Statement following first day of public impeachment testimony.

After hearing testimony based on second and third party hearsay it is vital that the Congressional Committee hear directly from the Whistleblower. Complicating his ability to testify is that The Chairman of the that Committee, Adam Schiff, claims he has no knowledge of who the Whistleblower is??? Seriously??? That the American public is suppose believe that Schiff does not know who the Whistleblower is but a direct Statement from the Ukrainian President that our President did not pressure him in anyway is discounted by the very same Adam Schiff. Schiff feels a need to keep the supposed Whistleblower shielded for protection, yet the same supposed Whistleblower has no problem going public to create a GoFundMe Page with over a quarter of a million dollars in that account. Americans are paying attention and they don’t like what they see.

Senator Joseph Pennacchio
New Jersey’s 26th Legislative District

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon and founding partners in the Hope One mobile substance use recovery program this week received an award from the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

On behalf of Hope One, Sheriff Gannon accepted the 2019 IACP/Security Industry Association Michael Shanahan Leadership in Public/Private Cooperation Award on October 29, at the IACP’s Annual Banquet in Chicago.

“Hope One was based on a simple concept of treatment providers and specialists bringing critical recovery and resource services directly to people who may be too exhausted, frightened or overwhelmed by addiction to seek help on their own,’’ Sheriff Gannon said in accepting the award. “Hope One, with its steadfast, compassionate team, has saved lives and is committed to keep doing so,” he added.

The Sheriff’s Office and its Hope One partners – Rockaway-based Center for Addiction Recovery Education and Success (CARES), Daytop New Jersey, Prevention is Key and the Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris – are the collective recipients of the award named in honor of retired University of Washington Police Department Chief Michael Shanahan.

Family Promise of Morris County, which specializes in finding emergency and permanent housing for homeless individuals and families, came aboard Hope One after its launch to make sure clients had essential toiletries and assistance in finding housing.

Sheriff Gannon was joined at the awards event by Undersheriff Mark Spitzer; Corporal Erica Valvano, who is the coordinator of Hope One; and Madine Despeine-Udoh, the Director of Self Help, Advocacy and Education for the Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris. Hope One is a mobile substance use recovery and resource outreach vehicle. It travels to locations in Morris County that are known for opioid overdoses, homeless encampments, community soup kitchens, and areas where at-risk populations are known to congregate.

As of Oct. 28, Hope One has logged 1,629 hours on the road in 356 stops. The staff has made nearly 10,000 contacts with individuals, trained 2,075 people in how to reverse an opioid overdose with Narcan, assisted 154 people in getting into rehab and recovery programs, and linked another 118 people with mental health services.

With a stigma-free approach and toiletries, snacks and beverages to put visitors at ease, the Hope One staff from the start has made a new contact every 10.8 minutes.

For more information on Hope One click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Clerk, Ann F. Grossi, Esq. is proud to announce a new outreach program to educate the general public about the services and responsibilities of the office of the County Clerk.

The program titled “Coffee with the Clerk” will have Clerk Grossi holding meetings in libraries throughout the county in an effort to allow the general public to ask questions and obtain information.

“Over the last few years, I have had the opportunity to speak to many residents who belong to senior groups and civil organizations and was surprised to learn how little they knew about the services offered by my office. Coffee with the Clerk meetings will afford the general public the opportunity to obtain valuable information” stated Clerk Grossi.

The Coffee with the Clerk program will begin at Lincoln Park Library on December 3, 2019 followed by Rockaway Township Library on December 10, 2019. The program runs from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

For further information, please contact us at (973) 829-8216 or email us at [email protected].

MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Democratic Committee announced their many successes at the local level. In what is typically a bad year for Democrats in New Jersey, the Morris County Democrats picked up nine local seats, including two mayoral seats in the Town of Boonton and Chatham Borough, while protecting most of our previously held Democratic seats.

“We could not be more proud of our accomplishments this year,” stated Morris County Democratic Chairman Chip Robinson, “By knocking on tens of thousands of doors and engaging voters, we brought many of these local candidates over the finish line and flipped towns that have not been in Democratic control for decades, if ever.”

