Craig Callaway 
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Wed Jul 15, 2009 at 12:00:00 PM EDT
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The audacity of some elected officials when they get caught never ceases to amaze me. Take for example Craig Callaway in Atlantic City, whose latest actions gave us this start to an Atlantic City Press Story:Secretly filming a rival politician with a hooker in an attempt to blackmail him is just part of the job description for a council president in Atlantic City. That's what Craig Callaway apparently contends.
The former head of the resort's City Council, who pleaded guilty last year to orchestrating an extortion scheme against Councilman Eugene Robinson, recently argued that his criminal actions fell under the umbrella of city work and that he is entitled to have the city cover any award from the court and maybe even have city attorneys defend him. So filming a hooker for blackmail is city work? Embarrasing. But he's not alone either:Three of Callaway's alleged accomplices - outgoing Councilman John Schultz, former city employee Floyd Tally and former Public Works Director David Callaway - are requesting the same from the city. However, those three have continued to maintain their innocence. So they swear they did nothing wrong, but if they did it was just part of the job and the city has to pay for it. But maybe they are just trying to get the same treatment they gave others when they were in power:Many of Atlantic City's indemnity agreements were approved during the peak years of battle between Craig Callaway and Mayor Lorenzo Langford. Numerous complaints and countercomplaints were filed by both sides and their supporters. The city traditionally responded by providing broad legal umbrellas for politicians and city employees. And the campaign manager for Callaway's longtime rival offered this take:"Taxpayers are really being beaten over the head with these lawsuits and those responsible are not required to pay at all," said Johnson, who suggested that a separate judiciary panel should determine who is responsible for their own defense and when the city must step in. "It's a flawed system." I'd say a flawed system is an understatement if they're trying to expand the job description in this way.
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Wed Mar 14, 2007 at 09:14:33 AM EDT
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The New Jersey League of Municipalities says towns need more than just a 2% increase in state aid. Extraordinary aid, which many towns rely upon, has been cut.
The Philadelphia Inquirer has a very interesting profile of Theodore Z. Davis, the new state-appointed chief administrator for Camden.
In Deptford, a petition is circulating for a referendum to end play-for-play at the local level.
A new report, timed to influence hearings on President Bush's proposed cuts to the State Children's Health Insurance Program, says that 255,000 New Jersey children lack health insurance. Most of them have working parents.
The Courier-Post interviews residents who are unhappy that Middletown's new website requires visitors to register, and give their e-mail and phone. Town officials note that theis way they can contact more residents, and new services are available including tax payments.
Morristown is applying for a federal program in which their local police officers have the power to check immigration status. It would be the first New Jersey town to take part.
Did you know that Route 130 is now Einstein's Alley. It may be the center of a new pharmaceutical industry, and features a new Biotechnology Center.
Former Atlantic City Council president (and Democrat) Craig Callaway was sentenced to 40 months in jail for corruption. If you don't remember the details, click on the link, because there's no way to summarize this case.
Democrat Peter Barnes appears to be on track to become state Parole Board chairman. The Middlesex County Democratic Organization is expected to endorse his son for his Assembly seat, and to chose him to fill it for the rest of the year.
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