1/21/16 'Disappointing' disaster aid: Weak application blamed as N.J. loses out on millions1/21/2016 1/21/16 'Disappointing' disaster aid: Weak application blamed as N.J. loses out on millions, Herb Jackson, The Record
_ New Jersey, whose congressional delegation fought to make sure it could get a piece of the $1 billion offered to help minimize damage from future disasters, lost out on millions — and almost got nothing at all — because its application was so much “weaker” than the competiton’s. New Jersey’s $15 million planning grant was the smallest of the 13 awarded on Thursday by the Department of Housing and Urban Development for “disaster resiliency.” It was less than one-tenth of the $176 million New York City got and less than half of New York State’s $36 million. New Jersey came close to getting nothing at all, despite state officials being warned they were in trouble before the decision was made, HUD Secretary Julian Castro said. “New Jersey submitted a weaker application on several measures,” Castro said. Both Governor Christie’s office and his critics are calling for an investigation of what went wrong. The state had asked for more than $300 million, most of it to control flooding in the Meadowlands. The state was among 40 finalists that made the first cut last June, and each |application was scored on a series of |criteria. New Jersey “received a score that was at the cutoff to receive funding,” Castro told reporters in a conference call. While Castro said HUD is barred by law from divulging details about the scoring for 30 days, he said the state’s request had “deficiencies compared to some of the other applicants’.” The announcement angered several state officials, especially members of Congress who had opposed the competition from the beginning because the $1 billion came from the nearly $60 billion package passed in 2013 primarily for Superstorm Sandy recovery. “The people of New Jersey got a raw deal and we need to figure out why it happened,” said Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who had battled with HUD and secured a pledge that at least $181 million of the $1 billion would go to New Jersey and New York. “Something went very wrong here and New Jerseyans deserve answers.” ‘Beyond disappointing’ New Jersey’s application included $236 million for a series of berms to prevent flooding in the Meadowlands, and Christie’s office noted that in June 2014, HUD had approved $150 million for a similar project in a different competition. “This decision is beyond disappointing,” Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts said. “The federal government has walked away from a New Jersey project that it deemed worthy of $150 million in funding as recently as June of 2014. HUD’s decision to offer New Jersey such a limited sum is ludicrous, given the substantial needs our residents still face. We agree completely with Senator Menendez that this demands more answers.” This is not the first time controversy surrounded a federal grant application by Christie’s office. In 2010, Christie fired his education commissioner over the handling of a critical mistake on the application that led to the state narrowly missing a $400 million education grant. In that instance as well, Christie initially blamed the Obama administration. In the competition for disaster protection grants, applicants were supposed to show projects could be scaled back if a grant was less than requested, and that federal funds would leverage other non-federal funds if granted. Castro said New Jersey lost points on both of those criteria. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-Paterson, noted that the flood control project should have been segmented into phases so that at least some of the work could have been approved. “They went all-or-nothing on these projects and got nothing,” Pascrell said. While the state got feedback from HUD during the application process, “somehow the final application looked darn close to the original,” he said. “I really hope that New Jersey did not drop the ball,” he added. Out of 10 possible points awarded for leveraging non-federal funds, New Jersey got one point, Castro said. In its application, the state said it would “explore commitments by all levels of government, the private sector and philanthropic community as the project is further refined through feasibility.” New Jersey cited $26 million that the state Department of Environmental Protection would spend over 50 years to operate and maintain Meadowlands berms, but it indicated federal funding would make up part of that cost. New York City, by contrast, identified $108 million in city funds that would be put toward its projects. Christie criticized The head of an advocacy group formed by Sandy survivors still trying to get back into their homes said the state did not have the leadership it needed to secure funds to protect from future storms. “Governor Christie and his administration appear to have dialed in their efforts to obtain critical funding to support our state and region, just like the governor will be dialing it in from the campaign trail in New Hampshire this weekend instead of coming home to lead our state through what could be a another record storm,” said Amanda Devecka-Rinear, executive director of the New Jersey Organizing Project. The news was welcomed, however, by Hackensack Riverkeeper Bill Sheehan, who had opposed the plan for berms in the Meadowlands when they were discussed at a public meeting. “They actually were planning to build these alleged resiliency structures on conservation land,” Sheehan said. “At the last meeting, my testimony basically amounted to me telling them if they tried to put dikes and berms on conservation land, we could tie them up in court forever. Now I don’t have to worry about tying them up in court.” Other grants announced were to New Orleans, $141.3 million; Virginia, $120.5 million; Iowa, $96.9 million; Louisiana, $92.6 million; Minot, N.D., $74.3 million; California, $70.4 million; Shelby County, Tenn., $60.4 million; Connecticut, $54.3 million; and Springfield, Mass., $17 million. Email: [email protected] Blog: northjersey.com/thepoliticalstate
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1/13/2016 NJOP Invites Public to Info Sessions, Continues Fight to Get Sandy Impacted Families Home and Solvent, Victoria Ford, The Sandpaper The New Jersey Organizing Project wants to remind the public that more than three years have passed since since Superstorm Sandy hit New Jersey, and thousands are still struggling. The NJOP urges all those inclined to get involved to start making a difference – for themselves, their families, neighbors and communities – by attending one of two upcoming information sessions to galvanize action efforts.
