Write letters to the newspapers, and call or write your local Assemblyman and State Senator to continue to pressure Epps to resign from both his posts. The man is an embarrassment to Jersey City and to Democrats everywhere, and needs to be indicted on embezzlement and corruption charges asap.

Write to your state representatives here. Remember, JC is split into 3 legislative districts (31, 32, 33) with different assemblymen and senators for each.

More great news from Charlie.

Hell, at this point I think MIKE Epps would be better in this position.

GOP, and some Dems, put heat on Epps
Calls for his resignation
Thursday, October 05, 2006
By JARRETT RENSHAW
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City School Superintendent Charles T. Epps Jr.'s questionable campaign contribution to a school board member, and the continuing controversy over his dual role as a state assemblyman, has drawn the attention of Republicans.

"I am not surprised that a man who used taxpayer dollars to travel to London, ride in a limousine and eat expensive dinners would find nothing wrong with writing a campaign check to someone who evaluates his job performance," said Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose, R-Morris County.

"Assemblyman Epps should have never been permitted to continue serving as both superintendent in a state-run school district and legislator at the same time," she said in a press release labeling Epps as the poster child for the Republican argument against dual office-holding.

In the light of Republican complaints, some Democrats - including Union City Mayor and Assemblyman Brian Stack - are advising him to give up his Assembly seat.

"I think Charlie Epps, who I like a lot, would serve the children of Jersey City better if he just dedicated his energy to the school district, especially with the problems," Stack said.

Assemblywoman Joan Quigley said she supports Epps continuing to serve in both roles as "long as he does both effectively."

Assemblyman Lou Manzo said: "It's been a strain on (Epps) considering the type of job he has and it's a school district that needs a lot of attention. It's a decision that Charlie needs to make in the next couple months."

State Sens. Joseph Doria, Bernard Kenny and Nick Sacco would not comment on the issue, and Assemblyman Albio Sires could not be reached for comment.

The comments come on the heels of a Jersey Journal article that detailed a $750 contribution Epps made from his legislative war chest to Jeff Dublin's campaign fund in May. Epps has refused to comment on the donation - or on any matter - but Dublin said it did not affect his objectivity in evaluating Epps.

Dublin and other board members must submit evaluations of Epps on an annual basis and forward them to the state commissioner of Education, who uses them to help determine whether or not Epps has met certain benchmarks and to set the level of his salary increase.

The state Department of Education called the donation "inappropriate," but said there is no law barring it. A spokesman for the acting state Education Commissioner, Lucille Davy, said it would be inappropriate for her to comment about Epps's performance as the appointed superintendent of the state-run district.

The state Department of Education is considering new restrictions on hiring and campaign contributions in Abbott Districts, but the Education Law Center, which spearheaded the Abbott legal battle, wants the state to go further and add restrictions on "high-level" administrators from holding elected office.

"The fundamental reason is to ensure that these school districts, given the mandates that they are upon to run effectively, efficiently and to improve school achievement, it's important that they dedicate 100 percent of their attention to education and are not distracted in any way by holding other positions," said David Sciarra of the Education Law Center.

I am begining to learn why New Jersey's reputation for corruption is well-earned.

It's beyond me why Jersey doesn't have a law preventing someone from holding two public offices. I don't see how Epps can perform both jobs simultaneously. As a result, both the students of Jersey City and his legislative constituents suffer.

It's also beyond me why there isn't a law preventing the king of charitable "giving" by Epps to a supervisor who will vote on Epps' salary increase. Durbin's statement that he will judge Epps objectively is ridiculous. It's like relying on Bush's statements that we should "trust" that he won't abuse his continually expanding executive powers.

There must be a system of checks and balances.

Epps check to school board member raises eyebrows
Monday, October 02, 2006
By JARRETT RENSHAW
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City Superintendent of Schools and Assemblyman Charles T. Epps Jr. cut a check from his assembly campaign war chest to school board member Jeff Dublin, raising the eyebrows of state and local officials, who called the donation "inappropriate."

