The credit at the center of the dispute — a one-time payment applied to every residential electric bill in New Jersey this August — was launched under former Gov. Phil Murphy at $100 per customer. Under Sherrill, it has been reduced to $25. Low-income households will receive additional monthly credits of $50 in August, September, and October through the state’s Residential Energy Assistance Payment program, down from $175 under the previous administration.

Sherrill unveiled the measure at a July 7 press conference framing it as part of a $90 million investment in energy affordability — days after Independence Day weekend storms knocked out power to more than 200,000 customers statewide, with tens of thousands left in the dark for several days during a stretch of extreme heat. Kanitra and his district-mate, Assemblyman Greg McGuckin, joined a chorus of republicans that demanded accountability from Sherrill, the BPU, and JCP&L.

That timing did not sit well with Kanitra, whose district absorbed some of the worst of the outages.

“When your electric bill is $500 or $600 a month and you don’t have power in the sweltering heat, $25 bucks means nothing,” Kanitra said.

“Twenty-five dollars doesn’t even cover a fast-food bill for a family, let alone deliver ratepayer relief or increase grid reliability. Sherrill celebrated at the FIFA World Cup games she criticized and then held a press conference on affordability, while struggling residents in Ocean and Monmouth counties sat at home in dangerous heat. It just shows how out of touch she is.”
— Assemblyman Paul Kanitra

The assemblyman argued the credit fails on every metric that matters — it does nothing to lower monthly bills that have soared into the hundreds of dollars, and nothing to harden a grid that buckled under a summer storm. He pointed to the governor’s appearance at FIFA World Cup matches — events she had previously criticized — while residents of Ocean and Monmouth counties sat in sweltering homes, calling the contrast evidence of an administration out of touch with the people paying the bills.

Kanitra’s broader critique extends past the credit itself to the state’s energy posture. Sherrill’s continuation of Murphy-era strategy — offshore wind, expanded solar, and what he characterized as nominal bill credits — offers no relief in either the short or long term, he said, arguing that only a full reversal in Trenton, whether by Democrats adopting Republican energy policies or voters replacing them, will change the trajectory.

The exchange is the latest in a string of Republican broadsides over the state’s storm response. Assemblymen Greg McGuckin and Kanitra demanded answers from utilities and regulators after the holiday weekend outages, and Assemblyman Alex Sauickie (R-12th) has called for a Board of Public Utilities hearing into the failures.

The administration has not responded to the assemblyman’s characterization of the credit reduction.

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The reception runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the inn’s riverside location at 88 Riverside Avenue and features passed hors d’oeuvres, food stations, and an open bar. General tickets are $250 per person, with proceeds benefiting the New Jersey Republican State Committee.

The appearance marks one of Gruters’ first major New Jersey events since taking the national party’s helm — and it lands at a moment when the RNC and NJGOP are operating in closer alignment than at perhaps any point in recent memory. Over the past year, the two committees have jointly filed litigation, conducted a statewide sweep of county election records, and completed a national party-building program, a partnership both organizations have made a centerpiece of their preparation for the 2026 midterms.

(story continues beneath the graphic)

RSVP HERE TO MEET CHAIRMAN GRUTERS

A PARTNERSHIP SAFEGUARDING ELECTIONS

The most visible product of that alignment arrived less than two weeks before the Red Bank event. On July 9, the NJGOP joined the RNC in a lawsuit asking a Mercer County Superior Court judge to strike down New Jersey’s “never-resident” voter law — provisions that allow certain people who have never lived in the state, and in some cases never lived in the United States, to register and vote in New Jersey elections. The suit, announced by the NJGOP, argues the Legislature exceeded the state constitution’s 30-day residency requirement, and does not affect military members or overseas voters who previously lived in New Jersey.

“Democrats are allowing certain people who have never lived in New Jersey to vote in the state’s elections,” Gruters said in a statement announcing the litigation. “The RNC is taking them to court to stop this unconstitutional scheme, protect lawful voters, and secure New Jersey elections.”

“The RNC is taking them to court to stop this unconstitutional scheme, protect lawful voters, and secure New Jersey elections.”

— RNC Chairman Joe Gruters

The filing was the third legal front Republicans have opened over New Jersey’s voter rolls in a year, following a July 2025 state suit over public-records requests and a November federal action under the National Voter Registration Act. The state and national committees share counsel in the case: attorney Jason Sena serves as both New Jersey counsel to the RNC and counsel to the NJGOP — a dual role that has come to embody how tightly the two organizations now work.

The litigation grew out of groundwork laid months earlier. In May, Hanlon launched the NJGOP Election Integrity Task Force, a panel of Republican election officials and election-law experts designed explicitly to complement the RNC’s ongoing efforts in the state. In June, the task force — working through public-records requests filed with all 21 counties in coordination with the RNC — reported hundreds of non-citizens on New Jersey’s voter rolls, along with at least 30 documented cases of non-citizens casting ballots, according to the party’s findings. The announcement followed federal charges in May against four New Jersey residents accused of illegally voting in federal elections.

“This may be one of the most significant election-integrity issues in New Jersey history,” Hanlon said when the findings were released, calling them “just the tip of the iceberg.”

State officials have maintained that New Jersey’s elections remain secure, and a Division of Elections spokesperson has said fraud allegations brought to the division are referred to the appropriate authorities for investigation.

GIVING THE GARDEN STATE IT’S DUE

The partnership extends well beyond litigation, and the RNC has been more of an ally to the NJGOP than in years past, with Gruters’ trip during a crucial midterm year as evidence of that. Hanlon has also brought dynamism and energy to the statewide efforts, most notably putting in the work to land the Garden State on the national radar. In April, the NJGOP completed Phase 2 of the RNC’s GROW Program — “Growing Organizations to Win” — earning a place in the program’s “Leader’s Circle” after meeting a set of national benchmarks for organization and election readiness.

As of today, the NJGOP completed Phase 3 of the same program, placing them in the prestigious “Chairman’s Circle,” an accomplishment that marks the significant achievement of meeting the RNC’s rigorous benchmarks for state party infrastructure.

“After completion of the first two phases of the program, our team continued to build on that momentum; executing goals, strengthening operations, and meeting all expectations set forth by RNC State Party Strategies,” said NJGOP Chairwoman Hanlon.

“We appreciate the support of the RNC and their State Party Strategies team as we have focused on rebuilding our infrastructure, campaign training, election integrity and strategic initiatives to prepare for the 2026 election cycle and beyond.”
— NJGOP Chairwoman Christine Hanlon

Nationally, Republicans have cast the New Jersey work as part of a broader eligibility strategy, pointing to a court victory in North Carolina over non-resident voting and pending challenges to similar laws in Nebraska, Colorado, and Nevada. Gruters’ decision to make Red Bank a stop this summer signals that New Jersey — with competitive congressional races on the 2026 map — sits squarely inside that national picture.

Tickets for the July 21 reception are $250 per attendee. Those wishing to attend or sponsor the event can do so here.

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Graham’s office did not disclose a cause of death. In a statement posted to social media early Sunday, the office said the senator’s family appreciates prayers and asked for privacy. Multiple outlets reported that emergency personnel had responded to a cardiac arrest call at Graham’s Capitol Hill home.

