Quorum Call
News from the District

From the office of Assemblyman Kevin J. Rooney
August 2019 Newsletter
A Message from the Assemblyman:
Dear Friend,

I hope that you and your family are enjoying the summer as we enter August. Soon, the back to school sales will begin and if you drive to work, the morning commute will get a bit longer again. Back to school also means there will be more cars on the road. This month, I would like to address something I have briefly mentioned to you previously: our crumbling infrastructure.

A July 2019 survey conducted by Fairleigh Dickinson University found that more than 60% of the people believe the government is not doing enough to maintain our roads, bridges, and tunnels. A few months before, in March, the Star Ledger featured a story highlighting dangerous conditions caused by over salting our roads after a somewhat active winter. In 2016, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave our roads an abysmal grade of D+, further describing them as “mostly below standard.” Since 2016, the gas tax has been increased to 41 cents a gallon and while I was serving as mayor of Wyckoff, the state promised municipalities and residents a healthier infrastructure in exchange of raising the gas tax. The state has certainly kept their promise of increasing the gas tax but has not yet delivered on its promise of better roads. That is embarrassing.

That is why I sponsored Assembly Bill No. 5328 , which requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide additional information in the Annual Report on Pavement Condition and conduct a pavement lifecycle cost analysis. To be clear, this report is required by law and yet it has not been made available since 2016. The public has a right to know if the DOT is prioritizing in keeping our roads, bridges, and tunnels safe. I also joined my colleagues in supporting a bill that enables the DOT to improve efficiency and speed up the time it takes the state to complete road works that is funded through gas tax revenues. It is now up to the Murphy Administration to utilize the tools the legislature gave them.

I never thought that I would be sponsoring legislation that pressures the our own DOT to fill potholes caused by its own mismanagement when I was sworn in as Assemblyman. Unfortunately, the Murphy administration has failed our commuters.

Other news from the District are included below. I've also included a brief section detailing August's Observances as National Night Out on August 6th and Coast Gaurd Day on Sunday, August 4th. Finally, our  Spotlight  feature this month recognizes Stephen Garofalo, a Wayne letter carrier for saving a resident's life while walking his route. I also encourage everyone to visit the New Jersey State Farm and Horse Show , which runs from August 2 to August 11 at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, NJ. This year promises to be an amazing experience!

Sincerely,

Kevin J. Rooney
Assemblyman
Rooney's Recipes
Assemblyman and winner of Food Network's "Chopped" shares his favorite recipes
Crawfish Etouffee over Blacked Mahi-Mahi

Crawfish Etouffee Ingredients:
  • 1 green bell pepper diced
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • 1 ½ sticks of butter
  • 1 lb. peeled crawfish tails
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. Filé gumbo powder
  • 4 Mahi-Mahi filets
 
Blackening (Cajun) Seasoning: Combine ingredients
  • 2 tbsp. paprika
  • 2 tbsp. garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp. onion powder
  • 2 tbsp. black pepper
  • 2 tbsp. cayenne pepper
  • 2 tbsp. dried basil
  • 2 tbsp. dried oregano
 
Directions: Etouffee
  1. Melt butter
  2. Add onions, bell pepper and celery
  3. Sauté over medium heat until vegetables are soft.
  4. Add crawfish and half of blackening (Cajun) seasoning, Filé gumbo powder, salt, and then stir.
  5. Cook covered over low heat 15 minutes.
  6. Serve over fish and dirty or white rice.
 
Directions: Blackened Mahi-Mahi
  1. Heat small amount of canola oil in hot pan.
  2. Dust both sides of fish with remaining blackening seasoning.
  3. Add fish to hot pan; cook approximately 3-4 minutes per side.
 
 
Servings 4



Recent News
Recent Legislation and News from Trenton
Here is some of my recent activity at the State House.
August Observations


National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances.Millions of neighbors take part in National Night Out across thousands of communities from all fifty states, U.S. territories and military bases worldwide on the first Tuesday in August (Texas and select areas celebrate on the first Tuesday in October). Neighborhoods host block parties, festivals, parades, cookouts and various other community events with safety demonstrations, seminars, youth events, visits from emergency personnel, exhibits and much, much more.


Coast Guard Day is held each year on August 4th to recognize and honor the efforts of The United States Coast Guard. This celebration is considered an “internal” event for active and reserve Coast Guard members, plus their civilian employees and retirees and members of the  Coast Guard Auxiliary . Coast Guard Day will be celebrated on Sunday, August 4, 2019. The Coast Guard still participates in Armed Forces Day and  Armed Forces Week , but unlike their other military counterparts, they still have their own individual day to celebrate the accomplishments of this branch of the United States Military. The other four branches had their days ( Air Force Day , Army Day, Navy Day, and Marine Corps Day) consolidated into  Armed Forces Day .

Did you know that New Jersey is home to Training Center Cape May, which is the 5th largest base in the Coast Guard and the sole accession point for the entire enlisted workforce.
Consumer Tips
Tips, scam alerts, and other advice about every-day situations for consumers
Spotlight: Stephen Garofalo
Wayne letter carrier saves a resident's life after coming upon a wondering child asking for help
For 32 years, Stephen Garofalo, a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, has walked the same route through the streets of Wayne but on one day, he came upon a wandering child, asking for help for his mother. The 2-year-old boy led Garofalo to a porch, where the mother was still, seemingly unconscious. After nudging the woman to try to wake her up, Garofalo sprung into action and called 911. While first responders worked to revive the woman, Garofalo distracted the toddler. The EMT workers successfully revived the woman.






Image and content from: NorthJersey.com
Office Information
1211 Hamburg Turnpike
Suite 301
Wayne, NJ 07470
Office: (973) 237-1362
Fax: (973) 237-1367
Email: AsmRooney@njleg.org
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