OUR HEARTFELT SYMPATHIES ARE EXTENDED TO MARY CACCAMO AND HER FAMILY

I know that I speak for the Regency Community in offering Mary Caccamo and her family our heartfelt sympathies on the passing of Tony. For those of us who knew Tony, we share in Mary's loss.

Tony loved the Regency community and all that it offered. He played golf with us on Wednesday's at the Meadows, then traveled over to Forsgate where he ate lunch and then played 18 more holes of golf. I personally had problems playing just18 holes and Tony played 36 holes in one day. He certainly was a dynamo because 36 holes of golf wasn't enough and he played on other days of the week more golf. He bowled and was on the senior olympic bowling team. Whether it was bowling or golf, he excelled in both sports. When I played golf with him and said, I hope I could be as good as you, he gave me that smile and said, "I'm not that good."

At a golf dinner one year, Tony and Mary were at our table when we were served this Italian pastry. It was absolutely delicious and when I asked Tony what it was called he said something like, "Svelliadela". It has warm cheese in the inside with a flaky type crust. I never could remember the name and everytime I passed by Tony I would say to him what was the name of that pastry? He would smile and give me the name. Thereafter, he would just walk by me and without my asking him, he would just give me the name of the pastry and again smile.

I received many calls and emails about Tony passing away and the various stories all point to how much Tony was loved and how much he will be missed. One call in particular told me something about Tony that I didn't know. I knew he like to "build" things but Tony was not what you would call a "builder", he was a true artisan who made all the furniture in his home. From what I was told, nothing can compare to what Tony made. His home was his palace and he and Mary made it look like one.

He was a gentleman and was loved by everyone and I will always remember that smile. He will be missed!

Visitation will take place at FREEMAN'S FUNERAL HOME MANALAPAN-MARLBORO (344 Route 9N - 732-972-8484) on:

Tuesday 7PM - 9PM
Wednesday 2PM - 4 PM

Funeral services will be on Thursday at 10 AM at Freeman's.
Cemetery information is as follows:

Holy Cross Cemetary
South Brunswick (off of Cranbury Road)

TESTING BULK EMAILING

As I had mentioned in one of my emails, sending out emails has become problematic in more than one way. As you know AOL and the Regency Emailer are at "war". I've written the FTC to intervene since AOL (according to everything I've read on the internet) is now blocking a lot of legitimate emails from being delivered.

All of these types of companies are now limiting the number of emails you can send out at one time. I use Verizon DSL and they recommend 50 emails at one time and that can be repeated about 1 hour later with a maximum quantity in one day. With 418 email addresses this would relate to my having to send out each message 9 times. However, with AOL, it becomes about 12 times since I try not to send out more than 25 at a time. So you can see that emailing can be an "intense" job.

I have been checking out 2 companies that allow their customers to send out thousands of emails with just one click. Constant Contact, the first company, was problematic so I went to Intelli Contact and it was simple and easy to use. I set up an account for a 15 day trial which allows 100 emails to be sent out. I selected 100 Regency residents for the test and asked that they send me back a note if the email went through and if it was readable. Once I get that information and if the results were positive I will probably use Intelli Contact as a company that would send out my emails. Their plans are based on the number of email addresses in my contact account.

If this works, I will have so much time on my hands that I might take up knitting and mah jongg! If you were one of my test emails, PLEASE send me a note that you received my email and if the email was readable.

Update on our Tax Relief Effort -Looking Ahead

As many of us look forward to a New Year full of promise and good health, we also realize that our quarterly property tax bills are due on Feb. 1, 2007.
The newspapers are full of the empty promises that were made by our State Legislature and our Governor. Something will be accomplished this year in Trenton, because it is an election year. Nothing inspires a politician more than the possibility of not being re-elected. Every member of the State Senate and the Assembly is up for re-election this year. Only time will tell if the changes are genuine, or simply business, as usual.

As a matter of information, especially for new residents, we have exchanged a number of items of correspondence with both of our Assembly Representatives, Linda Greenstein, and Bill Baroni. Over two years ago, both Representatives visited Regency, and participated in a discussion of New Jersey taxes. Assemblyman Baroni has a demonstrated record of fighting Trenton's unquenchable thirst for uncontrolled spending. Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein opposed the sales tax increase; and, has attempted to rein in other unaccountable government spending. When we presented a major tax proposal to Mayor Pucci, he turned to Assemblywoman Greenstein for legislative support. Senator Peter Inverso has supported our law firm's efforts to get the Middlesex County Tax Board involved in reducing assessment values for our communities. In short, all of our elected officials are aware of the Regency community. We would encourage any resident to contact any of the above elected officials and share your concerns about the legislative process, especially this year. All of them would welcome your correspondence. Their contact information is below.

