News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Juliano to Huttle: Don't be like Trump

Friday, February 26, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Juliano to Huttle: Don't be like Trump

Feb 26, 2021

Presented by Anbaric Development Partners

Just how tense is the 37th District Democratic primary?

Bergen County Dem Chair Paul Juliano responded to Assemblymember Valerie Vainieri Huttle's letter to him earlier this week with one of his own Thursday, and he accused her of just about the worst thing you can say to a progressive: Acting like Donald Trump.

"I am disappointed by your baseless accusations that our nomination process is anything other than as open and fair as possible. We have seen over the past year, the devastating consequences of Donald Trump's unfounded attacks on the integrity of our Democratic processes. Democrats in Bergen County deserve and expect better," Juliano wrote, referring to Huttle's contention that the he "pulled the strings" against her.

Juliano claims that Huttle actually asked him to do what she accused him of doing for her primary rival, Assemblymember Gordon Johnson.

"I don't want to dwell on a letter of baseless claims. Of course I asked the chairman for his support, and to clarify I asked him to take his thumb off the scale if he wanted to be truly neutral," Huttle told POLITICO in an email. "However, to compare me to Trump is ludicrous, I am fighting to open up avenues of democracy in LD37, if he views my decision to run off the line as undemocratic then unfortunately he doesn't know the true meaning of democracy."

But hey, on the bright side: Both ended their statements on a positive note. "There are things bigger than politics, and in these trying times, I wish you and your family good health," Juliano wrote.

To which Huttle replied: "Yes things are bigger than politics, and I hope we can continue our friendship."

We'll see if they're still talking like that come June 9. And in the absence of big differences on the issues between Huttle and Johnson, we may see a lot of this type of arguing in the primary. "The committee process in Bergen County is not rigged, it's not predetermined, it's an election. It's democracy in action," Johnson said in his own blast email.

WHERE'S MURPHY: In Jersey City at 10 a.m. to sign legislation establishing the Community College Opportunity Grant program. Then holding a virtual coronavirus press conference at 1 p.m.

CORONAVIRUS TRACKER: 3,079 newly-reported PCR tests for a total of 692,931. 70 more deaths for a total of 20,816 (and 2,331 probable deaths). 2,032 hospitalized, 438 in intensive care. 598,359 fully vaccinated, or about 6.7 percent of the population.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "It's the legislature legislating themselves out of trouble. It's ridiculous … Every time I support a Democrat-majority bill and I stand on an island away from my peers, it comes back to bite me and it gets more wackadoodle as we go. This one is just crazy." — Assemblymember Brian Bergen (R-Morris) on the quickly-advancing bill to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent crimes, including corruption convictions

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: HICA's Annmarie Devito, JRS' Strategies Jason Springer. Saturday for former HHS Region 2 Director Jackie Cornell Bechelli, Assemblymember Joe Egan, Assemblymember William Spearman, friend Vik Rupani

A message from Anbaric Development Partners:

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WHAT TRENTON MADE

UNDER PRESSURE — Delaware River Basin fracking ban approved, by POLITICO's Samantha Maldonado: The Delaware River Basin Commission voted Thursday to ban fracking in the basin. The federal interstate agency — which oversees the more than 13,500-square-mile area that includes parts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware and provides drinking water for more than 13 million people — took action on the measure after a multiyear push from environmental advocates. The commission, which includes representatives from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and the federal government, approved the regulations first authorized on a preliminary basis in 2017 to prohibit hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in the basin. The commission in 2010 imposed what was essentially a drilling moratorium in the basin, which is being challenged in federal court.

—"'Paying for pollution': As N.J.'s incinerators dirty the air, electric customers help foot the bill"

CWAZY NEWS — Rosenstein leaving CWA after 40 years , by POLITICO's Katherine Landergan: Hetty Rosenstein, the New Jersey director of the powerful Communications Workers of America, is stepping down after 40 years with the union. Details: Rosenstein announced her decision in an email Wednesday evening to co-workers and friends. She said she'll be leaving April 2. Rosenstein, a longtime force in Trenton who has negotiated major contracts on behalf of New Jersey's public workers, did not indicate what she'll be doing next. In her email, Rosenstein said she is "not leaving the movement for workers' rights" or her "love of the CWA." "I have had an extraordinary time working with CWA for 40 years and I am grateful for every moment of it. But if I have learned anything after nearly a year of COVID lockdown, it is that we do not have unlimited time," she said in the email. "There are other things that I want to do, and from a different perch and a different lens. There are other people who will have a chance to step up. The work will continue. The struggle will continue. I will be there with you always, just from a different place."

