Noticias

Today , perhaps more than any other time in our country’s history, we need to encourage debate and discussion.

This is particularly so when it comes to our elective offices.

Our law firm, O’Toole Scrivo, recently put our money where our mouth is, and we were honored to serve as the chief sponsor at this Sunday’s gubernatorial debate, which was the largest gubernatorial debate in our state’s long history.

Over 1,600 people attended, and over 100 media outlets reported on or covered this historic event.  This was the largest single debate in New Jersey history.   And in accordance with the wishes of the delegates to the 1947 Constitutional Convention, the questions reflected state issues and there was no attempt to nationalize the race.

As a former state office holder, I have participated in many debates and can attest to the value of these conversations.

This year, we have two qualified and experienced candidates running for governor, and the two bring two different perspectives and two different opinions, and it is incumbent upon us to hear out these views and make an informed choice on Election Day.

This debate came at a critical time as we witness our nation get rocked by violence against Republican and Democratic candidates, and it is sad and tragic that we are party to such horrible acts.

I’m sure many will agree with me that things have to change.

It is with this backdrop that we need to encourage civilized debate among our leaders and allow these differences to be addressed and shared, without fear of violence or intimidation.
Tom Scrivo and I made a conscious decision to sponsor this debate and hope that we can encourage our democracy to operate as it was envisioned and drafted by the framers of our Constitution.

For those unaware of what it takes to pull together a debate at this level, let me give you a peek behind the curtain.

A four-member Election Commission ( ELEC) studied a number of proposals, and they unanimously elected the New Jersey Globe to sponsor the first of two gubernatorial debates. (+help needed).

It is a credit to the Globe and a great credit to the person behind the scenes, David Wildstein, who orchestrated and directed this public service wonder.  His vision of a town hall-style debate with questions coming from real people (including a 96-year-old woman whose late husband served in the Senate with me 24 years ago, and a 12-year-old seventh grader concerned about integrity of elected officials) was exactly what voters want to see.

The painstaking detail and planning by Rider University (Micah Rasmussen), On New Jersey, and the other partners (help needed +), this civic project should be commented on and appreciated.

The sheer magnitude of security concerns that the amazing New Jersey State Police and their leader, Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Callahan, must be acknowledged and honored.
The extraordinary execution by the Rider University administration and student body must be commended.

The lead-up to the actual debate is literally weeks of work that is unseen and unheard by members of the public. But rest assured, had this team not done the hard preparation and planning, the professional and nearly flawless debate that we witnessed would never have seen the light of day.

And this is a credit to all those who played some role in this Democratic exercise.

As we review the aftermath and results of this debate, it becomes crystal clear that we need more forums like this, not fewer.

We need more of us to play a role in encouraging respectful dialogue and understanding, not less.

We should lower our voices and allow others to speak, and hope we outgrow the episodic reality of today of disdain, ignorance, and hatred.

We should be encouraged that our system allows people to express themselves without retribution, and these debates are the political might needed to help us preserve the integrity and dignity of the American way of life.

The post The O’Toole Chronicles: Debates play a key role in political campaigns appeared first on New Jersey Globe.

An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General found probable cause that Starbucks violated laws against discrimination when the coffee chain allegedly failed to provide a breastfeeding barista adequate space to pump milk.

A barista in Sicklerville said she requested a private space to pump her breastmilk during her shift. Instead of a private room, according to the investigation, the store’s manager purchased a tri-fold privacy screen set in a back room near sinks, storage, and products. Co-workers occasionally bumped into the screen, making the barista nervous about the lack of privacy and instability of the screen.

After once again requesting a private space, her manager allegedly returned to her with two options: accept the privacy screen or extend her leave of absence. She opted to take two months of unpaid leave because she felt unsafe and uncomfortable in the work environment.

“These protections are essential because no working parent should ever have to choose between working their shift and feeding their child,” Attorney General Matt Platkin said in a release. “Violating the law in this context is illegal, and it too often has the deeply damaging effect of pushing new mothers out of the workforce. The enforcement action announced today underscores our ongoing commitment to protecting working parents from discrimination and puts employers on notice: if you violate our laws, we will hold you accountable.”

With the finding of probable cause, the parties will have a chance to negotiate a voluntary settlement. If no settlement is reached, the Division on Civil Rights will appoint a deputy attorney general to prosecute the case.