Graham died two days after his 71st birthday and roughly a month after winning the June 9 Republican primary in South Carolina, where he was seeking a fifth term. On Friday, he had announced an agreement with the Trump administration to advance a package of Russia sanctions — among the final acts of a career defined by hawkish foreign policy.

New Jersey Reaction

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), the state’s senior Republican in Congress, issued a statement Sunday mourning his colleague of more than two decades on Capitol Hill.

“Lindsey Graham was an indefatigable and courageous fighter for the right to life, human rights, liberty and freedom. He was articulate and persuasive and brought both incisive candor and humor to debate. He was a national treasure and will be deeply missed. My wife, Marie, and I offer our deepest condolences to his family.”
— Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) (via statement)

The New Jersey Republican State Committee also paid tribute, pointing to Graham’s military service and his tenure in the Senate:

“From serving as an Air Force colonel to becoming a steadfast conservative voice in the United States Senate, Senator Lindsey Graham dedicated his life to serving our nation. His decades of public service reflected a deep commitment to America, its security, and its values. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and all who mourn his passing. Thank you for your service, Senator.”
— New Jersey Republican State Committee (via Facebook)

A Career That Spanned Five Presidencies

Born July 9, 1955, in Central, South Carolina, Graham was the son of a family that ran a bar, pool hall and liquor store, and was the first in his family to attend college. He earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of South Carolina, then joined the U.S. Air Force as a judge advocate. His military career spanned 33 years across active duty, the South Carolina Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve, from which he retired in 2015 at the rank of colonel.

Graham entered elected office in 1992 with a term in the South Carolina House of Representatives, then won a U.S. House seat in 1994 as part of the Republican wave that ended four decades of Democratic control. He rose to national prominence in 1999 as one of the House managers who prosecuted the impeachment case against President Bill Clinton before the Senate.

In 2002, Graham was elected to the Senate seat held for nearly half a century by Strom Thurmond. Over four terms he became a fixture of the chamber’s foreign policy debates — a consistent advocate for American military strength, a longtime hawk on Iran and Russia, and, for years, the closest ally of the late Sen. John McCain. He chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2019 to 2021, presiding over the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, and later served as the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee. He was also a staunch advocate for the pro-life movement and for the unborn.

Graham mounted a brief campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination and was, at the time, a sharp critic of Donald Trump. He went on to become one of the president’s closest allies in the Senate — a frequent golf partner and adviser on foreign affairs, including on Iran and Russia policy. Last year, he publicly backed the president’s decision to strike Iranian nuclear sites.

His death leaves a vacancy in a Senate seat he had held since 2003. Under South Carolina law, the governor will appoint a successor to serve until a special election.

Graham’s office has not announced funeral arrangements.

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Middletown - New Jersey leaders of the Italian American Civil Rights League are joining a growing backlash against New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after his administration’s official map of the city’s immigrant enclaves left out Little Italy — the Manhattan neighborhood widely regarded as the original template for every “Little” community that followed.

The “New York City Immigrant Enclaves” guide, produced by the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs as part of the city’s Neighborhood Passport tourism campaign tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, highlights 30 neighborhoods across the five boroughs — from Koreatown in Manhattan to Little Pakistan in Brooklyn and Little Yemen in the Bronx. Little Italy did not make the list. Neither did any historically Irish or Jewish neighborhoods, an omission that drew separate criticism from Irish American and Jewish leaders.

For the league’s New Jersey chapter, the omission was no accident.

“Italian Americans helped to build this great nation with no greater contribution than NYC and NJ,” said Tony Fiore, co-chair of the IACRL of New Jersey, told CJN.

“We have and will always be proud of that work and proud to be an American. Zohran Mamdani is a prototypical communist that yearns to rewrite history rather than to respect it. No matter how hard he tries, there will always be a Little Italy and there will always be proud and patriotic Italians ready to help America build for the next 250 years.”

Jacqueline Tobacco, the chapter’s other co-chair, said the mayor had underestimated the community he passed over.

“We know Mamdani likes to rewrite history, but he is no match for a galvanized Italian community,” Tobacco told CJN.

“Our people escaped fascism and legally emigrated from Italy, assimilated into the cultural melting pot while maintaining our family traditions and values for generations. We built NYC and we will be here to continue to fight for America, for freedom and liberty and for our children and grandchildren to achieve their American dreams. We will never bend to socialism or communism or cede our way of life to Mamdani’s radical socialist vision.”

The controversy erupted this week after the map circulated widely on social media, with critics noting that City Hall found room for Little Palestine, Little Yemen and Little Guyana while omitting the neighborhood that, according to the Library of Congress, anchored a wave of more than four million Italian immigrants who arrived in the United States between the 1880s and 1924 — roughly a third of whom settled in New York City.

IACRL National President Michael Crispi, who first called the omission “cultural erasure,” tells CJN the league has been flooded with support since it challenged the mayor.

“The Italian American Civil Rights League has seen a national outpouring of support since we challenged Zohran over his new ‘immigrant enclave map,’” Crispi said. “Millions of New Yorkers, New Jerseyans, and people from across the nation have a connection to New York City in some way, shape, or form. Whether Italian, Irish, Greek, or Jewish, these communities helped build New York City into what it is today. Yet Zohran has shown he has little interest in acknowledging the contributions of the people who actually built this great city.”

“The immigrants who came to New York in the early 1900s dug the subways, built the Empire State Building, worked tirelessly, endured intense discrimination, and never made excuses because they believed the ultimate prize was becoming part of America,” Crispi continued. “They believed in the American Dream and gave up everything to pursue it.”

Crispi said the map released this week “is filled with countries that, in our view, fundamentally represent the opposite values: entitlement, demands for reparations, disorder, and an embrace of communism,” calling the mayor’s selective acknowledgment “no accident” and “the continuation of a dangerous trend.”

“The Italian American Civil Rights League will remain on the front lines in New York, New Jersey, and across the nation to protect Italian American heritage while celebrating all the communities, of every race and ethnicity, whose hard work, sacrifice, and belief in America helped make this country the greatest nation in the world,” he said.

Facing mounting criticism, Mamdani addressed the map at an unrelated press conference Friday, saying it was created under the prior administration and would be revised.

“This map was initially created by the prior administration in 2023, and when we inherited it, we added a few additional neighborhoods,” the mayor said. “It’s clearly not an exhaustive list of the more than 200 ethnic communities that call our city home, and we’re going to be making additional changes in the future to reflect that, and that includes Little Italy.”

A City Hall spokesperson had earlier defended the guide as a tourism tool highlighting “neighborhoods in New York City that have substantial foreign-born populations,” not a comprehensive inventory of every ethnic or religious community, and noted that Little Odessa, which appears on the map, has a substantial Jewish population.

The league has said the map dispute is part of a pattern, pointing to what it describes as the administration’s denial of a permit for its Unity Day 2026 event. Mamdani’s relationship with the Italian American community has been strained since a 2020 social media post resurfaced during last year’s mayoral race showing him gesturing at a Christopher Columbus statue in Queens with the caption “Take it down.”

The league has called on the mayor to update the map, issue a public apology to Italian Americans, and include Little Italy and other historic Italian American neighborhoods in future city heritage projects.