The first is in Manahawkin on Saturday, Jan. 23, at Ocean Community Church (1492 Route 72), at 1 p.m. for coffee and catch-up with the meeting to start at 1:30. Another will take place the following week, Saturday, Jan. 30, in Keansburg, at St. Marks Center for Community Renewal (247 Carr Ave.), starting at 1:30 p.m. for mingling and a 2 p.m. meeting. The main focus of the NJOP’s “Finish the Job” campaign is to get families back into their Sandy-impacted homes and make sure they can afford to stay there. One goal of the upcoming meetings is to exchange information and ideas with other Sandy survivors – e.g., “Are other people still waiting to hear from FEMA?” The answer is yes, according to organizers. Another goal is to learn about the Department of Consumer Affairs’ new rules on contractor accountability and a bill in the Legislature that would also help. A third goal is to discuss, given the clock is running out on rental assistance, the ramifications of Gov. Christie’s conditional veto this week of the three-year foreclosure ban, which denies homeowners risking foreclosure the opportunity to apply for a forbearance and asks those currently facing foreclosure to resolve the matter in court. RSVP to Joe Mangino at [email protected] and consider contributing refreshments to the meeting. —V.F. 1/12/16 The Latest: Democrats jab Christie's speech as political, Associated Press in Lexington Herald Ledger TRENTON, N.J.
The latest on Gov. Chris Christie's State of the State address. (All times local). --- 5 p.m. Leaders of New Jersey's Democratic-controlled Legislature hammered Gov. Chris Christie for making what they say was a presidential stump speech. They also say they won't give up on plans to push for mandated public pension payments despite Christie's fiery criticism. Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald said Tuesday's State of the State amounted to "Chris Christie running for president." Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto said after the address they'll continue to push for the proposed ballot question, which must pass the Legislature once more before going to the ballot. Christie focused part of his speech on the Democratic lawmakers' efforts to constitutionally protect the public pension payment, saying that living up to the promise would require either unappealing spending cuts or tax hikes. Sweeney says the measure calls for using the payment schedule indicated in Christie's latest budget, making it possible for the state to deliver. --- 4 p.m. New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney says he will support having Atlantic City declare bankruptcy if the Legislature doesn't quickly go along with legislation he plans to introduce giving the state control of the gambling resort's finances. Sweeney and senators Paul Sarlo and Kevin O'Toole said they will jointly introduce the bill Tuesday. Atlantic City is already overseen by a state-appointed emergency manager, but Sweeney has taken a harder line in recent days with the resort. He says it cannot keep asking the state to bail it out from years of financial mismanagement. Mayor Don Guardian says he is surprised at the takeover request, noting his administration has already made painful job and budget cuts. --- 3:40 p.m. Gov. Chris Christie has proposed turning a recently closed state prison into a dedicated drug treatment facility for prison inmates and raising reimbursement rates for drug and mental health facilities Christie told lawmakers in his State of the State address Tuesday that he wants to reopen the Mid-State Correctional Facility as a drug treatment facility. He also proposed increasing reimbursement and Medicaid rates for mental health and substance abuse services by more than $100 million. Service providers treating the uninsured and poor in the state say they've been waiting several years for the increases. Christie has made treating drug addiction as an illness a top priority in his time in office. His work in the area has also been a big part of his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. --- 3:30 p.m. Gov. Chris Christie says state lawmakers have to keep working to get things done and move the state forward rather than pander to special interests. The Republican presidential candidate is delivering his State of the State address on Tuesday and says lawmakers risk driving residents to leave the state otherwise. Christie called out lawmakers' vote for a constitutional amendment to require quarterly payments to the state's public workers pension fund. He says that would make New Jersey's other residents second-class citizens. The measure would go before voters if it's approved again in the legislative session that began Tuesday. --- 3:20 p.m. Gov. Chris Christie is highlighting what he says is the state's economic recovery in his annual State of the State address. Tuesday's speech comes as his campaign gains steam in the first-to-vote primary state of New Hampshire, where the governor has picked up key endorsements, risen in the polls and become the focus of sharp attacks from rival