CRDA change eyed

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Without any public notice, Gov. Jon Corzine is moving to replace the chairman of the state agency that collects and distributes casino taxes with an ally of South Jersey Democratic boss George Norcross, according to four state officials with direct knowledge of the move.

The decision to replace Vincent Giblin, a powerful international labor leader, leaked out in recent days after Corzine's office inadvertently sent notice of his plan to the state Legislature. While nominees for the board of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority must be confirmed by the Senate, the chairman is designated by the governor, without Senate input.

The governor declined to comment on the situation last night. None of the state officials who confirmed the move wanted to go on record, because the governor has not made it official.

In an interview yesterday, Gib lin said only that he intends on presiding over the CRDA board meet ing today. "I haven't been notified to the contrary. I plan on serving as chairman until my term is over," he said.

Giblin's current term ends in June and, though he previously had suggested he would not seek another three-year term, he said he now will seek reappointment.

As chairman, Giblin earns $23,000 a year. The rest of the board members make $18,000.

The governor's office has not signaled when the change in leadership would be made. But, according to the notice, Corzine plans to replace Giblin with former CRDA chairman Edward Gant, a South Jersey labor leader.

Gant, of Egg Harbor, did not re turn calls seeking comment yesterday.

Giblin, who lives in Spring Lake, is general president of the International Union of Operating Engineers, a 400,000-member construction workers union. He is viewed as an ally of Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex), Corzine's predecessor and a supporter of Giblin's brother, Assemblyman Tom Giblin (D-Essex), a former state Democratic chairman.

Gant, the CRDA chairman at the start of Gov. James E. McGree vey's tenure, was the business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 351 in Folsom, Atlantic County. One of the business agents who works for Gant is Donald Nor cross, whose brother, George, is the reigning Democrat in South Jersey. George Norcross has been an ally of Corzine and is an avowed enemy of Codey. Stem cell bill on hold A legislative plan to commit $250 million to open a state Stem Cell Research Institute will have to keep until summer.

Although the Senate amended a bill (S1471) that created the institute -- setting aside $50 million for the New Jersey Institute of Technology -- the Senate now needs to vote on the amended version be fore it can be signed into law by the governor, said Sen. Paul Sarlo (D- Bergen), a sponsor.

"Right now we have two different dollar amounts," Sarlo said, ex plaining the central differences between the bills.

Aside from budget hearings, the 140-member Legislature is not scheduled to hold another voting session until after the summer re cess, officials said.

The plan would use money bor rowed against future cigarette tax revenues to build a $150 million stem cell research facility on the Rutgers University campus in New Brunswick, a $50 million biomedical research facility at Rutgers in Camden in a joint venture with the Coriell Institute for Medical Research, and $50 million for NJIT in Newark.

Those opposed to embryonic stem cell research because, they say, extracting the cells destroys human embryos renewed their objections to the plan. Marie Tasy of New Jersey Right to Life called it both "morally and fiscally unethical," given the state's $4 billion budget shortfall.

Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex) also has introduced a bill that asks voters to approve the borrowing of $230 million to underwrite stem cell research. Also... Other bills passed by the full Senate:

S134: Mattresses and box springs would have to meet a 30-minute open-flame resistance test. It now moves to the full Senate.

S530: Would grant a two-year property tax exemption for beauti fication improvements on buildings 30 years or older. It heads to the full Assembly.

S1472: A Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority would be created to help the region plan for the future closing of Fort Monmouth. It heads to Gov. Jon Corzine.

NOMINATIONS

Gov. Jon Corzine submitted the following nominations to the state Senate. The nominations are subject to the advice and consent of the Senate. DELAWARE RIVER AND BAY AUTHORITY: Neils Favre (Cape May).

NEW JERSEY BUILDING AUTHORITY: Richard D. Loccke (Bergen).

MEADOWLANDS TRANSPORTATION PLANNING BOARD: Mark Longo (Bergen).

BRIGADIER GENERAL OF NEW JERSEY AIR NATIONAL GUARD -- PROMOTION: Col. Lawrence S. Thomas III (Atlantic).

NJ COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION: Laurence M. Downes (Mercer