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COLTS NECK — The New Jersey Republican Party and the Republican National Committee filed suit Thursday against state election officials, asking a court to strike down a New Jersey law that permits certain people who have never lived in the state — and in some cases have never lived in the United States — to register and vote in New Jersey elections.

The challenge, announced by the NJGOP, takes aim at provisions of the state’s Overseas Residents Absentee Voting Law that extend voting eligibility to individuals based solely on a relative’s prior New Jersey residency. Joining the two party committees as a plaintiff is Michael McGuire, the Republican candidate challenging Rep. Herb Conaway (D-Delanco) in the 3rd Congressional District, according to the New Jersey Globe.

The plaintiffs argue the Legislature exceeded its constitutional authority when it extended the franchise beyond the New Jersey Constitution’s requirement that voters reside in the state for at least 30 days before an election. The complaint contends that while federal law — the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act — protects military personnel and Americans abroad who previously lived in a state, it does not obligate states to enfranchise citizens who never established residency at all.

The suit was filed Thursday in Mercer County Superior Court and names the New Jersey Department of State, the Division of Elections, Secretary of State Dale Caldwell, and Mercer County Superintendent of Elections Walker Worthy Jr. as defendants. Attorney Jason Sena is representing the state and national party committees.

“Vote dilution is a Constitutional injury of the highest magnitude,” Sena wrote in the complaint.

“Democrats are allowing certain people who have never lived in New Jersey to vote in the state’s elections,” RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement announcing the litigation. “The RNC is taking them to court to stop this unconstitutional scheme, protect lawful voters, and secure New Jersey elections.”

McGuire, a Marine Corps veteran, framed his role in the case in personal terms in a statement posted to Facebook on Thursday.

“I’m proud to be one of the lead plaintiffs in this fight,” McGuire said. “This is about protecting your vote. Every New Jerseyan deserves to know their voice counts and isn’t being diluted by non-residents. We’re standing up to defend election integrity for our state.”

The suit asks a judge to declare the challenged provisions unconstitutional, bar election officials from registering future “never-resident” voters, remove those already registered under the law from the rolls, and exclude ballots cast by those voters from future counts. The plaintiffs are also seeking revisions to the state’s voter registration forms and guidance to reflect the residency requirement.

The parties emphasized that the challenge does not affect military members or overseas voters who previously lived in New Jersey; both groups remain eligible to vote under existing state and federal law.

A WIDENING LEGAL CAMPAIGN

Thursday’s filing is the latest — and most aggressive — move in a sustained Republican push on New Jersey’s voter rolls that has been building for more than a year.

In June, the NJGOP and RNC released the findings of a records sweep of all 21 county election offices, reporting what the party said were hundreds of noncitizen registrants statewide — including individuals seeking naturalization who asked county officials to remove them from the rolls, saying they had been registered without their knowledge — along with at least 30 documented cases the party says show noncitizens actually casting ballots. In Atlantic County, the superintendent of elections certified in official letters that noncitizens had come forward requesting removal.

“This may be one of the most significant election-integrity issues in New Jersey history,” NJGOP Chairwoman Christine Giordano Hanlon said in June of this year when the findings were released. “Not only do county-level records show that hundreds of non-citizens were placed on New Jersey’s voter rolls, but additional documentation indicates multiple cases of non-citizens casting ballots in multiple elections.”

Hanlon, who launched the party’s Election Integrity Task Force in May, called the June findings “just the tip of the iceberg” and pointed to the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission registration pipeline as the apparent vulnerability, arguing New Jersey has no reliable process to identify noncitizens who end up on the rolls. A spokesperson for the Division of Elections said at the time that all fraud allegations brought to the division’s attention are referred to the appropriate authorities for investigation, the New Jersey Globe reported.

That effort landed weeks after federal prosecutors in New Jersey announced charges in May against four resident aliens for alleged illegal voting in federal elections and alleged false statements — enforcement actions the party has pointed to as evidence that the registration failures it identified are more than clerical.

The litigation track itself is not new. The RNC sued in state Superior Court in July 2025 over what it called slow-walked public records requests concerning voting machines and list maintenance, then escalated to federal court in November under the National Voter Registration Act, alleging the Secretary of State’s office had failed to produce a single document describing its list-maintenance program.

Nationally, Republicans have framed the New Jersey case as part of a broader eligibility strategy, citing a court victory in North Carolina over non-resident voting and pending challenges to similar laws in Nebraska, Colorado, and Nevada.

Neither Caldwell’s office nor the Department of State had responded to the complaint as of Friday. In prior litigation, a spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s office declined to comment on pending suits.

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You did not choose JCP&L. You cannot fire JCP&L. Your electric company is handed to you by your street address, like a tax bracket, and the bill arrives whether the power does or not.

So when the storm hits and the grid folds, who actually works for you? Judging by this weekend: your mayor, your first responders, the linemen in the buckets — and a handful of Republican legislators who spent their holiday doing the jobs the governor, the utility, and the state’s own regulator apparently consider optional. Everyone else with real power over your life had somewhere better to be.

This all happened, of course, while Gov. Sherrill partied it up all weekend with New York Governor Kathy Hochul and NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani in celebration of Independence Day. Yes, the same holiday that celebrates the horrible, no good, racist, sexist, insert-term-here-phobic country their party routinely trashes. Perhaps before they toasted they acknowledged that they were celebrating on stolen land, all while residents were the ones actually robbed of any opportunity to celebrate the country they actually love.

One thing was made exceptionally clear: Gov. Sherrill and the elite class do not care about you. They never did. The below is proof.

PAGING GOVERNOR SHERRILL…

Governor Mikie Sherrill surfaced once. On July 4, she held a briefing, recited the restoration numbers, and assured everyone the state was “moving really, really quickly,” per WABC. Then she went dark. No update Saturday night. None Sunday. Her public schedule for Monday was blank. No tour of the damage. No State of Emergency — the routine declaration that speeds resources, unlocks mutual aid, and opens the door to federal help. Three days into a mass outage in dangerous heat, the chief executive of New Jersey had nothing on her calendar and nothing to say.

The state Republican Party said the obvious thing. Chairwoman Christine Giordano Hanlon called the governor missing in action and demanded the emergency declaration — a logistical tool, she noted, not a political favor, the kind of thing a governor signs on reflex when her constituents are sweating in the dark.

“Families are still sitting in the dark while Governor Sherrill sits on the sidelines.”
— Christine Hanlon, NJGOP Chairwoman

She wasn’t alone. Assemblywoman Vicky Flynn (R-Monmouth) told New Jersey 101.5 she was frankly surprised the governor had neither toured the damage nor declared an emergency, and said a gubernatorial presence in the hardest-hit towns “would go a long way.” Assemblyman Rob Clifton (R-Monmouth), in a statement to Central Jersey Newswire, put the leadership failure in plain terms:

“Governor Sherrill and her administration have shown a troubling lack of visible leadership and clear communication to the public.”

— Asm. Rob Clifton, Assistant GOP Minority Leader, statement to CJN

And here is the detail that ought to follow this governor around. She opened her term in January by declaring a “State of Emergency on Utility Costs” — executive order, signing ceremony, Day One promise kept, the full production. A paper emergency about your bill got the ceremony. A real emergency — actual families, actual heat, actual food rotting in dead refrigerators — got a long weekend of silence.

