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Re: Steve Fulop says he shouldnt have to 'kiss a ring' to get good legislation passed
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Jersey City pension changes heading to Chris Christie's desk
By Matt Friedman/The Star-Ledger January 14, 2014 at 1:08 AM TRENTON ? The hard feelings between Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop appear not to have passed, but the state Senate nevertheless today approved a bill to overhaul the city?s pension system. "Last week Mayor Fulop made his 'opinion' about me known,? Sweeney said in a statement. ?However, for me this is not about name calling or political revenge. It is about the families, pensioners and taxpayers of Jersey City for whom I am most concerned.? The passage came after Fulop ? considered a potential rival to Sweeney for governor in 2017 ? accused Sweeney of stalling his bill for political reasons. Sweeney eventually moved the bill, but not without amending it so that Fulop could not reap the savings from the cutbacks in retiree benefits to use in his general budget. Intead, the bill?s reduction of cost of living adjustments for retirees must be applied to shoring up the pension system, which the Office of Legislative Services says is funded at 42 percent. "The Jersey City Pension system's financial strength must be paramount and can not be driven by general operating budget needs or politics,? Sweeney said. Today, Fulop said only "I am pleased the Senate has passed our important legislation. Good policy carried the day to the benefit of the Jersey City taxpayers." The bill (A4536), which passed 39 to 0, now heads to Gov. Chris Christie?s desk. In addition to reducing cost of living adjustments, the bill would increase the city?s retirement age for new employees from 60 to 65, require them to have 25 years of service under their belts instead of 20 years, increase the amount of time before an employee is eligible to retire early to 30 years from 25 years, and increase the penalties for early retirement. http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/ ... chris_christies_desk.html
Posted on: 2014/1/14 6:16
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Re: Steve Fulop says he shouldnt have to 'kiss a ring' to get good legislation passed
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In 2010, the State pension system had less than 40% of the required funds to be considered solvent. I don't know what the financial situation is for 2014, after forcing public employees to kick in more $$$. Pensions are the financial time bomb for just about every state and major municipality in the nation. When / if the Fed stops propping up the stock market, the few pension plans going bust may increase into a tidal wave of defaults. NJ pension fund was expecting 8% returns on its investments. Even with that rather rosey prediction, the fund was scheduled to be completely busted by 2019. A real reform would be to put all new hires into a defined contribution plan that is not in government controlled funds (this will make it more difficult for the money to be seized).
Posted on: 2014/1/11 15:55
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Re: Steve Fulop says he shouldnt have to 'kiss a ring' to get good legislation passed
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yes, accurate (and wise) words. the honeymoon is nearing the end. its time to start moving on and utilize the knowledge and experience of city employees. Quote:
Posted on: 2014/1/11 15:26
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Re: Steve Fulop says he shouldnt have to 'kiss a ring' to get good legislation passed
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"We are proud to announce an agreement on important amendments to the Jersey City pension bill which will bring this legislation further in line with the state pension system and ensure that the savings from COLA go back into the pension system. This will not only protect the hard working men and women of Jersey City, but will guarantee that the savings are used solely to improve the solvency of the pension system. Our collective goal remains doing what are best for Jersey City and this amended legislation does just that.? What savings? Basically this says the City will need to cut services or increase taxes to plug the hole in it's pension commitments. It protects retirees at the expense of workers. Typical BS from the pols. This last-minute deal was probably Sweeney's intention from the start. 'bush politics.
