Frank Lautenberg

Frank Lautenberg

Frank Raleigh Lautenberg (born January 23, 1924) is an American businessman and Democratic Party politician. Now the senior United States Senator from New Jersey, he is in his second non-consecutive term in office, first serving from 1982 to 2001, and again since 2003.

He is the only sitting Senator to have returned to office after having left the Senate. Lautenberg is the second oldest (after Robert Byrd of West Virginia) member of the Senate.

Lautenberg was born in Paterson, New Jersey to poor Jewish immigrants from Poland and Russia; his father Sam, who worked in silk mills, sold coal, farmed and once ran a tavern, died of cancer when Frank was 19. Lautenberg served overseas in the United States Army Signal Corps in World War II after graduating from Nutley High School. Then, financed by the GI Bill, he attended and graduated from Columbia Business School in 1949 with a degree in economics. He was the first salesman at successful Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) and was its chairman and CEO. He was the executive commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey from 1978 to 1982.

From his first marriage to Lois Lautenberg, which ended in divorce, Lautenberg has four children: Ellen, Nan, Lisa, and Joshua. In 2001, he married his companion of nearly 16 years, Bonnie S. Englebardt. He has a summer home on Martha's Vineyard.

In 1982 he received the Democratic nomination for a US Senate seat from New Jersey for that year's election after spending a considerable sum of his own money. The seat had been occupied by Democrat Harrison Williams who resigned on March 11, 1982 after being implicated in the Abscam scandal. After Williams' resignation, Republican Governor Thomas Kean appointed Republican Nicholas F. Brady to the seat. Brady served in the Senate through the primary and general elections but did not run for the seat himself.

Lautenberg won the election, defeating popular Republican congresswoman Millicent Fenwick by 52% to 48%. Brady, who had just a few days left in his appointed term, resigned on December 27, 1982, allowing Lautenberg to take office several days before the traditional swearing-in of senators, which gave him an edge in seniority over the other freshmen senators.

In 1988, Lautenberg was opposed by Republican Wall Street executive and former college football star Pete Dawkins, who won the 1958 Heisman Trophy for the Army Black Knights. After trailing in early polls, the Lautenberg campaign, headed by Democratic consultant James Carville, ran an aggressive advertising campaign enumerating Lautenberg's legislative accomplishments and questioning whether Dawkins' candidacy was intended solely as a stepping stone to the presidency, as well as his lack of roots in New Jersey. Lautenberg ultimately came from behind to win reelection by a 54% to 46% margin.

Following reelection, Lautenberg became a member of the President's Commission on Aviation Security and Terrorism (PCAST), which was set up in September 1989 to review and report on aviation security policy in light of the sabotage of Pan Am Flight 103 on December 21, 1988.

Lautenberg was again reelected in the Republican landslide year of 1994, defeating New Jersey State Assembly Speaker Chuck Haytaian by 51% to 47%. Lautenberg announced his retirement in 2000, and his fellow Democrat and businessman, Jon Corzine, was elected to replace him.

Lautenberg unexpectedly returned to politics in 2002, when the other New Jersey senator, Democrat Robert Torricelli, withdrew his candidacy for reelection because of corruption charges. It was rumored, however, that Lautenberg was the second choice to run, the first choice being former Senator Bill Bradley, who turned it down.

The selection of Lautenberg came with some irony, as there had been notoriously bad blood between Lautenberg and Torricelli when the two had served together in the Senate.

The New Jersey Republican Party challenged the replacement of Torricelli's name on the ballot with Lautenberg's, arguing that it came too late according to state election laws. The ballot name change was unanimously upheld by the New Jersey Supreme Court, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up the case. Lautenberg won the election, defeating his Republican challenger, businessman Doug Forrester, by 54% to 44%. That victory made Lautenberg one of very few who in recent times returned to the Senate after leaving it.

