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1-13-10 More articles, plus Wikipedia information re New Education Commissioner, Bret Schundler
'Christie names Bret Schundler to head education, Bob Martin to oversee New Jersey’s environmental protection’ newjerseynewsroom.com ‘Christie picks Bret Schundler as education commissioner’ The Associated Press'Christie names Bret Schundler to head education, Bob Martin to oversee New Jersey’s environmental protection’ newjerseynewsroom.com

‘Christie picks Bret Schundler as education commissioner’ The Associated Press

‘N.J. Gov.-elect Christie names new education, environmental protection chiefs’ Statehouse Bureau Staff

‘Bret Schundler: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia’

'Schundler says he's open to working with NJEA' politickernj.com

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Schundler says he's open to working with NJEA
http://www.politickernj.com/matt-friedman/36082/schundler-says-hes-open-working-njea
By Matt Friedman | January 13th, 2010 - 4:17pm
 
It’s tempting to read Gov.-elect Christopher Christie’s nomination of Bret Schundler as commissioner of education as a shot across the bow of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), the state’s powerful teachers union.

Schundler, the mayor of Jersey City from 1992 to 2001 and two-time Republican gubernatorial candidate, is an unabashed supporter of school vouchers and charter schools– ideas vigorously opposed by the NJEA, which clashed with Christie during the gubernatorial campaign and has been subject to relentless criticism from him over the last two months.

But Schundler said that he doesn’t see it that way.

“Oh no, absolutely not,” he said. “I’m looking to having a very constructive relationship with them.”

In fact, Schundler planned to pop into their Trenton offices sometime in the late afternoon or evening.  He said that there has been “a lot of water under the bridge” since the Wall Street Journal identified him as the NJEA’s “Public Enemy #1” in a 1993 editorial. 

“The relationship is a lot better than it has been in the past, and I hope it will be better in four years than it is today,” he said.  “We’re not always going to agree, but I think there will be lots of opportunities to make legislation better.” 

And – at least for today -- the NJEA held its fire. 

“We certainly congratulate him for his nomination as the commissioner of education,” said NJEA President Barbara Keshishian in a phone interview.  “We’re hopeful that in his new position he will have a relationship with us at NJEA.  We’ll listen to experienced professional educators and work collaboratively with them”

Nevertheless, the views of Schundler and the NJEA on school vouchers are intractable.  As for charter schools, Keshishian said “We’re not against charter schools, but we don’t see them as being a universal panacea for any of the problems or the reforms that we’re trying to look for in some of our districts.”

Members of Christie’s transition team were frank on what they thought the appointment meant.

“I think it sends a message to the quote unquote education establishment that there is change coming,” said Shelley Skinner, a registered Democrat who is active in Jersey City politics and serves on Christie’s education transition team.  Skinner is the director of development and community relations at the Learning Community Charter School, which Christie visited on the campaign trail. 

Schundler, who turns 51 tomorrow, founded the Golden Door Charter School when he was mayor of Jersey City. 

“I give Christie a lot of credit for going with a strong education reform person.  It’s been a long time since we’ve seen someone who is strongly for school choice,” said Skinner.

Peter Denton, a member of Christie’s transition team and the chairman and founder of Excellent Education for Everyone (E3) -- which champions school vouchers -- was thrilled with the Schundler pick and attended the press conference announcing it.

“Does it send a message?  I think it confirms a message,” he said.  “The Governor-elect ran on dramatic change in our public education system that includes things that the NJEA doesn’t support. They tried very hard to defeat him and they didn’t, so I think he’s made a choice of someone for this position who’s going to support the policies on which he ran.” 

 

 