NJGOP Hanlon aptly called out Sherill’s policy of Mikie-come-lately and playing politics with a state emergency:

“The Governor shouldn’t have to be prompted by legislators to take emergency action….a State of Emergency isn’t about politics. It’s about getting communities the resources they need as quickly as possible. Every hour matters when families are without electricity, air conditioning, refrigeration and, in many areas, even running water.”

— Christine Hanlon, NJGOP Chairwoman

Assemblyman Paul Kanitra (R-Ocean) set the governor’s silence against the administration’s actual spending priorities, and found the ledger damning:

“New Jersey handed out close to a billion dollars of your money to string power lines out to offshore wind farms that were never built. Meanwhile the grid my constituents actually rely on is held together with duct tape and prayers. Two hundred thousand people lost power this week because for years Trenton chased windmills and forgot all about the wires.”

— Asm. Paul Kanitra (R-Ocean)

A GRID THAT FOLDS IN A THUNDERSTORM

Understand what actually hit the state Friday. Not a hurricane. Not a blizzard. A summer thunderstorm, with gusts JCP&L itself clocked at 67 miles per hour. That was enough to cut power to more than 200,000 of its customers, kill a 41-year-old driver under a falling limb, and shut down NJ Transit’s Morris & Essex and Gladstone Branch lines straight into Monday’s commute. By Monday morning, roughly 55,000 homes were still dark across Hunterdon, Monmouth, Morris, Sussex, and Union counties.

Sixty-seven mile-an-hour wind is a bad afternoon, not an act of God. And nearly fourteen years after Superstorm Sandy was supposed to be the wake-up call that fixed all of this, the grid still cannot survive one. That is not weather. That is a policy choice, repeated every budget cycle. The people who warned about it are on the record — including Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth), who spent the weekend running constituent triage out of his own office and posted this:

“Our power grid must be upgraded, strengthened, and properly maintained… There is much to unpack in post-mortem, including more accurate & useful restoration estimates.”

— Sen. Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth), via Facebook

Clifton has been saying the same thing, and made a point of noting this was no surprise to anyone paying attention:

“This is not a new issue. I have long warned that we must make urgent investments in our infrastructure to build true redundancy and resilience. The lessons from Superstorm Sandy should have been learned years ago.”

— Asm. Rob Clifton (R-Monmouth), statement to CJN

Assemblyman Gregory McGuckin (R-Ocean) asked the question every ratepayer was thinking, and refused to accept the weather as an excuse:

“A thunderstorm in July at the Jersey Shore is hardly unprecedented — how is it that only JCP&L’s facilities can’t seem to handle it?… Let’s face it, this wasn’t a drone attack on our power grid, it was a thunderstorm. How and why does this continue to happen?”

— Asm. Gregory McGuckin (R-Ocean)

JCP&L: JERSEY’S CONSISTENT POWER LETDOWN

A weak grid is one problem. A utility that can’t tell anyone what’s happening on it is another — and on that count, JCP&L delivered a master class over the weekend. Mayors couldn’t get straight answers. Restoration estimates slid. The people fielding panicked calls from residents were left guessing right alongside them. Flynn, who spent the weekend on the phone with local officials, laid it out:

“The biggest takeaway so far is that communication during this storm restoration must improve. Monmouth and Ocean County mayors and local officials expressed significant frustration that communication has deteriorated, especially considering the lessons learned after Superstorm Sandy.

Our local elected officials are the ones fielding the calls, emails, and concerns from residents around the clock… they need better, more timely information from JCP&L to do that effectively.”

— Asw. Vicky Flynn (R-Monmouth), via Facebook

O’Scanlon put the same failure more bluntly. When your constituents are baking in the dark and the utility’s answer is a shrug and a moving target, that is not a plan:

“Communication between government and utility companies must improve. When the safety of New Jerseyans is at stake, ‘hurry up and wait’ is not an acceptable policy.”

— Sen. Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth), via Facebook

Clifton, again, named the party responsible without flinching: “The utility companies have to dramatically improve their information sharing to both municipal officials and the impacted residents they serve.” And the mayors — the officials with no jurisdiction over JCP&L but all of the blame — were blunter still. Point Pleasant Borough Mayor Robert A. Sabosik didn’t hedge:

“I don’t blame the storms. I blame the company… My town is still on a grid operating with equipment that is decades old and failing. Three days later, we still have residents with no power and receive unreliable information. They promise upgrades and we never see them. For the amount of money our residents pay, they are seeing no return on investment.”

— Mayor Robert A. Sabosik, (R) Point Pleasant Borough

That is the recurring theme every honest official kept circling back to — not that a storm happened, but that the company charged with keeping the lights on couldn’t manage to keep anyone informed while they were off.

A MONOPOLY YOU’RE FORCED TO PAY

Now ask the question that ties it all together: if JCP&L is this bad at it, why don’t its customers simply take their business elsewhere? Because they can’t. Electric distribution in New Jersey is a government-assigned monopoly. Your delivery utility is fixed by your address. A JCP&L customer cannot switch to PSE&G, cannot shop for a better-run company, cannot do the one thing that disciplines every other business in America — walk away. It is a captive market of 1.2 million households, owned by an Akron, Ohio conglomerate, FirstEnergy Corp.

And those captive customers are footing the bill for the fixes. Regulators have signed off on more than $202.5 million in ratepayer-funded grid upgrades through JCP&L’s EnergizeNJ program. So you are paying, on every single bill, for reliability you demonstrably did not receive this weekend. In a competitive market that’s a scandal that ends careers. In a protected monopoly, it’s a Tuesday.

Assemblyman McGuckin — whose Ocean County district has some of the longest outage histories in the state — refused to file this under bad luck. He called it what it is:

“This isn’t a one-off storm story. This is JCP&L’s business model… JCP&L keeps treating four- and five-day outages during heat emergencies like the cost of doing business. It has to stop.”
— Asm. Gregory McGuckin (R-Ocean)

The mayors who take the blame for a company they can’t control see the same thing. Bay Head Mayor William Curtis traced the problem straight to the out-of-state owner:

“The infrastructure is abysmal, and I don’t see any improvements in sight. Local mayors get the blame, but we have no jurisdiction over JCP&L. They get their marching orders out of Ohio by people who in my opinion don’t give our area much of an afterthought. Electric bills are going up, up and up and we are seeing nothing out of it.”

— Mayor William Curtis, (R) Bay Head

The one official who is supposed to stand between the captive ratepayer and the out-of-state monopoly is the regulator — which is exactly where Assemblyman Alex Sauickie (R-Ocean) pointed:

“The board’s job is to protect ratepayers and make sure New Jerseyans receive safe, adequate and reliable service at reasonable rates.”
— Asm. Alex Sauickie (R-Ocean)

THE WATCHDOG THAT WROTE A MEMO

Which brings us to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities — the agency that exists for one reason and one reason only: because you can’t fire your utility, so the state is supposed to do it for you. Here is how that worked out.

Eleven months before this storm, in an August 2025 order, the BPU found that JCP&L had failed to meet New Jersey’s minimum reliability standards for three consecutive years — with outage frequency and restoration times getting worse every single year, a ten-year high across nearly every category of outage, and no demonstrated evidence of the inspection and maintenance programs the law flatly requires. In plain numbers: in 2024 the average JCP&L customer lost power nearly twice and waited more than two and a half hours each time — over three hours up north. The board wrote all of it down. It found the failures. It issued the order.