Posted on: 2014/1/11 14:13
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Sweeney agrees to hearing on Jersey City pension bill after an amendment agreement
By The Jersey Journal January 10, 2014 at 10:43 PM It appears that an agreement has been reached on an amendment that would reform the Jersey City pension system making it closer in line to the state system. The slow or lack of pace in bringing such a measure to a vote in the Senate set off a hot verbal exchange earlier this week between Mayor Steven Fulop and fellow Democrat Senate President Stephen Sweeney. Sweeney has scheduled a hearing on the bill. Under the new version, all the money Jersey City saves from reducing certain expenses would go back into the city?s underfunded pension system ? not its general budget, the Star-Ledger reported today. Sweeney, Assembly Speaker-elect Vincent Prieto, Sen. Sandra Cunningham and Sen. Brian Stack issued the following statement today about bill S-3096/A-4536: "We are proud to announce an agreement on important amendments to the Jersey City pension bill which will bring this legislation further in line with the state pension system and ensure that the savings from COLA go back into the pension system. This will not only protect the hard working men and women of Jersey City, but will guarantee that the savings are used solely to improve the solvency of the pension system. Our collective goal remains doing what are best for Jersey City and this amended legislation does just that.? Sweeney said: "This pension is the unhealthiest in the state. "A I can?t see taking money away from the pension, or away from the retirees, and then putting it in the budget. That?s not right." In a statement, Fulop said he's OK with the changes. "This bill should never have seen this much drama in Trenton as it was a non-controversial bill that received unanimous bipartisan support in the Assembly," he said.. "We are glad to see it moving forward and the current form works well for all parties." The state changed its pension system in 2011 suspending annual cost of living adjustments (COLAs) for retirees. Instead, the bill reduces them from 100 percent of the Consumer Price Index ? which broadly tracks inflation ? to 50 percent. Under the state?s 2011 law, the adjustments ? which had been 60 percent of the Consumer Price Index ? were suspended entirely until a committee decides the pension fund is healthy enough to reactivate them. While the Jersey City proposal reduces the percentage amount of a COLA, (state law) suspends a COLA,? according to a state memo for the Office of Legislative Services. A Jersey City spokeswoman retorts that municipal workers do not pay federal Social Security taxes and do not receive the benefits after retirement. The city?s retirees would suffer more from the COLA cut than the state retirees, who receive Social Security benefits. ?The OLS memo is not a full picture of all the facts and mischaracterizes the goal of the Jersey City pension bill,? Jennifer Morrill said, adding that the bill ?brings Jersey City in line with the state system as we have always said.? Sources say the Jersey City pension system is at 42 percent of full funding, a more than $100 million deficit. The original Jersey City bill also would raise the city's retirement age for new employees from 60 to 65, require them to have 25 years of service instead of 20 years, and increase the amount of time before they are eligible to retire early to 30 years from 25 years. It would also reduce cost-of-living adjustments for current retirees. Fulop estimates the bill could save Jersey City $12 to $20 million over the next eight years. http://www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index ... rees_to_hearing_on_j.html
Posted on: 2014/1/11 5:11
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Editorial: Vendetta aside, Sweeney should put Jersey City pension bill up for a vote
The Jersey Journal By The Jersey Journal January 09, 2014 at 5:09 AM State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, must see to it that Bill 3096 gets to the Senate floor for a vote before this legislative session ends or get branded as Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop sees it: A legislative leader who is willing to put a ?personal vendetta ahead of the public good.? The bill, A4536, which was approved in the Assembly by a 79-0 vote, would allow the Jersey City pension system to mirror the state?s. The city is the only municipality in New Jersey with its own system and the proposed law would make enough changes that will save it $12 million to $20 million over the next eight years. Unfortunately for Jersey City, the effort to pare down benefits in the city?s pension system failed to get a hearing in the last scheduled session of the Senate Budget Committee. In a reference to Sweeney, Fulop was quoted as saying, ?The only reason someone wouldn?t support it is because they want to punish Jersey City.? It kicked off verbal exchanges between the Sweeney and Fulop camps, which seemed inevitable considering the two men are mentioned as rivals for the Democratic Party nomination for governor should the incumbent, Republican Chris Christie, announce a run for president. Political insiders say Sweeney is not going to go out of his way to help Fulop with any legislation the mayor favors. The Senate president has the power to decide what measures get to see the light of day and it is not the first time Sweeney has punished an antagonist. Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr. had been active against Sweeney?s re-election and the senate president struck back by pulling seven GOP bills from Senate committee agendas. At the start of the new year, Sweeney eased off his vow that no GOP-sponsored bill would get a vote. Sweeney may also be rethinking his stance when he guaranteed passage of legislation to reform Jersey City?s pension system yesterday. In trying to paint Fulop as uninformed, Sweeney said if the bill was really that important to the mayor, he should have picked up the telephone. Sweeney knows it is Sen. Sandra Cunningham, D-Jersey City, who should have made the call. Cunningham and Sen. Brian Stack, D-Union City, are co-sponsors of the Senate legislation and because the proposed law affects her district, Cunningham would be considered the point person. For his own reasons, Sweeney thought it better to blame the mayor. Politics should not get in the way of the government?s business of serving the people. As an example. it has been revealed in emails between a Christie deputy chief of staff and a political appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that the governor?s office knew of a plan to shut down several lanes at the George Washington Bridge in September as political revenge against the Fort Lee mayor for refusing to endorse Christie?s re-election. A Sept. 9, 2013 email suggests Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich?s calls to Port Authority officials are never returned and that he?s second to Fulop in being ignored. The last person Sweeney wants to be linked with is Christie. Both men seem to have Fulop on their enemy list. He can avoid comparisons by making good on his guarantee and putting the bill up for a vote. http://www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index ... vendetta_aside_sween.html
Posted on: 2014/1/9 20:05
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Re: Steve Fulop says he shouldnt have to 'kiss a ring' to get good legislation passed
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Feel free to try and dump on Christie on another thread-but, again, there is zero connection between Fulop needing the Democratic held Legislature to pass his pension reform and Governor Christie. He simply has nothing to do with the process, it's controlled by Democrat Sweeney and his allies. I'm not sure how hard that is for you to understand, other than trying to throw some shit against the wall and hoping it'll stick. What's beautiful is that Fulop is trying to follow the footsteps of Christie in achieving pension reform. Even Democrats are learning that public worker/union compensation is unsustainable at current levels, although they are quite late coming to the table. (I suppose Fulop, doing a 180 degree turn in borrowing to pay off retirement benefits, has seen the light). But I will comment on the Tunnel to Macy's basement. Any funding for such an immensely expensive project, with benefits for NJ, NY, and the Northeast corridor, which places all of the inevitable cost overruns (untold billions, as in the Boston Big Dig) on NJ SOLELY would have been disaster for NJ taxpayers. He was absolutely correct in pulling the plug. Were the Feds and NY willing to be equal partners in the overruns as they were in the base funding I'd say go for it, although I'd like some changes in the design. People who want NJ to be the patsy in this may disagree, lol.
Posted on: 2014/1/9 0:36
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Yes, and the Port Authority is an independent agency in charge of the bridge.
Why would Christie want to create a huge traffic jam? Why would Christie purposely lose Federal money for New Jersey education with the Race To The Top program? Why would Christie turn down Federal Transportation Money for the ARC Tunnel?
Posted on: 2014/1/9 0:16
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Democrat Sweeney has all the control over this issue, Christie, in the Executive branch, has none. Did you not see who Fulop chose to get into a pissing match with?? I know today's a good day to try and dog pile Christie, but there is zero connection to be made between Christie and this issue. Why would Christie want to NOT achieve pension reform?? That's been what he's been about.
Posted on: 2014/1/8 23:13
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Mr. Mayor:
If you are monitoring this forum, just keep in mind that in Hungarian, Sarlo translates to $hit of a Horse. Perhaps the name says it all!!
Posted on: 2014/1/8 22:53
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The GW bridge is a separate issue. I'm not satisfied he's focusing on running for governor after 6 months being mayor. That's an unjustified egocentric action. Stop playing politics and just worry about governing Jersey City, which is hurting.
Posted on: 2014/1/8 21:16
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Everyone seems so eager to blame this on Fulop, at the same time we learn exactly what Christie did to the mayor of Fort Lee with the GW Bridge lane closures.
