Steve Lonegan's group has put together an ad urging people to vote no on 1, the open space public question. He decided the best way to convey his message, was to use a park and water as a backdrop with children as props:This is what he recently said about his effort:
Conservative activist Steve Lonegan said Tuesday he hopes to raise $200,000 and run radio and television ads opposing a statewide referendum to borrow $400 million for open space.
He said he wants to tap into the outrage he said was shown in tea party protests against federal healthcare and cap-and-trade legislation.
The paper looked into how the committee is run and had questions:
While Lonegan told reporters the committee was "all me," state documents filed Sept. 22 say the committee's top members are top officials with Americans for Prosperity, a libertarian-leaning group based in Washington, D.C.
Lonegan is AFP's New Jersey director. His name does not appear on any committee filings.
In filings with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission, the "Committee to Defeat Question One" lists the Bogota, Bergen County, address and phone number used by AFP's state branch. Its chairman is AFP's Executive Vice President and General Counsel John Flynn and its treasurer is AFP's Chief Financial Officer Steve Mullins. It also names Jonathan Martin, AFP's senior finance manager.
Lonegan said later "I run the operation." Asked about the out-of-state connections, he said, "That's just the way we set it up."
The event is being organized by the NJ Keep it Green Coalition, made up of 135 organizations from across the state that are working to renew the Garden State Preservation Trust and to provide for clean water, open spaces, farmland preservation and historic preservation. They are supported by a bipartisan group of legislators and local officials.
Governor Corzine supports the Open Space question, while his opponents Chris Christie and Chris Daggett oppose the measure. Polls thus far have shown support for the Open Space measure.