WILLAM WALLACE IS BRAVEHERB — New Jersey cannabis commission takes full shape with new appointments , by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: Days after Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation to legalize recreational cannabis in New Jersey, the commission charged with overseeing the fledgling industry is being filled out. Murphy on Thursday will announce the appointment of Department of Health official Maria Del Cid-Kosso and William Wallace, a labor union official, to the Cannabis Regulatory Commission, according to two sources with knowledge of the plans. The appointments round out the five-member commission, which will set regulations and oversee licensing of dispensaries for the newly-legal industry. Del Cid-Kosso, who's from Union County, is director of policy and legislative services at the New Jersey Department of Health and a former chief of staff to the late Assemblymember Jerry Green (D-Union). Wallace, a former pharmacist from Somerset County, is director of the professional division of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 342 and serves on its executive board.

—@RevCharlesBoyer: "So is there really no Black man on the cannabis commission? @GovMurphy @SpeakerCoughlin @NJSenatePres @njnaacp You all really only have 1 Black person on this commission total? Wow?"

DID SHE MENTION SHE'S RUNNING IN A DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY IN A LIBERAL DISTRICT? — New Jersey lawmaker wants to expand Medicaid to undocumented residents, by POLITICO's Daniel Han: A New Jersey lawmaker says she has introduced legislation that would provide health care to the state's undocumented immigrants, a move that could expand coverage to hundreds of thousands of people. Details: The bill, NJ A5416, would make undocumented immigrants eligible for the state's Medicaid program. The commissioner of the Department of Human Services would seek federal funds to support the inclusion of undocumented immigrants, but would rely solely upon state funds if needed. "With almost 800,000 undocumented individuals living in New Jersey, it is inhumane to ignore their healthcare needs." Assemblymember Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen), the bill's sponsor, said in a statement. "In a moment of reckoning with issues of racial injustice and societal inequities, it is critical that New Jersey work to fill in the gaps that cause systemic inequities in our own backyards."

EDUCATION — Most New Jersey school districts to see funding increases this year, nearly 200 to see cuts, by POLITICO's Carly Sitrin: More than two-thirds of the almost 600 school districts in New Jersey will be seeing increases in state funding this year, according to the latest preliminary school aid allocations released by the Department of Education. But nearly 200 school districts will be seeing cuts during the coronavirus pandemic that has already decimated district budgets. Gov. Phil Murphy celebrated his administration's proposed $18 billion record investment in education spending on Thursday at an event in Fair Lawn. "As we rapidly approach one year since Covid-19 first disrupted our students' learning, this investment is about ensuring that they are not left out or left alone," Murphy said.

EDNA MAHAN — "Inmate at troubled N.J. women's prison injured again after accusing officers of brutal attack," by NJ Advance Media's Blake Belson: "An inmate in New Jersey's only women's prison was hospitalized with a concussion Thursday after an altercation with officers, according to officials and medical records, just a month after she reported being one of several women beaten by staff. Rae Rollins, who is 25 and transgender, told her attorney that officers at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in Hunterdon County pushed her into a wall and maced her last week. The state's largest corrections union said Rollins was the aggressor. Four officers and a supervisor were attacked and had to be treated for 'minor injuries,' according to William Sullivan, president of NJ PBA Local 105 … Rollins' account of being assaulted by officers in January was the first allegation published by NJ.com about that incident"

WHAT KIND OF BROWNIES YOU GOT THERE? — "Can NJ bakers sell homemade treats? Not yet, but they have hope," by The Asbury Park Press' Sarah Griesemer: "For more than a decade, New Jersey's home bakers have been pursuing legislation that would create a cottage law, which allows for the sale of homemade food items. New Jersey currently is the only state in the country that does not have such a law, making it illegal for people like Martha Rabello to sell the cookies she bakes in her Fanwood kitchen … New Jersey law requires that food sold to the public be prepared in a commercial kitchen. Bakers who are caught selling items made in their homes can face cease and desist orders and fines. But the hourly rate to rent a commercial kitchen — which are not plentiful — can vary from $15 to more than $30 per hour, said Rabello, a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City who once rented space for her cookie business. Giving the example of a custom cake baker that needs eight hours to make a wedding cake, 'it becomes very prohibitive.'"

