When you purchase an automobile roadside assistance insurance policy you should have an expectation of being able to use it when needed for towing and repair. At first glance you’re probably thinking… “Those rotten insurance companies, they’re not paying again.” Not so fast! In New Jersey, the bureaucracy has created all sorts of regulations that subvert your best efforts of protecting your family.
As recently as six months ago, I was driving my son’s car on the Palisades Parkway and I got a flat tire. Initially, I tried to change the tire on my own, unfortunately without success. My next course of action was to call my insurance company’s Roadside Assistance for help. I was relieved to have made contact with the customer service call center, but then a problem manifested itself: the operator asked me where I was located. “I’m on Exit 4 on the Palisades Parkway,” I replied.
The next words from the representative made my blood boil. “I’m so sorry Mr. Auth. We are not permitted to send our response team to the Palisades Parkway.” Unfortunately, exclusive contracts are granted to towing services for certain roadways in New Jersey, and the companies charge very exclusive prices – north of $300 on any given call.
Despite my best efforts to “Be Prepared,” the Boy Scout in me was not rewarded that day. That’s why when I was back in Trenton, I introduced Assembly Bill A5310, which requires certain toll road operators and bi-state agencies to allow drivers to choose their own towing company if it’s been purchased on an insurance policy.
My efforts to prepare ahead and to pay a little extra for the comfort of knowing that my wife, my son, and even my dog Pepe, are not going to be stranded and ultimately taken advantage of, should not be thwarted by a towing company. It is time for us all to be free from unwarranted regulations and to benefit from the services afforded by a competitive market place.
EAST HANOVER — Online registration for the East Hanover Ice Hockey 2019 – 2020 season has begun. The cost is $800.00 per player and/or $600.00 per travel player.
A $400.00 deposit is due by registration and the remaining balance is due by August 31.
BOONTON — The Land Conservancy of New Jersey announced it has dedicated its West Brook Preserve in West Milford for Board Chair Nancy Conger.
The Land Conservancy President David Epstein explained that “Preserving this remarkable property was a struggle that we were losing until Nancy got involved to lead the effort. She is our hero and I can think of no one more deserving of this honor.”
The 198-acre Nancy Conger West Brook Preserve was established in 2017 to preserve the headwaters of the West Brook, a major source of clean water for the Wanaque Reservoir where 2 million New Jersey residents get their drinking water.
The Land Conservancy is about to embark upon a major restoration project for a portion of the brook that was diverted into a ditch. The plan involves plugging the ditch and removing a small dam and five culverts to restore water back into the original stream bed and re-flood the wetlands.
The plan will provide more water for the reservoir during dry times of year, reduce erosion, remove invasive plant species, and rehabilitate the habitat of the imperiled eastern brook trout. “I have been delighted to help The Land Conservancy permanently preserve the West Brook,” Nancy said. “Working with this amazing organization has been a thrill as they have continued to preserve the lands that I love.” Nancy began her career on Wall Street as a stockbroker and went on to found the investment firm Red Hook Management with her husband Bill and serve as its President. Nancy served as Board Chair for Wheaton College and recently received an honorary doctorate for her philanthropic work supporting Ursinus College in Pennsylvania. Nancy has been a Land Conservancy supporter for more than two decades. She was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2013, served as Chair of the Governance Committee, and is currently the Chair of the Board.
“Nancy’s passion for The Land Conservancy and its critical work has inspired me and so many of our Trustees and supporters to do more to help preserve New Jersey’s special places,” said Board Vice Chair Andy Dietz. “It is a great honor for me to work with her.”
MORRIS COUNTY — Small businesses can escape costly fines for first-time filing mistakes under legislation that passed the Assembly today. Sponsored by Assemblymen Ron Dancer and Anthony Bucco, the bill (A1677) suspends fines for inconsequential paperwork procedure violations.
“The state has an unfriendly business environment, and small employers are struggling every day to survive,” said Dancer (R-Ocean). “There’s no need to clobber them with fines for technical errors that don’t harm anyone. New Jersey should focus on growing the economy, not punishing job creators for honest mistakes.”
Fines will not be suspended if the violation harms the general public; interferes with the detection of criminal activity; impacts the collection of a tax, debt or revenue; or if it is not corrected within six months.
“The cost of doing business in New Jersey is high enough,” said Bucco (R-Morris). “The last thing small businesses need is to be burdened with penalties for petty errors. Eliminating another burdensome regulation is always a positive step.”
Small businesses employ more than 1.7 million people in New Jersey.
MORRIS COUNTY — Legislation advanced Monday by the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee clarifies a 2017 law that has been used to justify new homeowner association fees on some property owners.
Assemblyman Hal Wirths sponsors the bill (A5043) addressing misinterpretations of the law by some community associations to assess new fees on owners. Sen. Steve Oroho sponsors a version of the bill (S3661) that passed the Senate last week.
