When you can’t come up with meaningful legislation of your own, you can always steal someone else’s. That appears to be the preference of State Sen. Joseph Pennacchio (R-D-26) who is stealing an idea proposed by BettyLou DeCroce in February and passing it off as his own.

Recognizing that the state’s onerous affordable housing mandates are destroying many small, suburban town, DeCroce, a candidate for the State Assembly in District 26, promised in a February letter to residents of Florham Park, Hanover and East Hanover that she will fight to give small towns more tools to fight the over-development brought on by state affordable housing rules.

DeCroce, a former assemblywoman, wrote to residents that she would seek to restore Regional Housing Agreements (RCAs) that allowed municipalities to transfer up to half of their affordable housing obligations to a neighboring town that had the infrastructure and services that high density development require.
DeCroce says she was shocked to see that Sen. Pennacchio has stolen her RCA idea
“It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but in politics it’s a sign of laziness and deception,” says DeCroce. “At the very least, Sen. Pennacchio should give me credit for giving him the idea that he is now passing off as his own.”
As proof that Pennacchio’s proposed legislation is a purely about politics, a search of the state legislature’s web site finds NO copy of the bill and the bill has NO co-sponsors. “Any voter who wanted to read the bill can’t, because it doesn’t exist,” said DeCroce.

She added that Pennacchio is reportedly unavailable for comment because he is in second home in Florida
DeCroce said she will not be surprised to see Pennacchio’s running mate, Assemblyman Brian Bergen, issues a press release soon mimicking Pennacchio’s proposed RCA legislation. “For some candidates this year, plagiarism is in fashion. And, as we have seen, Brian Bergen is having a hard time coming up with ideas of his own.”
To read BettyLou DeCroce’s February letter go to www.Decroceforassembly.com