Lautenberg is considered to be one of the Senate's most liberal members. He is pro-choice, supports gun control, has introduced many bills increasing penalties for carjacking and car theft, and has criticized the Bush administration on national security issues. He has been very involved in various anti-smoking legislation, anti-alcohol legislation as well as airline safety legislation, and is probably best known for being involved with, and authoring some of, the legislation that banned smoking from most commercial airline flights. He also is known for authoring the Ryan White Care Act, which provides services to AIDS patients. His name is also associated with the Domestic Violence Offender Gun Ban (sometimes called the Lautenberg Amendment), which prohibits any persons convicted of misdemeanor or felonious domestic violence from possessing firearms or ammunition.

Upon his return to the Senate, Lautenberg was the first U.S. senator to introduce legislation calling for homeland security funds to be distributed solely on the basis of risk and vulnerability.

In 2005, he became a leading voice within the Senate in calling for an investigation into the Bush administration payment of columnists.

When Jon Corzine resigned from the Senate to become Governor of New Jersey, Lautenberg became the Senior Senator, again, in 2006. This also makes him the only person to have been both the junior and senior senator from New Jersey twice.

Lautenberg received an "A" on the Drum Major Institute's 2005 Congressional Scorecard on middle-class issues.

In 2007, Lautenberg proposed the Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2007, designed to close loopholes that permit weapons purchases by persons that the executive branch has classified as "dangerous terrorists".

On June 21, 2007, Lautenberg passed Clifford Case for the most votes on the Senate floor of any United States Senator in New Jersey history.

Senator Lautenberg is a strong supporter of public transportation. He has been instrumental in pushing for stronger federal support for Amtrak.

Lautenberg is also a proponent of the Container Security Initiative which would screen cargo containers bound for the United States for radiological contents. This policy is intended to identify threats before they arrive at U.S. ports. The Bush administration has argued that the policy would be too expensive to implement (U.S. inspection teams, with equipment, would need to be installed in 700 foreign ports).

Senator Lautenberg co-sponsored the Consumer-First Energy Act of 2008, which would have repealed $17 billion in tax breaks for oil companies and reinvesting the $17 billion in renewable energy development and energy efficiency technology. The bill would also have added a 25% windfall profits tax on oil companies that failed to invest in increased capacity and renewable energy sources. Furthermore, it would have placed limits on market price speculation for crude oil, allowed the U.S. Attorney General to bring enforcement action against countries and companies attempting to set the price of petroleum products, and made "price gouging" for gasoline a federal crime. However, the Senate rejected a cloture motion on the bill in June 2008.

Lautenberg is pro-choice and has voted against banning partial-birth abortions in 1999. He has voted in favor of expanding embryonic stem cell research. The Human Rights Campaign and NAACP have both given him 100% ratings, indicating his strong support for gay marriage and affirmative action, respectively. Lautenberg has voted against repealing and restricting the Alternative Minimum Tax and estate tax.

Lautenberg is primary sponsor of the S-294 "Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2007" (Full Text), which would fund Amtrak for the next five years and provide opportunity for expansion. With the dramatic rise of gasoline prices in 2007-2008, Amtrak ridership has reached record levels. Despite a veto threat from President Bush, the legislation is expected to pass the House.

In February 2006, Lautenberg announced his intention to run for reelection in 2008, saying that deciding not to run for reelection in 2000 "was among the worst decisions of his life." Lautenberg formally announced his candidacy on March 31, 2008.

On Wednesday, April 2, 2008 US Rep. Rob Andrews announced he would challenge Lautenberg in the June 3 primary for the Democratic nomination. In the 2008 Democratic Party Primary Election Lautenberg defeated Andrews with 59% of the vote to Andrews' 35%.

Senator Lautenberg defeated former Congressman Dick Zimmer in the general election 56% to 42%.