“This bill protects people from surprise assessments and compulsory fees,” said Wirths (R-Sussex). “You can’t change the rules in the middle of the game.”
Under the measure, property owners in an association which did not have authority to compel payment of assessments prior to July 13, 2017 are not bound by fees.
The so-called Radburn law strengthened voting rights in common communities, and established election participation protections for residents of planned real estate developments. After it went into effect in 2017, advisors to lake associations reasoned they now had the right to require all owners in developments to pay yearly assessments.
Planned real estate developments, through master deeds, oblige owners to pay for maintenance and support of common areas. By clarifying the original intent of Chapter 106, any disagreements about paying of dues would be settled as they have been previously.
“Steve, Hal and I believe it is regrettable that some homeowners and lake associations are being led to believe that A5043 is somehow taking something away from their associations because one cannot take away something that was never given,” stated Assemblyman Parker Space, a supporter of the measure.
MORRIS COUNTY — As a steady stream of people picked up free Narcan at Rite Aid Pharmacy in Morristown on Tuesday, staff of the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Hope One vehicle were ready to train them on administering the life-reviving antidote that reverses an opioid overdose.
Navigating Hope, a Morris County-run outreach vehicle like Hope One that brings social services guidance and referrals directly to individuals, worked alongside the Hope One staff to answer any questions posed by passersby and patrons leaving Rite Aid with their free Naloxone, which is known by the brand name Narcan.
As of 2:00 p.m. on June 18, Rite Aid had distributed 105 of 150 doses of Narcan it received from the New Jersey Department of Human Services as part of a campaign to slow the tide of opioid overdose deaths and bring attention to the health crisis. Of dozens of participating pharmacies across the state, three pharmacies in Morris County took part in the giveaway, including Rite Aid in Morristown, Walgreens in Dover and Walmart in Flanders.
And, as of 2:00 p.m., Certified Peer Recovery Specialist Kelly LaBar, who works aboard Hope One, had trained 14 people on how to correctly administer the nasal spray Narcan to temporarily reverse an overdose.
Many of the people who collected a dose under the no-questions-asked program already are familiar with Narcan because of their jobs as law enforcement officers, paramedics or substance use counselors. But they wanted a dose on hand in case they encounter a person in the throes of an overdose.
Audrey Ma, a mother of three who works in a school district, said she is aware of the dangers of opioid addiction and in particular wants her oldest child to learn about the opioid and heroin crisis.
“You never know when anyone might have an issue. This is reality and like the Girl Scout motto: Be prepared,” Mrs. Ma said after she was trained on Narcan use.
“It’s a fine program. I got some in case a client comes in and needs it,” said Substance Use Counselor Charles R. Berman.
Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon and Bureau of Law Enforcement Undersheriff Mark Spitzer stopped by the Hope One tent and met Rite Aid Pharmacist Susan Novembre, who was overseeing the Narcan distribution Tuesday morning. Ms. Novembre said the cost for a dose of Narcan for an uninsured person is about $150.
“The statewide free distribution of Naloxone is a tremendous, proactive measure that recognizes the dire toll that opioid addiction is taking on individuals and families,” Sheriff Gannon said.
Hope One, launched on April 3, 2017, brings Narcan training and kits, substance use and mental health services, directly into communities. As of June 17, 2019, Hope One had made contact with 7,299 people, trained 1,770 people in the use of Narcan, arranged for substance use treatment services for 133 people, and mental health treatment services for 98 people.
Navigating Hope, a collaboration between the Morris County Office of Temporary Service and the non-profit Family Promise of Morris County, began its journey around Morris County about one month ago. Its staff helps connect people who are homeless, in need of Food Stamps, Medicaid, General Assistance, Veterans Services or other social programs with the services they need.
On Tuesday, Navigating Hope staff handed out literature about services and assisted for several hours a homeless man living in Morristown.
For more information on the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Hope One program click here.
MORRIS COUNTY — Not long ago, Tanaysia Smith was using drugs and living in abandoned buildings in Irvington. She overdosed and spent five months in rehab, only to relapse and return to the streets.
Smith finally decided she’d had enough of that life. The 20-year-old stopped using drugs and enrolled in NewBridge Jobs Plus last winter to earn her high school diploma. She had dropped out of school a few years before, and getting back into a classroom rhythm wasn’t easy.
“I didn’t like it at first, but they always gave me good advice and encouraged me to keep coming,” Smith said. “They made me see that it was worth it.”
Smith and 36 young adults earned their New Jersey high school diplomas as the NewBridge Job Plus Class of 2019. Dressed in caps and gowns, 25 of them crossed a stage at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts headquarters on June 19 as more than 200 relatives and friends cheered.