As we look ahead, We must ask ourselves, "If there are any significant changes in Trenton, what effect will any of these changes have on our tax relief effort?" The answer is very simple. We must proceed at full speed with our tax relief efforts. Our goal, through the Court, is an equitable assessment for each of our homes. An equitable (lower) assessment will ensure a permanent reduction in property taxes. If there is any tax relief from the Legislature, it will be in addition to the tax relief we are seeking from the Court.

In November, we authorized our law firm to proceed full speed with a legal challenge of our property assessments in the Court system. This is different than a simple tax appeal. By statutory law, the Tax List for every taxing district in NJ, certain tax appeal efforts, and responses to Tax court requests, must be completed by January 10th. It is very difficult to get new business, such as ours, initiated in this time period. Meanwhile, We have submitted a number of requests to our law firm for information on our specific tax relief efforts. Virtually all of these requests have to do with procedure type questions and any affected schedules. Frankly, as a committee, we have a lot to learn about the legal process as it affects us. As we become more knowledgeable, we will be in a better position to explain the process to our communities, and provide any assistance, or advice, that might be required.

Our Attorney has assured us that the paperwork for our challenge has been completed in draft form, and has completed its initial review. Within the next couple of weeks, the paperwork will be finalized and ready for submission. We will be meeting with the attorneys shortly. Based on our experience with our Attorneys over the last few years, we have the greatest confidence in their abilities and their interest in our welfare.

We will continue to inform you as information becomes available. As of this date, 351 Regency families have contributed to this legal effort. At least 140 families at Renaissance, and 4 families at Encore have also contributed.

Thank you for your continued support.

Tax Relief Committee

Contact information:
Peter A. Inverso Linda Greenstein
Senator, 14th District Deputy Speaker
3691A Nottingham Way Assemblywoman, 14th District
Hamilton, NJ 08690 7 Centre Drive, Suite 2
(609) 586-1330 Monroe Township, NJ 08831
Fax (609) 585-1906 (609) 395-9911 (609) 605-9090
Fax (609) 395-9032
email: aswgreenstein@njleg.org

Bill Baroni
Assemblyman, 14th District
2239 Whitehorse - Mercerville Road
Suite E
Hamilton, NJ 08619
(609) 631-9988 (732) 656-0117
Fax (609) 631-0324
email: asmbaroni@njleg.org

Emailer's Note; A recent article in the Asbury Park Press compares Monroe Townships Property Taxes to other Townships in NJ. Click on this link to see how we compare.
http://www.comteche.com/free-image-hosting/images/JLx89987.pdf

BULLETIN - BULLETIN - BULLETIN!!
A NEW FEATURE GETS ADDED TO MY BLOG
http://regencyemailer2.blogspot.com/

ARE WE FAMILY OUR AREN'T WE? DO YOU LIKE LOOKING AT YOUR FAMILY PICTURES OF YOUR KIDS AND GRANDKIDS? I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT GRETA HAS ABOUT 300 PICTURES ALL OVER OUR HOUSE AND WE JUST ENJOY LOOKING AT THEM.

OVER THE YEARS I HAVE POSTED LOTS OF EMAILS REGARDING THE BIRTH OF GRANDCHILDREN BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY OF THEIR PICTURES. YOU ARE OUR FAMILY, SO STOP HOARDING THESE PICTURES. YOUR FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS AND FAMILY OF REGENCY WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHAT YOUR REAL FAMILY LOOKS LIKE. SO CHECK OUT MY BLOG AND YOU WILL SEE THE POST FAMILY UNDER FAMILY PICTURES.

