Author: ECCYC

New Jersey Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger and Assemblywoman Beth Sawyer recently got together and reviewed some of the sex educational lesson plans that have been previously approved by the New Jersey state Board of Education.

“Schools are veering so far from the mission of academics. People are paying two-thirds of their property taxes to send their kids to school, not learn about porn,” Scharfenberger (R-Monmouth) said.

If implemented, the new standards, which may begin this fall, “will teach children medically accurate names for genitalia by the second grade, the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity by fifth grade, and the definition of vaginal, oral and anal sex by the end of middle school. It also covers masturbation and consent, among other adult topics,” said Scharfenberger and Sawyer.

Here is a link to a video of the two New Jersey legislators discussing these graphic sex education topics slated to be taught to such young children.

WATCH: NJ’s outrageously cringeworthy sex education standards | GOP Reaction Couch

Assemblywoman Sawyer directly responds to a point that we have been making on-air:

“This is going to put thoughts in children’s minds that they don’t need. If a softball coach or a babysitter was showing this to your child, I promise you the police would be showing up at their doorstep,” Sawyer (R-Gloucester) said.

The response by parents, grandparents and fellow New Jerseyans has been universally critical of this radical approach to teaching children (as young as (6-years-old) in New Jersey public schools.

The fallout has caused Gov. Phil Murphy to order a review of the standards earlier this week on April 13, 2022.

Developing.

SOURCE: The Reaction Couch is a web series produced by the New Jersey Assembly Republican Office that brings legislators together to watch clips and share their thoughts on hot topics concerning the residents of New Jersey. To watch more episodes, visit youtube.com/NJAssemblyGOP.

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TRENTON — Gender identity and sexual orientation as part of health and physical education lessons in public elementary schools remain a hotbed of controversy, even after Gov. Phil Murphy’s announcement that the state would reexamine the framework.

Lawmakers from both major political parties have called for a pause to ensure age appropriateness when it comes to actual classroom applications, as the standards were set to be enacted in time for the 2022-2023 school year.

“These standards were adopted in the spring of 2020 when everyone had a few other things on their minds. The silver lining of the release of the controversial curriculum is that everyone is paying attention,” Sen. Declan O’Scanlon said in a written statement to New Jersey 101.5. “Let’s take advantage of that fact and work with parents to develop standards that work for all… especially our kids.”

O’Scanlon, R-Monmouth, continued “It should be made clear that the problem here is with curriculum and standards, not the LGBTQ community. Those attempting to weaponize this debate against this community must stop. Division and animosity help no one.”

Around the time of Murphy’s announcement on Wednesday, a dozen Democratic South Jersey legislators issued a joint statement urging such a “thorough review.”

“We believe parents, healthcare professionals, educators, and boards of education must all be together at the table to help guide children through the next stages of their education, particularly after two years of difficult learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Governor Murphy should immediately conduct a thorough review of the health sciences curriculum framework to ensure that only age-appropriate lessons are being taught to our children.

It is critically important to ensure that school children receive a well-rounded, science-based education that also respects their natural stages of development.

If there are local boards of education that are acting beyond the scope of the intended curriculum, the Department of Education should act swiftly to bring them in line with acceptable standards.”

The joint statement was signed by Senators Jim Beach, Fred Madden, Nilsa Cruz-Perez and Troy Singleton, as well as Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald and Assembly members Pamela Lampitt, Herb Conaway, Carol Murphy, Paul Moriarty, Gabriela Mosquera, Bill Moen and Bill Spearman.

In exchanges on Twitter, O’Scanlon was also asked to condemn the frequent use of inflammatory words by some critics of any inclusion of gender identity issues in the classroom.

“I have done so…reiterate here again…those people accusing anyone of being a pedophile or “groomer” in the context of policy disagreement need to stop. Personal, unfounded attacks diminish value of legit debate and are cruel.I have problems w/curriculum. Firmly support LGBTQ community.”

Sen. Holly Shepisi, R-Bergen, said that a “disinformation alert” released by NJEA about a potential curriculum was “disingenuous, at best.”

In a written statement, she pointed to a couple of sample lesson plans offered for use by the non-profit “Advocates for Youth,” which have been widely shared on social media amid the heightened concern over how standards will be applied in classrooms.

