Asbury Park Partisan strikes again

by: Juan Melli

Thu May 22, 2008 at 10:58:26 AM EDT

The only thing more disgraceful than the retirement package awarded outgoing Keansburg school Superintendent Barbara Trzeszkowski was the call by Assemblyman and state Democratic Chairman Joseph Cryan, D-Union, Wednesday for the state attorney general to investigate the "crime against New Jersey taxpayers."

Cryan's right. It was a crime. But Cryan, his colleagues in the Democratic-controlled Legislature and Gov. Corzine have all been complicit.

Trzeszkowski, 60, took what the system allowed - a $740,926 retirement package that included a $556,290 severance payment. The package also included a $170,137 payout for 235 unused sick days - computed on the basis of her hourly rate at retirement, not the rate at the time the sick days were accumulated - and $14,490 for 20 unused vacation days. She also is eligible for a six-figure annual pension and generous taxpayer-supported health benefits. Multiply that out by the post-retirement life expectancy of a 60-year-old female.

It's shameful but hardly surprising that Cryan, who is chairman of the Assembly Education Committee, would try to deflect blame for this latest affront to taxpayers on Trzeszkowski and the school board that negotiated the terms with her. Corzine and the Legislature were well aware of the pension and benefit abuses perpetrated by school superintendents, which were exposed in a scathing 2006 State Commission of Investigation report. The report's recommended reforms were largely ignored by lawmakers.

To them this is the fault of Democrats because....well, because they simply don't like Democrats. Nevermind that control of the legislature has traded hands multiple times over the last 38 years. Nevermind that the woman getting this absurd retirement package is a Republican. Nevermind that the attorney for the Keansburg board of education who surely signed off on this -- John O. Bennett 3rd -- is a Republican and actually served in the legislature where he could have addressed the issue if he wanted. Nevermind that the legislature did recently (2007) pass legislation to cap sick and vacation leave (S17):

Notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation to the contrary, a board of education, or an agency or instrumentality thereof, shall not pay supplemental compensation to any officer or employee for accumulated unused sick leave in an amount in excess of $15,000...

Marine One lands in Asbury Partisan Press parking lot

by: Juan Melli

Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 04:23:16 PM EDT

Bush's first visit to Monmouth county since he's been president started and ended at the Asbury Park Press -- the only major daily paper in the state to endorse his reelection campaign in 2004.

So the APP provided logistical staffing for the president's visit to New Jersey. I'm sure this won't affect their stellar record of objective journalism.

Abelow Slams Asbury Park Press

by: Juan Melli

Mon Nov 26, 2007 at 04:23:23 PM EST

This time, the Asbury Park Press featured a doctored photo of Governor Corzine on the front page of their Sunday paper. Corzine's Chief of Staff Bradley Abelow responded in an open letter:

Discussion and debate are critical in the formation of public policy, and often the information to fuel that debate comes from fair and objective offerings from the free press. That being said, I feel that many readers of the Asbury Park Press share my view that you did the readers - and your own reporters - a tremendous disservice with the accompanying fictionalized image in Sunday's story, "Hocking the Highways."

While working with photo editing software may be a useful tool for assembling gag photos or correcting minor imperfections, using it to manipulate the Governor - any governor - into a sinister character is not what we would expect from a responsible media organization.

Asbury Park Press: The editorial wing of the NJ GOP

by: Juan Melli

Sun Nov 04, 2007 at 01:14:53 PM EST

It seems they left an asterisk off the title of their latest shill piece, "We're voting for change", because they bury their real intent just a few paragraphs down that they're really only talking about Democratic incumbents:

The idea of throwing all the rascals out and supporting only the challengers is tempting. But there are some highly capable Shore-area incumbents, particularly among state Republican lawmakers.

And their admitted logic behind the endorsements? It's the same reason any partisan supports their party's candidate - blind power and control (emphasis mine):

Unless Republicans can gain control there - or at least come closer to parity - the prospects for change are grim. That's why we have backed all but one Republican candidate in the legislative races.

They've done away with judging candidates on the merits, as respectable and objective editorial boards do, and fallen back on pure partisanship:

While most eyes will be on the Senate race Tuesday night, it is important that voters fill as many Assembly seats with Republicans as possible.

It would be one thing if the editorial board couched its lean in the language of ideology, substituting every use of the word 'Republican' with the words 'conservative,' or 'fiscal conservative,' or even 'maverick.' But when a newspaper's editorial board so blatantly engages in partisan politics, offering blanket endorsements to candidates based on little more than which letter appears next to their names, it is an outrage. It makes a sham of the long democratic tradition of independent newspaper endorsements. Shame on the Asbury Park Press.