Menendez profited on rent increase

A deal with a federally funded non-profit allowed then-Rep. Bob Menendez to collect substantially more rent for his old house than he got in prior years, when the property's annual losses reached $10,000, records show. Menendez's arrangement with the politically connected organization meant the rent he charged for the Union City property jumped by nearly 50 percent from 1989 to 1994 despite a pronounced real estate slump that had emptied some of Hudson County's best office buildings.

Whether the non-profit North Hudson Community Action Corp. paid Menendez more than the space was worth is a key question in the federal probe that threatened the Democrat's successful bid for the U.S. Senate last year. Excessive rent payments could back up charges that the organization was passing kickbacks to a congressman who helped boost its federal funding.

Menendez, who sold the house in 2003, has defended the lease as being at or below market rental rates. A survey of the neighborhood, real estate ads and market reports largely backs him up. With a special grand jury reviewing the deal, that could be a crucial fact in Menendez's favor. "This property was rented at fair market value, and we are confident that any review will conclude that," said Menendez spokesman Matt Miller. In other ways, however, an investigation by The Record found that the North Hudson lease was an unusual boon.

Divided into small rooms and hallways, and fitted into a narrow lot on a residential street, the house has few of the features normally expected of commercial properties. And it looked unlikely to make it as an office building for several years.

Even though the State of NJ was under Federal Orders NOT to use their voter registration "legacy" system which contains DEAD voters and People that long moved away, THEY DID IT ANYWAY.

What NJ DID:

http://www.govtech.net/magazine/channel_story.php/101667

A stipulation and order agreement between the state and federal governments provides New Jersey additional time to implement a statewide voter registration database while ensuring that the November 7 general election operates fairly and guarantees all eligible voters the right to vote, Attorney General Stuart Rabner announced today.

The agreement allows the postponement of full implementation of the statewide voter registration system, which was scheduled to be in effect under provisions of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and a related state law. Instead, the state will use the existing county voter registration rolls as the official system for this fall's election.

The state today also sought a declaratory judgment in Superior Court delaying the full implementation of the statewide voter registration system because exclusive use of the statewide system that could result in problems that could threaten the integrity and orderly administration of the election.

What NJ was ORDERED Not to Do:

http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/voting/nvra/nj_hava_comp.htm

The State of New Jersey is not in compliance with several provisions of Section 303(a) of HAVA, and was not in compliance by January 1, 2006.

21. Defendants violations of Section 303(a) of HAVA include the following:

(a) Defendants have not completed a computerized statewide voter registration list that serves as the sole system for managing and storing the State's list of registered voters, see 42 U.S.C. § 15483(a)(1)(A)(i);

(b) Defendants' current computerized statewide list does not contain the name and registration information for all legally registered voters in the State, see 42 U.S.C. § 15483(a) (1)(A)(ii);

(c) Defendants cannot use the current computerized statewide list as the official registration list for the November 2006 general election, which include elections for federal office in the State, see 42 U.S.C. § 15483(a)(1)(A)(viii);

(d) Defendants have not performed list maintenance on the statewide computerized registration list by removing duplicate registrations from the list, see 42 U.S.C. § 15483(a)(2)(B)(iii); and

(e) Defendants have not required applicants for voter registration to provide a driver's license number (if they have such number) or the last four digits of the applicant's social security number (if the applicant does not have driver's license number) on voter registration applications, see 42 U.S.C. § 15483(a)(5)(A)(i).

22. As a result of the failure of Defendants to take the actions set forth in Paragraph 21 above, there is no statewide voter registration list in the State of New Jersey that complies with the requirements of Section 303(a) of HAVA.

23. Unless and until ordered to do so by this Court, Defendants will not come into compliance with Section 303(a) of HAVA.

SECOND CAUSE OF ACTION
24. Plaintiff restates and incorporates herein by reference the allegations contained in Paragraphs 1 through 23 of this Complaint.

25. Pursuant to the NVRA and New Jersey law, the New Jersey Attorney General is the chief state election official responsible for the conduct of list maintenance. 42 U.S.C. § 1973gg-8; N.J. Ann. Stat. 19:31-6a.

26. Defendants have not complied with the list maintenance requirements of Sections 8(a)(3) and (4) of the NVRA because:

(a) Defendants have not completed a general program to remove deceased registrants from the State's official list of registered voters, see 42 U.S.C. § 1973gg-6(a)(4)(A); and

(b) Defendants have not performed or completed a general program that identifies and removes registrants who have had a change of residence, see 42 U.S.C. § 1973gg-6(a)(4)(B).

27. As a result of the Defendants' failure set forth in Paragraph 26 above, the State of New Jersey has not complied with the list maintenance requirements of Section 8(a) of the NVRA, 42 U.S.C. § 1973-gg(a).

28. Unless and until ordered to do so by this Court, the Defendants will not take timely actions necessary to ensure that list maintenance requirements are performed as required under Section 8 of the NVRA.

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