Those sample lesson plans, which are not adopted at the state level, include a potential gender identity lesson for second graders, and a lesson on hormones, including hormone blockers, for fifth graders.

“Progressive groups have been trying to incorporate their far-left ideologies into our children’s curriculum for years,” Schepisi said.

Standards versus curriculum

Revised education standards include gender identity and sexual orientation as just one part of comprehensive health and physical education, depending on grade level.

Standards are set at the state level and define what is to be learned by the end of a school year.

Curriculum refers to the detailed plan for day-to-day teaching — it varies from district to district.

Grades are banded together in the plans as Kindergarten through second and grades third through fifth.

The next “bands” for lesson standards are grades 6 through 8 and high schoolers, grades 9-12.

Among the standards now being scrutinized, there is a suggestion for the youngest grades (K-2) to “discuss the range of ways people express their gender and how gender role stereotypes may limit behavior.”

For grades 3-5, the basic difference between sexual orientation and gender identity is mentioned in the state DOE standards, as revised in June 2020.

A day before Murphy’s call for the standards to be reviewed, Sen. Vin Gopal, D-Monmouth, had said that a great deal of misinformation was being circulated and that state officials should step in to reassure and inform parents.

He said that the guidelines were meant to “highlight and promote diversity, equity, inclusion, tolerance and belonging, on topics including gender and sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, disabilities, religious tolerance.”

“I think it’s imperative on the Department of Education and the governor to take a pause, and provide clarity provide an easy one-pager, say exactly what’s in there, what the districts can and can’t do,” Gopal previously said.

With previous reporting by David Matthau and Rick Rickman

Erin Vogt is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at erin.vogt@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.

Two studies leaning on research out of the Rutgers School of Nursing and School of Public Health found New Jersey has low utilization of palliative and hospice care for patients with metastatic cancer, compared to the rest of the United States.

Some of the alarming disparities across demographics may be due to the Garden State being the most ethnically diverse in the nation, said the first author of both studies, Bridget Nicholson, a School of Nursing PhD graduate, clinical consultant, and nurse practitioner, but further research will be needed to determine if that theory holds.

What is clear is that metastatic cancer patients have a high symptom burden, characterized primarily by pain and depression, which Nicholson said can both be eased by palliative care.

The studies, “Hospice Referral in Advanced Cancer in New Jersey,” published in the Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing, and “Palliative Care Use in Advanced Cancer in the Garden State,” published in Cancer Nursing: An International Journal for Cancer Care Research, established some opposing trends.

Nicholson said palliative care access was more affected by the age, income level, or insurance status of a patient than race or a language barrier, but treatment of the main symptoms, pain and depression, differed.

“Pain influenced the use of palliative care, and if you had pain, you were much more likely to have a palliative care consult, but depression was not predictive of an inpatient palliative care consult,” she said, while adding that depression can manifest in some unique ways. “We need culturally sensitive scales to measure depression in diverse populations, so that we can identify it more appropriately across populations.”

But she said Black and Hispanic residents were less likely to receive hospice referrals, which is concerning because it puts into sharp focus what New Jersey could be doing better to provide in-home care in certain communities and extend survival for patients — even if the path to get there has not yet really taken shape.

“Those patients who did not speak a primary language of English also had significantly lower odds of receiving a hospice referral,” Nicholson said.

The data that was examined came from well before the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2018, but Nicholson admitted the coronavirus has changed everything, and newer figures need to be studied to really determine if New Jersey is improving in any of these areas.

Next would be giving health care providers the necessary education and training to infiltrate and benefit underserved communities.

“Patients deserve the same level of care regardless of their language spoken or their demographics, and pain and depression are symptoms that really need to be addressed,” Nicholson said.

Patrick Lavery is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at patrick.lavery@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.

