11/6/13, “New Jersey State AFL-CIO Statement on Voter Approval of Ballot Question #2 and 2013 General Election Results,” politickernj.com, by Lee
"“The clear takeaway from the 2013 election is that working families prevailed. Not only did voters overwhelmingly approve of Ballot Question #2 to raise the state minimum wage and include an annual cost of living adjustment, but voters soundly rejected Governor Christie’s heavily-funded campaign to gain control of the State Legislature,” said New Jersey State AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech. “We applaud Senator Barbara Buono for running a vigorous campaign, championing the rights of New Jersey’s working families, and fighting to advance our shared middle class values.”
“Tonight, working families can celebrate the approval of Ballot Question #2 which will provide long-overdue raises to over 400,000 hard working families in New Jersey. This policy will uplift families, boost the local economy, and could not have come at a better time for our state which continues to experience stagnating wages, rising costs, record poverty levels, and unprecedented income inequality,” explained President Wowkanech. “Working families can also
celebrate maintaining control of the State Legislature as well as
- electing 48 out of 69 rank-and-file union members to public office
“The New Jersey State AFL-CIO was proud to fight on the front lines of an epic battle to raise the state minimum wage, and did so as a founding partner of the statewide grassroots coalition Working Families United for New Jersey, Inc. which united the efforts of 256 labor, community, religious, civil rights, student, progressive, women, and retirees groups as part of the “Raise the Wage” campaign,” stated President Wowkanech. “Raising the minimum wage was an unequivocal victory for the labor movement that will give hard working men and women a financial boost and raise the standard of living for all working families.”
“The New Jersey State AFL-CIO is confident that with a pro-working families State Legislature, an increase in the state’s minimum wage, and 48 labor candidate victories, our mission to advance an agenda that promotes progress, economic fairness, and social justice for all New Jersey families will continue to move forward,” President Wowkanech concluded.
Contact Info:
Charles Wowkanech, President, 609-989-8730″
“The Democratic Party insider’s voice sounded in the silverware clanking confines of a Central Jersey diner.The insider couldn’t believe what he had just read, namely the victory Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr. (R-21) scored this afternoon
PolitickerNJ.com pointed out that if the governor had wanted it, he would have pushed harder.
“Then why didn’t he?” the insider wondered. “Look, (Sen.) Diane Allen (R-7) didn’t want pension and benefits but she voted for it. Why? He wanted it. Nah. These guys in the GOP caucus know he’s gone and they can do what they want now and they have to protect themselves.””
11/8/13, "Did Chris Christie just try to knife an ally?" Washington Post, By Reid Wilson
"New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), fresh off a landslide reelection win and seemingly with an eye on the 2016 presidential race, spent Thursday trying to oust a longtime Republican ally from power.
Christie and his staff lobbied Republican state senators to dump their leader, Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr., after three terms atop the GOP conference. At least four Republican senators paraded through Christie’s office Thursday morning to get the hard sell.
Christie was pushing Senate Republicans to choose Kevin O’Toole, an Essex senator, to replace Kean. Ultimately, Kean won 10 of the 16 votes inside the Republican conference to keep his job.After the meeting, the Newark Star-Ledger reported that Kean and O’Toole emerged from a conference room sweating.
Also on GovBeat: Initiative spending booms past $1 billion as corporations push pet causes
Despite Christie’s 60 percent showing Tuesday, Republicans didn’t make up any ground in the state Senate. Two New Jersey Republican sources told GovBeat that Christie wanted Kean out in part over Kean’s feud with Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D), with whom Christie has to work to get legislation through.
As part of his drive to take over the Senate majority, Kean had targeted Sweeney’s seat earlier this year. New Jersey legislative leaders usually abide by a gentleman’s agreement not to target each other for electoral defeat, and Kean’s move infuriated Sweeney. Kean and Sweeney haven’t gotten along, according to PolitickerNJ, and the two have openly bickered, even at events meant to play up bipartisanship.
Christie appeared to defer to Democrat Sweeney too, angering some in Kean’s camp. In the days before the election, when Christie turned his attention to helping legislative candidates, he focused on Senate districts in northern New Jersey, rather than in the south, where Kean was trying to oust Sweeney and two other Democratic incumbents.