“New Jersey’s powerful civil rights laws offer protections to workers who need to express milk during the workday,” said Yolanda N. Melville, the director of the Division on Civil Rights. “We’re committed to fighting for the rights of postpartum employees who need accommodations to return to work while maintaining their milk supply so that they are not forced by their employer to endure unacceptable conditions in order to feed their baby.”

Starbucks did not immediately return a request for comment.

The post OAG finds Starbucks may have violated rights of breastfeeding barista appeared first on New Jersey Globe.

When Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-Newark)’s May 9 oversight visit at the Delaney Hall immigrant detention facility descended into chaos, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) didn’t hold back: Democratic representatives had “stormed the gate and broke into the facility,” DHS alleged in a statement, as part of a “bizarre political stunt.”

That statement, as well as several others targeting McIver, has now been removed.

McIver, who faces federal assault charges stemming from the Delaney Hall incident, filed a motion last month demanding that President Donald Trump’s administration cease making “extrajudicial statements” about her and that prior statements posted online be withdrawn. The statements, McIver’s lawyers wrote, “violate long-standing regulations and ethical rules that protect the rights of criminal defendants and the integrity of the judicial process.”

In its response to McIver’s filings, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said that while it does not believe the statements have created any risk of an impartial jury, it had nevertheless asked DHS to take down the five specific posts referenced in McIver’s motion. The posts were still available to view when the DOJ’s brief was filed, but were evidently removed in the week since then.

A spokesperson for McIver declined to comment. DHS did not respond to a request for comment.

In addition to DHS’s initial statement on the Delaney Hall scuffle, the other four removed posts were a statement rebutting “fake news” narratives about law enforcement that said McIver had “trespassed” at Delaney Hall; a statement claiming McIver and an unrelated California Democrat were “openly encouraging” violence against law enforcement; a statement once again claiming McIver had “trespassed” while connecting her to a rise in assaults on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents; and a post from DHS’s X account featuring video of McIver “storm[ing] the gate of Delaney Hall Detention Center [and] ASSAULTING an ICE agent.”

Other statements with similar tone and content that were not directly cited in McIver’s motion, however, remain available, including an X post from DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin that is a near-exact copy of the removed DHS statement. (McLaughlin’s post, like several others from May 9, only references Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez, who were also part of the oversight visit; it’s possible that DHS officials were not yet aware that McIver was also involved.)

Notably, four of the five removed posts contain references to one of the most contentious parts of the entire snafu: whether or not McIver, Watson Coleman, and Menendez “broke into” Delaney Hall in the first place.

That was the line that DHS used repeatedly in the aftermath of the incident, but the three representatives said that they had done no such thing, and video and photo evidence backs them up; federal law guarantees members of Congress access to ICE facilities for oversight visits regardless. And the DOJ’s own detailed timeline of the incident contains no obvious reference to any trespassing or “breaking in” on McIver’s part; it states that McIver and her colleagues “entered through the front gate” and were eventually granted an oversight tour.

DHS did not respond to a question about whether it continues to believe McIver, Menendez, and Watson Coleman were trespassing.

The post Trump admin removes some anti-McIver posts after DOJ request appeared first on New Jersey Globe.

Former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett’s campaign for New Jersey’s 7th congressional district has picked up the support of the man who helped turn Summit blue.

Jordan Glatt, whose election as the mayor of Summit in 2003 made him the first Democrat to lead the Union County suburb in a century, announced today that he will support Bennett in the district’s crowded Democratic primary. (The last Democrat before Glatt was George Baldwin, who served from 1902 to 1903.)

“As a former mayor I know how important it is to have your congressperson available to your constituents and other elected officials,” Glatt said in a statement. “Rebecca Bennett will be that congressperson.”

Glatt retired from the mayor’s office in 2011, and the city has flipped between Republican and Democratic mayors since then. Glatt now works as a special assistant to the president at Centenary University – that president, Dale Caldwell, is currently the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor – and was named in 2018 as co-shared services czar in Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration.

Bennett faces seven Democratic opponents in the race to take on two-term Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield): climate scientist Megan O’Rourke, attorney Vale Mendoza, former Summit Councilman Greg Vartan, businessman Brian Varela, physician Tina Shah, criminal justice professor Beth Adubato, and ex-Small Business Administration official Michael Roth.

Summit, population 22,719, is one of the district’s most important Democratic hubs; in 2024, it supported Democratic nominee Sue Altman over Kean 58% to 41%.

The post Ex-Summit mayor endorses Bennett in NJ-7 appeared first on New Jersey Globe.