Garry Cobb As GOP Choice To Fill Andrews' Seat?

Former Eagles linebacker and Philadelphia sports radio commentator Garry Cobb of Cherry Hill could very well be the Republican candidate for Congressman Rob Andrews' seat in this November's pivotal election.

Andrews is expected to resign from Congress this morning and reportedly is excepted to go to work for the public affairs division of a Philadelphia law firm of Dilworth Paxson.

While the Democrat choice for Andrews' seat is expected to be State Senator Donald Norcross of Camden (brother of Democrat boss George Norcross who is also part owner of Philadelphia's two daily newspapers) the Republicans are expected to follow the model set when they successfully ran John Runyan for Congress -- pick a well-known name, preferably a sports star.

It makes sense because if you don't have the big bucks that the Norcross brothers are capable of pouring into a race, then you have to have name-power to at least have a fighting shot at the seat.

Drafted in the 1979 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, Cobb went on to play 11 years in the NFL with the Detroit Lions, the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas. Notably, he was traded from Detroit to Philadelphia in 1985 for Philadelphia's then all-time leading rusher Wilbert Montgomery.

While with the Eagles, Cobb was a teammate with quarterback Randall Cunningham and played in one of coach Buddy Ryan's most dominant defensive front units which included Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons, Seth Joyner and Hall of Famer Reggie White.

Cobb and his wife Gwendolyn whom he met while in college are active in their local community. They have three children together - two daughters, and a son who played cornerback at Stanford (1998–2002). Cobb is known for his interest in urban youth. He reaches out to them by speaking locally at youth detention centers, churches and other venues where they can be found.

Cobb goes under the name of GCobb and he runs a popular sports website at  GCobb.com, Philadelphia Sports 24/7.

Reports: Congressman Andrews (D-NJ) Resigns Immediately

This is a stunner: South Jersey Congressman Rob Andrews is resigning from Congress after 24 years to take a job with a Philadelphia law firm, according to numerous reports.
Andrews will leave Congress as soon as possible -- reportedly sometime around Presidents Day.
Andrews has scheduled an announcement at 11:30 am today at his district office in Haddon Heights.
Andrews, 56 has been under investigation by the House for possible ethics violations and his legal defense fees have reportedly cost his campaign $200,000 thus far.
Reports say that Andrews will do "public affairs work" at the law firm.

Christie Video: 'Unequivocally No; I Didn't Know'

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie from tonight's "Ask the Governor" program on NJ 101.5 radio with Eric Scott:

Governor Christie: Well Eric, listen let's make one thing clear right off the bat which I think is the most important issue and the most important issue is did I know anything about the plan to close these lanes? Did I authorize it? Did I know about it? Did I approve it? Did I have any knowledge of it beforehand and the answer is still the same, it's unequivocally no. And in fact, no one has ever accused me of that and that's the thing that I think people in New Jersey care about the most. Now, when did I first know about the lane closures. You know the fact is that the first time this really came into my consciousness as an issue was when Pat Foye, the Executive Director of the Port Authority's email about this incident was leaked to the media and reported on. And that was the first time that I got a sense of, there might be some issue here.

Eric Scott: And who brought that to your attention? Was that staff?

Governor Christie: No it was news accounts. I mean...

Eric Scott: But you read them personally or did somebody bring it to your attention?

Governor Christie: No I read it.

Eric Scott: You read it.

Governor Christie: I read it in the Wall Street Journal. And it was that day then when I read that Pat Foye was saying, 'I didn't know about this. It wasn't cleared through me.' And whatever else he said in that email. That's when I asked my Chief of Staff and Chief Counsel. I said to them hey, would you look into this and see what's going on here? Now if prior to that, I know prior to that that there were press accounts about traffic issues up there and you know if someone, if I either read that or someone said something to me about traffic issues up there, it wouldn't have been meaningful to me. I didn't know that there was any problem up there because you know I didn't know that we had actually closed lanes up there before that.

So my dispute is two-fold. First, to make clear to everybody in the midst of all the things that were reported over the weekend that nobody has said that I knew anything about this before it happened and I think that's the most important question. Secondly that when this first became an issue for me because let's face it, Eric, there's traffic every day at the George Washington Bridge, at the Lincoln Tunnel, at the Holland Tunnel. I hear those reports on the radio. We all hear about them. That's not something that rises to the gubernatorial level. When this first became clear to me that this was a potential issue was when the Foye email was put out. Now like I said to you, there were press accounts before. Whether I read any of those, if I did or heard anything from anybody about traffic, it would not have been meaningful to me. Because now we're looking at it in the prism of knowing everything we know since January 8. Back then this was not a major issue. And it became one to me in terms of finding out what was going on when the Foye email came out.

