6/30/15 Large Group Protests Christie’s Presidential Announcement, Brenda Flanagan NJTV About 1,000 protesters turned out at the high school baseball field to tell what they called the truth about Chris Christie. They came from across New Jersey — most of them teachers in red T-shirts — who remain furious with the governor for not fully funding their pensions. Now they’re angry he’s running for president. “The governor says he’s telling it like it is. We’re here to tell it like it is! His policies have been disastrous for New Jersey! They would be disastrous for the country!” said Livingston High School teacher Anthony Rosamilia. Rosamilia says he took particular offense that Christie chose to declare his candidacy at his school — after the governor spent years castigating teachers and cutting education funding. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a teacher, a cop, a fireman, a public worker — it doesn’t matter! If you’re a working person in New Jersey, this governor doesn’t care one bit for you,” he said. “I’m here because the rest of the country needs to see that he cannot be trusted. He lied. And liars don’t deserve to be our leader,” said protestor John Shanagher, a Bloomfield teacher. “Citizen Action has called for Gov. Chris Christie to resign,” said New Jersey Citizen Action Executive Director Phyllis Salowe-Kaye. Salowe-Kaye displayed a resignation letter Citizen Action sent to Christie today, urging him to sign because, as a presidential candidate hop-scotching across the country, his priorities have shifted. “This governor can’t be making decisions that affect our state and our families, based upon what conservative voters want to hear him say in South Carolina or in Iowa. We will not accept a governor who will make his job a part-time job here in New Jersey,” she said. “I’m here to stand up and speak out for my family and the thousands of others who — despite the governor’s promises — remain homeless since Superstorm Sandy!” said Krista Sperba. An onlooker added, ” Keep your word, Christie!” Sperba arrived with other Sandy victims who still can’t go home because their houses haven’t been repaired. She’s moved half a dozen times and her kids are suffering. She finds Christie’s presidential declaration offensive. “He’s on a bid for the White House. They don’t care what color their house is! They just want to go home. He promised he would help, and has done absolutely nothing! It’s been a struggle. We’ve spent everything that we have to live outside of our homes,” Sperba said. “You all know how dangerous this governor is! Because when he gets inside those town halls, and he leans forward like this and he looks you in the eye, he’s gonna make contact with the voters who haven’t experienced the damage and terror that he has rained upon the state of New Jersey. So brothers and sisters, we’ve got work to do!” said New Jersey Working Families Deborah Cornavaca. Protesters say they know the governor can’t hear them. But they hope voters in primary states — like New Hampshire — are listening.
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6/30/15 New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Launches White House Bid Second-term governor becomes 14th major Republican to declare presidential candidacy, Heather Haddon Wall Street Journal
LIVINGSTON, N. J.—New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie made his long-anticipated plunge into the 2016 Republican presidential race, and immediately began testing whether his approach as a tough, straight-talking leader can win over centrist primary voters in a crowded field. In a speech at Livingston High School, Mr. Christie became the 14th major Republican to enter the race. He joins five other sitting or former governors, with two others waiting in the wings. Mr. Christie’s campaign will test whether his image as an unvarnished speaker, which twice won him election as governor, will play as well in New Hampshire, Iowa, South Carolina and beyond. That style was on display during his Tuesday campaign launch, where Mr. Christie spoke without a teleprompter or notes before hundreds of supporters gathered in the gymnasium of his alma mater. The 52-year-old former U.S. attorney was set to begin his formal campaign with a five-day swing through New Hampshire, a state that figures to be crucial to his bid. Mr. Christie’s supporters contend his prowess in speaking off the cuff in town-hall settings will attract voters in that first-in-the-nation primary state, where his style and regional appeal appear to be greater than in the first-caucus state of Iowa. “As a candidate for president, I want to promise you…a campaign without spin or without pandering or focus-group-tested answers,” Mr. Christie told his audience Tuesday, which included his wife, father and four children. “When I’m asked a question, I’m going to give the answer to the question that’s asked, not the answer that my political consultants told me to give backstage.” Mr. Christie