At a post-election news conference Wednesday, Christie wouldn’t say he supported Kean’s continued leadership of the Senate caucus. Instead, Christie pointedly said, he had just spoken -- with Sweeney.
A Christie spokesman declined to comment on the Senate vote. In his own statement, Kean made a point of saying he looked forward to working with Christie, Sweeney and two other legislative leaders.
Kean’s reelection came the same day his father, former governor Tom Kean Sr., made glowing comments about Christie to National Review Online.
“Chris just won reelection, he's popular, and there is a sense he would be able to compete everywhere,” the elder Kean said.
Kean Sr. is the only Republican in modern political history to score a higher percentage of the vote than Christie did Tuesday. When he ran for reelection in 1985, Kean won with 71 percent of the vote." via Mark Levin twitter
.
- ===========================
“The Democratic Party insider’s voice sounded in the silverware clanking confines of a Central Jersey diner.The insider couldn’t believe what he had just read, namely the victory Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr. (R-21) scored this afternoon
- over (NJ) state Sen. Kevin O’Toole (R-40), an inner sanctum ally of Gov. Chris Christie’s.
PolitickerNJ.com pointed out that if the governor had wanted it, he would have pushed harder.
“Then why didn’t he?” the insider wondered. “Look, (Sen.) Diane Allen (R-7) didn’t want pension and benefits but she voted for it. Why? He wanted it. Nah. These guys in the GOP caucus know he’s gone and they can do what they want now and they have to protect themselves.””
- ===========================
11/8/13, "Did Chris Christie just try to knife an ally?" Washington Post, By Reid Wilson
"New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), fresh off a landslide reelection win and seemingly with an eye on the 2016 presidential race, spent Thursday trying to oust a longtime Republican ally from power.
Christie and his staff lobbied Republican state senators to dump their leader, Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr., after three terms atop the GOP conference. At least four Republican senators paraded through Christie’s office Thursday morning to get the hard sell.
Christie was pushing Senate Republicans to choose Kevin O’Toole, an Essex senator, to replace Kean. Ultimately, Kean won 10 of the 16 votes inside the Republican conference to keep his job.After the meeting, the Newark Star-Ledger reported that Kean and O’Toole emerged from a conference room sweating.
Also on GovBeat: Initiative spending booms past $1 billion as corporations push pet causes
Despite Christie’s 60 percent showing Tuesday, Republicans didn’t make up any ground in the state Senate. Two New Jersey Republican sources told GovBeat that Christie wanted Kean out in part over Kean’s feud with Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D), with whom Christie has to work to get legislation through.
As part of his drive to take over the Senate majority, Kean had targeted Sweeney’s seat earlier this year. New Jersey legislative leaders usually abide by a gentleman’s agreement not to target each other for electoral defeat, and Kean’s move infuriated Sweeney. Kean and Sweeney haven’t gotten along, according to PolitickerNJ, and the two have openly bickered, even at events meant to play up bipartisanship.
Christie appeared to defer to Democrat Sweeney too, angering some in Kean’s camp. In the days before the election, when Christie turned his attention to helping legislative candidates, he focused on Senate districts in northern New Jersey, rather than in the south, where Kean was trying to oust Sweeney and two other Democratic incumbents.
At a post-election news conference Wednesday, Christie wouldn’t say he supported Kean’s continued leadership of the Senate caucus. Instead, Christie pointedly said, he had just spoken -- with Sweeney.
A Christie spokesman declined to comment on the Senate vote. In his own statement, Kean made a point of saying he looked forward to working with Christie, Sweeney and two other legislative leaders.
Kean’s reelection came the same day his father, former governor Tom Kean Sr., made glowing comments about Christie to National Review Online.
“Chris just won reelection, he's popular, and there is a sense he would be able to compete everywhere,” the elder Kean said.
Kean Sr. is the only Republican in modern political history to score a higher percentage of the vote than Christie did Tuesday. When he ran for reelection in 1985, Kean won with 71 percent of the vote." via Mark Levin twitter
.
No comments:
Post a Comment