Christie names Bret Schundler to head education, Bob Martin to oversee New Jersey’s environmental protection, newjerseynewsroom.com WEDNESDAY, 13 JANUARY 2010 14:56 BY TOM HESTER SR. NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM UPDATED Gov-elect Chris Christie Tuesday named former Jersey City mayor and Republican gubernatorial candidate Bret Schundler as commissioner of the Department of Education and Bob Martin, a retired consultant and a campaign advisor, as commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection. Christie described Schundler and Martin as experienced and innovative leaders who will execute his vision on education and environmental protection. "Education and our environment are critical to our state's well-being and economic future,'' Christie said in Trenton. "It's time to change the way we approach these fundamental issues and I am confident that with Bret and Bob's strong credentials and innovative ideas, we will be able to enact meaningful change." Schundler is presently chief operating officer at King's College, a Christian liberal arts school in New York City. He lost a bid for the governor's office to Gov. James E. McGreevey in 2001. Martin is a retired partner with Accenture, a global management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing firm. He advised Christie on environmental matters during his campaign for governor. Schundler and Martin are expected to play important roles in the Christie administration. Christie has pledged to improve urban schools, encourage charter schools, take on the teachers' union and confront environmental issues. ... [Assembly Minority Leader Alex] DeCroce added that "Bret Schundler's experience as mayor of Jersey City gives him a keen understanding of the issues facing schools, students, teachers and administrators. He has proven experience in successfully managing one of New Jersey's largest cities. Bret understands the issues facing public education in our state. He has always expressed his ideas on how to improve the system, and will listen to all points of view. He is someone who will bring a high level of energy and enthusiasm to the department and will work tirelessly to improve New Jersey schools." Prior to becoming King's College CEO, Schundler served at the college as an adjunct professor of public policy and was the managing partner of People Power America, which licenses TeamVolunteer, an online utility used by political campaigns and non-profit organizations. At age of 33, Schundler became the first Republican since World War I to be elected the mayor of Jersey City, a city that is only 6 percent Republican. In 1993, he was re-elected with 69 percent of the vote, the largest margin of victory for a mayor in that city's history. In 1997, he was re-elected in another landslide to become Jersey City's longest serving mayor in 50 years. Nationally, Schundler is also known as a promoter of ethnic and religious toleration. He was honored by the National Conference of Black Mayors for having one of the best programs in the country for promoting racial brotherhood. And he was awarded the prestigious Canterbury Medal for Religious Liberty after he won a U.S. Federal Court of Appeals decision that protects religious expression in public. Schundler was born in Morristown and grew up in Woodbridge and Westfield. He was an All-State football lineman at Westfield High School, studied at the University of Haifa in Israel, and graduated with honors from Harvard University. Schundler and his wife Lynn have a daughter, Shaylin, and a son, Hans Otto III. LAST UPDATED ( WEDNESDAY, 13 JANUARY 2010 15:53 )

 

N.J. Gov.-elect Christie names new education, environmental protection chiefs By Statehouse Bureau Staff January 13, 2010, 3:00PM TRENTON -- Gov.-elect Chris Christie announced two more members of his cabinet today, naming business consultant Bob Martin to lead environmental efforts and former Republican candidate for governor Bret Schundler to oversee New Jersey schools. With each nomination, Christie emphasizes his campaign promises to promote charter schools, combat teacher unions and protect the environment while making the state more business friendly. Schundler, a former Jersey City mayor who lost to James E. McGreevey in the 2001 governor's race, is Christie's choice to run the Department of Education. He is currently the chief operating officer at The King's College, a Christian liberal arts school in New York City. A champion for school choice, Schundler said there's bipartisan support for charter schools and merit pay for teachers despite opposition from the the New Jersey Education Association. "We are at the moment in history ... when politicians on both sides of the aisle are willing to make changes that will make a difference in the lives of our students," he said. Rev. Reginald Jackson, executive director of the New Jersey Black Ministers Council, is backing Schundler's nomination. "It looks good in terms of reforming public schools and implementing school choice," he said. "And I don't think you can have one without the other." Bob Martin, the nominee to lead the Department of Environmental Protection, advised Christie on energy and environmental policy during the campaign after retiring from the consulting firm Accenture. Full Star-Ledger coverage of the N.J. Governor-elect Chris Christie transition "We need to change and transform the DEP," Martin said. "We need to make it better." David Brogan, vice president for environmental policy at the New Jersey Business & Industry Association, said he’s encouraged by Christie’s choice for DEP commissioner. "We want to see more of a balance between economic growth and environmental protection," he said. "Up until now, that’s been lip service." Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club, said he’s concerned that "streamlining" the department could result in weaker regulations. He also pointed out that Martin lacks a background in government regulations. "We know he will be good at running the department," he said. "The question for us is, where does he stand on the major issues?" Both nominations must be confirmed by the state Senate. Counting today's announcement, Christie has named six of his 22 cabinet members so far. By Chris Megerian and Claire Heininger/Statehouse

 

Christie picks Bret Schundler as education commissioner Source: Bret Schundler NJ ed commish THE ASSOCIATED PRESS • JANUARY 13, 2010 — School choice proponent Bret Schundler is Gov.-elect Chris Christie's pick to serve as New Jersey's education commissioner. Christie on Wednesday also nominated Bob Martin, a recently retired utility and energy consultant, to lead the Department of Environmental Protection. Schundler has taken on national and state teachers unions in the past. Like the incoming governor, he is a proponent of giving parents more choices on where to send their children to school. The former Jersey City mayor launched an unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination for governor in 2005. Martin ran unsuccessfully in 2007 for state Senate from Mercer County. The nominations must be confirmed by the state Senate.