launched his campaign at a relative low point in his popularity, in New Jersey and among Republicans nationwide. The latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll of likely GOP primary voters found that he ranked ninth as their top choice for president, down from seventh in April. Soon after he took office in 2010, Republicans began eyeing him for a higher post, drawn to his telegenic personality and impressed with his underdog victory in a Democratic state. Later, his legislative record and successful campaigning for other GOP governors burnished his stature within the party. Mr. Christie rejected pleas to run for president in 2012, and since then his reputation suffered from a scandal involving lane closures that resulted in nearly five days of gridlock at the George Washington Bridge, which links New Jersey and New York. The 2013 incident allegedly was political retribution against the mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., the site of the jam, for not endorsing Mr. Christie’s re-election. A former aide to the governor and a former Christie ally at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the bridge, have been indicted. Mr. Christie also has been criticized for New Jersey’s financial troubles. One of his signature accomplishments—a bipartisan overhaul of the pension program for state workers—is in jeopardy after he declined to fully fund the state’s pension contribution amid a budget crunch, leading to a fight with unions and their Democratic allies. “Two years ago he was one of the hottest things in the country,” said Ed Rollins, a former campaign manager for President Ronald Reagan. “He has definitely lost his opportunity.” Mr. Christie has sought to strengthen his position this year by giving a series of relatively detailed policy addresses. On Tuesday, he called for simplifying the tax code, reducing business regulation and scaling back entitlement programs. He promised “to restore America to its rightful place in the world.” Mr. Christie’s personality—which rival Texas Sen. Ted Cruz praised Tuesday as “bold” and “brash”—could give him a needed lift in the debates if he makes the cut, said Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist who isn’t affiliated with the governor’s campaign. The first two debates will be limited to the top-10 candidates in an average of national polls. “People gravitate to people who offer a breath of fresh air in contrast to the blow-dried, carefully constructed answers that voters have come to dislike,” Mr. Madden said. “That straight-talking, no nonsense appeal will be important.” Several hundred protesters gathered outside Livingston High School to criticize Mr. Christie’s handling of Hurricane Sandy and public school issues. About 1,000 supporters cheered his announcement. Many knew him going back to his youth. Jonathan Liss, an engineer from West Orange, N.J., said: “Of course it’s going to be tough, but he’s going to work hard and tell people the truth.” Write to Heather Haddon at [email protected] 6/30/15 Protesters at Christie announcement: 'Christie for president ... hell no!' Tim Darragh and Adam Clark, Star Ledger
LIVINGSTON — Teachers, environmentalists and victims of Hurricane Sandy are among the protesters who have gathered at the site of Gov. Chris Christie's presidential candidacy announcement in Livingston later this morning. "A lot of people think the Shore thing is over," said Chuck Griffin of Little Egg Harbor, a Sandy survivor who said reconstruction of storm-damaged homes lags. A group of Sandy protesters arrived by bus at Livingston High School, where the governor is expected to announce he's running for president at 11 a.m. They included Terry DeDunta, also of Little Egg Harbor, who said her contractor has been waiting over two years to begin reconstruction. They said they both blame Christie for what they say is his failure to make Sandy reconstruction a priority. Teachers, with whom the governor battled for most of his administration, were also making their presence known outside the school. Diane Vistein, a math teacher from Howell Township, stood atop a table bearing a placard stating, "Liar." Lisa Greene a teacher in Sayreville leads the protesters as they sing a version of "Born in the USA," but instead say Chris Christie is "wrong for the USA." Most of the teachers arrived wearing red T-shirts and carrying signs saying, "Broken Promises," "Liar!," and "Christie: Bad for New Jersey, Disaster for U.S.A." They arrived by buses making shuttle trips from the Livingston Mall. They were chanting, "Hey hey, ho ho, Christie for president. ... Hell no!" Protesters representing New Jersey Citizen Action, the Sierra Club, New Jersey Working Families, and preservationists interested in protecting the old Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital are also at scene. The mood on the broad oval fields and school entranceway was spirited but unthreatening, as hundreds of protestors – mostly teachers – had their say. They chanted, sang, and chanted some more while their nemesis, the governor of the state, was making his candidacy announcement inside. As Christie supporters left the grounds of the high school after the governor's speech, they were heckled and jeered at by some of the protesters. While some of the Christie supporters ignored the comments, others waved their signs, and someone shouted, "Get a job!" Anthony Rosamilia, president of the Essex County Education Association, said he was pleased with the turnout from his membership. "We got a thousand people or better on very short notice," he said. Jim Keady, the assemblyman whose heckling at a gubernatorial town hall produced Christie's memorable response of "Sit down and shut up!" gave a speech himself while the governor was speaking inside the school. Environmentalists were there as well. Jeff Tittel, of the Sierra Club, said the governor's approach to the Exxon pollution settlement and denial of the need for a government response to climate change made him ill-suited for the presidency. "Christie was a disaster for New jersey. He'd be a disaster nationally," he said. 6/30/15 Hundreds of protesters rally outside Christie announcement Steve Janoski and Mary Diduch, The Bergen Record
LIVINGSTON – A crowd of nearly a thousand gathered outside Livingston High School Tuesday afternoon to protest Governor Christie’s long-awaited announcement that he would seek the Republican nomination for president next year. Clad mostly in red and bearing signs with an assortment of anti-Christie slogans, the boisterous group chanted “Enough is enough!” and “Resign now!” Accompanied by a mandolin player and a bagpiper, they also occasionally broke into song — including one, which they sang to the tune of one of Bruce Springsteen’s biggest hits, proclaimed that the governor was “Wrong for the USA.” More than a thousand demonstrators - mostly dressed in red and carrying banners and signs - congregated on the front lawn outside Livingston High School Tuesday morning to protest Governor Christie announcing his presidential bid. The protesters represented various groups Christie has alienated since entering the governor’s office in 2010 – teachers and union workers upset at his pension-cutting, anti-union stances; environmental groups who have taken exception to his gubernatorial policies; and victims of Superstorm Sandy who remain homeless nearly three years after the devastating storm. Joe Karcz traveled more than an hour from Beach Haven West to the rally, and entered the site on a red, white and blue bus with the words “Bus For Progress” emblazoned on its side. It was crucial for him to attend, he said, because he is still without a permanent home more than 2½ years after Sandy flooded his home with more than three feet of water. Karcz, a retired union construction worker originally from Ridgefield Park, said he has moved 13 times since the storm and is still living in a rental unit while his house is being rebuilt; most of the funds he said he applied for and was promised took too long to get to him. He’s put forth tens of thousands of dollars of his own money, depleting his teenage sons’ college funds. “I’m tired of being taken advantage of,” Karcz said. The majority of protesters parked at the nearby Livingston Mall and were bused to the high school. Some complained that they weren’t allowed closer to the building, but rather were corralled behind temporary barriers near the baseball diamond. “He doesn’t want this on news cameras, no,” said John Cannizzaro, a retired teacher from Lodi. Tom Beatini and his wife, Dina Scacchetti, of Hillsdale are retired teachers with a combined 67 years in the pension fund. But while they are concerned about their retirement, they said the bigger issue is the governor’s stances on public education — promoting charter schools, slashing school funding, and the installation of a 2 percent cap on budget increases and a salary cap for superintendents. “We’re all going to be paying for it for years to come,” Beatini said. Teresa Mola, a Paterson public school teacher for more than 27 years, worried about her future because of Christie’s pension funding cuts. She gave up being a stay-at-home mother to her two children so she could have the security of a pension when she retired. “My future is devastated because I won’t have the pension,” said Mola, who lives in Oak Ridge but is originally from Elmwood Park. She said it was unfair that Christie promised public workers pension contributions in 2010 if they also contributed more to fund their future pensions. “We did our end of the bargain and he has not,” she said. 6/29/2015 Will Sandy recovery help or hurt Christie? Mark DiIonno Star Ledger
