indicating that Christie picked a high bidder for a federally-funded, post-Sandy tourism advertising campaign. Another advertising agency would have cost $2 million less -- except that agency didn't plan to include Christie in its commercials.

Buono to Christie: reimburse $2 million to the taxpayers
By Max Pizarro//Politicker NJ
Alongside Democratic gubernatorial candidate Barbara Buono, Lee Ann Newland and John Lambert stood in front of the ravaged wreck of their ranch home here and denounced Gov. Chris Christie’s appearance in a ad ostensibly designed to boost beach tourism in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. “Wathcing the Jersey Strong ads and seeing the governor in them – I’m very disappointed,” Lamber t said. “It doesn’t seem right,” added Newland of the ads, which feature Christie boostering for the shore and cost the state taxpayers $5 million, according to a report in the Asbury Park Press.

Buono Rips Into Christie Over 'Stronger Than The Storm' Ads
By Keith Brown//Patch
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Barbara Buono on Wednesday ripped into Gov. Chris Christie, saying the governor was more concerned about national exposure than helping residents still reeling from superstorm Sandy. At a noon press conference in Neptune Township, Buono met with a Shark River Hills couple whose home was gutted by the October storm and nine months later remains uninhabitable, partly due to lack of state aid money. Buono called on Christie to return $2 million paid to a politically connected public relations firm that produced, with federal money, the "Stronger than the Storm" series of television commercials touting the Shore’s recovery and prominently featuring Christie and his family. The $2 million is the difference between the contract that was awarded and the bid of the losing firm. "This governor has used $2 million in recovery funds not to go to victims of Sandy," Buono said. "But to secure a starring role in what is the equivalent of a campaign ad.’"

One NJ Releases 2nd Television Commercial Highlighting Regressive Policies & Ideology

Anti-Women Policies Are Out-of-Step With New Jersey

(NEW JERSEY) – Today, One New Jersey released its second television commercial - highlighting the regressive policies and extreme ideologies championed by Governor Chris Christie which are hurting women and their families throughout New Jersey.

The spot will run as an additional six-figure, state-wide cable buy for the next few weeks. It is being supplemented by a robust online ad buy. This new commercial is airing concurrently with One New Jersey’s first spot, which has been running on cable and broadcast television for the past two weeks and counting.

You can view the 30-second spot – entitled “Out of Step”



“Our first commercial focused on how New Jersey is falling behind due to misplaced policies and backwards priorities that put multi-millionaires and corporations ahead of the middle-class and working families,” said Joshua Henne, spokesman for One New Jersey. "Our latest spot shows how the knuckle-dragging decisions and out-of-step ideology coming out of Trenton are hurting women and their families throughout the state. For the past few years, New Jerseyans have had to deal with a radical assault on women and women’s health that would make even Rush Limbaugh blush.”

There’s nothing moderate about the extreme, right-wing agenda regarding women’s health that New Jersey has borne witness to these past few years. Governor Christie is in line with the most extreme fringe on women’s rights. He is New Jersey’s first elected governor to oppose abortion rights since Roe v. Wade, and was the first to ever speak at Trenton’s annual pro-life rally.

Christie cut women’s health funding in his very first budget. He then vetoed four attempts to restore the funding, claiming the State was broke. However, Christie was able to magically conjure up $2.1 billion in corporate subsidies and proposed $540 million in business tax cuts – yet, still nearly 1 in 10 New Jerseyans are unemployed, and the state has consistently trailed other states when it comes to jobs over the past 3 years. All the while, Governor Christie has consistently eliminated state budget lines allocating funds for basic reproductive care services, cancer screenings and important health care. Christie claimed these cuts were necessary for fiscal discipline. Yet, research shows family planning saves taxpayers approximately $3.75 for every $1 invested. Christie had the audacity to say his budgets provide full funding for women’s health. Apparently, the governor’s dictionary fails to include Planned Parenthood or other reproductive health-care providers in its definition of women’s health.

Christie has campaigned across the country for candidates who hold radical views when it comes to women and women’s health. He stood alongside a candidate in North Dakota who voted to make it a felony to perform an abortion. Christie also supported several candidates who have called for outlawing abortion even in cases of rape or incest.

Since launching in the Summer of 2011, One New Jersey consistently shines a light on those policies striking against the best interests of New Jersey residents. One New Jersey is also exposing efforts to divide the state and its people for political gain. Along those lines, One New Jersey has written op-eds and offered commentary on a whole host of issues - including economic failures, anti-women and other regressive policies, broken promises on jobs and New Jersey’s chronic unemployment.

You can still view One New Jersey’s first commercial – entitled “Real” – at OneNewJersey.org/Real.


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One New Jersey is an independent 501(c) 4 advocacy organization that monitors policy positions and actions of elected officials and brings to light their records on the issues that matter to New Jersey’s middle-class and working families. You can follow @OneNJ on Twitter and search for “One New Jersey” on Facebook.

One NJ Releases 1st Television Commercial Highlighting the Real Story Behind Christie's Record

Fact: NJ Is Falling Further Behind

(NEW JERSEY) – Tomorrow, One New Jersey is going up with its first television commercial to help people learn about the real story in New Jersey. The spot will run as a six-figure, state-wide cable buy for the next few weeks, and is being supplemented by a robust online ad buy.



“Governor Christie touted a Jersey Comeback. But, contrary to his claims, we’re clearly falling behind,” said Joshua Henne, spokesman for One New Jersey. "Our first commercial seeks to serve as a wake-up call to Trenton that there’s a huge gulf between the rhetoric being espoused and the reality on the ground. The sad truth is that New Jersey is falling further and further back due to the wrong-headed policies and misplaced priorities of the past few years. No amount of hype or hyperbole can hide the fact that middle-class and working families are hurting, while millionaires and powerful interests get special treatment – and New Jersey ends up worse-off, as a result.”

The facts speak for themselves. Over the past few years, New Jersey has consistently trailed the rest of America when it comes to jobs. In fact, under Christie and his policies, the state’s unemployment rate reached its widest distance from the national average since the 1970s. Right now, New Jersey has the country’s 7th highest unemployment and is the worst state in the region when it comes to joblessness.

While Christie's policies have surely warmed the hearts of right-wing think tanks, they've had a chilling effect on New Jersey's families. Protecting tax cuts for multi-millionaires, but vetoing an increase to the minimum wage reveals a backwards set of priorities. Property taxes skyrocketed some 20% on Christie’s watch, while services are slashed. Fiscal pain is pushed along to municipalities, while local residents are paying more and receiving less from local government. New Jersey also became home to the 2nd highest percentage of mortgage loans in foreclosure in America, even though rates nationally are falling to their lowest levels since 2008.

Since launching in the Summer of 2011, One New Jersey consistently shines a light on those policies striking against the best interests of New Jersey residents. One New Jersey is also exposing efforts to divide the state and its people for political gain. Along those lines, One New Jersey has written op-eds and offered commentary on a whole host of issues - including economic failures, broken promises on jobs, regressive policies and New Jersey’s chronic unemployment. A true “Jersey Comeback” would, indeed, be a great thing. Unfortunately, that’s not the real story, as the facts prove otherwise.

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One New Jersey is an independent 501(c) 4 advocacy organization that monitors policy positions and actions of elected officials and brings to light their records on the issues that matter to New Jersey’s middle-class and working families. You can follow @OneNJ on Twitter and search for “One New Jersey” on Facebook.