 

Bret Schundler From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Bret D. Schundler (born January 14, 1959 in Colonia, New Jersey) is an American politician from New Jersey. He was the mayor of Jersey City from 1992 until 2001. Schundler was the city's first Republican mayor since 1917. He was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Governor of New Jersey in 2001, and tried again for the same post in 2005, but failed to secure the Republican nomination. Prior to his first run for mayor, Schundler was a Democrat. Schundler is currently the chief operating officer of The King's College, a Christian liberal arts college in New York City. Early life Schundler grew up in Woodbridge Township and Westfield, New Jersey as the youngest of nine children. In high school, he was an All-State football player. He was recruited by Harvard University, where, to help pay for his tuition, he washed dishes, cleaned bathrooms, and worked as a security guard. He graduated with honors in 1981. Schundler's ethnic heritage is German and Barbadian. Following his graduation from college, Schundler worked for Democratic Congressman Roy Dyson of Maryland. He later worked for Gary Hart's 1984 presidential campaign. After Hart lost the primary, Schundler began his career in finance in the sales department of Salomon Brothers. While he had no experience in the field, his interviewer thought that anyone who could sell Hart in western Iowa had a future in finance. In 1987, he moved to a different firm, C. J. Lawrence, which has since been absorbed into Deutsche Bank. He retired in 1990, and after traveling around the world for a year, changed his registration to Republican. He later said that he felt the Democrats had been taken captive by special interests. Mayor of Jersey City His first run for elective office was an unsuccessful campaign for the New Jersey Senate in 1991, where despite the partisan nature of the election and the overwhelmingly Democratic composition of the district (only 6% of voters were registered Republicans), Schundler received 46% of the vote. The next year, Gerald McCann was removed as mayor of Jersey City because of a criminal conviction unrelated to his public duties, and Schundler entered the special election to finish the remaining eight months of McCann's term. He won the election with 17 percent of the vote in a crowded field of 19 candidates. Jersey City holds nonpartisan elections for municipal offices, [1] and because of this, he never billed himself as a Republican on his campaign literature or ads. However, Schundler was known to be a Republican based on his run for the State Senate a year earlier, and he is thus reckoned as the first Republican to hold the post since 1917. A major reason for his victory was that two African American candidates split votes and two siblings (Lou and Allen Manzo), also split a large number of votes.[2] Once in office, Schundler tried to develop a reputation as a politician who couldn't be "bought off." He believed this would strongly resonated in a city with a long legacy of corruption dating to the Frank Hague era. He subsequently won a full term in 1993 with 69% of the vote –- the largest margin of victory since Jersey City returned to the Mayor-Council form of government in 1961, and according to some sources, in the city's entire history. He won a second full term in 1997, though not without controversy. Since no candidate received 50 percent, a run-off election was ordered by a judge, which Schundler won by a substantial margin. During his tenure as mayor, Schundler supporters claim he dramatically reduced crime, which was lowering nationally at the time, lowered property taxes, increased the city's tax collection rate and property values, instituted medical savings accounts for city employees and privatized the management of the city's water utility. He also led the fight to pass New Jersey's charter school legislation. Moreover, according to a Harvard University study[3], during his tenure Jersey City led the 100 largest cities in America in job growth and poverty reduction. Schundler attracted considerable national attention because he was the Republican mayor of an overwhelmingly Democratic city. However, during his tenure, Jersey City remained a Democratic stronghold, as it has been for over a century. Indeed, on the same night as Schundler's special election win, Bill Clinton carried Hudson County (which includes Jersey City) by an overwhelming margin, which was enough to swing New Jersey into the Democratic column for the first time since 1964. Clinton carried Hudson County by an even larger margin in 1996. Additionally, no Republican has represented a significant portion of Jersey City in Congress in over a century, and Schundler was succeeded by a Democrat, Glenn Cunningham, in 2001. 