Sunday, December 27, 2009

Procedural Questions and Answers

Many have been asking Constitutional questions. We will be preparing a separate post explaining our position shortly.

Below are some answers to some of the common practical questions we have been receiving.

Regarding the Petitions - we filed the Notice of Intention to Recall along with the proposed petitions with the Secretary of State at the end of September. They had three business days (to October 4th) to respond by either approving the petitions or telling us what we needed to do in order to make the petitions acceptable. If we circulate the petitions without their approval, it is entirely possible that the signed petitions can be rejected for some minute detail that they may require. Therefore, we are asking that people contact the Secretary of State to "encourage" the office to approve the petitions...and to comply with the NJ Constitution.
In the meantime, we are taking legal steps (in the form of pursuing a court order) to move this forward legally.

Regarding Candidates, and election procedure - on the Notice we had the option of requesting a special election. At that time, we elected not to, since the 320 time limitation for collecting signatures brought us to two weeks prior to the next general election in November. Since we have been stalled, we will now have to request a special election for the recall of Menendez. The only question on the ballot would be whether or not to recall Menendez. Should the majority vote "yes" in favor of a recall, then Menendez is immediately notified that he has been discharged from office and the office is declared vacant. In the event that happens,another election is scheduled for the purpose of electing our next senator.

The Recall Committee is not responsible for putting up another candidate for senate. They may decide to do that sometime in the future, but at this point it is not on their agenda. There has been talk by other organizations to start vetting potential candidates. Of course, finding good men and women has always been a problem. I believe I speak for many of my fellow patriots when I say we have had enough of these career politicians. So, to answer your questions regarding our nomination of a candidate - no, nominating another candidate for the office is not procedurally part of the Recall Committee's responsibility. Collecting and submitting the required number of signatures on approved petitions in the 320 time frame remains our only responsbility.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

All Boots on the Ground

Sussex County Tea Party Committee Announces Campaign to Recall
Senator Robert Menendez

A “Committee to Recall U.S. Senator Robert Menendez,” sponsored by the Sussex County Tea Party has announced plans to launch an effort to recall Senator Robert Menendez from his position in office. Helping to lead the charge is New Jersey Tea Parties United, the state's grass-roots coalition of county and regional Tea Party groups representing several thousand members in support of fiscal responsibility, individual liberty and limited government. The Committee filed a formal Notice of Intention to Recall with the Secretary of State's office on September 25, 2009. While the office of the Secretary of State acknowledged receipt of the Committee's Notice of Intention to Recall in a letter dated October 5, 2009, it has since provided no further communication. NJ state law requires that administrators respond either with an approval or with a notice of non-compliance stating the reasons within three business days of receiving the Notice, which was October 4, 2009. Since no response had been received, on November 25, 2009, the Committee filed a civil complaint in the Essex County Superior Court of New Jersey against Nina Mitchell Wells, Secretary of State and Robert F. Giles, Director of the Division of Elections, demanding that the defendants be ordered to immediately and forthwith comply with state law by issuing a response to the Committee’s Notice of Intention. To date, the Secretary of State has ignored the Notice and the Complaint in violation of state law and the Committee is awaiting a decision from the court. For up to date information, go to: njrecallnow.blogspot.com, www.defendingamericanfreedom.com, or www.njteapartiesunited.com.

Once the notice is approved by the state or by court Order, the Committee to Recall along with NJ Tea Parties United will spearhead a large coordinated petition drive to collect signatures in support of a special recall election. NJ state law requires a minimum number of signatures equivalent to at least 25% of the prior general election's registered voters in order to grant a special recall election.
Appointed to a special one-year term by Governor Jon Corzine in November 2005, Robert Menendez was subsequently elected in 2006 during the mid-term election and has served in the US Senate for just over four years as a Democrat representing New Jersey. His term isn't scheduled to end until January 2013. The Recall Committee and New Jersey Tea Parties United believe that Senator Menendez has sided with rigidly partisan politicians in his repeated votes for cloture on a variety of key bills, stifling public debate in the Senate and denying New Jersey citizens transparency. For example, the Senator voted down an amendment that would have prevented Medicare from being raided for new entitlements[1], and another that would have limited the government's control over the health care of American families[2]. During this difficult financial period when Americans are cutting their own budgets and trying to save every penny, Senator Menendez voted down proposals to remove from spending bills a number of extravagant, excessive multi-million dollar projects that offered little or no short-term economic benefits[3]. When an amendment was proposed to transfer some of the country’s funding for the United Nations contributions to help offset the costs of providing assistance to family caregivers of our disabled veterans, he voted against it[4]. And in one case, Senator Menendez voted against allowing each member of Congress and the Secretary of Defense to simply review the allocation of certain taxpayer funds[5].

One NJ Tea Party member put it this way, “When NJ voters came out to the polls in November of 2008, they voted for the transparency and accountability that was promised. Rather than believe his own constituents who have desperately been trying to convey their wishes to him on health care reform without a government run option, he chooses to dismiss us, making public statements on the senate floor that our concerns are all nothing more than the greedy insurance companies lobbying to protect themselves.” It is statements like this that have convinced the Committee, NJ Tea Parties United, and other tea party members that Senator Menendez is one of many elitists in government that are more concerned with promoting their own careers than doing what is right for the American people. Those spearheading this effort hope that this will be the first recall of many throughout the nation and that the Constitutional government of the United States can be restored to the American people, to whom it belongs.

[1] Vote 368: H R 3590: Gregg Amdt. No. 2942
[2] Vote 360: H R 3590: Thune Amdt. No. 2901
[3] http://www.votesmart.org/speech_detail.php?sc_id=495114&keyword=&phrase=&contain=
[4] Vote 310: H R 3326; Vote 285: H R 3288; Vote 284: H R 3288; Vote 283: H R 3288
[5] Vote 310: H R 3326: Coburn Amdt. No. 2565

Sussex County Tea Party contact:
RoseAnn Salanitri, Founder (Branchville, NJ)
Phone: (973)948-8553, Email: emailroseann@gmail.com
or Michele: michelenjtpc@verizon.com

Legal Contact:
Dan Silberstein, Esq.
Phone: (732) 388-8600, Email: dsilberstein@dpspc.com