“I have 37 new heroes,” said NewBridge Board of Trustees member Patti Lee, a top executive at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
NewBridge trustee James Sarto marveled at the hardships graduates had overcome and their career ambitions. “This chapter of your life is over, and you’re moving ahead,” said Sarto, a former high school principal.“I want you to be fearless. I want you to be successful. I want you to be resilient.”
NewBridge Jobs Plus is the longest-running alternative education program in Morris County and has helped well over 1,000 young adults earn their high school diplomas and prepare for college, trade schools and careers since 1983. The program, located at the NewBridge Parsippany Center, is free to young adults living in Morris, Sussex and Warren counties, and transportation is provided to Morris County residents.
This year’s graduates are from Florham Park, Boonton, Chatham, Denville, Dover, Hackettstown, Hanover, Hopatcong, Jefferson, Morris Plains, Morristown, Mount Olive, Parsippany, Pequannock, Roxbury, and Stanhope.
Sixteen-year-old Dana Miller said she never felt high school was a good fit, so she left during her sophomore year and enrolled in NewBridge Jobs Plus with her parents’ blessings. She quickly completed her coursework and passed the exam.
“NewBridge Jobs Plus gave me confidence and helped me get to where I needed to be,” Miller said. The Morris Plains resident won the $1,000 Alumni Appreciation Scholarship Award and will attend County College of Morris (CCM) for design in September.
Jaquan Eke became teary-eyed when called to the stage to receive the $1,000 James Ryan Memorial Scholarship Award. NewBridge Services Board of Trustees President Debbie King presented the award, named in honor of her father, one of NewBridge’s founders.
“I messed up bad in high school and you didn’t give up on me,” the 18-year-old said to his parents, Elisa and Osaze Eke, in the audience. Eke said Parsippany High School expelled him in March for testing positive for marijuana use.
That was a blow for Eke, who was a good student and enjoyed high school. He said he just sat on his couch for a month. “I didn’t want to have to start over, but then I remembered what was at stake, and that was enough to motivate me,” he said. “Learning to adapt was a huge thing.”
Eke will study computer science at CCM in the fall, and plans to attend Boston University for his master’s degree.
Morristown resident Harold Munguia won the $1,000 Lakeland Bank Scholarship Award and plans to study radiology at CCM. NewBridge “really supported me and they helped me grow up,” the 19-year-old said.
Brian Rutan received the $1,000 Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Scholarship Award and plans to pursue a degree in music at CCM. The Mount Olive resident has been playing instruments since the fourth grade. NewBridge Jobs Plus was a better fit for him than high school. “I liked how understanding everyone there was,” the 17-year-old said.
Tanaysia Smith won the $1,000 Skylar Matthews Memorial Scholarship Award, created in memory of a 2017 graduate, and was named Associate of the Year. “She never let anything stand in her way,” NewBridge Jobs Plus Educational Coordinator James Ivey said. The Morristown resident plans to study at the Fortis Institute and pursue a career in the medical field.
Smith’s mother cried when her daughter told her she passed the state high school exam. “It’s been such a long journey. She didn’t think she deserved good things, but she’s strong and she’s smart, and I always knew she was destined for something great,” said Lakesha Smith. She and other family members wore shirts that read, “The tassel was worth the hassle.”
Phil Silva, a 1999 graduate, shared how NewBridge Jobs Plus helped him turn his life around and urged the Class of 2019 to persevere and remain disciplined.
NewBridge Jobs Plus receives funding from: the Charles Emil Thenen Foundation; Community Foundation of New Jersey; Holmes Family Foundation; John Bickford Foundation; Lakeland Bank; Morris County Freeholders; Morris County Human Services; Morris County Vocational School District; Morris-Sussex-Warren Employment Training Services; Morris-Sussex-Warren Workforce Development Board; TD Bank Charitable Foundation; and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
NewBridge Services, a 501c(3) nonprofit, is a premier provider of counseling services, housing and educational programs in northern New Jersey serving more than 7,200 adults and seniors last year alone. NewBridge treats mental illnesses and addictions; teaches skills for coping with stress, grief and challenging relationships; builds and manages affordable housing; offers school-based programs that teach children and adolescents resiliency skills for healthy emotional development; helps young adults succeed in their education and prepare for careers; and supports seniors so they can remain independent. Throughout its more than 56-year history, NewBridge has remained true to its mission of bringing balance to people’s lives by tracking shifts in communities’ needs and providing innovative, effective programs to meet them.
MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with law enforcement agencies in six New Jersey counties to track down a couple suspected of breaking into at least 27 concession stands at Little League, school and community recreation fields since April.
The burglaries, which span April 24 through Thursday, June 20, have been reported in Morris, Bergen, Essex, Middlesex, Passaic and Sussex counties. The break-ins involve significant damage to the doors of the structures and theft of cash, candy, beverages and other items.
