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Just before Medford Mayor Chris Myers announced that he planned to hold a press conference detailing State Sen. Adler’s receipt of money from a legislative slush fund, Adler acknowledged that he took some money from the Property Tax Assistance and Community Developments Grants program, but denied that the funds were used for pet projects or that he exerted any undue influence to get them.

“John Adler not only had no influence over the Property Tax Assistance and Community Development Fund, he did not know that two legislators had discretion over it. As he has since his election in 1991, Sen. Adler has fought for improvements in his district. These were not "pet projects" – again, the words of Chris Myers - but programs of importance to John Adler's constituents,” said Adler spokesman Mark Warren.

It is unclear for which specific projects those funds were used, and how much money Adler received.

On Friday, Republican Medford Mayor Chris Myers asked his Democratic 3rd District Congressional opponent, State Sen. John Adler, whether he ever received funds from a controversial legislative slush fund.

Frustrated at what he saw as a non-answer, Myers reiterated the question today.

“I called on John Adler to come clean on his potential involvement in this scam last week, and the silence was deafening,” said Myers in a press release today. “Adler owes the taxpayers of New Jersey – and in particular the 3rd Congressional District – an answer as to whether or not he was involved in this massive abuse of taxpayer dollars. A list of individual legislators – Democrat and Republican – who were involved in this scam, and the pet projects they funded should be released for public review immediately. The way politicians in Trenton abuse their power and our tax dollars is despicable and the ones involved should all be held to account immediately.”

Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon) in Summit on Friday.: Politicker photoSUMMIT - Coming off a train station rally here for presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), former U.S. Rep. Dick Zimmer and state Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon) convened a town hall meeting at the high school, where they brandished their fiscally conservative credentials in a room of about 50 voters.

Now in a race with Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood) to represent the 7th Congressional District, Lance the veteran legislator underscored his tenacity fighting bloated government, including the administration of disgraced former Gov. Jim McGreevey.Former U.S. Rep. Dick Zimmer addresses voters in the Summit High School Library as GOP organizer Kelly Hatfield looks on: Politicker photo

"I am the ‘Lance’ of Lance versus McGreevey," the senator said of his suit against the former administration to curb borrowing to balance the state budget.

The New Jersey Supreme Court in 2004 allowed McGreevey to borrow $1.9 billion, or nearly 7 percent of what was then a $28 billion budget, but forbade the governor from borrowing in the future.

Talking to Summit voters Friday evening in the high school library, Lance took pride too in noting how his proposed Constitutional amendment to ban borrowing without voter approval will appear on the Nov. 4th ballot.

State Sen. Leonard Lance leads Assemblywoman Linda Stender by four points in the 7th District Congressional District, according to a Monmouth University poll released today.

Lance leads Stender 41% to 37% among registered voters, and 43% to 39% among likely voters. Both numbers are within the poll’s margin of error, however, and 14% of the district’s voters are undecided.

Former Republican Michael Hsing, who’s running as an independent, attracts about 2% of the vote. That’s far worse than he did in an internal Stender campaign poll, where he attracted 9% of voters.

State Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon): Politicker file photo 

SUMMIT - Sources close to state Sen. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon) say the 7th District Congressional candidate raised at least $500,000 in this quarter, in addition to a separate $90,000 chip-in from the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC).

The campaign had considerable ground to make up after starting the summer fundraising period with just over $80,000 on-hand after Lance won a primary against the well-connected Kate Whitman, daughter of former Gov. Christie Todd Whitman, who is now fundraising for him.

To this point, the GOP nominee lost the television ad war to the well-funded campaign of Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood), who continues to blitz her opponent on cable television.

After voting against the $700 billion bailout package earlier in the week, U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman repeated what he described as his good conscience "nay" vote this afternoon.

"First, I won’t be steamrolled into spending hundreds of billions of dollars of taxpayer money on an approach that will not solve the economic problems we face," Rothman said in a statement. "A vote against this bill is not a vote for inaction. I am prepared to stay in Washington as long as it takes, knowing that infinitely better solutions are right at hand and can be implemented immediately to properly address liquidity, home mortgage failures and the urgent need for a sizable economic stimulus package."

Having passed Wednesday evening in the Senate with the support of both U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-Hoboken) and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park), the revamped bailout bill moved back to the House today, where it also passed by a vote of he measure passed, 263-171.

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) was one of 20 congresspeople who switched their votes from "nay" to "yea" on the revamped Wall Street bailout bill that passed moments ago by a margin of 263-171.

With the House likely to vote on the revised bailout package tomorrow, six of the seven New Jersey congressmen who voted against it on Monday have either not decided or not indicated how they will vote tomorrow. 

Only Scott Garrett (R-Wantage) has given any inkling as to how he’ll vote.  On Fox News this morning, he said that the bill has barely changed.

“Basically we’re getting the exact same bill with some pork added to it to sweeten things up.  And that doesn’t make matters better. It really makes matters worse,” he said. 

Temple Beth Am of Parsippany will host an 11th Congressional District candidates forum between 10 a.m. and noon on Sunday, Oct. 26.

U.S. Rep Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-Harding) and his Democratic challenger, Tom Wyka, are scheduled to speak and answer questions from the audience.

The event is free and open to the public.

Frelinghuysen defeated Wyka in their 2006 matchup.

U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D-Newark): Politicker file photo 

U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D-Newark) didn't vote for the Wall Street bailout package the first time, and he would need to see significant changes benefiting low income Americans and workers before he could support it on a second pass.

"We have not extended unemployment benefits or mortgage relief," Payne said moments ago in an appearance on MSNBC.

The veteran congressman acknowledged there is no question the economy is in crisis mode, but insisted on seeing stronger bottom up measures.