Peter S. Strumolo of Verona, NJ, formerly of Bloomfield; A devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend to all, passed away peacefully at Morristown Medical Center on Monday April 11, 2022 at the age of 75.
Peter was born on May 15, 1946 and grew up in Newark and the Silver Lake section of Belleville. During high school, Peter met the love of his life, Naomi. The two married and raised three sons in Bloomfield. After attending Belleville High School, Peter attended Miami Military Academy where he played football and graduated in 1965. After returning from Miami, Peter started his long, successful career at the New Jersey Garden State Parkway where he worked his way from Toll Collector to Superintendent of Maintenance. After his retirement from the Parkway, Peter work as a Supervisor of Job Development for Essex County OneStop, helping, mentoring, and guiding the career paths of many.
Peter was a proud public servant and served as Democratic Chairman for Bloomfield for 16 years. During his tenure he led numerous campaigns, fund raisers, and charity events for underprivileged children. He loved and cared for his community and helped as many people as he could.
Peter is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Naomi (nee Wydra), their devoted sons Peter G. Strumolo and wife Tami of Parsippany, Christian Strumolo and fiancé Joanna Rolleczek of Verona, Stephen Strumolo, and wife Michelle of Colonia; He also leaves behind five grandchildren that he absolutely adored, Sydney, Luke, Logan, Devin and Gemma. The brother of Marie (Strumolo) Burke of Belleville, uncle to Anthony Gammaro of Cedar Grove and his wife Lorraine. He was preceded in death by his parents Connie (nee Natale) and Fiore Strumolo.
Peter was loved and respected by so many friends, family, political colleagues and co-workers, he will truly be missed by all.
Relatives and friends are invited to the visitation at the O’Boyle Funeral Home, 309 Broad Street, Bloomfield, NJ 07003 on Monday, April 18, 2022 from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM. A mass will be held on Tuesday, at Lady of the Lake Church, 32 Lakeside Ave, Verona NJ at 10:00am followed by burial in the Glendale Cemetery, Bloomfield, NJ. Please express condolences at www.oboylefuneralhome.com

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The Under Cover Music Fest returns to South Orange Downtown on Saturday, May 14, from 4 to 10 p.m., presented by Mark Murphy’s Music and Pollock Properties Group of Keller Williams. More than 1,000 music lovers of all ages are expected to gather at the Sloan Street parking lot for an evening of great food, a bustling beer garden and free live music.

“We’re excited to bring UCMF back after three years, now bigger and better,” SODT Executive Director Melissa Hodge said. “We’ve got more local business involvement with sidewalk sales during the fest and it will serve as the kickoff to a great summer of events downtown.”

This one-of-a-kind event features world-class musicians performing covers of the most popular hits from a collection of famous artists: Deadful Greats will cover The Grateful Dead; Karl Latham Big Fun(k) will cover Herbie Hancock; Vivienne Frederick and Mark Murphy’s Music Faculty Band will cover Stevie Wonder; Autumn Jones will cover Lauryn Hill; Dustin Kaufman will cover Phil Collins; and Charlie Pollock and Friends will cover Led Zeppelin.

Vanessa Pollock, founder of Pollock Properties Group of Keller Williams, said, “We are so proud to once again sponsor Under Cover Music Fest! We are passionate about music and music education access through the Achieve Foundation’s Vanessa Pollock Music Initiative, and we are committed to supporting quality-of-life initiatives for all local residents with events like this one. The VP Music Initiative focuses on providing access and equity for music education for every child in the SOMA school district.”

The Fox & Falcon will host a large beer garden with a cash bar, which will serve beer and cider from NJ’s best breweries, including SOMA Brewing, Four City Brewing Co., Kane Brewing Co. and Michigan’s Founders Brewing Co. Food will be available for purchase from The Fox & Falcon, Miti Miti and Tandoori Chef II. This family-friendly event will have children’s activities in the Y-Zone from 4 to 6 p.m., courtesy of the South Mountain YMCA, and main stage sponsor Wonder will host a special game area with cornhole, ping-pong, shuffleboard and other fun activities.

Festival guests are allowed to bring their own food, blankets and low-profile folding chairs — no higher than 9 inches off the ground. Downtown parking will be free thanks to the South Orange Parking Authority. The rain date for UCMF is Sunday, May 15, from 3 to 9 p.m.

  Achieve Foundation, South Orange Downtown

Greetings, fellow residents of Montclair.

As many of us are aware, there is a heightened sense of urgency regarding traffic and safety concerns at multiple intersections in our township. Two intersections in particular — the Watchung Plaza, Watchung Avenue and Park Street intersection, and the corner of Valley Road and Mt. Hebron Road — have been problematic with respect to the number of recent accidents that have occurred at these locations. Both intersections are highly trafficked by pedestrians and motor vehicles, schools are in close proximity to both areas, and the safety of pedestrians and motorists has been tenuous and must be addressed. 