—"Lawmakers ignored warnings that NJ's outdated unemployment system could cause problems in a crisis"

—"No new taxes in Murphy's budget, but taxpayers are still on the hook. Here's why"

—"New N.J. unemployment claims continue to drop"

—" 9 Questions about the Vainieri Huttle vs. Johnson Senate primary"

—"NJ Transit to benefit from Penn Station expansion. Here are the details"

NEW - "THE RECAST" NEWSLETTER: Power dynamics are changing. "Influence" is changing. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. "The Recast" is our new twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy and power in America. And POLITICO is recasting how we report on this crucial intersection, bringing you fresh insights, scoops, dispatches from across the country and new voices that challenge "business as usual." Don't miss out on this important new newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW. Thank you to our sponsor, Intel.

BIDEN TIME

'CCOG' JUST ROLLS OFF THE TONGUE — What the Biden administration can learn from New Jersey about free community college, by POLITICO's Carly Sitrin: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy will sign into law a tuition-free community college program its architects say should become a national model. The Community College Opportunity Grant (CCOG) program is inclusive of all types of students — traditional college-age and adult learners, documented or undocumented, part-time or full-time. It covers not only tuition, but many of the required fees that can run up a student's bill. It's not restricted by school or course type and does not mandate a certain grade point average. And it's changed thousands of students' lives. As President Joe Biden plans to roll out his own tuition-free community college policy across the country, New Jersey officials say they have the blueprint.

—"N.J. gym owner at odds with Gov. Murphy to speak at nation's top conservative activist conference"

LOCAL

JERSEY CITY MAKE IT HURT — "Jersey City Public Schools facing $71M cut in state aid: 'It feels almost inhumane'," by Hudson County View's John Heinis: "The Jersey City Public Schools are facing a massive $71,153,359 cut in state aid for the next scholastic year, prompting Board of Education President Mussab Ali to say 'it feels almost inhumane.' … In 2018, Murphy signed a state aid reform bill, following approval from the legislature, to redistribute how public school districts receive aid from Trenton. While the new formula is supposed to look out for previously underfunded districts, while slowly decreasing aid to overfunded schools, Jersey City hasn't had much luck so far."

LORENZO'S FOIL — "Langford won't run in primary; he and Marsh are years behind on repaying $850,000," by The Press of Atlantic City's Michelle Brunetti Post: "Former Mayor Lorenzo Langford, who said Wednesday he will not challenge Mayor Marty Small in the Democratic primary in June, is years behind in making court-ordered repayments of an $850,000 lawsuit settlement from the city, city records show. Langford and former Councilman William Marsh shared the settlement award, which was reversed by a series of court decisions, and the two were ordered to repay it after the state Supreme Court said it was improperly awarded … The repayment was ordered in 2007 after the state Supreme Court agreed with lower courts that the settlement was improper because it violated New Jersey conflict-of-interest laws. In a 1999 lawsuit against the city, Langford and Marsh alleged they had been fired from school district jobs for political reasons, and the settlement was made by Langford allies working for the city while he was mayor in 2002."

MCWON'TGETITAGAIN — "McGettigan won't seek re-election as Atlantic County clerk," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein : "Atlantic County Clerk Edward P. McGettigan will not seek re-election to a fourth term this year, bring to close a 28-year career in politics, the New Jersey Globe has learned. He is expected to make his announcement within the next few days, several sources have confirmed, clearing the way for Democrats to pick a new candidate for the upcoming election."

EDUCATION — " 'We don't want to be teaching in fear.' How 1 N.J. school district keeps trying — and failing — to reopen," by NJ Advance Media's Adam Clark: "One month and two failed reopening attempts later, South Orange-Maplewood schools remain closed after the teachers union announced Feb. 15 that educators will work remotely through mid-March out of concern for their safety. 'We all said, 'We don't want to be teaching in fear,'' said Kristin Barber, a science teacher at Columbia High School. 'And that's how we all felt like we would be teaching.' District officials, handed a list of teachers' safety concerns, insist their 11 school buildings are safe and have petitioned the state Superior Court to order teachers to resume hybrid instruction. Outraged parents have long since gone nuclear, filing a lawsuit in the hopes of forcing schools to reopen and rallying outside municipal offices with signs like, 'The Kids Are Not Alright.' Yet despite increasing pressure to report to school, teachers told NJ Advance Media that the backlash is misguided. Aging buildings, broken promises and fears brushed aside by administrators led to schools opening before they were ready, ultimately dooming the reopening before students could even set foot in their classrooms, they said."