And then the Fourth of July arrived and tested whether any of that paperwork meant anything. Fifty-five thousand households got the answer Monday morning. Sauickie is now demanding the board do its job in public — a full reliability hearing with sworn testimony from BPU officials, utility executives, emergency managers, mayors, and independent grid experts, plus mandatory written after-action reports from every utility that failed. He framed the stakes exactly where they belong:

“This is an accountability issue, not just a weather story… Before forcing families to pay more for new experimental energy mandates, the governor and the BPU should prove they can keep the lights on.”

— Asm. Alex Sauickie (R-Ocean)

Kanitra took the board apart from the other direction — for approving a fraction of the fix and then reaching for penalties when the underfunded grid did exactly what an underfunded grid does:

“The BPU approved barely a fifth of the plan to fix this grid, and then had the nerve to threaten fines because reliability is bad. You cannot starve the system and then punish it for starving. And the people who actually get punished are the families in Monmouth and Ocean sitting in the dark with the fridge going warm.”

— Asm. Paul Kanitra (R-Ocean)

A regulator that documents three years of failure and then presides over a fourth is not a watchdog. It’s a filing cabinet.

THE UNHOLY TRINITY OF TRENTON

Add it up, because the officials above already have. A governor who declares an emergency over utility bills, but not over an actual utility failure. A grid that folds under a routine thunderstorm nearly fourteen years after Sandy. A monopoly that missed the state’s minimum reliability bar running while billing its captive customers for upgrades. And a regulator that saw it all coming, in writing, and did nothing anyone can point to.

Kanitra and McGuckin, as most republicans and those with common sense and a sense of service are doing, are demanding answer. The 10th district duo traced the whole thing back to the one place it always ends - your wallet:

“Every single month the state skims money off your electric bill for so-called societal benefits, then sweeps billions of it into NJ Transit and budget holes. $2.6 billion gone, and not one power line hardened, not one tree crew sent out… Every ratepayer in New Jersey got robbed.”

— Asm. Paul Kanitra (R-Ocean)

Your power will come back on. The crews will see to that, and they have earned every word of thanks they’re getting - but the system that left you in the dark bills you every month, at 1.2 million addresses that never got a vote, and it still maintains its spot in the unholy trinity of Trenton politicians, favored corporations, and their (supposed) regulatory agencies. The only people currently asking what those families are paying for are the on the right side - literally and politically.

Everyone else in charge is counting on you to forget this by the next storm. The record above is a pretty good argument for why you shouldn’t.
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Edit: a previous version of this story accidentally referred to Assemblyman McGuckin as Senator McGuckin

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Michael Milman, the Marlboro Township Council President, presided over the meeting and certified Pernice the winner over Daniel Matarese, 30 votes to 28, after members present voted to permit proxy ballots for the organizational election. In a letter to Monmouth County Republican Chairman Shaun Golden and New Jersey Republican State Chairwoman Christine Giordano Hanlon, Milman wrote that the committee — which keeps no local bylaws — conducted the meeting under New Jersey law and Robert’s Rules of Order, with the proxy motion made, seconded, and adopted by the membership before balloting began.

“Based upon the vote of the committee and the procedures approved by the membership, Joseph Pernice was duly elected,” Milman wrote.

Kolenovic tells a different story. In a competing letter to Golden and Hanlon, the outgoing chairman reported a 29-to-28 result for Matarese with the proxies excluded and argued the votes were improperly admitted. Among his objections, Kolenovic invoked Monmouth County Republican bylaws restricting proxies to cases of religious observance — but those county bylaws do not govern the internal proceedings of a municipal committee, which under New Jersey law adopts its own rules.

The dispute is the latest chapter in a long-running feud. Kolenovic, a persistent critic of the Monmouth County Republican Committee who challenged Golden’s leadership, became a prominent backer and fundraiser for gubernatorial candidate Bill Spadea, endorsing him in December 2024. CJN previously reported that Kolenovic donated $1,000 to disgraced former U.S. Senator Bob Menendez — now serving an 11-year federal sentence — and $1,500 to far-left Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern in 2021, contributions that drew sharp condemnation from Marlboro Republicans. Milman, joined by council member Antoinette DiNuzzo and former councilman Juned Qazi, had publicly called for Kolenovic’s resignation as GOP chair.

With Spadea’s gubernatorial bid failing miserably and Kolenovic increasingly isolated due to his own antics, the June 17 result reads less as an upset than as a reckoning. Recognition of the new chairman now rests with Golden and Hanlon — the same county and state leaders Kolenovic spent the past few years antagonizing.

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The Central Regional Headquarters will serve as a base for ambulance operations, mass casualty response, and EMS training, with coverage extending across Tinton Falls, Long Branch, Ocean Township, Eatontown, Shrewsbury Township, and Shrewsbury Borough.

What the Facility Houses

The station is equipped to hold four ambulances, the Mass Casualty Response Unit, and the Emergency Services Unit Rescue Truck. Regional EMS supervisors will also be stationed there.

Two dedicated classrooms will support the MedStar Training Division, providing space for certification programs, continuing education, and professional development for EMS personnel across the county.

By the Numbers

MedStar launched in February 2024. Since then, the division has responded to more than 22,000 calls for service, with an average response time under six minutes, and transported more than 15,000 patients to area hospitals. The program now provides primary EMS coverage to ten municipalities and primary backup coverage to five additional communities.

*Is that response time fast enough for the area it covers?* According to national EMS benchmarks, a six-minute average for a countywide operation of this scale is considered competitive — particularly given Monmouth County’s mix of dense suburban corridors and more rural inland areas.

What Officials Said

“The opening of our Central Regional Headquarters represents another significant advancement in public safety and emergency medical services for the residents of Monmouth County.”

— Sheriff Shaun Golden, Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office

“The new headquarters at Fort Monmouth will serve and better support our EMTs and paramedics out on the road by eliminating many of the logistical challenges associated with an agency of this size.”

— Timothy Sidley, MedStar EMS Director

“The new Central Regional Headquarters will help improve response times and ensure residents receive high-quality medical care when they need it most.”

— Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone, Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners

The Fort Monmouth property in Tinton Falls has been the subject of ongoing redevelopment since the Army base closed in 2011. Its central location within Monmouth County makes it a practical anchor for regional public safety infrastructure — placing the new headquarters within reach of some of the county’s more densely populated municipalities without committing to any single township.

MedStar’s growth since its 2024 launch has been notable. The program has added municipal coverage agreements, personnel, and now physical infrastructure at a pace that reflects the county’s investment in consolidating EMS operations under a single coordinated structure rather than relying entirely on municipal and volunteer-based response.

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Brazil and Morocco kicked off at 8:30 p.m. at the Meadowlands complex. What followed for many attendees was hours of confusion at designated pickup zones, scarce departing transit, and severe congestion around rideshare areas. Fans from around the world — many visiting New Jersey for the first time — reported waiting past midnight to leave the stadium.