In comparing the devil with Dubai, Lautenberg drew stern criticism from some Arab American groups after making comments relating to the Dubai Ports World controversy. Lautenberg was quoted as stating, "We wouldn't transfer the title to the devil, and we're not going to transfer it to Dubai." According to a Foreign Policy In Focus article, Lautenberg defended his remarks due to the UAE's refusal to support U.S. policy toward Israel and Iran. According to the Arab American Institute, Lautenberg apologized in a letter upon meeting with Arab American Institute representatives.

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Cliffside Park, New Jersey

Cliffside Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 23,007.

Cliffside Park was formed based on the results of a referendum held on January 15, 1895, from portions of Ridgefield Township at the start of the second year of the Boroughitis phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County.

U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg currently resides in the borough. Cliffside Park was also home to the former Palisades Amusement Park.

Cliffside Park is located at 40°49′19.47″N 73°59′16.28″W / 40.822075°N 73.9878556°W / 40.822075; -73.9878556 (40.822075, -73.987856).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.5 km²), all of it land.

The East Palisade section offers views of the New York City skyline across the Hudson River.

As of the census of 2000, there were 23,007 people, 10,027 households, and 6,036 families residing in the borough. The population density was 23,847.7 people per square mile (9,253.2/km²). There were 10,375 housing units at an average density of 10,754.1/sq mi (4,172.7/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 77.85% White, 1.83% African American, 0.25% Native American, 12.05% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 4.97% from other races, and 3.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.16% of the population.

As of the 2000 census, 3.6% of Cliffside Park's residents identified themselves as being of Armenian-American ancestry. This was the highest percentage in New Jersey, and the seventh highest percentage of Armenian American people in any place in the United States with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.

There were 10,027 households out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the borough the population was spread out with 16.9% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $46,288, and the median income for a family was $54,915. Males had a median income of $40,114 versus $36,100 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $28,516. About 8.5% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

Cliffside Park is governed under the Borough form of New Jersey municipal government. The government consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council comprising six council members, with all positions elected at large. A Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The Borough Council consists of six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.

As of 2008, the Mayor of Cliffside Park is Gerald A. Calabrese (D, term ends December 31, 2011). Calabrese has been mayor of Cliffside Park since 1965. Members of the Borough Council are Larry Bongard (D, 2008), Thomas Calabrese (D, 2010), Kenneth Corcoran (D, 2010), Bernard J. Fontana (D, 2009), Dana Martinotti (D, 2008) and Donna M. Spoto (D, 2009).

In the 2008 General Election, Democrats ran unopposed with incumbents Dana M. Martinotti (5,209 votes) and Lawrence J. Bongard (5,032) re-elected to new three-year terms of office.

In elections held on November 6, 2007, voters filled an open mayoral seat and two seats on the borough council. Incumbent Democrats ran unopposed for all three seats, with Mayor Gerald A. Calabrese (2,350 votes) and Councilmembers Thomas Calabrese (2,275) and Kenneth Corcoran (2,251) all winning re-election.

On Election Day, November 7, 2006, Democratic Party incumbents Bernard J. Fontana (3,904 votes) and Donna M. Spoto (3,909) won reelection unopposed to three-year terms on the Borough Council. Kenneth Corcoran (3,829), who had been appointed to the unexpired term of the late Richard Spadaccini, also ran unopposed, winning his bid to serve the one year remaining on the seat.

Cliffside Park is in the Ninth Congressional District is part of New Jersey's 38th Legislative District.

New Jersey's Ninth Congressional District, covering the southern portion of Bergen County and sections of Hudson County and Passaic County, is represented by Steve Rothman (D, Fair Lawn). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).

For the 2008-2009 Legislative Session, the 38th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Robert M. Gordon (D, Fair Lawn) and in the Assembly by Joan Voss (D, Fort Lee) and Connie Wagner (D, Paramus). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).

