I'm the Statehouse bureau chief for New Jersey 101.5, covering the governor, Legislature and state politics, and had previously covered the Statehouse for Gannett newspapers for more than 15 years. I'm a lifelong New Jerseyan -- raised in Bergen, living in Hunterdon, Rutgers graduate. I'm co-author of the 2012 biography 'Chris Christie: The Inside Story of His Rise to Power.' I am not the Iron Chef with a similar name though sometimes get tweets meant for him, especially around Thanksgiving. Believe me, you don't want my cooking tips.
Michael Symons
Murphy says his jobs program will get NJ to ‘dominate this new decade’
Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration is reorganizing the state’s job training efforts in an effort to better align education programs with the talent needs of employers
Murphy: ‘Show stopper’ benefits from millionaires tax
Governor says he's optimistic a millionaires tax will eventually pass because polls show its popular and the money would fund programs helping the middle class.
Murphy’s 2020 priorities: Millionaires tax, NJ Transit strategic plan
Gov. Phil Murphy made a veiled reference to seeking re-election in a State of the State that promised details on an agenda for 2020 in the weeks ahead.
Plastic and Paper Bag Ban Dies in Assembly After Senate Approval
A bill banning single-use plastic and paper bags at NJ retailers was not passed in the now-expiring legislative session, though the idea’s chief proponent says it will be taken up again in two weeks as the new term begins.
Amended Bill Delivers Break to First-time ‘Porch Pirates’
The bill upgrades penalties for porch pirates one grade higher on the criminal charges scale. For instance, if the value of what’s stolen is under $200, it would be a fourth-degree crime, not a disorderly persons offense.
Ban on Flavored Vapes in New Jersey Advances in Legislature
Bill is set for Monday approval, despite protests from vape shop owners who say it will force them out of business and send former smokers back to cigarettes.
To Draw Election Map, NJ May Count Inmates in Prior Hometowns
Cumberland County – which is home to nearly half of New Jersey’s state prison population – has nearly 6,500 prisoners included in its population, but only 259 of them are actually from the county.
NJ May Offer to Give You $5,000 to Buy an Electric Car
Assemblyman Dan Benson said subsidies of up to $5,000 per vehicle could be available starting in the summer. They’d be equal to $25 per mile of the vehicle’s range.
To Avoid Vote-by-mail Overtime Costs, NJ May Change Primary Deadline
Cape May County Clerk Rita Fulginiti says the proposed changes, which would push the filing deadline into mid-March, wouldn’t affect voters in any way.
It’s Now Up to You: NJ Voters to Decide in 2020 on Legal Marijuana
A proposed constitutional amendment will be before voters next November after it barely achieved the needed three-fifths supermajority in the legislature.