“For Governor Sherrill, NJ Transit breakdowns are a distraction from her glamorous evening pressing the flesh with fellow elites. On the ground, New Jerseyans and visitors were left to live with the consequences of her failed leadership.”

— NJGOP Chairwoman Christine Giordano Hanlon

While fans were stuck, Gov. Mikie Sherrill was inside MetLife watching the match. She was photographed with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in a luxury suite.

“At a moment when New Jersey was on the global stage, the Sherrill Administration failed its most basic responsibility: moving people safely and efficiently,” said NJGOP Chairwoman Christine Giordano Hanlon. “Fans from around the world were left stranded for hours while state officials congratulated themselves on a transportation plan that clearly fell short.”

$98 Round-Trip Fares Didn’t Help

Republicans also trained their fire on the administration’s pricing strategy, noting that round-trip transit fares reached as high as $98 for World Cup matches. Critics argued the steep price point discouraged fans from using public transit — funneling more vehicles onto already congested Meadowlands roadways and overwhelming rideshare services that couldn’t handle the load.

“This was entirely predictable,” Hanlon said. “When you price families out of public transit and fail to coordinate basic logistics, you don’t get success. You get gridlock.”

So the question becomes: If New Jersey can’t move fans efficiently for one of the most-watched sporting events on the planet, what does that say about the state’s readiness for the remaining World Cup matches this summer - and the state of both NJ Transit and the Sherrill Administration’s preparedness overall?

The Sherrill Administration has not yet publicly responded to NJGOP’s criticism.

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The party said the findings came from public-records requests filed with all 21 counties in coordination with the Republican National Committee. NJGOP Chairwoman Christine Giordano Hanlon called the results preliminary. “We have just begun our analysis and already have uncovered significant breaches,” she said, describing them as “just the tip of the iceberg.”

The party points to the Motor Vehicle Commission as the central vulnerability. Non-citizens can legally hold New Jersey driver’s licenses and many qualify for Social Security numbers, and the state has run automatic voter registration through the MVC since 2018. Earlier this year New Jersey moved to an “opt-out” registration model, which Hanlon argues raises the risk that ineligible residents land on active voter rolls.

The announcement follows federal charges in May against four New Jersey residents accused of illegally voting. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the four, all green-card holders, voted in at least one federal election between 2020 and 2024 and falsely certified that they were citizens on their registration and naturalization forms. U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer said the cases reflected his office’s commitment to protecting the integrity of the election system.

According to the NJGOP, many of the registrations surfaced through self-reporting — non-citizens who asked to be removed during the naturalization process. “Without these disclosures, election officials may never have detected these individuals,” Hanlon said.

The party’s broader “hundreds” figure has not been independently verified. Current and former election officials have told the Associated Press that non-citizen voting is rare and that the decentralized U.S. system makes large-scale fraud nearly impossible, and state officials maintain New Jersey’s elections remain secure.

Hanlon said the task force’s work is ongoing as more county records arrive. “Election integrity is not a partisan or political issue,” she said, “but the very foundation of our democracy.”

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The Disabilities Rights Network is trying to fix that.

The network — a video podcast and YouTube channel built around individuals with special needs, their families, caregivers, educators, and advocates — announced the launch of Also Human, a new video podcast hosted by Mike Ferraro of Tomorrow’s Hope Today. The launch episode is available now on the DRN YouTube channel.

‘Every Person Belongs’

DRN’s pitch is simple, and it’s right there in the tagline: “Where every voice is heard, every story matters, and every person belongs.”

The network describes its mission as bridging the gap between individuals with disabilities and “the resources, rights, and recognition they deserve — one powerful conversation at a time.” That means real stories, actionable resources, and community-driven conversations aimed at systemic change — for children, adults, veterans, and families alike.

Not awareness-campaign wallpaper. Conversations with the people actually living it.

Why It Matters

Ask any family navigating special education services, adult disability programs, or veterans’ care what the hardest part is, and you’ll hear the same answer: finding out what help exists — and how to actually get it.

Who fills that gap?

That’s the lane Also Human is stepping into: a platform where families, caregivers, educators, and advocates trade firsthand knowledge instead of starting from scratch alone. DRN says the project is grounded in a shared belief that individuals with special needs deserve full access to resources, rights, dignity, and inclusion in American society.

The title makes the point before the first guest says a word. Also Human. It shouldn’t need saying. It still does.

Where to Watch - and Take Action

The launch episode of Also Human with host Mike Ferraro is streaming now on YouTube. New conversations will be published on the Disabilities Rights Network channel. The group will also take part in a Advocacy Day in Trenton alongside disability advocates Assemblymen Rob Clifton and Alex Sauickie.

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Smith is among the most senior figures in Congress. First elected in 1980, he is tied for the longest-serving current House member, and now sits as a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Over four decades he has built a profile around veterans’ services, health care, and anti-human-trafficking legislation.

The 4th District — covering conservative parts of Ocean and Monmouth counties — is among the state’s most reliably Republican seats, backing Trump by about 30 points in 2024. Smith faces little resistance in the GOP primary, while Democrats choose between John Blake and Rachel Peace for the right to challenge him in November.

President Trump also issued his endorsement for Smith in 2025. The current nod restates his support for the Congressman and is one of more than 200 that President Trump has issued ahead of the 2026 midterms as Republicans defend a narrow House majority. In New Jersey, he has also backed Representatives Jeff Van Drew and Thomas Kean Jr. Polls close at 8 p.m.

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The statement contradicts a May 13 press release from the Lebovics campaign, headlined “The Vaad Goes for Dr. Bob,” which announced that the candidate had “earned the endorsement of the Lakewood Vaad” in the Senate primary and quoted Lebovics thanking Rabbi Moshe Zev Weisberg “for organizing the meeting.”

In the above graphic provided to Central Jersey Newswire, the Vaad addressed only the local Republican primary, recommending Township Committee candidates Debbie Fuentes and Moshe Raitzik and stating that the council “does not generally issue formal endorsements in primary elections.” The graphic makes no reference to the U.S. Senate race.

Lebovics, an ear, nose and throat surgeon from Bergen County, is one of four Republicans on Tuesday’s ballot, along with Alex Zdan, Justin Murphy and Richard Tabor. The winner faces Democratic incumbent Sen. Cory Booker in November.

The Vaad’s support is among the most sought-after endorsements in the region, given the organized, high-turnout Orthodox communities across Ocean and Monmouth counties.
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The debate hosted by the New Jersey Globe and Rider University included discussion of a number of issues ranging from foreign policy to local matters. Zdan made it crystal clear that he will be a dynamic partner for New Jersey families who have been forgotten by Cory Booker and the corruption of the Washington Swamp. Zdan was also the only candidate to condemn the rise of antisemitism, commit to supporting ICE and President Trump’s efforts to curb illegal immigration, and to ending the war on families by Big Pharma and woke radicals.

Zdan also committed to considering replacing Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) whose failure to deliver on the SAVE Act has handicapped election integrity efforts, adding that he will be an independent voice that puts New Jersey first.

“As I said in the debate, Cory Booker is running for President - not the United States Senate - and is using New Jersey as his proving ground with nothing to show for it,” said Zdan. “I look forward to unifying our Republican party after a primary victory and galvanizing its diverse strengths while welcoming independents and even Democrats who are fed up with politics as usual.”