Morris Democrats picked up seats in Boonton, Chatham Borough, Chatham Township, Madison, Morris Plains, and Morristown, gaining control in Chatham Borough and Chatham Township.

In addition to flipping these seats from red to blue, the Morris County Democrats also flipped the town of Dover from an entirely oppositional government to a truly Democratic and representative slate. In an astonishing victory, all five organization-backed candidates in Dover defeated Mayor James Dodd and his team of Alderman candidates. “In the span of two election cycles, we brought strong Democratic leadership to the town of Dover and defeated Dodd’s Democrats in Name Only. Dover residents will finally have a local government that truly represents them and will work with other Democrats at all levels of government,” said Chairman Chip Robinson.

The Democratic Chairman also gave a nod to other candidates who ran on the Democratic ticket this November, stating, “I would also like to thank the many candidates who ran for office and didn’t quite get over the line this November. In many of these towns and districts, this year was the first time we had Democrats running serious races. We are so proud of the work they did moving the needle.”

PARSIPPANY — Election Day has passed and the voters of Morris County have chosen to maintain a Republican Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

Tom Mastrangelo said “On behalf of my running mates, thank you for your continued confidence. Our success can be attributed to the hard work of the candidates who have agreed to serve and stood for election this November. I consider public office a noble calling, as do many of my colleagues. We sacrifice time with our families, our privacy and quality of life to serve our community. Unfortunately, the leadership of our Morris County Republican Party is less interested in recruiting good, solid public servants with the best intentions. Rather, the Morris County Republican Committee has chosen to support the ambitions of opportunists looking for power and title. Much to others’ disappointment, I do not follow the party leaders’ orders but rather embrace good ideas regardless of whose idea it is and encourage spirited debate on the merits. So many logical, smart and innovative ideas die on the vine as a result of our Morris Republican Leadership’s abject failure.”

“Rather than run campaigns based on the shared values of our party: tax fairness, robust economy and support to keep our communities livable and attractive for our families, county GOP leadership would rather push inferior candidates and risk losing elections to others with questionable interests. So flawed and incompetent are these leaders that the primary election cost exceeded our general election campaign by a factor of five. These funds, contributed by our many supporters and friends to promote solid leadership, could have been put to better use such as cultivating future candidates. Despite the obstacles erected by our own party leaders, the incumbent Republican candidates prevailed. This is particularly vexing when the Morris County Republican Committee failed to raise funds or provide meaningful support to the Republican candidates in the general election. In the past, we could count on the Chairman and the Committee to provide funding as well as volunteers to support the Republican cause in November. This year the support was minimal and left most people wondering what had happened to our Grand Old Party. We need true party leaders: consensus builders and those that can effectively and efficiently articulate an intelligent platform based on our shared values. In today’s negatively-charged political environment, voters are tired of nastiness and petty character assassinations too prevalent in our seemingly endless campaign seasons.”

“So today, I am calling for the resignation of our party leadership. As the Morris County Republican Party will meet to select officials to serve in positions left vacant in this past election, the time is right and the need to replace misguided and ineffective leadership is even more necessary. It is time to rebuild our caucus from the ground up, lest we continue to lose positions on the national and local stage,” continued Mastrangelo.

MORRIS COUNTY — Community Options, Inc promoted Tracy Mendola to Regional State Director in Northern NJ.

Community Options owns and manages housing for persons with developmental disabilities. In this role, she will oversee Morris, Sussex, Essex, Somerset, Bergen, Passaic, Middlesex, and Monmouth Counties. Tracy, resides in Rockaway, has been with Community Options in the role of Executive Director for over six years.

Her over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, include developmental disabilities, mental health and geriatric services. Robert Stack, President and CEO said:  “I am confident that Tracy will emulate stable leadership in her new role.

She strives to provide a meaningful quality of life to the individuals she supports, improve staff development and retention, and develop multiple residential programs throughout the region by working with local government agencies.” Community Options is a national nonprofit  based in Princeton. Founded in 1989 it is one of the largest nonprofits in New Jersey.