With state agencies ready to cut back and homeowners potentially not getting rebate checks next year, Bergen County Clerk Kathe Donovan thinks it’s about time the state forces its two professional football teams to make some sacrifices.

But does she also think it’s about time to kick off a statewide campaign?

Donovan sent a letter to Gov. Jon Corzine asking him to consider forcing the New York Giants and Jets, who both play in Bergen County and receive millions in economic incentives from the state, to share part of their $800 million in windfall profits from the sale of Personal Seat Licenses.

“’Everything on the table’ means that Trenton’s commitment to return homestead rebates to hard pressed property tax payers may be broken. Aid for schools in suburban, rural and urban districts may be cut and state colleges will be forced to raise tuition costs to make up for reduced state aid,” wrote Donovan. “Hospitals here in Bergen County and elsewhere that rely on Medicaid and Charity Care payments will almost certainly see a significant reduction in state aid which could force a cutback in services. And this comes at a time when workers are being forced to switch from high paying to lower paying jobs without health care benefits which will add significantly to the Charity Care burden borne by hospitals at a time when Charity Care payments could be reduced.”

With two prominent Democratic leaders indicted, a subpoena dropped on the clerk of the Democratic controlled freeholder board shortly before the election, and running against three incumbents who all had been voted out of municipal offices in their hometowns over the last couple years, Bergen County Republicans still could not pick up a single freeholder seat.

“Those guys did an outstanding job, to be honest. We were in this thing right until the end. So from that perspective, I thought it was a huge improvement – especially over four years ago,” said Republican consultant Thom Ammirato, who ran the campaign.

It’s not as if the Republicans had everything working for them. Ammirato argued that, despite the corruption issue, Democrats had a myriad of advantages, most of all having Barack Obama at the top of the ticket, not to mention the power of incumbency. Presidential years in Bergen County are generally the strongest ones for Democrats. It’s the off years that Republicans tend to come closer.

Only in New Jersey: Republican Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin goes moose hunting in Hackensack, only to learn a Bergen County Republican freeholder candidate was once a socialist.

The humorous radio ad, produced by the Bergen County Democratic freeholder and county clerk slate, has drawn outrage from the Bergen County Republicans, who called part of it an attack on Freeholder candidate Paul Duggan’s Irish heritage.

The ad, which is interspersed with moose calls, begins with an unidentified male voice asking a Palin impersonator what she’s doing in Hackensack.

“Me and my maverick friends hear that there’s some darn good moose hunting here,” she says, before adding that she’s heard that “the Republican candidates are some pretty serious reformers.”

The Bergen County Republicans promised to raise the specter of indicted Democratic Chairman Joe Ferriero a campaign issue, and they’ve done so, tying alleged corruption within the party to higher taxes in a new campaign commercial called “Corruption Tax.”

The advertisement, which was produced by the Bergen County Republican Organization, shows someone wearing an FBI jacket in front of a giant Bergen Record headline about Ferriero’s indictment on eight corruption counts last month.

In front of a pile of cash are pictures of Democratic incumbents Bernadette McPherson, David Ganz and Vernon Walton.

“Party boss Joe Ferriero gave them millions. They did what he told them. The Democrats raised spending $133 million,” says the narrator. “Waste. Abuse. Patronage. Now Ferriero is indicted for corruption. Higher taxes plus corrupt government equals corruption taxes. You pay.”

WHEN IT COMES TO CUTTING TAXES
DONOVAN STANDS WITH DEMOCRATS & MEDIA
Candidate Who Raised Spending 58% Says
Smaller County Government Is Not Possible

In five years she increased spending in her department 58 percent. She increased salaries by nearly a million dollars since 1996. She has no idea how to cut spending because, like the Democrats, she has never done it,� said Caliguire

DONOVAN TEAM SCRAMBLING TO COVER TRACKS ON XANADU

Dissident Team Issues Weak Position on Development
Silent for 17 years, Donovan Suddenly Speaks Out. Why?

CALIGUIRE CALLS ON DONOVAN TO FIRE HER CAMPAIGN MANAGER AND DISAVOW ENDORSEMENT OF RENEGADE BOGOTA COUNCILMAN

DONOVAN'S WHINING WILL NOT HELP TAXPAYERS

"The Democrats Wouldn't Give Me Enough Money"

In the recent NJN debate between Caliguire and Donovan, Caliguire confronts Donovan about overspending her bloated county clerk's budget in 9 out of the last 10 years. Donovan retort was to whine that the Democrats "wouldn't give me enough money."

But the Democrats have been in control of county government for only four years of the 18 years that Donovan has been county clerk, so clearly Donovan's problem is not under-budgeting, but overspending, said Bergen County Republican Organization candidate Todd Caliguire.

"She can blame the Democrats if she wants, but the truth is that Kathe Donovan continually overspends her budget no matter which party is in control of county government," said Caliguire. "She is a free spending liberal, not a fiscal conservative. Giving Kathe Donovan the reins to county government will be just as bad as having Dennis McNerney as county executive. There will be no difference and no relief for taxpayers."

Watch the Debate and see for yourself... seeing is believing

Contact: Alan Marcus 201-902-9000 May, 22 2006

Mark Twain once said: At least get the facts straight before you set out to distort them. Mr. Twain would certainly not be happy if he read Todd Caliguire's recent press releases. Why? He is either lying or wasn't listening when he debated Kathe Donovan on "On The Record" this weekend.

DONVAN,
LIKE DEMOCRATS McPHERSON AND PITMAN SUPPORTS ENCAP & XANADU INSIDER DEALS
Sees ‘Good Things’ in Politically Connected Developments
Silent On Highland Cross Development in Rutherford

“If the people of South Bergen are looking for someone in the November election to stand up for them against the insider developer deals, it will not be Kathe Donovan,� said Caliguire, who is already on record opposing the EnCap project. “Kathe Donovan has the same position as the Democrats on over-development. Instead of fighting Democrat developer deal making, she will be will encouraging it,� said Caliguire.