Think maybe the legislation would have passed had Fulop endorsed Christie? Has everyone for gotten Brett Schundler's experience working for Christie and the Race to the Top education funding? It's a pattern, folks. It's not Fulop's fault. I'm glad he is shining a light on this petty tit-for-tat by the State, carried on at our expense.
Posted on: 2014/1/8 19:57
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Sweeney spokesman Chris Donnelly hit back, saying Fulop "failed" to contact Sweeney about the legislation until this morning. "He has been in office since July, so instead of focusing on politics for the last six months, he should have been focusing on his job for the taxpayers of Jersey City," Donnelly said in a statement. http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/ ... on_bill.html#incart_river He has a point. Right now, there has no properly conducted zoning board meetings because Fulop's admin has not got an attorney for them. Also, the Mayor's aides (all hired from the campaign team) are tasked with creating policy that they have no experience or knowledge with while trying to micromanage. It's been frustrating and disheartening. All talk no action. Get your act together and stop worrying about state politics and get your head into working long term plans for the JC people.
Posted on: 2014/1/8 16:12
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What was the bet, that he'd leave after 1 term? I wouldn't be surprised, I don't think most people would be surprised either, which is why no one took your bet, or is even arguing about it happening. Even when I voted for him, I thought "this guy could be a state senator someday". If his time to move on is after one term, then be it. He's only been in office a few short months, and I still believe he'll accomplish more in 1 term than most mayors would. I don't agree with everything he does, but I don't expect to agree 100% with anyone either. Let's hope Fulop accomplishes enough in one term to pave the way for future candidates to emulate his actions.
Posted on: 2014/1/8 15:16
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They had a short piece on the issue during last nights 'Chasing NJ' on Channel 9 at 10pm. While they did speak to the two prospective bidders, and the money McCabe will pay JC, zero mention was made about the in or out of network concerns to the taxpayers who will be using the winning vendor, and how the costs will vary between the two.
If this was a concern to me I'd contact Chasing NJ about this. http://www.chasingnj.com/ Edited to add-this is trying to be a new, hip way to view NJ politics and interests-almost TMZ like in format-that has been noticed by NJ pols, as Christie has cracked some jokes about them, as they jab him on occasion and he's jabbing back!
Posted on: 2014/1/8 13:49
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Posted on: 2014/1/8 9:05
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My humor is for the silent blue collar majority - If my posts offend, slander or you deem inappropriate and seek deletion, contact the webmaster for jurisdiction.
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Re: Steve Fulop says he shouldnt have to 'kiss a ring' to get good legislation passed
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As was Booker. Maybe politics has always been this dismal but it REALLY sucks.
Posted on: 2014/1/8 3:44
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Fool-op is just the proverbial tallest midget.
I really wish someone took me up on my bet. I totally called it.
Posted on: 2014/1/8 3:42
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Re: Steve Fulop says he shouldnt have to 'kiss a ring' to get good legislation passed
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Do you you know how many times that phrase has been posted in the last four years? It's the Democratic Party's mantra.
Posted on: 2014/1/8 3:32
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I don't know. As I mentioned, it appears to me that last election was a choice between two terrible candidates, if my fears materialize and Fulop gives the ambulance contract to his campaign donor McCabe (who can help finance his governor run). If this happens and we start reading stories about JC residents being charged $2,000 for an ambulance ride and people start retroactively asking why Fulop didn't explain these consequences yet aggressively pushed for the contract, I would hope it destroys any chance he has at higher office but wouldn't hold my breath. I don't think Healy would have even bothered to send out the RFP for an ambulance contract, which likely would have resulted in JCMC continuing to charge the city money for the contract (after Fulop sent out an RFP and got a bid from McCabe, JCMC decided they could do the contract for free). However, I don't think Healy ever would go for a deal that could screw JC residents this badly, all while arrogantly dismissing any concerns without addressing them. And the city landscape massively improved under Healy, showing that he is at least not incompetent enough to screw up a sure thing. With that said, there is no question in my mind that financially speaking, the city will be far better off than Fulop than Healy. But will this savings translate to residents in the form of lower taxes? Doubtful. Would I have voted for Healy knowing what I know now? Definitely not yet, however if the McCabe fears materialize I suspect there will be more of the same and at that point my answer would change. What is the solution? I have no idea.
