Quorum Call
News from the District

From the office of Assemblyman Kevin J. Rooney
August 2018 Newsletter
A Message from the Assemblyman:
Dear Friend,

After the hectic budget season, the month July has been very quite. The Legislature is in recess until the fall, so there has not been much activity down in Trenton.

I am excited to announce that I have introduced two bills. The first would ensure Tramadol, a known opiate painkiller, is prescribed with the same safety precautions in mind as other opiate painkillers. The second, which I introduced just this week, is a plastic bag and plastic film recycling program to be implemented throughout the state - at no additional cost to the taxpayers. You can read more about the legislation below.

Other news from the District is included below. I've also included a brief section detailing August's observance as National Water Quality Month as well. Finally, our Spotlight feature this month highlights the new Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Cedar Grove, Joseph Cicala and Robbie Vargo.

I hope you enjoy this month's Quorum Call , and enjoy the rest of your summer.

Sincerely,

Kevin J. Rooney
Assemblyman
Rooney's Recipes
Assemblyman and winner of Food Network's "Chopped" shares his favorite recipes
Lobster Rolls
Serves approximately Four
Ingredients:

  • 12 ounces cooked lobster meat, from 2-3 one-pound lobsters, cut into chunks
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 4 hot dog buns or potato rolls
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 head of chopped leafy lettuce
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:

In a medium bowl, combine the lobster meat, mayonnaise, celery, lemon juice, parsley, a pinch of salt, and some pepper. Mix well to coat the lobster with the mayonnaise. Chill.

Flatten the hot dog buns without splitting them apart. Generously butter the cut side and sprinkle with some salt. Heat a cast-iron or nonstick frying pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Place the buns in the pan-buttered side down and toast until golden brown, 3 minutes. (You'll smell the delicious, buttery aroma when the buns start to toast.) Remove the buns to serving plates, toasted side up. Place a lettuce leaf on top, spoon one fourth of the lobster salad on each sandwich. Enjoy!
Recent News
Recent Legislation and News from Trenton
Here is some of my recent activity at the State House.
Recycling
Taking care of the health of safety of the State and its residents starts with the environment. I am committed to enacting legislation and supporting programs that will make a real difference in our communities. I wanted to highlight my legislation that will make that difference by improving recycling.
Fourth of July Parade
At the beginning of this month, I participated in Ridgewood's Annual Fourth of July Parade. My fellow representative of District 40, Assemblyman Christopher DePhillips, also attended that day. It was an honor to participate in the parade, and I wanted to share some photos from the day with you.
August Commemorations
National Water Quality Month

National Water Quality Month in August reminds us that it takes much more than just turning on the tap to guarantee clean, potable water. This serves as an important reminder for local health departments to reflect on the safety of water in their communities. Although the United States has one of the most developed drinking water systems in the world, there are still many factors that threaten the quality and quantity of drinking water.

The average person uses approximately 80 gallons of water or more per day. The water we use includes bathing, cleaning, household waste, and drinking water. Depending on where we live, the amount of water, usage, population and treatment facilities available vary. Around the world, these variables change greatly. In some villages, available drinkable water is scarce and indoor plumbing does not exist.

Many of us don’t give much thought to where our water comes from or where it goes after we use it, but it’s important information to know. The two basic water sources are surface water and groundwater. Surface water is the water that sits or flows atop the ground — rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs and oceans. Groundwater is the water beneath the Earth’s surface, which may come to the surface via seepage, spring or man-made wells.

Protecting our water resources and educating ourselves about water quality is an important goal of National Water Quality Month. It's the little things matter when it comes to preventing water pollution.

Here are just a few of them:
  • always sweep your driveway to keep it clean, rather than hosing it off;
  • use a commercial car wash — cleaning your car at home flushes dangerous chemicals down the storm drain and directly into our lakes and streams;
  • pick up after your dog;
  • don’t overuse pesticides or fertilizers as they can travel through runoff and soil and contaminate ground water;
  • help pick up litter on the streets that could end up going down the storm drain or seeping into our waterways;
  • use detergents that are phosphate-free to save our lakes and streams;
  • join in a beach, stream, or wetlands cleanup project;
  • properly dispose of prescription medications and other products that are too often flushed down the toilet, into the wastewater system and out to the environment.

Help educate others on the importance of these "little things" and it all adds up to the "big thing" of each of doing our part to prevent water pollution.
Consumer Tips
Tips, scam alerts, and other advice about every-day situations for consumers
Sp otlight: Joseph Cicala and Robbie Vargo
Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Cedar Grove
Thank you to former Mayor Peter Tanella for all your hard work and dedication to the residents of Cedar Grove, and congratulations to Mayor Cicala and Deputy Mayor Vargo on their new positions leading the Council!
This month our Spotlight feature highlights Mayor Joseph Cicala and Deputy Mayor Robbie Vargo, who were sworn into their positions at the beginning of July. I was honored to attend their swearing in ceremony with the District 40 Legislative Team, Senator Kristin Corrado and Assemblyman Christopher DePhillips.

Council members generally rotate into those positions annually. However, outgoing Mayor Peter Tanella served the post for each of the past two years. A council majority determines the mayoral appointments. For fiscal year 2018-19, the council appointed Cicala and Deputy Mayor Robbie Vargo who are currently in the second year of their two year term.

Joseph Cicala has the distinction of having served two town leadership posts. He is only the second person in township history to serve as both President of the Board of Education and town Mayor.

For the coming fiscal year, they aim to improve communications with residents via YouTube and social media, further protection of open space, demolition of the South End Firehouse to make way for a replacement structure, a new turf field behind Leonard R. Parks School, and dealing with “the reality” of an affordable housing settlement.
Spotlight highlights accomplishments of people throughout District 40. Each month, this section will recognize a person or persons for their achievement, and will be chosen at random. Do you have someone you would like to nominate to be in the next month's Spotlight ? Click the button below to fill out a submission form.
Office Information
1211 Hamburg Turnpike
Suite 301
Wayne, NJ 07470
Office: (973) 237-1362
Fax: (973) 237-1367
Email: AsmRooney@njleg.org
Appropriations
Consumer Affairs
Environment and Solid Waste
Statewide Public Safety Communications Commission