New Jersey

Companies could easily flee NY for NJ over new congestion toll: senator

Published

2 years ago

November 24, 2024

Companies could easily flee NY for NJ over new congestion toll: senator

Companies might easily flee New York for New Jersey if they find that the new congestion pricing toll in Midtown is hurting their business and workers too much, Garden State Sen. George Helmy said Sunday.

The $9 charge for cars and up to nearly $22 for trucks is expected to have an outsized effect on commuting New Jerseyans and firms that do business in Manhattan, Helmy said on CBS New York’s “The Point with Marcia Kramer.”

The senator said the toll — which proponents claim will cut traffic and fund the perennially cash-strapped public transit Metropolitan Transportation Authority — might cause some New York businesses to move across the Hudson, where workers and customers won’t have to fork over the extra cash.

“You’ve seen over the last two years more and more New York City-based organizations, including business groups, say that this is bad for business and bad for working families in the city,” Helmy said.

“A lot of the employees who come to the city every day are New Jerseyans, mostly north New Jerseyans, or [they] live in our shore communities,” the senator said.

“And if they can get [their] businesses to move into Jersey City or Hoboken, where we’re already seeing some of that influx, I think it’s going to be good for New Jersey,” he said.

But he reiterated that congestion pricing as a whole is “bad for New Jersey, and it’s bad for the city.”

Several Garden State officials, including Gov. Phil Murphy, Rep. Josh Gottheimer and Rep. Mikie Sherrill, have called the new tolls a mistake.

“This plan is a tax on New Jersey families meant to force New Jerseyans to pay for MTA upgrades — all without getting a cent back for NJ TRANSIT,” said Sherrill, who along with Gottheimer is running to replace Murphy next year.

“Make no mistake: New Jersey will not sit back and take it quietly as New York uses our commuters as a meal ticket for the MTA,” she said.

There are already nearly a dozen lawsuits challenging the pricey plan, which recently cleared a key legislative hurdle and is set to start Jan. 5, CBS said.

Earlier this month, lawyers for the New Jersey governor urged a Newark federal judge to rule on one of the biggest lawsuits aimed at nixing congestion pricing — a plan that Hochul proposed, then paused before the election, then moved ahead on again right afterward.

“I have consistently expressed openness to a form of congestion pricing that meaningfully protects the environment and does not put unfair burdens upon hardworking New Jersey commuters.” Murphy has said about the toll. “Today’s plan woefully fails that test.”

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New Jersey

NJ fines Sen. Wimberly $24K after use of donations for hotels, airfare

Published

7 hours ago

July 14, 2026

Press Room

NJ fines Sen. Wimberly K after use of donations for hotels, airfare

2-minute read

PATERSON — In a three-month span at the end of 2022, state Sen. Benjie Wimberly, then an assemblyman, spent more than $7,200 in political donations on hotel bills, airfare and other travel expenses.

Now, Wimberly has been fined about $24,000 by New Jersey’s Election Law Enforcement Commission, partly for spending campaign funds on his own personal use.

The ELEC complaint against Wimberly had been pending since December 2024, and a settlement between the state and the senator was reached at the end of May 2026. ELEC made details of the deal public on July 1.

“Senator Wimberly chose to settle the matter with ELEC because his priority is addressing the immediate and important needs of his district,” said his attorney, Angelo Genova, a prominent and well-connected lawyer in New Jersey political circles.

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“As expressly stated in the Consent Order and Final Decision, Senator Wimberly and his treasurer neither admit nor deny the violations, and they maintain their good-faith belief that the disputed expenditures were permissible under the law,” Genova added.

Wimberly’s campaign treasurer, David Cozart, works as an assistant superintendent for Paterson Public Schools, with a $213,000 salary. Wimberly also works for the city school district as director of recreation, with a $194,000 salary.

The commission determined that 19 of Wimberly’s expenditures at the end of 2022, when he was still an Assembly member, were for impermissible uses. The order said $10,861 of the fine stemmed from Wimberly’s improper use of political funds. The rest of the penalty was for late filing of a finance report that covered October through December of 2022.

Among the expenditures highlighted by ELEC were:

$645 to the Hilton Garden Inn Lodge Colonial on Oct. 11, 2022.
$751 to the Embassy Suites Hampton on Oct. 25, 2022.
$497 to the Landing at Hampton on Nov. 8, 2022.
$322 to the Hilton Garden Inn on Dec. 6, 2022.
$378 to the Omni Hotels on Dec. 14, 2022.

The ELEC complaint did not provide specific locations of those businesses.

Partial payment of $4,000 in April

The order said Wimberly and Cozart made a partial payment of $4,000 in April 2026. The election commission also reduced the penalty, lowering it to $15,335.

Going forward, Cozart and Wimberly would make four payments of $3,833.99 through April 2027, the order said.

Wimberly supporters noted that the original complaint filed against him came at the end of 2024, when he was still an Assembly member making a bid for the vacant New Jersey 35th District Senate seat left vacant when Nellie Pou went to Congress.

Wimberly sought the Senate seat even though several Passaic County Democratic party leaders were backing then-Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter for the Senate. After the initial tally ended in a tie, Wimberly won the internal party election by one vote over Sumter.

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New Jersey

Heat wave to bring near 100 degree weather. When does NJ heat wave start

Published

20 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Press Room

Heat wave to bring near 100 degree weather. When does NJ heat wave start

Last week wasn’t a great one when it comes to weather at the Jersey Shore.

This one will be much better, at least if you like heat.

A heat wave will hit New Jersey this week with hot weather moving into the area on Tuesday. The warm temperatures will stick around for most of the week before we get a little relief by the end of the weekend.

The National Weather Service forecasts the heat wave to start July 14 with a sunny day with highs around 92 degrees. Wednesday is even hotter with temperatures expected to flirt with 100 degrees. Thursday stays hot with a high of 92 degrees forecasted, with Friday and Saturday also expected to see highs in the low 80s.

According to the NOAA, Wednesday the Jersey Shore area will be under an extreme heat watch.

Tuesday through Friday are expected to be sunny, with some clouds. Saturday is when showers roll in.

Sunday the heatwave is expected to break. Showers are also expected to stick around with a high of 84 degrees expected.

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New Jersey

New NJ businesses include non-alcoholic liquor store, art school

Published

1 day ago

July 13, 2026

Press Room

New NJ businesses include non-alcoholic liquor store, art school

2-minute read

The Record, NorthJersey.com, the Daily Record and the New Jersey Herald want to keep you up to date on all the newest shops, restaurants and service providers moving into your towns. Below is a roundup of businesses that recently opened or are coming soon.

Are you opening a business in North Jersey? Get the word out to your neighbors as soon as possible. Send us your information and photos and we will try to add them to our next new-business roundup.

We’re also interested in reporting business closings. Have a tip? Contact Business Reporter Daniel Munoz at munozd@northjersey.com, or 201-270-9870, and Stephanie Noda at noda@northjersey.com, or 973-558-0950.

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