Christie Video: Something Like This Won't Happen Again

From Governor Chris Christie's live appearance on tonight's "Ask The Governor" program on New Jersey radio station 101.5 FM with Eric Scott:

Governor Christie: What I'm curious about, Eric. What I'm curious about is what happened here. And that (video skips) an internal investigation as I talked about on January 9th.

Eric Scott: Mmm hmm.

Christie: And we've hired a law firm to come in and do that internal investigation. They're working really hard. They're working diligently. And I can't wait for them to be finished so that I can get the full story, here.

Eric Scott: And this is the internal investigation of your staff to determine who may have known --

Governor Christie: Right

Eric Scott: -- What?

Governor Christie: And get into the situation. I mean, we're going to try to get as much information as we possibly can by interviewing folks and reviewing documents that are in our possession that we have access to. And then they're going to give a report. And so that's what I'm really anxious to find out about.

Eric Scott: Is there a timeline on that?

Governor Christie: My timeline for them is as quickly as possible.

Eric Scott: Because you made it clear during that press conference if you find out anybody else on your staff lied that there are going to be repercussions.

Governor Christie: They'll be fired. I mean listen, here's the thing that I find so interesting is what's going on now with all this other stuff? It's just a game of gotcha. You know it, you ,know when did I first learn about this or that. Well, the fact of the matter is I've been very clear about this. Before these lanes were closed, I knew nothing about it. I didn't plan it. I didn't authorize it. I didn't approve it. I knew nothing about it. Thereafter, and I've said this a number of times before, it became clear to me that this was an issue that I had to have somebody look into when the Foye email came out. So, in the period of time before that, there were press accounts. You know, things could have been mentioned to me about traffic at any point in time. None of it was memorable to me, Eric, because I didn't know there was any issue. So, what I'm curious about -- I'm sure the documents will eventually, I'll get a chance to look at them. I mean, I don't even know if we've gotten copies of them at this point in the Governor's Office because they were produced to the Legislature. But, what I'm really curious about is the folks that I've hired. We hired a national law firm to come in, being led by a former Assistant United States Attorney who is leading an internal investigation who has done a lot of interviews, I know already. And I want to find out what happened here so I can make changes if necessary. If there's anybody else that needs to be held to account, I'll hold them to account. And then to make changes hopefully so I can assure the people of New Jersey that something like this won't happen again.

Video: Christie Says 'I First Read About It In WSJ'

From tonight's "Ask The Governor" radio program on New Jersey 101.5 radio during a live interview with Eric Scott:

Governor Christie: Well Eric, listen let's make one thing clear right off the bat which I think is the most important issue and the most important issue is did I know anything about the plan to close these lanes? Did I authorize it? Did I know about it? Did I approve it? Did I have any knowledge of it beforehand and the answer is still the same, it's unequivocally no. And in fact, no one has ever accused me of that and that's the thing that I think people in New Jersey care about the most. Now, when did I first know about the lane closures. You know the fact is that the first time this really came into my consciousness as an issue was when Pat Foye, the Executive Director of the Port Authority's email about this incident was leaked to the media and reported on. And that was the first time that I got a sense of, there might be some issue here.

Eric Scott: And who brought that to your attention? Was that staff?

Governor Christie: No it was news accounts. I mean...

Eric Scott: But you read them personally or did somebody bring it to your attention?

Governor Christie: No I read it.

Eric Scott: You read it.

Governor Christie: I read it in the Wall Street Journal. And it was that day then when I read that Pat Foye was saying, 'I didn't know about this. It wasn't cleared through me.' And whatever else he said in that email. That's when I asked my Chief of Staff and Chief Counsel. I said to them hey, would you look into this and see what's going on here? Now if prior to that, I know prior to that that there were press accounts about traffic issues up there and you know if someone, if I either read that or someone said something to me about traffic issues up there, it wouldn't have been meaningful to me. I didn't know that there was any problem up there because you know I didn't know that we had actually closed lanes up there before that.