camps. It also comes as some of the state's economic data improves. New Jersey's unemployment rate has fallen to 5.3 percent from 9.8 percent when Christie took office in 2010. He has also cited work on crime and education in the state. His approval rating in New Jersey also has dipped to its lowest point. --- 2 p.m. About 50 protesters lambasted Gov. Chris Christie ahead of his State of the State address, accusing him of putting his presidential run before the Garden State. They blamed him for a litany of problems that range from lead poisoning to home foreclosures to a lack of transportation funding. Organized by the liberal New Jersey Working Families Alliance, the protesters stood outside the Statehouse on Tuesday holding signs that listed the 261 days Christie's spent campaigning outside of New Jersey and stating "Nice of you to stop by, Governor." Joe Mangino of the New Jersey Organizing Project, which advocates for Superstorm Sandy victims, criticized Christie for canceling the extension of a rental assistance program. Mangino also urged Christie to help Sandy victims facing home foreclosure. --- 12:30 p.m. Members of the New Jersey Assembly and Senate took their oaths of office, officially starting the new legislative session. The 217th session kicked off Tuesday as lawmakers weigh a possible takeover of Atlantic City's finances and ahead of Gov. Chris Christie's State of the State address. The Assembly, which added seven new members, held its reorganization at the War Memorial across from the statehouse in a ceremony that included state police bagpipers. The state Senate, which did not have elections in November, began its new session in its statehouse chamber. The start of the new session means any bills not sent to Christie's desk die and must be re-introduced. --- 11:30 a.m. New Jersey's state Senate has passed changes to the centerpiece of a financial assistance package for Atlantic City. The measure lets casinos make payments in lieu of taxes. The bill requires the casinos to make $50 million in additional payments over seven years, and would share 13.5 percent of the money collected from the casinos with Atlantic County's government and the city's schools to help prevent tax increases for those entities. It also includes other revenue streams other than gambling when calculating how much the casinos owe, which effectively sets a collective minimum of $120 million per year for the eight casinos. The state Assembly approved the changes early Tuesday morning. The revised bill now goes to Gov. Chris Christie. --- 9:45 a.m. Gov. Chris Christie is trumpeting the state's falling unemployment rate and says New Jersey's best days are ahead of it. That's according to a preview of his annual State of the State address posted online. In a roughly 30-second clip (http://bit.ly/1mUg9XQ), the Republican presidential candidate says the state's 5.3 percent unemployment rate and the addition of about 224,000 private sector jobs on Christie's watch show the state is growing. Christie is set to deliver the speech Tuesday afternoon. The preview message fits with the pitch Christie is making on the campaign trail — that he's best qualified to be president because as governor he's enacted policies to boost the economy despite a hostile Legislature. --- 3 a.m. Gov. Chris Christie is turning his attention from the Republican presidential campaign trail to New Jersey for the annual State of the State address. Tuesday's speech comes as his campaign gains steam in the first-to-vote primary state of New Hampshire, where the governor has picked up key endorsements, risen in the polls and become the focus of sharp attacks from rival camps. It also comes as some of the state's economic data improves. New Jersey's unemployment rate has fallen to 5.3 percent from 9.8 percent when Christie took office in 2010. But Christie also will be addressing a Democrat-controlled Legislature that added four seats in November's election. His approval rating in New Jersey also has dipped to its lowest point. Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/living/health-and-medicine/article54257320.html#storylink=cpy 1/12/16 Protesters Assail Christie Ahead of the State of the State Address, Associated Press About 50 protesters lambasted Gov. Chris Christie ahead of his State of the State address, accusing him of putting his presidential run before the Garden State.
They blamed him for a litany of problems that range from lead poisoning to home foreclosures to a lack of transportation funding. Organized by the liberal New Jersey Working Families Alliance, the protesters stood outside the Statehouse on Tuesday holding signs that listed the 261 days Christie's spent campaigning outside of New Jersey and stating, "Nice of you to stop by, governor." Joe Mangino of the New Jersey Organizing Project, which advocates for Superstorm Sandy victims, criticized Christie for canceling the extension of a rental assistance program. Mangino also urged Christie to help Sandy victims facing home foreclosure. |
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