Today, Jon Bon Jovi is hosting a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in his French Chateau overlooking the Navesink River. It's a mile from Jyll Jakes' neighborhood in Sea Bright, where every other house remains boarded up. "It's a still mess down here. I think people have forgotten how bad it is," said Jakes, who credits the Salvation Army, not the state, for "keeping me alive." Tomorrow, Gov. Chris Christie will announce his candidacy for President in Livingston, a town not far from the meandering Passaic River, which keeps Fairfield, Wayne, Lincoln Park and Little Falls on red alert after a day or two of heavy rain. In the coming months, it will be interesting to see if Clinton or Christie or any other candidates make fixing FEMA a campaign issue. They should. The numbers – and news – reminds us that cataclysmic flooding can hit anybody. First, the numbers. Flooding is America's No. 1 natural disaster. Nearly 40 percent of the country's population live in coastal communities – about 130 million people, give or take. Tens of millions more live along major rivers. Now add in everybody near local, flood-prone rivers, streams and brooks, lakes ponds and reservoirs. Water, water, everywhere. The NFIP webpage flatly states "everybody lives in a flood zone." Only the degree changes; 5.3 million properties in 22,000 communities are in the FEMA-backed NFIP. All 50 states experienced major flooding events in the last 12 months, from the mudslides in western Colorado to the inundation of Houston. What does it all cost? FEMA paid out $16.3 billion in flood insurance claims for Hurricane Katrina, and $8 billion for Sandy. The payout for Hurricane Irene, which overflowed North Jersey's rivers in 2011, was $1.3 billion. That's insurance payouts, not property damage. Then there's the matter of 146,000 Sandy claims that FEMA offered to re-open because of engineering report fraud. "Flood damage is only going to get worse," said Sue Marticek, the head of Ocean County's Long Term Recovery Group, which disburses Sandy aid. "People can argue about the causes of climate change but sea levels are rising and we're seeing more severe weather." George Kasimos began Stop FEMA Now, when post-Sandy flood zones were unveiled. The new FEMA maps put thousands of inland homes, never before flooded, in "VE" zones – the zone most vulnerable to wave impact and the most expensive to insure. "They were trying to make the money they lost on Katrina off our backs," Kasimos said, "so we fought them." Since its birth in Toms River Stop FEMA Now has either spread or partnered with organizations in 30 states, Kasimos said. "It's clear FEMA should be a major campaign issue," he said. "It was screwed up after Katrina and screwed up after Sandy. And it's going to be screwed up after the next disaster, if we don't fix it." True enough, the FEMA program fraud created a ripple effect; people who were short-changed then scrambled for state grants to rebuild, and for rental assistance while they were waiting. Amanda Devecka-Rinear, the executive director of the New Jersey Organizing Project, agrees a national discussion on FEMA and flood insurance is imperative and wants her organization to demand it. "We'd like to see them put forth some solutions to make flood insurance affordable so people can continue to live in their homes," said Devecka-Rinear who followed Christie to Iowa last March to hold up a "Finish the Job" sign. The question is, will Sandy work for or against Christie. Will people remember the governor's compassionate leadership in Sandy-stricken areas as he reassured people they would survive the catastrophe? Or will they focus on the bureaucratic entanglements that led to a stalled recovery? Will they see him as the guy who pushed hard to restore the tourist towns of Belmar and Seaside Heights, or the guy who took his presidential ambitions on the road and forgot about bay enclaves of Ocean Gate and Beach Haven West? "I think he's only vulnerable (on Sandy) among people who are still out of their homes or slow to go back," said Patrick Murray, the director of Monmouth University's Polling Institute. To that point, a Monmouth poll on Sandy's second anniversary last year showed only 6 percent of hard-hit victims were "very satisfied" with the recovery, while 38 percent were "very dissatisfied." "For everyone else in New Jersey, Hurricane Sandy has passed by," Murray said. "Everybody's on to the next thing," said Al Schupp, who owns a boat rental marina in Highlands. "It's just yesterday's news." Schupp's dock and rental office were bashed during the storm, which was nothing new to Schupp, who's been in the family business his whole life. He did most of the repairs himself. "There's so much bureaucracy," he said. "I applied for one grant, and got $8,400. It was enough to fix about a third of my electric. So, yeah, I'd like to see people talk about running the program run better." Mark Di Ionno may be reached at [email protected] Do you have questions about reopening your flood insurance claims? We give you a discussion of some of the most important questions we’re hearing from NJOPers. We hope these will serve to remind you that you’re not alone and help you make a decision about what to do.