So my dispute is two-fold. First, to make clear to everybody in the midst of all the things that were reported over the weekend that nobody has said that I knew anything about this before it happened and I think that's the most important question. Secondly that when this first became an issue for me because let's face it, Eric, there's traffic every day at the George Washington Bridge, at the Lincoln Tunnel, at the Holland Tunnel. I hear those reports on the radio. We all hear about them. That's not something that rises to the gubernatorial level. When this first became clear to me that this was a potential issue was when the Foye email was put out. Now like I said to you, there were press accounts before. Whether I read any of those, if I did or heard anything from anybody about traffic, it would not have been meaningful to me. Because now we're looking at it in the prism of knowing everything we know since January 8. Back then this was not a major issue. And it became one to me in terms of finding out what was going on when the Foye email came out.

Christie Video: It Won't Get In The Way Of My Job!

New Jsersey Governor Chris Christie answering questions tonight on NJ 101.5 radio's "Ask The Governor" program. The governor was clear, direct, forthright and, as always - passionate.

Snow: Christie Declares State Of Emergency

With today’s severe winter weather expected to result in dangerous travel conditions for several days, Governor Chris Christie today declared a State of Emergency, authorizing the State Director of Emergency Management to activate and coordinate the preparation, response and recovery efforts for the storm with all county and municipal emergency operations and governmental agencies. Governor Christie also authorized a staggering dismissal for all non-essential state employees beginning at noon. The staggering closing schedule will help to alleviate traffic congestion and reduce travel hazards.

“Today’s winter storm is expected to produce heavy snow and travel hazards throughout the state, affecting tonight’s evening commute,” said Governor Christie. “I’ve authorized state officials to take all necessary action to prepare, and my Administration will continue monitoring conditions throughout the remainder of the storm. I encourage all New Jerseyans to drive carefully andremain off the roads if possible so that our first responders and public safety officials can safely respond to any emergency situations.”

Already affecting parts of the state, the storm is expected to continue into the afternoon, bringing heavy snow and mixed precipitation throughout the state. A potential mixture of hazardous travel conditions, fallen trees and power outages and coastal, stream and river flooding are anticipated.

State Moves To Shift Some Sandy Recovery Funds

The Christie Administration today announced the state’s request to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to amend the current New Jersey Disaster Recovery Action Plan to provide $17 million in tenant-based housing vouchers for low-income families and to create a $5 million Lead Hazard Reduction Program to protect children from increased lead poisoning threats in Sandy-damaged homes.

“This amendment continues the Christie Administration’s commitment to helping all Sandy-impacted families, regardless of income, settle into safe and affordable homes,” said New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Richard E. Constable III, whose department administers many of the state’s Sandy Recovery programs. “Additionally, this amendment seeks to remove lead hazard threats, which have become increasingly problematic as a result of flooding from Sandy, in communities affected by the storm.”

The substantial amendment would shift funding to provide rental assistance in the form of tenant-based vouchers for low-income families that were displaced by Sandy and, in so doing, prevent Sandy-related homelessness. More than 800 families receiving vouchers as a result of Sandy would be helped by the tenant-based housing vouchers proposed in the substantial amendment.

It would also create the Lead Hazard Reduction Program, which would provide $5 million in funding for lead assessment and remediation in Sandy-impacted homes, which are potentially at greater risk of lead threats due to flooding that has caused lead-based paint to flake. This new program would complement an effort to test young children, pregnant mothers and Sandy recovery workers for blood lead levels being administered by the New Jersey Department of Health with Social Services Block Grant funding from the federal government. Flooded homes built prior to 1978 are more likely to experience increased lead hazards.

The amendment proposes to shift funds from the existing Landlord Incentive Program, which aims to increase affordable housing by providing funding to rental property owners to subsidize rents. By transferring funds to tenant-based vouchers, the state seeks to accomplish the same goal of increasing affordable housing by providing vouchers directly to tenants to defray rental costs. Federal rules prohibit this kind of direct assistance, which is why the state is seeking a waiver from HUD.

The New Jersey Disaster Recovery Action Plan, which was approved April 29, 2013, details how the state is distributing the $1,829,520,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Disaster Recovery funds allocated by HUD to help homeowners, renters, businesses and communities impacted by Sandy. Pursuant to guidelines from HUD, the Action Plan focuses predominantly on the nine counties most affected by the storm as determined by HUD (Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Union) and on assisting low- to moderate-income families.