2001 gubernatorial campaign Towards the end of his tenure as mayor, Schundler served as chairman of the Hudson County Republican Committee, and in 2001, Schundler ran for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, facing former Congressman Bob Franks, a Republican who was favored by the party establishment. Franks entered the race in April, two months before the primary, after Governor. Donald DiFrancesco dropped out of the race because of an unending series of newspaper stories highlighting ethics concerns. Franks was backed by DiFrancesco's political organization and endorsed by every county Republican committee except Schundler's base in Hudson County. Since he was running as the anti-establishment candidate, he vowed to replace all of the county chairman who did not support him if he won. Schundler ran on a very conservative platform, which was somewhat unusual since most New Jersey Republicans tend to be moderate-to-liberal by national standards. He employed a more grassroots style of campaigning, visiting many local GOP organizations and forming close relationships with the Young Republicans and the College Republicans, as well as with conservative groups, including those active in homeschooling issues. This grassroots campaign enabled him to win the nomination by a robust 14% margin. After winning the primary, Schundler tried to reunite the party by reaching out to the figures who had endorsed Franks. This included having a unity lunch with Franks which was hosted by former governor Tom Kean, and retaining State Senator Joseph M. Kyrillos as state party chairman. Kyrillos had been appointed by DiFrancesco as state party chairman six weeks before the primary, and he had supported Franks in the primary. However, the party remained split because he never regained the trust of those he vowed to replace. The Democratic candidate, Woodbridge Township Mayor Jim McGreevey (the unsuccessful Democratic candidate in 1997), exploited this division by painting Schundler as too conservative for New Jersey. In the November election, Schundler was badly defeated, gaining 42% of the vote to McGreevey's 56%. Schundler even lost Hudson County by 50,000 votes. Schundler did not run for office again until the 2005 gubernatorial campaign, but remained as one of the most visible spokesmen for conservative Republicans in New Jersey. 2005 gubernatorial campaign Schundler's 2005 gubernatorial campaign focused on the issue of property taxes. He proposed a series of state constitutional amendments to control state and local spending in New Jersey, with the savings dedicated to property tax reduction statewide. As in 2001, Schundler focused mostly on grassroots campaigning. However, he also targeted Republican County Conventions to spread his message and won several county endorsements. Besides his base in Hudson County, he also won the endorsement of the Republican organizations in Monmouth, Hunterdon, and Somerset counties. In the week before the primary election, Schundler's campaign was criticized for using a photograph on its website that showed Schundler apparently standing with a crowd of enthusiastic young supporters. The photograph, which appeared for only a few days on a web page advertising campaign t-shirts and mugs, had actually been taken at a Howard Dean rally in 2004, with Dean's image digitally replaced by Schundler's and with campaign signs, hats, and shirts modified as well. [4]Schundler's campaign responded that the photograph had been prepared by the campaign's website contractor (which had done work for the Dean campaign), and that the campaign had had the picture taken down when it learned of the miscue. Schundler lost the primary to Doug Forrester, who had been New Jersey's Republican nominee for United States Senate in 2002. Forrester's considerable wealth enabled him to outspend Schundler during the campaign by about 6-1. The results were: • Forrester: 35% • Schundler: 31% • Morris County Freeholder John J. Murphy: 11% • Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan: 8% • Washington Township Councilman Bob Schroeder: 6% • Assemblyman Paul DiGaetano: 6% • Former Bergen County Freeholder Todd Caliguire: 3% Schundler carried Union, Hudson, Hunterdon and Somerset counties. He had the county line in Somerset and Hudson and shared it with Forrester in Hunterdon. Forrester held the county line in Union County, which was the only county where he had the line but still lost in the primary. 2009 Jersey City mayoral campaign On August 14, 2008 Schundler confirmed in a news interview his intent to run for the office of Mayor of Jersey City in the 2009 election.[5] Schundler stated that his formal announcement would happen after the 2008 presidential election.[5] He would have faced Mayor Jerramiah Healy, former Assemblyman Louis Manzo and community activist Dan Levin for the mayor's office. State Sen. Sandra Bolden Cunningham, the widow of Schundler's successor as mayor, is considering a race for mayor. Councilman Steven Fulop has announced he will not run for mayor in 2009. On January 12, 2009, Bret Schundler dropped his bid for mayor citing financial difficulties due in part to the ongoing financial meltdown on Wall Street.[6] Current activities and family Schundler is currently a Professor of Public Policy at The King's College, a Christian/ liberal arts college located in the Empire State Building. On January 20, 2009, he was named COO of the college.