Wisniewski Launches Fire Safety Education Initiative

SAYREVILLE–Following a March 30 roundtable discussion with education and fire safety experts, Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski stressed the need for improvements in the way New Jersey educates students about the dangers associated with fire on Monday.

Assemblyman John Wisniewski, FMBA President William Lavin and Dr. Frank Field speak to school children at a fire safety assembly at Samsel Upper Elementary School in Sayreville on March 30. (Photo credit: Michele Doughty)

“Every year, hundreds of young lives are lost in residential fires, mainly because the children do not know how to act in a fire emergency,” said Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), chairman of the New Jersey Fire Safety Commission.  “We need to improve on how we teach our children about fire safety so that the first thing they think of in a blaze isn’t ‘Stop, Drop and Roll.’ ”

Read Full Post »

Playing With Fire

By Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski

On Sept. 27, 2007, 2-year-old Breydon Edwards and 15-month-old Peyton Edwards of Russellville, Arkansas, found a motorcycle-shaped lighter in their home. While playing with what to them appeared to be a toy vehicle, they accidentally set a blaze in their apartment that tragically cost both of them their lives.

I wish I could say that this was just an isolated incident.  Unfortunately, it is not.  Reports involving children, novelty lighters and accidental fires continue to surface from all around the country.  In North Carolina, a 6-year-old boy sustained second-degree burns after playing with a lighter that looked like a cell phone.  In Oregon, one child died and another suffered permanent brain damage after a 6-year-old, playing with a lighter resembling a toy dolphin, started a fire.  The list of sad stories like these goes on and on.  

Read Full Post »

O’Leary Announces Assembly Run

SOUTH AMBOY –This week, John O’Leary announced his bid to represent the 19th Legislative District in Trenton. The South Amboy mayor will challenge assemblymen Joseph Vas and John Wisniewski for the Middlesex Democratic Committee’s endorsement on March 25.

But O’Leary was clear to point out that he’s not running against Vas or Wisniewski. Instead, he’s campaigning to make New Jersey more affordable – for both residents and businesses.

“Anyone who owns a home or rents an apartment knows the problems in New Jersey,” O’Leary said. Rising property taxes – among the highest in the nation, high utility costs and high insurance costs are making it increasingly unaffordable to live in the state, the mayor said.

Read Full Post »

Assemblyman Touched By Generosity of Middlesex Residents

By Assemblyman John Wisniewski

Even after all my time spent as an elected official in Middlesex County, I still find myself humbled and greatly touched by the generosity of my constituency.  As some of you may have seen on the news and in the papers recently, local food banks and charitable organizations have been running low on food and other supplies.  The current state of the economy has forced more and more New Jerseyans to rely on these services. And if the needs of our neighbors continue to grow, these charitable organizations will need to rely more and more on help from their local communities.

Read Full Post »

Infrastructure Investment As Economic Stimulus

By John S. Wisniewski

Our nation is experiencing an economic crisis of such scope and proportion that some are comparing it to the Great Depression.

In an era of economic globalization, we cannot afford to allow our economy to descend to the same levels as we saw from 1929 to 1933. Now, as then, it falls to government to step in and avert an economic crisis before it becomes an economic collapse.

The simplest solution is to stimulate the economy. And while direct injections of cash may be a welcome relief to the investment banks and brokerage houses on Wall Street, such injections have had questionable benefits. The single best stimulus package we can provide is a job.

Read Full Post »

Suicides Point To Need For More Mental Health Funding

By Assemblyman John Wisniewski

We were all truly saddened to learn that yet another person had chosen to jump off the Victory Bridge and end their life.  It is nearly impossible to imagine the pain and sorrow felt by a family when a loved one decides to take their own life, and my heart goes out to the families of all these individuals.  Equally, it is difficult to grasp the turmoil someone must be going through to make such a tragic and irreversible decision. 

This most recent suicide follows close behind two others and an additional attempt all made earlier this summer.  And while suicide rates in the state of New Jersey are among some of the lowest in the nation- so many instances, so close together and so very close to home might be telling us a different story. 

Read Full Post »

Safety Is A Year-Round Concern

By Assemblyman John Wisniewksi

As the month of August comes to an end, thoughts of summer fun are replaced with lengthy to do lists and errands as everyone tries to get ready for the new school year.

In September everything changes – late nights are replaced with early bed times, playtimes are replaced with homework and everyone in the house needs to adjust to new schedules and routines.

With so many new things to focus on, we sometimes forget to think about safety.

Read Full Post »

A Solution To Transportation Funding For 10 Cents A Day

By John S. Wisniewski
There is no denying it. We are facing tough economic times.

The meltdown of the national subprime mortgage lending market sparked an economic recession that has created ripples across our entire economy, increasing everything from interest rates on loans, to the price of produce at the grocery store, to the price of a gallon of gas.

Amidst these national concerns, New Jersey also is wrestling with an austere state budget and a need for billions of dollars in funding to maintain our transportation network.

Read Full Post »

A Roadmap To Safer Teen Drivers

By John S. Wisniewski

Transportation data shows that every nine minutes, a teenage driver is involved in an accident in New Jersey. In 2006, there were 55,729 automobile accidents involving teenagers in New Jersey, killing 48 drivers and 19 passengers.

This horrible loss of young life is what led the Legislature to create the Teen Driver Study Commission. This past March, the 15-member panel issued its final report, containing 47 recommendations to help improve teen driver safety for drivers age sixteen to twenty, 14 of which were considered “essential.”

Read Full Post »

NJ’s Parks Are A Vital Resource

By Assemblyman John Wisniewski

With 42 parks, 11 forests and more than 50 historic sites, New Jersey has a rich natural and cultural heritage. But we may soon lose the chance to enjoy some of our state’s most special natural resources.

Earlier this month, the state Department of Environmental Protection released a list of nine state parks and forests slated for closure due to New Jersey’s increasingly precarious fiscal condition: Brendan T. Byrne State Forest in Burlington County, Fort Mott State Park in Salem County, High Point State Park in Sussex County, Jenny Jump State Forest in Warren County, Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Monmouth County, Parvin State Park in Salem County, Round Valley Recreation Area in Hunterdon County, and Stephens State Park and Worthington State Forest in Warren County.

Read Full Post »