“Simply put: putting America first happens when you have a Senator that puts New Jersey first,” Zdan added.

Voters can watch the full debate on the New Jersey Globe’s YouTube page. Election Day is Tuesday, June 2nd.
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In his opening statement, Smith warned that forced organ harvesting has evolved into a global black market fueled by “coercion, poverty, corruption, secrecy, and demand,” with China at the center of many of the allegations. He described the practice as “murder masquerading as medicine” and argued that political prisoners, religious minorities, and vulnerable detainees have allegedly been turned into “inventory” for organ transplants.

Smith noted that he first chaired a congressional hearing on forced organ harvesting on June 18, 1996, adding that the evidence gathered over the last three decades has become “more disturbing, more detailed, and more compelling.” He cited longstanding allegations involving Falun Gong practitioners, peaceful men and women targeted by the Chinese Communist Party for eradication, as well as Uyghur Muslims, Christians, Tibetans, and death row inmates. He also referenced previous findings from the China Tribunal and testimony describing “military hospitals, impossibly short wait times, organs available on demand, and a transplant system that cannot withstand scrutiny.”

The hearing also featured testimony from witnesses who claimed to have firsthand knowledge of China’s prison and detention systems. Smith referenced accounts involving coerced consent forms, prisoners allegedly taken into surgery and never returning, and unconscious detainees reportedly transported into operating rooms under armed supervision.

“That is not voluntary donation,” Smith said. “That is execution by organ extraction.”

Smith additionally criticized the World Health Organization for accepting Beijing’s claims that its transplant system now complies with international standards, arguing international institutions have failed to adequately investigate the allegations.

A major focus of the hearing was Smith’s Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2025, legislation that passed the House by a 406-1 vote. The bill would criminalize participation in forced organ trafficking, impose sanctions, deny visas to offenders, and create penalties of up to 20 years in prison and fines reaching $1 million for knowingly facilitating coerced organ transplants. Smith urged the Senate to act on the legislation, warning that “every day without consequences is another day perpetrators operate in the shadows.”

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When asked about the moment he decided to run for Congress, McGuire didn’t hesitate to answer. This decision came during a federal government shutdown while he was serving as a Naval reservist. He watched younger reservists — kids barely out of college — suddenly lose the supplemental income they counted on for gas, groceries, and rent. Active-duty personnel eventually got protected, but many reservists just stayed home, unpaid, with past due bills piling up and reenlistment bonuses sitting in limbo for months.

”Washington was doing what Washington does, grinding through another round of partisan warfare, and these young men and women who’d raised their right hand to serve were just... caught in the middle of it,” said McGuire.

That was McGuire’s breaking point, but it took his wife, Samantha, to actually push him over the edge.

“Stop complaining about it and do something about it,” she said.

So, McGuire did - and now he’s on the ballot.

New Jersey’s third district that McGuire is running in cuts across parts of Monmouth, Mercer, and Burlington counties — communities where dinner table conversations tend to circle back to the same handful of things: property taxes, the cost of living, and public safety. Those aren’t just campaign themes he picked off a memo -they’re what people actually bring up when he’s out talking to voters. Toll hikes, housing costs, inflation, the general sense that New Jersey has become too expensive for the people who’ve spent their whole lives here - this is what keeps District 3 families awake at night, a feeling McGuire, who was a single parent while serving as a police officer, knows too well.

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McGuire joined the NYPD after serving in the United States Marine Corps. He was with the NYPD on September 11th — and like a lot of officers who lived through that day, it never really left him. He talks about it with a calm, measured reflection, the way most people do when something has genuinely reshaped how they see the world. That sense of duty carried into everything that followed: his legal career, his reserve service, his work as a mediator. After leaving law enforcement he became an attorney, drawing on years of actual experience in policing, the military, and finance rather than arriving at a career in law straight from a classroom. He makes a point of that distinction, saying real leadership isn't about volume -it's about understanding how systems work, knowing the law, and being willing to sit across the table from someone and actually solve something.

His platform tracks pretty closely with those concerns. He talks about affordability, border security, constitutional rights, government accountability — but what separates him from a lot of candidates is that he tends to arrive at these positions through lived experience rather than talking points.

Take immigration. His views are shaped by two things: years in law enforcement and his legal background. He’s blunt about sanctuary state policies, arguing they put both officers and communities at unnecessary risk. He kept coming back to one idea throughout the conversation: that federal, state, and local agencies should be working together, not actively getting in each other’s way.

On the economy and spending, he sounds less like a politician than like an accountant who’s had enough - which, to be fair, is partly what he is. McGuire prefers to get into the weeds on inflation, government waste, balanced budgets, and the math of what the country is actually spending versus what it’s taking in. It’s not glamorous stuff, but he clearly means it, because its that kind of stuff - the priorities behind budgets - that matter.

One of the more memorable parts of his pitch is the term limits angle. He’s signed a pledge supporting them and talks about it often, to the point where its both policy and punchline.

“Congress was never supposed to be a career destination,” He joked. “One of my first goals in Washington would be getting myself fired.” It lands because it doesn’t feel like a line he workshopped. He actually seems to believe it.

The most interesting stretch of the conversation, though, came when foreign policy came up. A lot of candidates in his position just reach for the nearest slogan. McGuire didn’t. McGuire considers himself “America First,” but then took some care to explain what he actually means by it.

“It’s not isolationism, but a disciplined framework where military intervention is tied to real national security interests, not ideology or political points,” he noted. It sounded less like cable news parroting and more like someone who has actually worn a uniform and thought seriously about what American national security means.

That thread runs through a lot of what McGuire talks about. He mentioned bringing his young sons to Washington after returning from active duty — walking them through Arlington, the Vietnam Memorial, the National Archives, and the Capitol. This wasn’t a photo op, but rather a way of trying to explain something harder to put into words: sacrifice, history, what it actually means to be part of something bigger than yourself.

Whether you agree with his politics and policy nuance or not, McGuire is running a campaign that’s rooted in service and authenticity. In a cycle full of manufactured personas and consultant-approved messaging, he’s making a pretty straightforward bet — that voters can still tell the difference between a biography and a brand.

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“Like many New Jerseyans, election integrity is of utmost importance to me. All Americans want free, fair and secure elections and a system that maintains the public trust,” Chairwoman Hanlon said. “The NJGOP Election Integrity Task Force will work to help ensure that New Jersey’s elections are securely and fairly administered and help safeguard the integrity of the process.”

The NJGOP’s Election Integrity Task Force is comprised of Republican elections officials and election law experts from throughout the state. The Task Force will complement the Republican National Committee’s ongoing election integrity efforts in New Jersey.

Voting irregularities made headlines in New Jersey last week as the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced four new cases against non-citizens illegally voting in federal elections in New Jersey.

“How were non-citizens able to vote, and how did they end up on the voter rolls in New Jersey in the first place?” Chairwoman Hanlon said. “The Election Integrity Task Force could not come at a better time. I am proud to lead this group of Republicans to ensure fair elections for all New Jerseyans.”

