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Wednesday October 28, 2009 Issue 20 |
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Jersey Call to Service Wants You!
The Jersey Call to Service, our public service initiative to inspire 5,000 citizens to participate in the leadership of their communities has been successfully reaching thousands of people statewide in the past weeks through exciting Call to Service partnerships, news stories and television interviews. Our contact with people is transformative. Most people believe only elected officials have the power to make change. The power for positive change, beyond the ballot, is what the Jersey Call to Service offers. Last week yours truly was featured in an interview on the Jersey Call to Service that aired on PBS. 
We are making more New Jerseyans aware of their leadership rights and service opportunities.
The Asbury Park Press recently featured us in the article "NJ Tax Crush: It takes a citizens' army to fight property taxes." This October 11th article profiled the Jersey Call to Service and our Platform for the People where citizens can make constructive proposals to control property tax increases, and get their ideas turned into model laws for adoption throughout the state with the help of our new Law and Policy Task Force. Experts and leaders in the field of local government spending are on board to work for free for the Citizens' Campaign members who contribute their own constructive cost saving ideas.
Will you answer the Jersey Call to Service? Partnerships with organizations and businesses throughout the state are being formed to help recruit people to answer the Call to Service. Do you want to empower people at your business or organization? Do you want to bring to life a Call to Service in your community? Contact us, and we'll show you how.
Sincerely,
Harry Pozycki,
Citizens' Campaign Chairman
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The inaugural meeting of the Citizens' Campaigns new Law and Policy Task Force was held on October 9th at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.
 Pictured are Law and Policy Task Force members Tom Byrne, Task Force Chairman Gary Stein, and Harry Pozycki.
The goal of the new Law & Policy Task Force is to identify and draft cost-cutting proposals for immediate local implementation by Citizens' Campaign members.
In the past, the Legal Task Force has contributed their governmental & political expertise to write top government reforms laws such as the Anti-Pay-to-Play Law, the Party Democracy Act and the Citizen Service Act. We are honored that they have recommitted themselves, volunteering their expertise to now tackle policy issues to reduce government waste at the local level where property taxes are out of control.
The Law & Policy Task Force has more than 30 experts with experience in municipal government, politics, and law. We are honored that Gary Stein, former Chief of Policy for Gov. Kean, has agreed to serve as the Task Force Chair. Other members include former and current municipal elected officials, local finance experts, public administration professors from Rutgers University, and municipal attorneys.
At the inaugural meeting Tom Byrne, Chairman of the New Jersey Local Fiscal Policy Planning Commission, served as the keynote speaker and shared his observations and proposals for cutting municipal spending. Model proposals discussed at the inaugural meeting will be unveiled in the new Platform for the People, available to members of the Citizens' Campaign. If you have your own constructive proposal for cutting local government waste for consideration by the Law & Policy Task Force, please post it in the Platform for the People online forum. |
Citizens' Campaign's "Citizen Service Act" signed by Governor Corzine.
 by Heather Taylor, Communications Director
October 20th, 2009
The second of two bills developed by the Citizens' Campaign to increase citizen leadership in government was signed today by Governor Corzine. The "Citizen Service Act," opens up the appointments process for municipal boards and commissions. This follows the signing of the Party Democracy Act, which shifts candidate endorsement and platform creation power to grassroots leaders in county political parties. Together, these two citizen empowerment laws set the stage for citizens to participate in the leadership of their local governments and political parties.
read more |
NJ League of Women Voters Answers the Jersey Call to Service
 Grace Shackney, long time Citizens' Campaign volunteer has come on board to assist with the Jersey Call to Service and has developed a partnership with the New Jersey League of Women Voters, who also wants to help develop leadership opportunities for their members. The Leagure will host a link on their website to the Jersey Call to Service and help generate hometown Calls to Service via the initiative of their membership. If you think an organization you belong to would like to join forces to promote citizen empowerment, please contact Grace at or grace@jointhecampaign.com. |
Verizon Employees Empowered to Serve their Communities.  The Citizens' Campaigns State Campaign Director, Lauren Skowronski has been making Call to Service partnerships with businesses, municipalities and counties. She recently taught Verizon employees about opportunities to serve their communities in leadership roles. Lauren also met with the Somerset County Business Partnership and got them to agree to host a link to our website promoting participation in the Jersey Call to Service. She is working with them and many other governments and organizations in the development of the upcoming Somerset County Call to Service. Lauren is well known by Citizens' Campaign members for her helpfulness and for making things happen. Please reach out to her if you would like to develop a partnership or launch a Call to Service in your hometown. She can be reached at 732-548-9798x2 or lauren@jointhecampaign.com. |
Register Now for the Citizen Journalism Conference!
The Citizens' Campaign and Monmouth University are co-hosting a conference on Wednesday, November 18 to discuss the current state of local reporting in our new media environment, including how hyperlocal websites provide a means for stepped up local coverage and opportunities for citizen journalists to report from the frontlines. read more. To register email Heather at Heather@jointhecampaign.com or call 732-548-9798 x1 or log on to the website and register online. |
 The important work of developing new leadership for New Jersey is made possible by your support! Thank you! |
Answer the Jersey Call to Service!
Start participating in the leadership of your community today |
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| Caroline Pozycki, Citizens' Campaign Newsletter Editor
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