News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Are Trumpers leaving Bramnick alone?

Wednesday, February 3, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Are Trumpers leaving Bramnick alone?

Feb 03, 2021

Presented by Pre-K Our Way

Good Wednesday morning!

Yesterday, I wrote that it wouldn't surprise anyone if Jon Bramnick got a primary opponent for Tom Kean Jr.'s soon-to-be open state Senate seat.

Bramnick made his formal announcement for the seat yesterday. And he's doing so with party support pretty much locked up, and so far no primary opponent has emerged.

Can a New Jersey Republican openly criticize President Trump for four years and not face a serious primary challenge? It's still quite possible someone will challenge Bramnick, but with the party in lockstep behind him, it's a lot less likely that challenge will succeed. And there's nothing Democrats would love more than to run against a Trumper in a longtime GOP district that has clearly gone anti-Trump.

Statewide primaries are another story, and Bramnick's gubernatorial dreams were dashed because, he said, he didn't feel he could prevail in the primary race as an anti-Trumper. But look what happened to the most pro-Trump candidate in the race, Doug Steinhardt.

Read more about it here.

There may be a reckoning coming between Republicans who want to move beyond Trump and a base still beholden to him. But at least so far, it's not happening in District 21.

WHERE'S MURPHY? In Trenton for an 11 a.m. coronavirus press conference, then Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst at 1 p.m. to greet National Guard members on their return from Washington

CORONAVIRUS TRACKER : 2,811 new positive PCR tests for a total of 629,369. 71 more deaths for a total of 19,455 (and 2,129 probable deaths). 2,892 hospitalized, 516 in intensive care. 1.5 percent of the population has had both vaccine doses.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Morris County Commissioner Tayfun Selen, former Riverside committeeman Michael Miller

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "The status quo cannot continue; therefore ... I see no other option but to instruct our legal counsel to file a lawsuit against the MEA for a physical return to school." — Montclair Superintendent Jonathan Ponds

A message from Pre-K Our Way:

NJ's pre-k is now in 150+ school districts, with more beginning in early 2021! Despite this remarkable four-year record of achievement, there are 110+ eligible school districts that still wait. Let's reach a total of 200+ districts with NJ's pre-k in 2021. Fund substantial pre-k expansion THIS YEAR! Visit prekourway.org for more info

WHAT TRENTON MADE

CORONAVIRUS — "New figures show how deadly COVID-19 is for Blacks, Hispanics, Asians in NJ," by NJ Spotlight's Colleen O'Dea: "Preliminary New Jersey State Health Assessment Data for deaths in 2020 made available on Monday shows COVID-19 surpassed heart disease for Blacks, Hispanics and Asians. It was the third-largest cause of death among non-Hispanic whites, with heart disease remaining the dominant one, followed by cancer, for that racial group. State officials continue to update death data, which is derived from the causes listed on death certificates of New Jersey residents regardless of where they died, for a year or longer so some of the numbers could change."

MEDIAN TEACHER SALARY IS 0.008 MASTROS — "N.J. teacher pay is rising. See the median salary in every district," by NJ Advance Media's Adam Clark: "The average pay for New Jersey teachers rose 2% last school year, but vast differences in median salary exist across the state's districts. The median salary across all districts and charter schools in 2019-20 ranged from as low as $44,258 to as high as $113,869, according to new state data released Wednesday. The median teacher's salary statewide was $70,815. A district's median teacher salary can fluctuate, affected by a number of variables, including faculty size, faculty experience, cost of living and the grade levels a district offers. Northern Valley Regional, a high school district serving affluent Bergen County communities, had the highest median salary. East Newark, a small K-8 district serving predominantly low-income families, had the lowest."

STILL TIME TO TAKE UP SMOKING — "CVS set to offer COVID vaccines at some pharmacy locations throughout NJ, starting Feb. 11," by The Record's Lindy Washburn : "Some CVS pharmacies in New Jersey will begin offering COVID-19 vaccines to eligible recipients starting Feb. 11, the company announced Tuesday. A 'limited rollout' of 19,900 doses provided by the federal government will be made available. As more supplies are provided, additional locations and appointments will be added, the company said. The pharmacies are in Brigantine, Edison, Elizabeth, Flemington, Green Brook, Hoboken, North Bergen, North Plainfield, Princeton, Seaside Heights, Stanhope, Union, Voorhees and West Orange, the company said. Appointments can be made starting on Feb. 9."

SOMERSET GOP SUNSET — "Last time Somerset Democrats won a state Senate seat was 1902," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "Somerset County had been a Republican bulwark in New Jersey politics for as long as anyone has been alive, but the retirement of Kip Bateman gives Democrats a chance, if not an edge, to win their first State Senate election since Samuel S. Childs was elected in 1902. Childs, a restaurateur from Bernardsville, ousted Republican incumbent Joseph S. Frelinghuysen, by 312 votes, a 52%-48% margin. Democratic control of the Somerset County Senate seat lasted just three years."

