Stuff in the ‘Political Spending and Influence’ Category
NJEA Continues to Pour Money into Education Law Center, NJ Policy Perspective, and NJ Working Families Alliance
Posted On10/09/2024 byThe NJEA’s 2022 IRS Form 990 is finally available, so we can update the NJEA’s funding for its network of allies. The NJEA continues to fund three key allies: the Education Law Center (ELC), New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP), and the New Jersey Working Families Alliance (NJWFA), all of whom help to ensure that the…Read More
Sean Spiller Is Running for Governor but Is Still Under State Criminal Investigation. Is this the Kind of Candidate NJ Teachers Would Choose to Support with $43 Million of Their Dues?
Posted On10/04/2024 byAt the very least, Sunlight had good timing. Ten days ago, we posted our blog asking where was Attorney General Platkin’s investigation of Gov. Murphy’s pals Sean Spiller and Brendan Gill for (allegedly) misusing state health benefits. Five days later, Politico picked up on a Press of Atlantic City article on one of the three…Read More
Where Is Attorney General Platkin’s Investigation of Gov. Murphy’s Pals Sean Spiller and Brendan Gill for (Alleged) Abuse of State Health Benefits?
Posted On09/24/2024 byWe were doing some research and came across this picture of a Zoom call where the NJEA endorsed Gov. Phil Murphy as the Democratic nominee for a second term. Unsurprisingly, Murphy and all of the top leadership of the NJEA were present. But then we noticed Attorney General Matt Platkin on the call, appearing right…Read More
NJEA Spends $150,000 Via Dark-Money Proxies to Elect Progressive School Board Candidates: Mendacious Michael Gottesman and NJ Public Education Coalition on the Warpath
Posted On08/27/2024 byBeware New Jersey parents and school boards! The NJEA is gearing up for this fall’s school board elections and plans to spend a great deal of money via its dark-money front, New Jersey Public Education Coalition (NJPEC), and its long-time ally, Action Together New Jersey (ATNJ). In 2023, NJPEC partnered with ATNJ to provide assistance…Read More
CNBC Rankings Confirm NJ Is a Lousy Place To Do Business under Gov. Murphy — And It’s Getting Worse
Posted On07/18/2024 byAccording to CNBC, New Jersey continues to be a lousy place to do business under Gov. Murphy. And it is getting worse. CNBC came out with its annual Top States for Doing Business and New Jersey ranked 25th, which is down from 19th in 2023. The categories where New Jersey needs improvement: Business Friendliness: 49th….Read More
A Record Amount of Taxable Income Fled NJ in 2022: Who Will Pay for Gov. Murphy’s Unsustainable Spending?
Posted On07/12/2024 byThe Wall Street Journal reported on the continuing exodus of people and money from big-government, high-tax states — including New Jersey — to smaller-government, lower-tax states. Here is the IRS data for gains and losses in net Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) for 2022: Top Losers: California -$23.8 billlion New York -$14.2 billion Illinois -$9.8 billion…Read More
FY2025 Budget: Our Status Quo Governor Takes Care of His Government Union Pals While Leaving His State with an Unsustainable Budget
Posted On07/08/2024 byGov. Murphy is a status quo governor. He was elected with the support of New Jersey’s powerful, taxpayer-funded government unions, especially its largest, the NJEA, which spent over $20 million supporting Murphy. Murphy has repaid the favor by largely governing for their benefit. The FY2025 budget is no exception. Another record-high budget at $56.6 billion…Read More
Politico’s Reporting Adds Credibility to Indications of a Gubernatorial Run by NJEA President Sean Spiller. How Many Millions of Teachers’ Dues Will the NJEA Spend Supporting Him?
Posted On06/13/2024 byPolitico’s Matt Friedman has been doing some strong reporting over the past few days. First, he covered the reports of NJEA Secretary-Treasurer Petal Robertson using “Pension Justice” to drum up teachers’ support for a gubernatorial run by NJEA President Sean Spiller. Friedman’s attention and context add credibility to the tips both Sunlight and NJEdReport got…Read More
Montclair Settles the Whistleblower Lawsuit, Which Will Cost the Town Millions, But What About Mayor Sean Spiller’s Criminal Liability?
Posted On05/15/2024 byThe Montclair Local reported that the Montclair has settled the whistleblower lawsuit against Mayor Sean Spiller and the town. Because the town’s lawyers stonewalled and prolonged the legal process, the lawsuit went on for over 18 months, resulting in $1,000,000 in legal fees for the plaintiff’s lawyers, all of which will be borne by Montclair…Read More
FY2025 Budget: Gov. Murphy Resorts to One-Time Fixes To Pay for His Unsustainable Spending
Posted On03/21/2024 byGov. Murphy spends a lot of time talking about how fiscally responsible he is, but as always with Murphy, you have to look through the words to the actual numbers. An excellent example of that is Murphy’s FY2025 budget: it is not a fiscally responsible budget. Now NJ Spotlight News reports that he is resorting…Read More