It’s tempting to stick our heads in the sand and duck another round of paperwork, or more encounters with bureaucracies that treat us like a number. But don’t just run out the clock and not decide. Figure out what’s best for you and your family, and feel free to use resources available to get your questions answered. Questions: Why should I reopen my claim? It is a question of economic justice. There are private insurance companies that have become part of our National Flood Insurance Program who figured out how to game the system to their advantage and leave us out in the cold. Those companies fraudulently doctored engineering reports to cheat people out of insurance settlements they deserved, that could help get them home, and make them whole. Senators from New York and New Jersey joined together to pressure FEMA to address the problem. In response, FEMA agreed to reopen all 146,000 Sandy claims for review.[1] If you believe your flood insurance settlement was low – and so many were – you can reopen your claim with the hope of getting additional funding you deserve. While the outcome of this second bite at the apple is not assured, many people may decide to give it a try. What will the process be like? Perhaps you got a letter from FEMA inviting you to reopen your claim. BUT! If you didn’t that’s okay too. You can call this number right now 1-866-337-4262 to get in to the review. Don’t wait. As long as you are a Sandy victim who feel you were underpaid by your flood insurance and are not litigating over your claim, you can make the call.
Sources: “Read FEMA’s letter to “lowballed” Sandy policy holders, Russ Zimmer, Asbury Park Press, May 20 2015 Press Release: Menendez, Booker to NJ Sandy Victims: Check Your Mailbox for FEMA Claims Review Letters May 18 2015 What if I am in the RREM program, is it worth it? Again, that’s your decision to make. You’ve probably read or heard the DCA say if they find what is called a “duplication of benefits” for people in RREM who reopen their claims, the duplication would go back to the state, not to the homeowner. So it’s possible funding FEMA says you’re entitled to would actually be subtracted out of any check you get and go directly to the state. HOWEVER, many people in the RREM program will have the chance to keep a lot of, if not all, of the additional funds they might get through his review, or at least have those funds pay off an SBA loan or mortgage. For example:
The moral of the story is: be aware of Duplication of Benefits, and if you are in RREM or have an SBA loan, definitely ask FEMA about it throughout the process. Depending on your situation, you might be able to keep some, most, or all of any additional funds FEMA might award you. Source: Senator Menendez’s Office What if I have an SBA Loan: We’re told that any additional award you might get would go to pay down the SBA loan. Good news, you would owe less on the loan! Bad news, you wouldn’t have additional cash in hand if you needed it immediately for construction until that loan is paid off. Source: Senator Menedez’s Office. If I get more money, or reopen my case, will I then become ‘substantially damaged?’: You might be worried that getting the pay you are owed might would then increase your original damage assessment to above 50%. That would mean that in many cases you’d be in a different category with height requirements. FEMA states that it will provide, in writing, a commitment that any supplemental flood insurance payment received through the claims review process will not be factored into the calculation to determine if the property was “substantially damaged.” Source: Press release, Menendez Gets Renewed Commitment for Reform from New FEMA Flood Insurance Chief , June 17th 2015 Will I end up owing money? This is where getting some free advice might be helpful on a case by case basis. But FEMA stated that no Sandy survivor receiving additional insurance money would be obligated to write a check to the state or any other entity that previously provided them assistance. They plan to do a duplication of benefits analysis up front before the claims review is completed, subtracting out from the check the homeowner receives anything they might owe because of duplication of benefits, as well and providing the homeowner the opportunity to decline the award before receiving additional funds. Source: Press release, Menendez Gets Renewed Commitment for Reform from New FEMA Flood Insurance Chief , June 17th 2015 Should I pay a lawyer? Some people feel very strongly that everyone should. Other people feel very strongly that the free