TRANSPARENCY — " Police disciplinary records should be public," by Sonya Headlam and Rebecca Cypess for The Star-Ledger: "New Jersey's elected officials have the opportunity to take one small but essential step toward greater justice for all by voting Senate Bill 2656, sponsored by Senator Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) and Senator Nia H. Gill (D-Essex), out of committee and into law. Why is this bill so important? It would instill greater transparency and accountability in policing by making police disciplinary records subject to the Open Public Records Act (OPRA). It would also bring New Jersey into line with states that already grant much more public access to police disciplinary records, including Florida, Texas, Alabama, Kentucky, New York, Washington, and Oklahoma. While Senate Bill 2656 was introduced into the New Jersey Senate in June 2020, it still has not been scheduled for a single committee hearing or vote."

ALL TRUMPED UP — "Senator Doherty addresses the GOP divide in the aftermath of Kean and Bateman announcements," by InsiderNJ's Fred Snowflack : "There was a Facebook Live event Monday night with Republican state Sen. Mike Doherty of Warren County sponsored by New Jersey Women for Trump … Doherty was not all that encouraging. 'I'll be honest, I don't know that we're coming together,' Doherty admitted. But one thing Doherty did was demonstrate the divide. He said that the Republican establishment 'wants to turn the page and bury the fact' Trump was elected in the first place. There you have it — a major dilemma for New Jersey Republicans. Doherty talked about Trump's passionate supporters, mentioning overflow crowds at rallies. But passion aside, Trump lost badly two times in New Jersey and the Republicans lost three House seats while Trump was president. That explains, does it not, why some may want to 'turn the page?'"

JOINT PETITION — "N.J. court hears arguments in case that has stalled expansion of medical marijuana," by NJ Advance Media's Amanda Hoover : "A three-judge appellate court panel heard arguments Tuesday in a case that has stalled the expansion of the New Jersey's burdened medical marijuana program. But the court must still issue a decision before the state can reopen its review of licenses that a lawsuit put on hold in late 2019. The case involves eight rejected medical marijuana applicants from a round of licensing the Department of Health opened in 2019. The applicants in question lost out due to technical issues with their applications or because they had insufficient documents to show the town they wished to operate in approved of the business. But they argue the department incorrectly rejected their applications during its first round of cuts and should reconsider them along with 146 others still in the running."

—"This New Jersey man feared COVID while incarcerated. Then a court reversed his case"

—" Insulin can cost hundreds per month. Democratic lawmakers in NY, NJ want to cap it at $30-$50"

—"New Jersey lawmakers: Do not ignore the rare disease community"

—" New coalition looking to end the War on Drugs"

—Mulshine: "Does Phil Murphy need to make a correction on legal marijuana and law enforcement?"

TUNE IN TO NEW EPISODE OF GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe for Season Two, available now.

BIDEN TIME

R.I.P. — "Longtime New Jersey federal Judge Morton I. Greenberg, 87, dies of pneumonia," by The Press of Atlantic City's Raquelle Gilbert: "Morton I. Greenberg, a long-time New Jersey federal appeals court judge with South Jersey roots, died Jan. 28, according to an obituary published by the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home in Princeton. Greenberg, 87, died of pneumonia, a complication of pulmonary fibrosis, according to his obituary. His death was not related to COVID-19. Greenberg served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and was the longest serving federal judge at the time of his death."

CLICK HERE TO FIND CHRIS SMITH'S TOWN HALL — "Rep. Chris Smith: the invisible man," by CommunityNews' Samantha Sciarotta: "The suggestion that Antifa was behind the attack is 'dangerous and irresponsible,' said Robbinsville resident Gregory DeLuca in the weeks following the riot. DeLuca is a longtime critic of Smith's … For some of Smith's constituents, though, his reaction to the Jan. 6 insurrection was no different than the last decade of his tenure — silence and blanket statements have become part of Smith's playbook. Smith has held two 'town halls' — a conversation with the Asbury Park Press editorial board in 2018 and a virtual meeting with the Alzheimer's Association in 2020 — since 1993. Constituents have launched petitions and campaigns like the #WhereIsChrisSmith hashtag over the last several years in an attempt to communicate with Smith, but those efforts have been ignored, residents say. Smith, who lives in Virginia full-time, also quietly deactivated his Twitter account and disabled the comment feature on his Instagram account in the weeks following the attack on the Capitol."

—"Booker gets a spot on Senate Agriculture Committee"

LOCAL

'THE OTHER CITY BY THE BAY' — "'One property at a time': A city tries to revive without gentrifying," by The New York Times' Tracey Tulley : "Construction workers in the South Ward of Newark, one of New Jersey's most distressed areas, are busy converting a long-abandoned bank into an apartment building and poets cafe. A decrepit mansion in the Central Ward built by a Newark beer baron before the turn of the 20th century is being revamped as a 'makerhood,' a first-of-its-kind co-working residential and retail space. Siree Morris, a developer, recently finished erecting six three-bedroom apartments on a formerly vacant lot. Next up: condos made from shipping containers and an affordable-housing complex named for his slain brother, Michael, on the street where they grew up. While the downtown corridors of Newark, a poor industrial city burdened by decades of disinvestment, have been on the rebound for years, much of the rest of the city had been largely left behind. But now even the city's far-flung residential neighborhoods are in the midst of a slow recovery. The transformation, fueled largely by a push to expand affordable housing and homeownership in this city of renters, is part of a deliberate strategy with an ambitious goal: erasing Newark's long legacy of blight without pushing out residents, 86 percent of whom are Black or Latino."