Sixteen accidents have occurred at the intersection of Mt. Hebron Road and Valley Road over the past two years, including an accident in June of 2021 involving the Bradford School crossing guard being hit by a vehicle. Three accidents occurred in the month of November 2021 alone, one involving a turned-over car on a weekday morning while school was in session. These incidents have hit close to home as I was involved in a car accident at this very corner in February of this year.

The Township Council recently requested that Essex County commission a traffic study for the Watchung Avenue, Park Street, and Watchung Plaza area. Four crashes have been reported at this intersection in 2022, including an incident with a mother and child being struck by a car on March 14. 

This is unacceptable. 

I support the request for a traffic study and — as a county commissioner — I will do all I can to facilitate its completion. Upon review of the traffic study, I will employ all means at my disposal to have Essex County act with urgency in implementing any and all recommendations offered to improve safety for our residents.

Additionally, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the need for a similar study at the intersection of Valley Road and Mt. Hebron Road. It is clear that safety measures at these intersections must be enhanced and in compliance with the SAFE Complete Streets Implementation Plan prepared by the Township of Montclair, as well as the Complete Streets policies adopted by Essex County in 2012. 

The safety of our residents must always be our highest priority. Issues must be handled proactively and with urgency, rather than waiting for horrific injury or worse due to unsafe traffic conditions. I look forward to working with the Township of Montclair, the Essex County Department of Public Works and our County Administration to expedite the process of having these concerns addressed.

Brendan W. Gill
County commissioner and Montclair resident

Editor’s note: The Montclair Township Council passed a resolution at its April 5 meeting \asking county officials to install overhead traffic signals at the Mt. Hebron Road and Valley Road intersection, where there are currently lower pole-mounted lights. The Montclair Township Police Department conducted an initial traffic study of the intersection in February, and determined there was a speeding issue on Hebron Road East of Valley Road, officials have said; a more comprehensive study with further speed monitoring of the area is planned.

Montclair Local’s Opinion section is an open forum for civil discussion in which we invite readers to discuss town matters, articles published in Montclair, or previously published letters. Views expressed and published in this section are solely those of the writers, and do not represent the views of Montclair Local. 

Letters to the editor: To submit a letter to the editor, email letters@montclairlocal.news, or mail “Letters to the Editor,” PO Box 752, Montclair, NJ, 07042 (email is preferred). Submissions must include the name, address and phone number of the writer for verification. Only the writer’s name and town of residence will be published. Montclair Local does not publish anonymous opinion pieces.

Letters must be no more than 500 words in length, and must be received by the Sunday prior to publication to be eligible for use in any Thursday print issue. Letters may be edited by Montclair Local for grammar and style. While our goal is to publish most letters we receive, Montclair Local reserves the right to decline publication of a letter for any reason, including but not limited to concerns about unproven or defamatory statements, inappropriate language, topic matter far afield of the particular interests of Montclair residents, or available space.

Town Square: Montclair Local also accepts longer-form opinion essays from residents aiming to generate discussion on topics specific to the community, under our “Town Square” banner. “Town Square” essays should be no more than 750 words in length, and topics should be submitted to letters@montclairlocal.news at least seven days prior to publication.

PARSIPPANY — To support a United Way of Northern New Jersey initiative designed to make child care services more available and affordable, especially for families living paycheck-to-paycheck, Rep. Mikie Sherrill and New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy teamed up Wednesday.

They visited the Parsippany Childcare Center to tout United in Care, a four-year pilot project that is recruiting home-based child care providers as partners in Sherrill’s 11th District, which includes much of Morris County, parts of Passaic County and extends into suburban Essex County.

United Way recently received $1.1 million from Congress to expand the program, designed to increase access to child care, beginning with what they call “ALICE” (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households.

Those funds came from the House appropriations bill for fiscal 2022.

“High quality, affordable and flexible child care for all working parents is absolutely critical to our state’s economic recovery,” said United Way of Northern New Jersey CEO Kiran Handa Gaudioso.

About United in Care

According to United Way research, 37% of the nearly 22,000 families with children in the 11th District were considered “ALICE,” or in poverty, and struggled to afford basics pre-pandemic.

United In Care was conceptualized during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its launch in 2020, the pilot has established alliances in other child care areas of need across the state in Hudson, Warren, Gloucester and Camden counties.