Bergen County's County Executive is Dennis McNerney (D). The executive, along with the seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders administer all county business. As of 2008, Bergen County's Freeholders are Chairman James M. Carroll (D, Demarest), Vice-Chairwoman Julie O'Brien (D, Ramsey), Elizabeth Calabrese (D, Wallington), David L. Ganz (D, Fair Lawn), Bernadette P. McPherson (D, Rutherford), Tomas J. Padilla (D, Park Ridge) and Vernon Walton (D, Englewood).

Other countywide elected officials are Sheriff Leo McGuire (D), Surrogate Court Judge Mike Dressler (D, Cresskill) County Clerk Kathleen Donovan (R, Rutherford).

As of Election Day, November 4, 2008, there were 10,004 registered voters. Of registered voters, 4,575 (45.7% of all registered voters) were registered as Democrats, 1,088 (10.9%) were registered as Republicans and 4,338 (43.4%) were registered as Undeclared. There were three voters registered to other parties.

On the national level, Carlstadt leans strongly toward the Democratic Party. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 62.5% of the vote here, defeating Republican John McCain, who received 36.1% of the vote, with 81.3% of registered voters participating. In the 2004 election, Democrat John Kerry received 60% of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush, who received around 39%.

The Cliffside Park School District serves public school students in Kindergarten through Twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are the Early Learning Center with 149 students in prekindergarten, Number 3 School with 252 students in grades K-6, Number 4 School with 354 students in grades K-6, Number 5 School with 151 students in grades K-6, Number 6 School with 670 students in grades K-8 and Cliffside Park High School with 1,076 students in grades 9-12. Students from Fairview, Bergen County, New Jersey attend the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Fairview Public Schools.

New Jersey Transit bus lines 156, 159 and 181 offer service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan; the 22 route serves Jersey City; and the 751, and 755 offer local service.

Palisade Avenue and Anderson Avenue are the main roads of Cliffside Park.

Scenes from the 1988 film Big, starring Tom Hanks and directed by Penny Marshall, were filmed in Cliffside Park.

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United States Senate election in New Jersey, 2002

The 2000 United States Senate Election in New Jersey was held on November 5, 2002.

First-term Senator Robert Torricelli dropped out of the race on September 30 due to ethical problems and poor poll numbers against Doug Forrester, a relatively unknown opponent. The New Jersey Democratic Party endorsed former Senator Frank Lautenberg after Torricelli dropped out. In the case of The New Jersey Democratic Party v. Samson, 175 N.J. 178 (2002), Forrester sued to stop Democratic Party efforts to have Frank Lautenberg replace Torricelli. The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled unanimously on October 2 that the party could switch Lautenberg's name in for Sen. Torricelli's on the ballot.

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Doug Forrester

Douglas Forrester (born January 24, 1953 in Glendale, California) is an American businessman in New Jersey. He was the 2005 Republican nominee for Governor of New Jersey. Forrester was defeated by his opponent, then-U.S. Senator Jon Corzine, in the 2005 New Jersey gubernatorial election. Forrester currently serves as the president of Integrity Health, a health benefits management firm.

Forrester is the youngest of five children. His father never graduated from high school, but worked his way through the ranks at Lockheed Martin, while his mother died when he was four. His father remarried.

Forrester excelled in water polo at high school in Santa Clara, California. He studied at Harvard, from which he graduated cum laude in 1975, having studied philosophy and government.

Forrester then moved to New Jersey to study at the Princeton Theological Seminary, where he earned a master's degree in divinity. He then married childhood friend Andrea Howard, and moved to West Windsor.

Forrester was elected as a township committeeman in West Windsor, and later as mayor. In the 1980s, Forrester became Assistant State Treasurer in the Kean Administration, and later went on to direct the pension system for state employees. In 1990, Forrester founded BeneCard Services, Inc., a pharmacy benefits management firm that provides prescription drug coverage primarily to public sector entities. In a financial disclosure statement in 2002, Forrester reported his 51 percent share in the company to be worth over $50,000,000. In 2003, Forrester started Heartland Fidelity with Robert Ullman, his partner in BeneCard.