legal assistance offered by non-profits is plenty. Here are both arguments. People who are hiring lawyers say: This process has been tough at every turn. I want a professional advocate who is in my corner fighting for me. And giving them 30% of whatever I get is fine, given that is money I wasn’t even expecting to get. People who are working with no-cost legal advocates and lawyers: These lawyers who are sending me letters and calling me are trying to get 30% just for making a phone call for me. FEMA has admitted they were wrong, and has been pushed to set up a process that is simpler for us to navigate. Because of that, I want to keep as much of the award as I can and will work with free help that is being offered. Losing that 30% could be the difference between me getting home or not getting home. In the end, remember, this is not a lawsuit. It’s a second bite at the apple, a second chance. Should I just burn all my paperwork from the last two years and go live in the Pines? (Maybe. Bonfire could be nice. Keep the bugs away while you look at the stars.) In all seriousness, there are a number of people who are just done, or close to done, and don’t want to rock the boat or mess things up. Bonfire or no bonfire, they may not reopen their claims. It’s your decision. All we’re asking is that you please consider, do some research, and decide what is best for your family. If don’t want to give FEMA any more documents, you can always just call the number and ask them to look one more time at your case with fresh eyes. Here is the contact information for the free legal assistance: Volunteer Lawyers for Justice: (973) 645-1955. VLJ’s telephones are open Monday-Thursday from 9AM-12PM and from 1PM - 4:30PM Legal Services of New Jersey: 1-888-576-5529 Until we’re all home, Lisa, Sandi, Chuck and Amanda [1] http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/06/fema_re-opens_claims_but_some_sandy_victims_say_no.html 6/22/15 Assembly acts on bill to prevent Sandy foreclosures Russ Zimmer Asbury Park Press
A proposal that would protect homes damaged by superstorm Sandy from entering into foreclosure for three years has advanced in the New Jersey Assembly. A substitute version of the bill, which would affix a foreclosure ban into 2018 for most homes in the troubled Rehabilitation, Reconstruction, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) program, was submitted minutes before a Housing and Community Development Committee hearing in Trenton Monday afternoon. The substitute bill then passed unanimously. An Asbury Park Press investigation published in February found that at least 300 Sandy-affected homes in Monmouth and Ocean counties entered foreclosure in the first 10 months of 2014 alone. Homeowners who spoke to the Press for that story indicated that months of paying the rent for their current home as well as the mortgage on a Sandy-damaged home had drained their bank accounts. The speed at which the 8,300 people enrolled in RREM have been able to access their grants, begin rebuilding or elevating and move back home has been a serious complication for homeowners like Nancy Wirtz, a single mother from Forked River. "I'm very lost. I don't know what to do," she told the committee. "I'm paying more in rent than I would in a mortgage payment and I don't have a home to go back to right now." She's not alone, community advocates say. "I could give you the name of five people who are okay, compared to everyone else still going through (RREM)," said Amanda Devecka-Rinear, executive director of the New Jersey Organizing Project. Since the bill was introduced in February, "hundreds if not thousands of homes have been pushed into foreclosure," estimated Staci Berger, president of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey. Michael Affuso, a lobbyist with the New Jersey Bankers Association, was the only speaker to address the committee in opposition to the bill. By not being able to pursue foreclosures, banks were being asked to assume a burden they didn't create, he said. Bill Penkethman, a Sea Girt attorney who represents homeowners in foreclosure suits, said about one-third of his cases have a connection to Sandy. He called the bill's passage "the right thing to do." "These aren't deadbeats," he said to the Press on Monday. "These are people that got caught up in a disaster, and it kind of seems like they were forgotten to me." The bill will next go before the full Assembly. The Senate's companion version was introduced in December and passed out of committee by a 5-0 vote. 6/2/2015 The horror stories of New Jersey's Sandy