BECAUSE JOHN TRAVOLTA IS FROM NEIGHBORING ENGLEWOOD AND THEY'VE SEEN 'FACE/OFF' — " Teaneck just banned facial recognition technology for police. Here's why," by The Record's Isaiah McCall: "The Town Council has banned the use of facial recognition software by police in a unanimous vote, joining a nascent movement to banish a technology that has been criticized as potentially biased. Even as private companies continue to create huge databases of images from social media, and facial recognition is employed for surveillance and airport passenger screening, a growing body of evidence shows the algorithms do a poorer job of identifying women and Black and Asian faces. In January, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal barred police statewide from using a facial recognition app from a company called Clearview AI, which The New York Times reported had amassed a database of billions of photos from sites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter … However, Teaneck is the first town in New Jersey to ban the controversial technology outright, said Councilman Keith Kaplan."

— "Hamilton CFO resigns amid financial tumult for township"

—" Trump Plaza rubble a no-go for artificial reefs"

—"Holmdel police 'blue line' in the street: It's a 'white supremacist' symbol, panel says"

—" A move to regionalize NJ schools: What it could mean to Shore districts?"

—"N.J. landlord accused of sexually abusing tenants continues working toward settlement, records show"

—" Cherry Hill School District to require African American history course next year"

—"[Cumberland County Improvement] Authority tells energy company its lawsuit has no basis, claims no deal was entered"

—" Pickleball ruckus prompts Ridgewood to hike fees and ban nonresidents"

—"When the elderly couple needed a ride to get their COVID vaccine, the [Bayonne] mayor stepped in"

TUNE IN TO 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 and start listening today.

EVERYTHING ELSE

IT'S JUST AFRAID TO ADMIT IT — "Newly discovered N.Y. coronavirus variant likely already in N.J., experts say," by NJ Advance Media's Spencer Kent: "A new and dangerous coronavirus variant has emerged in New York City. The variant — B.1.526 — is similar to the strain that emerged in South Africa. Experts fear this variant — like the South African strain — could be more transmissible and render COVID-19 vaccines less effective. Dr. David Cennimo, an infectious disease expert at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said the discovery is unsurprising and the variant is likely already circulating in New Jersey."

BEST SOLUTION FOR CHRONIC PAIN: THE CHRONIC — " Legal weed in NJ: Study shows it cuts down on workers' comp claims in adults," by The Record's Philip DeVencentis: " Middle-aged adults claim up to 20% less in workers' compensation benefits in states where recreational marijuana is legal, according to a new study. The research also found that the drug caused an associated decline in the rate of non-fatal work injuries. Rahi Abouk, who teaches economics and finance at William Paterson University, co-authored the paper with professors from the University of Cincinnati at Blue Ash and Temple University, as well as a representative of the RAND Corporation, a California-based think tank."

— " Bruce Springsteen's DWI charge was dropped. Some lawyers say it should never have been brought"

—"Springsteen's blood alcohol content was low so why was he charged with DWI? A lawyer explains"

—" Watch: Atlantic City ended the Trump era with an implosion last week. What does it really mean for the city?"

A message from Anbaric Development Partners:

With a bold vision of creating 7500 MW of wind energy by 2035, New Jersey is leading the race to scale the offshore wind industry, but a major question remains: How will we transport that energy back to shore? The answer is planned transmission, the most efficient, economic, and environmentally friendly way to bring offshore wind power to New Jersey's homes and businesses.

Acknowledging the considerable benefits of a planned transmission approach, the BPU announced late last year that the state, alongside PJM, will issue a first-in-the-nation transmission-only solicitation in early 2021. Now, New Jersey will need a partner that can deliver on this transformative opportunity.

With extensive experience building transmission systems, Anbaric is the company New Jersey can trust to achieve our state's clean energy goals. Anbaric is committed to scaling the offshore wind industry while protecting ratepayers and the environment.
Visit nj.anbaric.com to learn more.