Forrester ran for the United States Senate in 2002 with the endorsement of President George W. Bush. Forrester's original opponent, Robert Torricelli, abandoned his re-election bid under accusations of accepting improper "gifts". While he was never prosecuted, Torricelli withdrew after he fell far behind in the polls due to an admonishment by the Senate.

In the case of The New Jersey Democratic Party v. Samson, 175 N.J. 178 (2002), Forrester sued to stop Democratic Party efforts to have Frank Lautenberg replace Torricelli. Forrester argued that the state statute generally forbidding the replacement of a candidate on the ballot within 51 days of an election (N.J.S.A. 19:13-20) should be obeyed because "here, there are really no extraordinary facts" such as "death and incapacitation". Furthermore, Torricelli was only withdrawing from the race, not his current Senate seat. The Democrats argued that there was still time to notify all the absentee voters and Torricelli had the right to withdraw. The County Clerks agreed that a substitution was logistically possible if it occurred immediately but might cost up to $800,000.

During arguments, the New Jersey Supreme Court justices questioned whether this precedent would be abused in the future. Justice James R. Zazzali asked, "Will there be a parade of candidates removed at the whim of party leaders because the candidate is collapsing?" The justices expressed concern for absentee voters and the public interest in having an optimal choice of candidates.

Ultimately, the justices ruled unanimously to allow the ballot replacement. Peter Verniero, a Republican appointed by Christine Todd Whitman, wrote that the statute in question "does not preclude the possibility of a vacancy occurring within 51 days of the election." He also wrote, "We see what advantage this has for Mr. Forrester; we fail to see what advantage this has for the people of New Jersey." In deciding to interpret the deadline as it did, the Court cited Kilmurray v. Gilbert, 10 N.J. 435 (1952) and Catania v. Haberle, 123 N.J. 438. The Democrats were ordered to cover the extra costs incurred to the state.

Three weeks later, Forrester was defeated by Lautenberg 54-44 percent.

According to the Associated Press, Forrester was being asked to run for Governor in autumn 2004. He initially decided to take care of his daughter Briana, who had suffered a brain hemorrhage and been diagnosed with cancer. That November, however, she encouraged him to run. (As of April 2005, her cancer is in remission).

On November 23, 2004, Forrester formally announced his gubernatorial candidacy at Washington Crossing State Park. He announced that he would not accept public funding for his campaign. His primary competitor in the primaries was Bret Schundler, a former gubernatorial candidate and former Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey. After vote counting problems in Bergen County, a swing county in the primary election, Forrester broke even as planned with Schundler, giving him a 36-31 percent statewide victory over Schundler, setting Forrester up for his race against Democratic Party candidate and US Senator Jon Corzine.

New Jersey law has prohibited insurance companies, or people with a majority interest in one, from making political donations. Forrester's campaign was substantially funded by donations from himself, leading to claims that Forrester was in violation of these regulations. Forrester contended that because Heartland Insurance had been incorporated in Washington, D.C., it was not covered by the restrictions. Acting Banking and Insurance Commissioner Donald Bryan, who had been reappointed by Democratic Governor Jim McGreevey, issued an opinion in August 2005 stating that Forrester had not broken the law.

On November 8, with 83 percent of the districts reporting, Forrester conceded the election to Sen. Jon Corzine.

Forrester currently serves as president of Integrity Health, a health benefits management firm that focuses on early prevention and claims transparency. The firm provides health benefit programs for public and private sector employees, including school districts and municipalities.

Integrity Health uses a program to update members on the status of their health and remind them when it is time to get necessary tests, screenings, and check-ups. The focus on preventive care helps to control costs.

The company proposes to streamline the healthcare billing and claims resolution process, while providing a detailed reporting of how healthcare dollars are spent.

Forrester founded the Princeton, New Jersey firm after his daughter experienced a traumatic brain injury.

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