Stuff in the ‘The Taxpayer-Funded Political Machine’ Category
Rather than Address His Conflicts of Interest, Spiller Hurls Mud and Falsehoods (Again).
Posted On02/02/2021 bySunlight is able to use the same headline as it did last May during the mayoral election because NJEA Vice President/Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller is once again resorting to hurling mud and falsehoods in order to deflect attention away from his all-too-real, ongoing conflict of interest. Recall that last May, after Sunlight’s report detailed candidate…Read More
NJ’s First Black Rhodes Scholar Speaks Out for Education Equity and Against Powerful Special Interests
Posted On01/19/2021 byRandal D. Pinkett, an NJ entrepreneur and Rhodes Scholar, penned an op-ed in the Star-Ledger with some trenchant observations, particularly about NJ’s special-interest-dominated education system. Sunlight excerpted some relevant parts below: ” … [S]everal issues need to be addressed in New Jersey, but these issues are often ignored. Why? Because … [o]ur elected officials are…Read More
Oscar James: Newark Superintendent Roger Leon is the Union’s “Puppet” and Is Hurting Newark’s Kids
Posted On01/15/2021 byYesterday, Sunlight blogged about Newark’s student absenteeism scandal and asked where Superintendent Roger Leon stood on the matter. Today, Newark’s Oscar James blogged an answer on Newark Neighborhood View. James excoriated Newark Superintendent Roger Leon for his abandonment of Newark’s kids by kowtowing to the Newark Teachers Union (NTU) and its president John Abeigon. Sunlight…Read More
New Jersey and California Share the Same “Legal Corruption” by Public-Sector Unions
Posted On01/12/2021 byPresident Will Swaim of the California Policy Center wrote a new year’s letter to CPC subscribers decrying the “legal corruption” by California’s public-sector unions. The letter’s language would perfectly describe New Jersey if you simply swapped “New Jersey” for “California” and changed some of the numbers. In fact, Sunlight’s website contains a research project (for the…Read More
Looks Like the NJEA Is Ramping Up Its Dark Money Ops for the 2021 Elections
Posted On12/21/2020 bySunlight recently had occasion to look at the NJEA’s budget, and it looks very much like spending on dark money Super PAC New Direction New Jersey (NDNJ) was to be increased substantially for 2020 and 2021. In 2019, the NJEA spent $3.1 million on “Organizational Projects,” which Sunlight previously revealed to be covert funding for…Read More
NJEA Claims Sunlight’s Pension Report Has “Many Inaccuracies.” Our Response: Name One.
Posted On12/15/2020 byThe NJEA responded to an NJTV piece (go to minute 19:00) on Sunlight’s recent report on teachers’ pensions by claiming it had “many inaccuracies.” Sunlight asks the NJEA to name one. The NJEA will not be able to because Sunlight’s report is factual, with all data and assertions sourced and footnoted. The NJEA also claims…Read More
2020 in Review: The NJEA Backed Gov. Murphy and Gov. Murphy Delivered for the NJEA
Posted On12/14/2020 byAs we head into the end of the year, now would seem to be a good time for reviews of 2020, and the NJEA Political Action Committee (PAC) has provided a helpful reminder of how Governor Murphy pretty much gave the NJEA everything it wanted in 2020. In announcing its early endorsement of Murphy’s re-election,…Read More
NJEA Leadership Ignore the Facts and Actively Mislead Teachers about their Pensions
Posted On12/09/2020 byAs reported in POLITICO, Sunlight just released its second report on teachers’ pensions: “Ugly Truths and Hard Facts about New Jersey’s Pension Crisis, Part II: NJEA Leadership Has Secure, Gold-Plated Pensions, While Teachers’ Pensions are Inferior and at Risk.” The title says it all: the NJEA leadership can sleep well at night knowing that their…Read More
Excellent California Policy Center Piece on the Problems with Government Unions Could Have Been Written About New Jersey
Posted On12/03/2020 byNote: Bolded print added by Sunlight Policy Center for particular relevance to New Jersey. Why We Fight Government Unions By Edward Ring of California Policy Center November 24, 2020 The California Policy Center, established in 2013, exists to expose and undermine the destructive power of government unions. Most Californians still don’t understand the threat these unions…Read More
Another Strand in the NJEA’s Close Relationship with NJ Spotlight
Posted On11/24/2020 byThere’s now an eighth strand in the NJEA’s close relationship with NJ Spotlight. As detailed in Sunlight’s blog “What Has Happened to NJ Spotlight?,” NJ Spotlight appears to be employing a double-standard when it comes to publishing op-eds from NJEA allies and NJEA critics. So Sunlight did some research and found: 1) The NJEA is listed…Read More