SEND ME YOUR PICTURES (UP TO 20). IF YOU AREN'T SURE HOW TO SEND IT TO ME, JUST GIVE ME A CALL. ONCE I GET THEM I WILL UPLOAD THEM AND ADD YOUR NAME TO HOPEFULLY A GROWING LIST OF FAMILY PICTURES. YOU CAN EVEN TELL YOUR CHILDREN TO CHECK THE PICTURES OUT ON MY BLOG. IF YOU KNOW HOW TO RENAME A PICTURE, RENAME IT SO THAT WE WOULD KNOW WHO THE PICTURE IS OF. IF YOU CHECK OUT MY FAMILY PICTURES AND PUT THE MOUSE ON THE PICTURE, THE CAPTION IS SHOWN LETTING YOU KNOW WHO THE PICTURE IS OF.
(SANDI ELLIS - YOU BETTER SEND ME SOME OF THOSE GORGEOUS PICTURES OF BLAKE. KEEP THE PICTURES OF ALLAN DOWN TO A MINIMUM!)

CONGRATULATIONS TO LAURA & BARRY SHANDLER

Juliet Eve Shandler has been added to the three grandchildren Laura and Barry currently have. Our very best wishes are extended to Juliet Eve, her parents, Marc and Jerri Shandler and of course to Laura and Barry. Her three cousins, Melanie, Allison and Matthew are also excited about Juliet Eve joining the family.

She was born on January 4th and weighs 6 lbs. 12 oz and was 19" tall. So where are the pictures?

(SEND ME PICTURES OF THE NEW BABY AND YOUR FAMILY)

WALKING IN THE STREETS AT NIGHT

A resident sent me a note about people walking in the streets at night and I've seen the same thing, or should I say, I didn't see someone walking in the streets. Without reflective clothing, it is difficult at times to notice someone walking especially if they are wearing dark clothes, which is normal for winter. So here's my suggestion:
1. Walk on the sidewalks at night
2. Walk by the curbs and not out in the middle of the street
3. Wear reflective clothing.
4. Wear a Liberace jacket with light bulbs going on and off.
5. Buy a horn and give a few toots when a car is approaching

Seriously, stay safe when walking. Who knows, the life you might save is your own.

DO NOT CALL LIST - HOAX OR NOT A HOAX?

I received a few emails about signing up to the DO NOT CALL LIST that this might be a HOAX. I know question whether SNOPES.COM isn't a HOAX since one of our residents found the DO NOT CALL message on Snopes and they have it down as a hoax.

However, your emailer, the Regency Protector of Hoaxes, double checks everything he sends out (that's a hoax). I did however go to the Federal Trade Commissions website prior to sending out this message and they (our government) provided this link to the DO NOT CALL - https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx
I don't think our Federal Government would provide a link to a hoax. HMMM!
Maybe they would, but I am not going to get political. Please don't email me about whether or not the "weapons of mass destruction" was a hoax or not a hoax. Go to snopes.com. Maybe they would have the answer.

EMAILING REACHES 418 RESIDENTS

WOW! It seems like just yesterday when I started with about 30 email addresses from Section 1. Today, I am at 418 email addresses (some residents have 2 but most just have 1 email address).

Now this is an interesting statistic. My BLOG, which I have a Stat Counter on it, has had over 1000 visitors with different addresses and since I only have 418 addresses, I am getting a lot of "hits" from outside sources. I know the Encorians are looking (and keep looking) but so are many others. I guess they like my selection of music.

A few BLOGGERS, like myself have written each other when we want to learn more about certain things. I get LOTS of emails from Bloggers on how to do such things as adding music, video, PDF compression and uploading, etc. It's really fun to do and you should consider developing a BLOG for your family. That's my next project - boy it's nice to be retired!

Thanks again for reading everything I write. You deserve a star for doing this. I still remember my High School days (TILDEN, of course) when my English teachers gave me 65's on my report cards (science and math 100's). I couldn't write for "beans" and look at me now. Today, I would at least get a 70!

JOINT MEN & WOMEN'S CLUB MEETING
JANUARY 28TH 10 AM

DR. OPPENHEIMER PROFESSOR EMERITUS AT RUTGERS WILL DISCUSS THE SUBJECT OF "HATE" AND HOW WE RELATE TO EACH OTHER
OPEN TO ALL MEN & WOMEN CLUB MEMBERS
BAGELS AND COFFEE SERVED

BODIES EXPO 2 - WOMEN'S CLUB TRIP FLYER
MAY 22ND

CLICK ON LINK
http://www.comteche.com/free-image-hosting/images/uDh41792.pdf

THAT'S IT FOR NOW
RON