PolitickerNJ: District 21 Could Lose GOP Towns

State redistricting to be completed by April.

The 21st state legislative district, which includes Springfield, could lose Republican leaning towns during the once-in-a-decade redistricting process, according to an article in PolitickerNJ. The article quotes a source saying that several Somerset County towns in the district could be moved to the 22nd legislative district to make that district more competitive. The 21st district is represented by Republicans Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. of Westfield, Assemblyman Jon Bramnick of Westfield and Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz of Summit. The 22nd district is represented by Democrats Sen. Nick Scutari of Linden, Assemblyman Jerry Green of Plainfield and Assemblywoman Linda Stender of Fanwood. Read more: Marks in wait-and-see mode

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Freeholders Briefed on Golf Operations, Republican Candidate Questions Priorities

County golf director asks for increased sand budget.

Although county golf courses and Haz-Mat teams were lauded and routine business passed at the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders meeting in Elizabeth on Thursday night, the dialogue was testy at times, with a preview of the fall campaign creeping into the public comments. The meeting began with representatives telling the freeholder board that the county's two golf courses, Galloping Hill and Ash Brook, made more money this year than either of the past two years. Armando Sanchez, director of the county's division of golf operations, testified that in 2008 the county's then three golf courses made a combined $1.4 million. In 2009, after transforming Oak Ridge in Clark into a park, the dollar amount dipped to a million, he said. In the…

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Union County Approves Smoking Ban for Parks, Recreational Facilities

The new policy will apply to Briant Park and Hidden Valley Park.

Smokers accustomed to puffing at county-owned pools, ball fields or playground are going to have to find new places to leave their ashes. The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders has amended a no smoking policy in county-owned buildings to include all county-owned recreational areas and facilities. The facilities include ice-skating rinks, playgrounds, running tracks, swimming pools, snack bars, ball fields, tennis courts, boating areas (docks structures) and rest rooms which are located in any county-owned recreational areas. "Recreational areas are used by families with children and our priority is to protect children from the effects of second-hand smoke," said Vice Chairman Deborah Scanlon. The new policy will apply to Briant Park…

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Disaster Assistance Available to Homeowners Affected by Storm

County offers help.

Union County homeowners, renters and business owners affected by the severe storms and flooding during the month of March can register for assistance through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of New Jersey to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas struck by severe storms and flooding that began  on March 12. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster. "We encourage everyone affected by the storms and flooding caused by the heavy rains…

County Green Dot Program to Combat Violence

This new program will address harassment and stalking, domestic violence and sexual assault.

The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders announced that Union County will launch a pilot program called Green Dot, a new bystander intervention program designed to address issues of personal violence such as harassment and stalking, domestic violence and sexual assault.  The pilot is being implemented at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School in partnership with the Union County Coalition to Prevent Sexual Violence, which is comprised of the Union County Rape Crisis Center, educators, members of law enforcement, social service providers, the Union County Prosecutor's Office and Union County residents. "This program will help send the message that the types of behavior that foster violence can be prevented through positive peer influence," …

Union County Appoints Public Safety Director

Former Berkeley Heights police officer takes over 130-person safety department.

Andrew Moran, a retired Berkeley Heights Police Captain, has been appointed County Public Safety Director. As the director, Moran will supervise the County Public Safety Department, which has a total contingent of approximately 130 employees, including 73 County Police. The Department includes the Office of Emergency Management, County Police, Medical Examiner, Weights and Measures and Health divisions. Moran will also be responsible for the supervision of the Bureaus of Domestic Preparedness, Hazardous Materials, the Fire Training Academy and Fire Investigations Task force and the Office of Consumer Affairs. Among the department's many high-profile services is the maintenance of a regional ballistic lab and the child safety seat program. …

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Springfield Police Enter Data Exchange Program

Along with other Union County police forces, Springfield police will share information through New Jersey Data Exchange Program.

Springfield's Police department is one of 10 municipal law enforcement agencies joining the Union County Police in a police information system. Police officers using the system, called the New Jersey Data Exchange Program, or NJDEX, will be able to use in-car computers to access real time criminal information from a central intelligence server hosted by the Union County Prosecutor's office. The shared information includes arrest records, outstanding warrants and incidents reports. Union County's participation in NJDEX was announced earlier this month. Union is the third county in New Jersey to adopt NJDEX, after Bergen and Morris. Four hundred thousand dollars in Federal and State Homeland Security funding was used to fund the system's …

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Agreement Paves Way for Union County Connecting Parkland

Watching Reservation would be connected with Echo Lake Park

An agreement with Mountainside helps pave the way for a connecting path between Echo Lake Park and the Watchung Reservation. The link would create a path through the Mountainside Community Pool complex, from Mountain Avenue, through to the Route 22 pedestrian overpass that links to an off-road path parallel to New Providence Road. The connecting path is in Mountainside, and would link Echo Lake Park, which straddles the Westfield/Mountainside border, to the Watchung Reservation, part of which is within Springfield. The new bicycle path would utilize the access road to the pool complex and then pass around the far side of the pool's picnic grove, connecting to an existing path that leads to the municipal building. Under the plan, half of …

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Freeholder Chair Outlines Initiatives

The county issued information about Daniel Sullivan's swearing into office on Sunday.

The Springfield animal shelter wasn't the only thing on Freeholder Chairman Daniel P. Sullivan's agenda this weekend. Below is a release from the County about the other intitiatives Sullivan announced for this year. ------------------ Freeholder Chairman Daniel P. Sullivan announced on Sunday a series of initiatives entitled "Helping People, Moving Union County Forward" that are designed to help those in need during this tough economic period, and to move the county forward with an emphasis on economic development, and green initiatives. Sullivan, a resident of Elizabeth, was selected as Chairman for the third time in his Freeholder career at the 153rd annual reorganization meeting held in the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth. Sullivan…

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