relief program Elaine Quijano click here for VIDEO NEW YORK - More than two years after Hurricane Sandy inflicted widespread damage in New Jersey, homeowners there still face a flood of trouble. When we met Rob Buck at his former home he showed us the damage caused by his contractor's neglect -- a contractor assigned to him under a state-run Sandy recovery program. Buck's ceiling has started to bow, there's two feet of water in the basement, black mold has crept up walls, and the house -- which is now uninhabitable -- has started to sink. Buck is among 8,300 homeowners in New Jersey's main Sandy recovery initiative: Rehabilitation, Reconstruction, Elevation and Mitigation Program (RREM). The program was touted by Governor Chris Christie two years ago. "I will not let anyone get in between me and the completion of this mission to restore New Jersey, to help the citizens of our state recover," said Christie at the time. But recently scores of homeowners have protested the slow pace of recovery. We sat down with a group of frustrated homeowners who say the state failed them. Among them was lawyer Kris Pyzyna. "Honestly, the worst decision I made was going with this grant program," said Pyzyna. Pyzyna discovered her contractor made potentially life-threatening errors with her boiler by taping it in with duct tape. "I hired my own plumber to come in and he knew right away that the vent was improper," said Pyzyna. "I would've had a massive CO leak and it's very possible that it would've killed me." More than two months after being told to vacate the house, Sue Elliott's assigned contractor had not started work on her home. "They didn't have the proper bond, they didn't have the proper insurance," said Elliot. "The engineering company that they hired didn't ever come to New Jersey so the plans were incorrect. Actually on our plans there is a picture of someone else's house." A CBS News review of the 32 state approved RREM builders found: nearly half are from outside New Jersey, mainly Texas and Louisiana; several faced lawsuits, bankruptcy or consumer complaints claiming shoddy work; and one builder allegedly left the program last summer but was still signing construction agreements months later. Last fall, Trudi Stawinski was assigned to the builder who allegedly left the program. Since then she and her family have been living out of boxes waiting for construction to begin. "It just takes a toll on you - mentally, physically, financially," said Stawinski. Buck has been living in temporary housing, including a hotel. He worries that he and his family may end up in a shelter. "You live with the guilt," he said. "Like maybe I shouldn't have did this. My kids, I have to look them in the eyes and (say) I'm sorry this is because I made this decision." The New Jersey Sandy Recovery Division declined our request for an on-camera interview but in an email said that all RREM builders were fully vetted and selected based on their qualifications and financial capacity to complete the work. But late last year, an independent monitor found that there was not adequate due diligence in selecting pre-qualified RREM builders. The state of New Jersey provided us with this statement: "The NJ Department of Community Affairs (DCA) acknowledges that Sandy recovery has been a difficult road. Not just because we had to recover from the worst natural disaster in New Jersey's history, but because we had to practically start from scratch. The State had never had to do anything of this size and scope before. We speak with Sandy-impacted New Jerseyans every day and hear their personal stories. We fully recognize that many are still rebuilding, remain out of their homes, and are frustrated. We want to assure families affected by the storm that our singular focus at the Department is to get them back into their homes. We are making real progress on this front through the RREM Program, which is the State's largest Sandy recovery initiative. The program has approximately 8,300 active participants of which 6,900 have signed their RREM grant agreement, which is needed in order to start construction. Among those who have signed their agreement, 6,600 are in the construction phase with approximately 1,000 homeowners finished with their construction. With the warmer weather and the improvements we've made to the program, we are now finishing approximately 40 homes a week in RREM and disbursing over $5 million a week based on our previous five week average." |
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January 2020
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