Posted on: 2014/1/8 2:37
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So who do you wish you voted for instead? And where do you think we'd be now with someone else? Curious.
Posted on: 2014/1/8 2:19
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The truth is that most of my upsetness comes from how aggressively Fulop is pushing the McCabe contract without explaining any details about it. I don't think I'll be needing an ambulance any time soon, but if Fulop gets his way, an ambulance ride may cost up to $2,000. This is not an exaggeration, just read any article that discusses out of network bills and rates for ambulance rides. And McCabe operates the most expensive hospital in the country (in Bayonne). Also, they donated to Fulop's campaign. All Fulop has to do is release some kind of statement that would discuss the estimated cost difference to residents. Yes, everyone has different insurance plans, so the cost of a JCMC ambulance ride will vary, but since McCabe is out of network, I'd imagine everyone will be getting an extremely hefty bill. All this for a potential maximum payment to the city of $2 million. In the rare event this benefit is transferred to residents in the form of lower taxes, it will be completely offset by the huge ambulance bills JC residents will receive. Sorry to go off-topic, but in my opinion the atrocious way Fulop is handling the ambulance situation reflects extremely poorly on his character, and makes me regret voting for him.
Posted on: 2014/1/8 2:05
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Why should the retirement age stay the same as people live longer?
Posted on: 2014/1/8 1:59
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You have got to be kidding me. Wow. Dude. You are a piece of work. The amount of things Fulop has done in less than a year compared to Healy? Just, wow. I can't even argue it's not worth it.
Posted on: 2014/1/8 1:55
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I voted for Fulop with enthusiasm but I am starting to regret that decision. It seems like all he does is try to be in the state spotlight to showcase his worth for higher political office.
That, and he wants to switch the ambulance contract from in-network JCMC to out of network McCabe who will charge residents lots more $$$$ for the same service. Healy was a political corrupt hack but at least he actually cared about the people of JC and not solely his own ambitions. When you think about it, this last JC mayor election increasingly seems like a choice between two godawful candidates.
Posted on: 2014/1/8 1:50
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Fulop estimates the bill could save the
city somewhere between $12 million and $20 million over the next eight years by raising the retirement age in the city, increasing the number of years to be eligible and reducing cost of living adjustments for retirees. Lovely. We got rid of a machine politician and voted in a Wall Street blue dog. So many great choices for American voters.
Posted on: 2014/1/8 1:22
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Steve Fulop says he shouldnt have to 'kiss a ring' to get good legislation passed
By Darryl Isherwood/NJ.com January 07, 2014 at 6:12 PM In the continuing war of words over a bill that would overhaul Jersey City's pension program, city Mayor Steve Fulop said he resents the implication that he needs to "go to Trenton to kiss a ring" in order to get good legislation passed. Fulop was responding to comments from Senate Budget Committee Chairman Paul Sarlo that the legislation designed to put Jersey City's pension system in line with that of state workers was not even on his radar, because he had not heard from Fulop prior to Monday's committee hearing. Senate President Steve Sweeney had similar comments Monday after Fulop accused Sweeney of playing politics by holding the bill. "The facts don't support what they're saying," Fulop said. "None of us should have such a big ego that we should believe it's a requirement to come kiss a ring before legislation is passed that is good for the people." Fulop said it's the job of Assembly and Senate representatives to advocate for their constituents. "The incoming speaker (Assemblyman Vincent Prieto) was the sponsor of this bill in the Assembly, and it got unanimous bipartisan support there," Fulop said. The bill passed in the Assembly by a 79 to 0 vote with one abstention. Read More from te Jersey Journal
Posted on: 2014/1/8 0:46
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