[7] The King's College is accredited in New York[8], and is in the final stages of being accredited by one of the major regional accreditation institutions nationally[9]. He is also Managing Partner of People Power America, LLC, which licenses TeamVolunteer, an online utility that helps political campaigns and non-profit organizations coordinate phone banks. On January 13, 2010 it was announced that Schundler would serve as New Jersey's Commissioner of Education under Governor-Elect Christopher Christie. Schundler and his wife, Lynn, have two children, a daughter named Shaylin and a son named Hans Otto III. They live in Jersey City. Bret Schundler, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education Bret Schundler is the Chief Operating Officer of The King’s College in Manhattan. Prior to his appointment as COO, he served at the College as an adjunct professor of public policy and was the Managing Partner of People Power America, LLC, which licenses TeamVolunteer, an online utility used by political campaigns and non-profit organizations. At the age of 33, Bret Schundler became the first Republican since the First World War to be elected the Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey – a community of 250,000 that is 65% minority and only 6% Republican. In 1993, he was re-elected with 69% of the vote, the largest margin of victory for a Mayor in that city’s history. In 1997, he was re-elected in another landslide to become Jersey City’s longest serving Mayor in 50 years. In the years prior to Bret Schundler’s initial mayoral election, soaring property taxes in Jersey City threatened residents with the loss of their homes. Unable to pay their bills, over one-fifth of property owners faced tax foreclosure. Property values were plummeting and property abandonment was surging. Jersey City was also leading New Jersey in job loss and unemployment and crime were sky-high. With an ever-increasing percentage of taxpayers in default on their taxes, Jersey City faced bankruptcy. Bret Schundler’s innovative policies, called a "national model for urban reform" by Time Magazine, reversed these trends. His policing policies reduced crime by over 40%. His tax cuts saved residents their homes. His pro-growth economic policies slashed unemployment. Indeed, during his tenure, Jersey City enjoyed ten times the job growth of New Jersey's five other largest cities combined and, according to a Harvard University study, led the 100 largest cities in America not only in job growth, but also in poverty reduction. By the time he left office, far from the brink of bankruptcy, Jersey City’s property values had sky-rocketed and its tax collection rate had risen to over 99%. Schundler credits these successes to his introduction of market mechanisms into the provision of public services. In his first full term in office, Schundler pioneered the securitization of property tax liens – an initiative that Investment Dealers Digest named one of the top financial innovations of the year in 1993. He also orchestrated the successful fight to pass charter school legislation in New Jersey and led Jersey City to becoming the first governmental entity in the United States to institute medical savings accounts. He then introduced business and neighborhood improvement districts to Jersey City and helped to coordinate a successful effort to de-monopolize garbage disposal in New Jersey. And towards the end of his first term, Bret Schundler implemented a public-private water utility partnership that was honored by the United States Conference of Mayors as the best public-private partnership in the country that year. Similar achievements characterized Bret Schundler’s second full term. He won a New Jersey Supreme Court ruling affirming a municipality's right to reassign police officers from desk jobs to street patrol, and a second Supreme Court ruling helping to preserve the appointment powers of the executive branch of government. He led Jersey City to structuring a unique public-private partnership to manage its libraries, opened one of New Jersey's largest charter schools, and built a spectacular school facility for a fraction of the per square foot costs being paid by local school districts. Additionally, Bret Schundler raised almost $1 million in scholarship money so that low-income Jersey City families could afford to enroll their children in the government or privately-managed school of their choice, and spearheaded three statewide efforts amongst New Jersey mayors: the first, to raise funds for the United Negro College Fund; and the second, to encourage community participation in organ donor programs; and the third, a successful effort to pass state legislation relating to property tax relief aid. Nationally, Bret Schundler is also known as a promoter of ethnic and religious toleration. He was honored by the National Conference of Black Mayors for having one of the best programs in the country for promoting racial brotherhood. And he was awarded the prestigious Canterbury Medal for Religious Liberty after he won a United States Federal Court of Appeals decision (ACLU v. Schundler), written by now United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, that protects religious expression in the public square. Bret Schundler was born in Morristown and grew up in Woodbridge Township and Westfield, New Jersey. He was an All-State football lineman at Westfield High School, studied at the University of Haifa in Israel, and graduated with honors from Harvard University. Bret and Lynn Schundler have a daughter, Shaylin, and a son, Hans Otto III.