SHE DECIDES WHERE MOTHERF****RS GO TO JAIL — "Jersey City Police Director Tawana Moody named first civilian to lead department," by Hudson County View's John Heinis: "Jersey City Police Director Tawana Moody will see her job responsibilities expand to become the first civilian to the lead the department following the retirement of Chief Michael Kelly last week … Under state law, only sworn officers currently have access to Internal Affairs (IA) investigations unless obtained through litigation. By appointing a civilian to oversee the police department, the Fulop administration's primary goal is to allow for more civilian access into investigations involving residents' complaints of wrongdoing, with more visibility and integrity, the mayor's office said [Tuesday]."

IN COD WE TRUST — "Fishermen skeptic on wind farm's electromagnetic field; blackfish landed in 'brutal' cold," by The Asbury Park Press' Dan Radel: "At least a few fishermen voiced doubts about wind farms on the coast here, particularly their fears they'll negatively impact local fisheries. At a second meeting with Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind, fishermen went as far as asking the company to put up a bond to reimburse fishing businesses if they fail due to the wind farm. 'What if the fishing industry gets pummeled? We don't have any fallback. Until that gets answered there's a lot of guys that aren't going to back this,' said Capt. Bob Rush Jr., owner and operator of the Starfish party boat in Sea Isle City. Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind's lease site lies 10 to 20 miles off the coast between Barnegat Light and Atlantic City … … Doug Copeland, Atlantic Shores' development manager, said their Construction and Operations Plan, which requires federal approval before the project can proceed, has to show the farm will not have a negative impact on the fisheries. 'That's on us to prove,' Copeland said."

SO YOU'RE SAYING HE SHOULD SIDE WITH COMMUNISTS? — "NJEA critic: Mayor Spiller 'siding with his union,' not Montclair," by Montclair Local's Jaimie Julia Winters : "A watchdog group critical of the New Jersey Education Association has once again taken aim at Montclair's Mayor Sean Spiller — saying his position as vice president of the powerful union is a conflict as the township's schools and teachers remain locked in a dispute over returning to classrooms. The Sunlight Policy Center, which last year took issue with Spiller's NJEA role in a seven-page report during his campaign for mayor, issued a new three-page statement this week accusing Spiller of 'siding with his union, not his town.' … But in response to the Sunlight statement, the mayor referred to the group as 'a neo-conservative, right-wing organization dedicated to attacking public education.'"

—"Montclair's 7.6-acre Lackawanna Plaza property gets new owner and new vision"

—"Former DPW boss in N.J. beach town harassed employee with autism, lawsuit says"

—"Colts Neck school parents rip hybrid learning: 'They're robbing' kids"

—"Sussex County Board of Commissioners' vacant seat filled"

—"Mercer County Special Services District slashing staff to fill $2.6M budget hole"

JOIN THURSDAY - BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST AROUND THE VACCINE: How do we overcome the trust gap around the Covid-19 vaccines? How do we craft and deliver messages to break through fear and misinformation, especially in diverse and underserved communities that are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus? Join for a conversation with policymakers and public health experts about the urgent need to soothe fears and get Americans vaccinated. REGISTER HERE.

EVERYTHING ELSE

DID NEW JERSEY NEWS OUTLETS BREAK RECORD FOR ARTICLES ABOUT SNOW? — "Did New Jersey break state snow record? 33 inches may be top mark, investigation underway," by The Asbury Park Press' Joshua Chang: "As of 1 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, Montague Township in Sussex County led the pack with a jaw-dropping 33.2 inches of snow accumulation, according to a public report sent in to the National Weather Service. If this is confirmed, this total inch count would break New Jersey's all-time snowstorm record in a 24-hour span, which was set by Rutherford Township in Bergen County in April 1915, where 32 inches of snow was recorded."

—" Hard Rock to give a total of $1 million in bonuses to Atlantic City employees"

—"Monster snowstorm caused few power outages in N.J., but why?"

—" As blizzard blankets NJ, can utilities restore outages quickly, efficiently?"

A message from Pre-K Our Way:

In four years, there has been statewide, bipartisan support for funding pre-k expansion. NJ's pre-k is now in 150+ school districts, with more beginning in early 2021! Despite this remarkable record of achievement, there are 110+ eligible school districts that still wait.

There are eligible districts in every county. They're in rural, suburban and urban communities, and they're located across New Jersey, from east to west – and north to south. You either live in an eligible school district or you live near at least one. There are 3- and 4-year-olds still waiting for NJ's pre-k in each of these 110+ communities.

Substantial funding for NJ's pre-k will provide a strong start to a lifetime of learning for more of our children – and immediate support for their working families.

Let's reach a total of 200+ districts with NJ's pre-k – there are 110+ communities waiting. Fund substantial pre-k expansion THIS YEAR!

Visit prekourway.org for more info