Under the Action Plan, $379 million of these funds are directed to housing recovery programs designed to assist renters, including by replenishing the stock of rental housing throughout Sandy-affected areas, repairing affordable rental units left uninhabitable by the storm, and providing affordable housing for residents in need. The State anticipates that approximately 7,000 new affordable housing units statewide will be created over the next two years as a result of these affordable rental housing programs.

The Christie Administration opened a 30-day period through March 5, 2014 for the public to comment on the second substantial amendment of the Action Plan. The proposed amendment may be obtained in English and Spanish athttp://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/sandyrecovery/action/ on the DCA’s website. Written comments on the amendment will be accepted atsandy.publiccomment@dca.state.nj.us until 5:00 p.m. on March 5, 2014.

Sandy Recovery: How To Spend Fed $1.46 Billion

The Christie Administration today unveiled a proposed amendment to the New Jersey Disaster Recovery Action Plan detailing how the state will spend $1.46 billion in federal Sandy recovery funds. The state will continue rebuilding Sandy-damaged homes and rental housing, supporting hardest hit and financially strained communities, while also financing infrastructure resiliency projects throughout New Jersey to protect the state from future storms. This is the second round of federal Community Disaster Block Grant (CDBG) Disaster Recovery funds allocated to New Jersey by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The Administration also opened a 30-day period for the public to comment on the state’s proposed plan, which will run through March 5, 2014. The plan was developed in consultation with residents, elected officials, long-term recovery groups and other stakeholders in New Jersey, and will also incorporate feedback received during the public comment period.

“We’ve made a lot of progress in the 15 months since Sandy, and it’s been a coordinated effort by my Administration, the Obama Administration, local governments and other recovery partners,” said Governor Christie. “Nevertheless, there is still much to be done and substantial needs remain. These additional disaster relief funds will allow the state to expand the recovery initiatives and programs to assist Sandy-impacted residents, businesses and communities, and I am grateful to the Obama Administration for their ongoing support. My mission remains to ensure that everyone who was impacted by Sandy gets their lives back to normal, and I won’t rest until that mission is complete.”

Housing for those who lost their homes was the priority of the initial $1.83 billion of CDBG Disaster Recovery funds awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) last April. Because the state’s housing needs remain substantial, the Christie Administration is proposing to spend a majority of the second round of CDBG Disaster Recovery funds to support homeowners and renters. Consistent with HUD requirements, the state will continue to prioritize funding in the nine counties most impacted counties as determined by HUD (Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Union) and to assist low-to-moderate-income families and communities.

Furthermore, recognizing that Sandy’s storm surge and flooding highlighted vulnerabilities in the state’s transportation, energy, and water infrastructure systems, the plan proposes a $535 million investment in infrastructure. The proposed investment would include funding to create an energy bank to fund resiliency projects as well as a multi-faceted flood hazard risk reduction program. Additionally, funds would be made available to satisfy non-federal cost-share obligations (also known as match), including obligations for infrastructure-related recovery and resiliency projects.

“While we are thankful for the additional $1.46 billion in CDBG Disaster Recovery funding, we know that far more work and resources are required to address the critical needs of those affected by Sandy. We will continue to work with all of our partners to deliver this aid quickly, transparently, and with a focus on durability for future disasters,” said New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Richard E. Constable III, whose department administers the distribution of CDBG Disaster Recovery funds for the state. “For this reason, we have sought input from residents, stakeholders and elected officials and look forward to hearing what the public has to say about the proposed plan.”

For the second allocation, the state is proposing to spend $735 million on housing assistance programs, of which $450 million is projected to assist low-to-moderate-income families. The second proposed plan calls for:

· $390 million for the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation & Mitigation (RREM) Program, which is the state’s largest Sandy housing recovery initiative. The funding would be added to the $710 million provided in the initial allocation. To date, more than 5,100 Sandy-impacted homeowners have been preliminarily awarded a RREM grant. The additional funding would enable approximately 3,000 eligible homeowners to move off of the program’s waitlist and begin the grant process.

· $200 million for the Fund for Restoration of Multi-Family Housing to help develop affordable multi-family rental housing. The funding would be added to the $179 million allocated to the program in the first round. To date, funding has been committed to 36 affordable housing projects to create nearly 2,500 housing units for low- to moderate-income residents.