“It really has turned out to be an incredibly tough couple of years for so many families,” Sherrill, D-Montclair, said of the COVID-19 pandemic. “But what has been a bright spot for me has been how our federal, state and local governments have come together to make sure we have been taking care of our families. And one of these areas has been child care.”

The Parsippany Child Day Care Center will serve as the anchor for the pilot’s shared-services model, which seeks to maintain and expand the existing child care infrastructure.

Portions of the district still suffer from a scarce supply of child care, according to Childcaredeserts.org.

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They hope to recruit up to 10 registered home-based child care providers with help from Child & Family Resources of Mount Arlington. Through the pilot, these local small businesses will access free resources, expertise and technical support.

United In Care is designed to also improve the quality of life for child care workers in the program, many of whom are ALICE essential workers and represent growing small businesses in the community.

The project is looking for home-based child care providers to join the 11th District alliance. Interested business owners can contact Susan.Cohen@UnitedWayNNJ.org or call her at 973-220-9494. Providers can also call Child & Family Resources at 973-398-1730.

Costly burden of child care

Sherrill, a mother of four, talked of earning less at her full-time job than she was paying in child care.

“My husband asked if I could get a less-expensive hobby than my job,” she said.

The costly burden of child care is harder for lower-income families and women in particular.

“We now know if a woman leaves the workforce at age 26, even for just five years, that’s a 20% hit on her lifetime earnings,” Sherrill said.

Referring to U.S. child care as “a broken system,” Murphy said United in Care can be “a role model for the rest of the country.”

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com Twitter: @wwesthoven

DJENEBA ADUAYOM

ELIZABETH ALEXANDER

Elizabeth Alexander, Jennifer Egan, Don Winslow and many others will talk about their recent books as part of Suceed2gether’s sixth annual Montclair Literary Festival, May 5-9.

Most of the 25 events — including interviews, panels and children’s programming — are free and will be held at the Montclair Public Library Auditorium and the sanctuary of Montclair’s First Congregational Church, as well as in tents outside both venues.

Festival chair and Succeed2gether president Marcia Marley says it will be “an exchange of ideas and a celebration of our diverse community.”

MSNBC/NBC political analyst Tim O’Brien will interview Gideon Rachman about his new book, “The Age of the Strongman: How the Cult of the Leader Threatens Democracy Around the World.” Former U.S. congresswoman Marjorie Margolies’ will talk about the subject of trying to have it all, based on her book, “And How Are the Children?: Timeless Lessons from the Frontlines of Motherhood.”

Anna Quindlen will talk about why writing is good for us all, and Joyce Carol Oates, about mystery and suspense writing.

These three ticketed events will be held in the First Congregational Church:

• Pulitzer Prize-winning author Egan will talk about her moving novel “The Candy House” with author Garth Risk Hallberg, May 6 at 7 p.m.

• Pulitzer Prize finalist Alexander will discuss her book “The Trayvon Generation,” May 7 at noon, with feminist activist, author and scholar Salamishah Tillet. The book expands on her 2020 New Yorker essay, written in the wake of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd’s deaths by police officers, by examining artistic and cultural responses to racial injustice 10 years after the death of Trayvon Martin.

• Best-selling crime writer and political commentator Winslow will talk about his latest novel “City on Fire” with Montclair resident and CBS correspondent Jim Axelrod, May 8 at 6 p.m.

Also, said Katrina Browning, the festival’s director of marketing and publicity, “We will have five fun children’s authors, Pitchapalooza is back in person, and four writing workshops (will take place) the following weekend.” At Pitchapalooza, aspiring writers make mini-pitches for their projects, and the winner gets an introduction to an appropriate agent or publisher.

I look forward to the festival’s timely panel on criminal justice reform with Judge Victoria Pratt and M. Chris Fabricant of The Innocence Project. But as in years past, this festival has more noteworthy authors than one could possibly hear, making it difficult to decide which events to attend. This is an enviable problem.

All authors appear for free, according to the festival’s website, so buying their books from festival partner Watchung Booksellers helps support them.

The festival raises funds and awareness for the work of Succed2gether, a nonprofit organization that addresses unequal access to educational resources by providing free, enrichment classes and one-on-one tutoring and post-high-school resources to children in need from Essex County. The organization’s goal is to assist in closing education gaps in the area.