One of Dublin's duties as a school board member is to evaluate Epps's performance as schools chief. The evaluation is among those sent to the state Department of Education and is used to help determine how much of a raise Epps will get.

"There is nothing in the statute that prevents this type of contribution. However, given Mr. Epps's role as superintendent, the contribution seems inappropriate," said Jon Zlock, a spokesman for the Department of Education.

Jersey City School Board Chairman William DeRosa called it "bad judgment on (Epps's) part."

"It's sort of dicey doing things like that," he added. "I would not have accepted the donation."

Epps, through his spokeswoman, declined to comment.

Dublin, who is also a Hudson County freeholder, said that although the donation may have the appearance of a conflict of interest, he remains objective about Epps and has taken him to task on a host of issues.

"Me and Charlie's families go way back, but when I am doing school business, I take that seriously," said Dublin. "I have agreed with (Epps) on a lot of things and disagreed on a lot things, regardless of the donation."

Epps's most recent campaign filing shows a $750 check made out to "Friends of Jeff Dublin" on May 23. Dublin has not filed a campaign report since January and has yet to record the receipt of the payment.

The Friends of Jeff Dublin is a fund created for Dublin's freeholder campaigns. He was elected to a three-year term last November.

School board members confirmed that Dublin has often been critical of Epps, especially because Dublin has children in the district.

But they also said that the donation presents problems.

"It certainly could have the appearance of compromising their position, not that it necessarily did, and for that reason, I would not accept something like that," said school board member Anthony Cucci, a former Jersey City mayor.

==========================
Here is another article today
=====================
EVALUATING EPPS
Board members question superintendent's role as a state assemblyman
Monday, October 02, 2006
By JARRETT RENSHAW
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Since becoming an assemblyman, Jersey City Superintendent of Schools Charles T. Epps Jr. has lost credibility and control of the school district and should step down from his elected office, according to some evaluations written by members of the school board.

"The district needs a full-time superintendent. I am asking Dr. Epps to step down as an assemblyman," wrote one school board member.

Because Jersey City is a state take over district, each board member must complete an anonymous written evaluation, which includes a grading system and comments. The board chairman, William DeRosa, then combines all the evaluations and sends them to the state Department of Education as a single report.

This year's evaluations, which were reviewed by The Jersey Journal, were the first since Epps' election as an assemblyman last year.

A number of board members said they believe Epps cannot handle both jobs and that his elected position has once again brought politics into the school district, a problem that contributed to the state take over more than 20 years ago.

"Dr. Epps' ability to lead has eroded greatly," one board member wrote. "His absence from the district and late starts in his office have diminished his credibility. His integrity becomes questionable when he is focused on things beyond the scope of the district."

Another comment read: "The superintendent was called to several meetings by political leaders in which his representation as an assemblyman or superintendent was unclear."

Others commended Epps on his performance as chief of schools, describing him as an organized and effective leader who has brought a number of quality programs to the district.

"The superintendent is a confident leader. He has devised a district vision and established goals," wrote one member.

Epps, through his spokeswoman, declined to comment.

The evaluations help the state education commissioner decide whether Epps should be given a raise. Acting Commissioner Lucille E. Davy is expected to complete the review process in two weeks. She declined to comment on the evaluations.

Epps earns $220,000 a year as superintendent - plus a $1,000-per-month housing allowance - and is due a pay hike of between $9,400 and $37,700, depending on the review. He earns $49,000 as an assemblyman.

School board members judged Epps in an array of categories, from leadership to community relations. They were asked to give grades of "commendable," "meets expectations," "needs improvement" and "unsatisfactory."

The majority of grades were either commendable or meets expectations, but there were also a number of poor grades, which school board members said represents a sharp departure from previous evaluations.

"I remember the last evaluation, done two years ago, and he was in good shape then," said school board member Suzanne Mack. "The only thing that really changed is he took the second job. He didn't all of sudden become less qualified, but he took a nose dive."