· $100 million for the New Jersey Blue Acres Buyout Program to purchase flood-prone homes that will move people out of harm’s way and create natural systems to absorb flood waters from future storms. To date, more than 270 buyout offers have been made to Sandy-impacted homeowners.

· $25 million for the Sandy Special Needs Housing Fund to help develop permanent supportive affordable housing for special needs populations. The funding would be added to the $25 million provided the program in the first allocation. To date, funding has been committed to 11 projects to create affordable housing opportunities for more than 150 residents with special needs.

· $20 million for the Neighborhood Enhancement Program to help stabilize storm-damaged neighborhoods that were previously struggling under the burden of abandoned, foreclosed and vacant properties. To date, nearly $26 million in Neighborhood Enhancement Program funding has been committed to 33 projects to create 170 housing units for low- to moderate-income residents.

Additionally, the proposed plan would commit $535 million to the following infrastructure programs:

· $210 million for the New Jersey Energy Resilience Bank to fund projects that would ensure a highly reliable power supply to critical public facilities such as water and wastewater treatment plants, hospitals, shelters, emergency response centers and transit networks in the event the larger electrical grid fails.

· $100 million for the Flood Hazard Risk Reduction and Resiliency Measures Program to fund projects that would help protect areas at high risk of storm surge or flooding through such measures as flood walls, pump stations, wetlands restoration, permeable pavement, rain gardens and bio-retention basins.

· $225 million to help government entities meet federal funding match obligations for a variety of recovery and resiliency projects such as repairing or constructing roads, bridges, levees, public buildings, water and sewer treatment plants, power generation and distribution facilities, sand dunes, beaches, telecommunication systems, and recreational facilities.

Finally, the state is proposing to continue to support existing economic development and local government support programs that are vital to local recovery efforts:

· $90 million for the Essential Services Grant Program to assist Sandy-impacted local government entities that are experiencing budget distress in maintaining essential services such as trash removal and police and fire protection while their communities are rebuilt. The funding would be added to the $60 million provided in the initial allocation. To date, more than $44.5 million in funding has been awarded to 11 Sandy-impacted local governmental entities.

· $10 million for the Unsafe Structures Demolition Program to demolish unsafe Sandy-impacted structures, remove debris, and perform any additional activities related to demolitions. The funding would be added to the $15 million provided in the first round.

· $10 million for planning initiatives, including funding for the Post Sandy Planning Assistance Grant Program to help Sandy-impacted local governments plan their rebuilding efforts to promote resilience and encourage economic growth. The funding would be added to the $5 million provided the program in the initial allocation. To date, more than $1.8 million in planning grants have been awarded to 35 local governments.

· $5 million for a marketing campaign to encourage tourism in Sandy-impacted areas.

· $5 million for the Code Enforcement and Zoning Program to help code enforcement and zoning offices in Sandy-impacted municipalities respond to the influx of rebuilding applications. The funding would be added to the $6 million provided in the initial allocation.

CDBG Disaster Recovery funds are intended to support local rebuilding efforts after private insurance, FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), or other available sources of funds have been applied. HUD also requires that 50% of the funding focus on low-to-moderate-income households. In New Jersey, HUD further mandates that 80% of the CDBG Disaster Recovery dollars be spent in the nine most storm-impacted and distressed communities, which include Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, and Union counties.

The Christie Administration opened a 30-day period through March 5, 2014 for the public to comment on the amendment to the Action Plan. The proposed plan may be obtained in English and Spanish at http://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/sandyrecovery/action/ on the DCA’s website. Written comments to the proposed plan can be submitted by email to sandy.publiccomment@dca.state.nj.us or can be provided by mail to the attention of Gabrielle Gallagher, NJ Department of Community Affairs, 101 South Broad Street, Post Office Box 800, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0800. All comments must be submitted by 5 p.m. on March 5, 2014.

The state plans to hold three public hearings to solicit public comment on the proposed plan. The dates, times and locations of the public hearings are:

· February 11, 2014; Stockton University (Atlantic County); 101 Vera King Farris Drive, Galloway, NJ 08205; Performing Arts Center; 4–7 pm

· February 12, 2014; New Jersey Institute of Technology (Essex County);150 Bleeker Street, Newark, NJ 07102; Campus Center; 5:30–8:30 pm

· February 13, 2014; Brookdale Community College (Monmouth County); Robert J. Collins Arena; 765 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, NJ 07738; 4–7 pm

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