For information and updates, visit succeed2gether.org/montclair-literary-festival.

DJENEBA ADUAYOM

ELIZABETH ALEXANDER

Elizabeth Alexander, Jennifer Egan, Don Winslow and many others will talk about their recent books as part of the impressive and diverse lineup of Suceed2gether’s sixth annual Montclair Literary Festival, May 5-9.

Most of the 25 events — including interviews, panels and children’s programming — are free and will be held at the Montclair Public Library Auditorium and the sanctuary of Montclair’s First Congregational Church, as well as in tents outside both venues.

Festival chair and Succeed2gether president Marcia Marley says it will be “an exchange of ideas and a celebration of our diverse community.”

MSNBC/NBC political analyst Tim O’Brien will interview Gideon Rachman about his new book, “The Age of the Strongman: How the Cult of the Leader Threatens Democracy Around the World.” Former U.S. congresswoman Marjorie Margolies’ will talk about the subject of trying to have it all, based on her book, “And How Are the Children?: Timeless Lessons from the Frontlines of Motherhood.”

Anna Quindlen will talk about why writing is good for us all, and Joyce Carol Oates, about mystery and suspense writing.

These three ticketed events will be held in the First Congregational Church:

• Pulitzer Prize-winning author Egan will talk about her moving novel “The Candy House” with author Garth Risk Hallberg, May 6 at 7 p.m.

• Pulitzer Prize finalist Alexander will discuss her book “The Trayvon Generation,” May 7 at noon, with feminist activist, author and scholar Salamishah Tillet. The book expands on her 2020 New Yorker essay, written in the wake of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd’s deaths by police officers, by examining artistic and cultural responses to racial injustice 10 years after the death of Trayvon Martin.

ROBERT GALLAGHER

DON WINSLOW

• Best-selling crime writer and political commentator Winslow will talk about his latest novel “City on Fire” with Montclair resident and CBS correspondent Jim Axelrod, May 8 at 6 p.m.

Also, said Katrina Browning, the festival’s director of marketing and publicity, “We will have five fun children’s authors, Pitchapalooza is back in person, and four writing workshops (will take place) the following weekend.” At Pitchapalooza, aspiring writers make mini-pitches for their projects, and the winner gets an introduction to an appropriate agent or publisher.

I look forward to the festival’s timely panel on criminal justice reform with Judge Victoria Pratt and M. Chris Fabricant of The Innocence Project. But as in years past, this festival has more noteworthy authors than one could possibly hear, making it difficult to decide which events to attend. This is an enviable problem.

All authors appear for free, according to the festival’s website, so buying their books from festival partner Watchung Booksellers helps support them.

The festival raises funds and awareness for the work of Succed2gether, a nonprofit organization that addresses unequal access to educational resources by providing free, enrichment classes and one-on-one tutoring and post-high-school resources to children in need from Essex County. The organization’s goal is to assist in closing education gaps in the area.

For information and updates, visit succeed2gether.org/montclair-literary-festival.

The FBI is seeking employment applications from Ocean County government for the past five years, according to two subpoenas from the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

The subpoenas served to both Robert Greitz, director of Ocean County Department of Employee Relations, and Board of Commissioners Clerk Michelle Gunther seeks employment applications for employees hired by the county between 2017 and 2021 and “any referrals or other hiring correspondence from Ocean County Commissioners contained in what are commonly known as ‘THE BLUE BOOKS(s)’ for the same time period.”

A blue book is so called because it is a binder of that color used to record contact information of people who make inquiries about a job.

Why were the subpoenas issued?

The subpoenas do not disclose a reason for the request. The FBI’s Newark office would not comment on the subpoenas.

County officials told the Asbury Park Press that the investigation is looking into allegations that public employment was offered in exchange for a kickback or other favors. The Press, who did not identify their sources, was first to report on the subpoenas.

“The Ocean County Board of Commissioners is fully cooperating with the FBI investigation into the county’s hiring practices,” county spokesman Rich Peterson told New Jersey 101.5. ” federal subpoena was received in county offices on March 23. All documentation requested by federal investigators was hand-delivered to the FBI’s Red Bank office on Tuesday April 12.”

Peterson said the county had no additional comment.

SEE ALSO: Ocean County GOP boss gets year in prison for tax crimes — claims he’s a rich ‘hoarder’

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.

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