Political pandering alert: mcguckin, catalano call for cease of toll hike hearings weeks after they happened

Political Pandering Alert: McGuckin, Catalano Call for Cease of Toll Hike Hearings Weeks After they Happened

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1 min read
March 31, 2020

TRENTON-On March 19th, 2020, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority held a hearing amid the coronavirus pandemic to increase toll hikes on New Jersey’s two major toll roads, the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike.  Some local mayors and Ocean County Freeholder Joseph Vicari immediately condemned those hearings, but two men who represent Ocean County in the New Jersey assembly waited until weeks after the hearings and the subsequent approval of those toll hikes to say something.

The time for action has passed.  Amato and Vicari expressed their opposition before the hearing.  The hearing happened. The hikes were announced and essentially approved.  The meeting happened.

Now, on March 30th, 2020, Senator Jim Holzapfel and Assemblymen Greg McGuckin and John Catalano of the 10th Legislative District released a statement calling for the halt of hearings and plans to increase tolls during the ongoing COVID-19 emergency.

We’re not sure what the delay was, whether it was a backlog of press releases by the person who writes their words or maybe they just weren’t paying attention while McGuckin was gobbling up pay to pay muncipal contracts across the county and failing at taking over local Republican clubs, but as they, “Better late than never.”

These two men are the ones who should be speaking publicly in the Trenton statehouse. Yelling at the top of their lungs at the Democrat leadership that continues to push burden after burden into the lives of New Jersey residents, not issue statements nearly three weeks after the fact.

This is what is wrong with New Jersey’s Republican party.  They are weak, ineffective and powerless against the Murphy administration and the Democrat machine that controls New Jersey, but let’s face it, when you’re entire syndicate relies on getting tax payer funded contracts from both Democrats and Republicans, it’s understandable why high ranking state Republicans don’t want to rock the boat in Trenton too much…they have a crap ton of money riding on public contracts to buck status quo in the Garden State.

For this McGuckin and Catalano get four out of five pandering pandas.  Around here we expect actions, not words…especially not words weeks after we already lost the battle.

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.

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