Surveillance images of a man and woman whom authorities suspect of targeting the concession stands were captured at the Woodbridge Little League concession stand on Van Buren Street in Woodbridge. Additional images were captured at stands in Teaneck and Hasbrouck Heights in Bergen County.
The largest theft so far during a break-in netted the perpetrators as much as $700 in cash. Beyond cash or items stolen, the thieves caused significant damage while breaking in. Some local businesses have stepped forward to assist with paying for repairs.
The latest break-in, occurring sometime between the evening of Wednesday, June 19, and the morning of Thursday, June 20, was reported at a concession stand at Overpeck County Park in Paramus.
Morris County Sheriff’s Office Systems Analyst Jane Recktenwald, who oversees the Office Trends and Analysis Unit known as MCSTAT, is gathering and assessing data, and working cooperatively with police in all the affected municipalities on the crime they have in common.
“This is a prime opportunity for law enforcement agencies to share intelligence to apprehend perpetrators who are stealing from children, their families, schools and recreation programs that count on concession stand sales to support Little League and other sport activities,” Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon said.
Analyst Recktenwald said concession stand operators are advised to remove cash from the premises upon closing and try to secure or lock up candy, beverages and other sale items. Police are also advised to make frequent checks of concession stands in their communities.
Morris and Passaic counties have been targeted most frequently so far, with eight concession stands reportedly burglarized in each.
Morris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) detectives are assisting in the investigations, including collection of evidence, within Morris County.
The Morris County burglaries include:
Parsippany-Troy Hills Little League East on May 2;
Jefferson Parks Department concession stand between May 11 and May 13;
Burnham Park Little League concession stand between May 15 and May 16.
Lake Parsippany Park concession stand between May 24 and May 27;
Madison High School concession stand between May 31 and June 1;
Dodge Field in Madison concession stand between May 31 and June 2;
Anderson Field in Kinnelon concession stand between June 6 and June 7;
Donatoni Park concession stand, Rockaway Borough, break-in reported June 20.
Bergen County authorities are investigating related burglaries at four stands in Elmwood Park, Paramus, Teaneck and Hasbrouck Heights.
In Essex County, stands were burglarized in Belleville, Livingston and Verona.
In Middlesex County, a concession stand was broken into in Woodbridge.
In Passaic County, thieves burglarized the same stand twice in Totowa, two separate fields in Clifton, and stands in Wayne, Paterson, Little Falls and Bloomingdale.
In Sussex County, two stands in Stanhope Borough were burglarized.
PARSIPPANY — The Assembly advanced a bill (A605) sponsored by Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce that would stop dental insurance companies from selling or renting their provider networks and discounts to third parties. These arrangements, referred to as “silent PPOs” or “rental networks,” are often made without the knowledge of dentists or patients.
“This bill is all about transparency and protecting patients and dentists from these hidden agreements that end up costing them,” said DeCroce (R-Morris). “People should know what is being covered by their health insurance and dentists should know what to expect in the form of reimbursements.”
Dentists and other providers generally join a health insurance’s PPO network and agree to take lower compensation than they otherwise might charge in exchange for a flow of patients. When the health insurance company sells or rents their PPO network to a third party without notifying the providers it is called a silent PPO. The in-network dentist then unknowingly provides service at a discounted rate to patients not in the original network.
Most health care providers are not even aware they are in a silent PPO until they receive reimbursement from a third party that claims entitlement to a payment reduction.
Silent PPOs hit a nerve in patients, too. Without accurate cost and benefit information, patients could end up receiving an unexpected bill or forgo treatment because of the out-of-pocket price.
“No one deserves a surprise statement in the mail,” said DeCroce. “Not only can this impact their pockets, but also their oral health.”
The bill would only permit health insurers to contract with third parties if they give dentists in their network the ability to opt out of such an agreement.
TRENTON —The Assembly passed legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Parker Space that would add the word “police” to the titles of county correctional officers, wardens and deputy wardens.
“This bill helps clarify the powers that these officers of the law already possess and eliminates any confusion over their authority,” said Space (R-Sussex).
In January last year, legislation was enacted that similarly changed the titles of state corrections officers. The law aims to support officers when they are assigned to duties outside their normal operations by making it clear they have police powers, including the ability to make arrests.
Under the bill, S1739/A3236, the Civil Service Commission is directed to create the following new titles: county correctional police officer, county correctional police warden and county correctional deputy police warden. Any fees associated with the title changes will be covered by the officer, warden and deputy warden. This may include any cost associated with an updated uniform, badge, or equipment.
The Senate version, S-1739 is prime sponsored by Senator Steve Oroho (R-Sussex), and passed 34-0.
Dear Editor:
Audrey Ma, a mother of three who works in a school district, said she is aware of the dangers of opioid addiction and in particular wants her oldest child to learn about the opioid and heroin crisis.