In addition to Chairwoman Hanlon, who has served as County Clerk of Monmouth County since 2015 and as a Commissioner on the Monmouth County Board of Elections prior to that, other members of the task force include:

• April Bengivenga, NJGOP Committeewoman representing Middlesex County

• James Foerst, Esq., Secretary and Commissioner of Registration for the Union County Board of Elections

• Linda Hughes, Republican Administrator of the Burlington County Board of Elections

• Donald Katz, Esq., Republican State Committeeman representing Middlesex County and Counsel to the Middlesex County Republican Organization

• William Pallatucci, Esq., New Jersey Republican National Committeeman

• Donald Purdy, Commissioner of the Atlantic County Board of Elections and Atlantic
  County Republican Chairman

• Jason Sena, Esq., New Jersey counsel to Republican National Committee and counsel to the NJGOP

“We are taking an ‘all-of-the-above’ approach, as nothing is more important than securing our elections,” Hanlon added. “We were founded on self-governance, the belief that we can determine our representation and our destiny. As our nation approaches its 250^th birthday, we are aiming to make our founding fathers proud by doubling down on the safeguards of our most precious institutions.”

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The New Jersey Republican State Committee is the official entity of the Republican National Committee and represents more than 1.6 million Republicans registered in New Jersey. For more information, visit NJGOP.org.

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Sauickie wrote the bill (A4008) in the Assembly, and it quickly picked up bipartisan support in the state Senate, where it has been introduced as S3638. It has strong support from advocates for those with IDD, Sauickie says. Sauickie, who along with his 12th District Assembly colleague Deputy Minority Leader Rob Clifton (R-Monmouth), helps lead a bipartisan coalition that recently hosted a statewide roundtable which heard emotional testimonies from families and advocates about abuse and neglect in group homes for disabled adults, CJN previously reported.

The legislation, the “Justice for Vulnerable Residents Act,” establishes an independent Justice Center for the Protection of Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities, designed to strengthen oversight, centralize investigations, and ensure accountability in cases of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

“This proposal is about protecting those who cannot always protect themselves,” Sauickie (R-Ocean) said. “For too long, families and advocates have raised concerns about fragmented oversight and inconsistent investigations. This bill brings real accountability, independence, and urgency to safeguarding some of our most vulnerable residents.”

The bill, introduced earlier this year, creates a Justice Center that will operate independently within, but not under the control of, the Department of Law and Public Safety which is headed by the state’s Attorney General. The Center will be responsible for investigating allegations of abuse, neglect, and exploitation involving individuals with IDD in state-licensed or operated residential and day programs.

The legislation is modeled in part on a proven framework used in New York and incorporates recommendations from advocates and the Office of the Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and Their Families, who have long called for a more centralized and independent investigative structure. Former ombudsman Paul Aronsohn — the first, and so far the only, state-appointed advocate for people with IDD — suggested looking at the New York model as a means of improving New Jersey’s system.

Sauickie emphasized the broad bipartisan support behind the bill, noting collaboration with colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the Assembly and Senate.

“I want to thank all of the sponsors of this legislation, including my Democratic colleagues, for recognizing the urgency and importance of this issue,” Sauickie said. “Protecting individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities should never be a partisan issue. The strong bipartisan support behind the bills sends a clear message: New Jersey is committed to doing better. I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the isle to join as co-sponsors in support of this important legislation.”

Under the legislation, the Justice Center will:

• Centralize and standardize investigations into abuse, neglect, and exploitation

• Establish dedicated criminal and civil investigation units

• Maintain and oversee the Central Registry of Offenders Against Individuals with Developmental Disabilities

• Provide enhanced transparency, reporting, and accountability

• Develop uniform training, policies, and oversight mechanisms across care settings

The bill also includes the creation of a specialized Medical Review Board to examine deaths from non-natural causes and identify systemic improvements to prevent future harm.

“This is about building a system that not only responds to incidents, but prevents them,” Sauickie added. “Families deserve peace of mind knowing that their loved ones are protected by a system that is independent, thorough, and accountable.”

The legislation has already garnered strong support from members of the IDD community, including families, advocates, and care providers.

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“For families like mine, this bill creating an independent Justice Center represents hope — hope that our loved ones will be safer, and that if something does happen, we will have answers and there will finally be real accountability. This legislation reflects years of advocacy, and will certainly offer families peace of mind and make a meaningful difference in the lives of people with disabilities.” — Joanne Curcio, member of the NJ State Policy Committee, New Jersey Chapter of National Council of Severe Autism, and the parent of a young adult with a developmental disability.

“The establishment of an independent Justice Center represents a critical step forward. This legislation creates a framework for enhanced oversight, investigation, and enforcement, ensuring that bad actors are held accountable for their actions, while strengthening protections for individuals with disabilities across New Jersey.” — Steve Setteducati, CEO of New Concepts for Living

Sauickie reiterated that this legislation represents a meaningful step toward long-overdue reform.

“Government has a fundamental responsibility to protect its people, especially those who are most vulnerable,” Sauickie said. “With this legislation, we are taking that responsibility seriously and delivering real reform that will save lives, improve care, and restore trust.”

The Assemblyman expressed confidence that the bipartisan momentum behind the legislation will help drive it to passage in the current legislative session.

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The investigation was conducted jointly by HSI Newark, HSI Los Angeles, and the U.S. Marshals Service, alongside international law enforcement partners. After authorities were notified that Israel was seeking to prosecute, coordination efforts led to his location and arrest. Pursuant to the U.S.-Israel extradition treaty, the Government of Israel requested a provisional arrest pending extradition, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey obtained a provisional arrest warrant from the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Farkash committed the acts while working as a teacher and director at Torat Hahyahim, a yeshiva in Bnei Brak, Israel between 2020 and 2023, according to court documents and the U.S. Marshals. The Asbury Park Press notes that Farkas started grooming one boy when he was 15, luring him with gifts and money, showing him pornography and telling him not to be ungrateful when he resisted his sexual advances, the complaint reads. According to charging documents, Farkash tried to sexually assault the boy on several occasions in Israel, including in a hot tub while at a bed and breakfast, at a waterpark, in a vehicle on a drive and in an apartment he rented. He tried to kiss and touch another teen boy in a car while on a shopping excursion, according to the charging documents.

Farkash fled Israel on Jan. 4, 2024 after the first victim reported him to a staff member at the Jewish boarding school.

“This arrest reflects the strength of international cooperation in pursing individuals accused of serious crimes, especially those involving the exploitation of minors,” said Nicholas Ricigliano, Acting U.S. Marshal for the District of New Jersey, in a release from the U.S. Marshals.

“We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting New Jersey by enhancing border security and ensuring the United States does not become a haven for criminal fugitives,” said HSI Newark Special Agent in Charge Michael S. McCarthy in a release from ICE.

“Through robust collaboration with HSI Los Angeles, the U.S. Marshals Service and our global law enforcement partners, we proactively identify individuals who threaten public safety and diligently pursue justice for those accused of serious indecent acts against minors. The United States will not provide sanctuary to those seeking to escape accountability,” McCarthy continued.

The extradition matter is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey in coordination with the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

The U.S. Marshals Service has a longstanding role in supporting fugitive investigations through strong interagency partnerships. These efforts have led to the development of both permanent and ad hoc task forces designed to respond to cases posing immediate threats to public safety. In 2025, U.S. Marshals Service-led fugitive task forces arrested more than 73,000 fugitives and cleared nearly 88,000 warrants nationwide.
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