| | | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Presented by Pre-K Our Way | Good Thursday morning! New Jersey has two Republican members of Congress. And neither of them are on Twitter. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-2nd), who pledged his "undying support" to then-President Donald Trump, has followed Trump off the former president's favorite social media platform. Van Drew hasn't said why, but unlike Trump it appears to have been a voluntary decision. This comes about two weeks after Rep. Chris Smith (R-4th) deleted his Twitter account. Neither rep had much of a Twitter presence. Their accounts didn't really have a personal voice. But both had gotten a lot of backlash there. In Smith's case, for voting against impeaching Trump and promoting a conspiracy theory that, contrary to what you saw with your own eyes, radical leftists were responsible for storming the U.S. Capitol. In Van Drew's case, for just about everything since his party switch a year ago, from his Trump love to his vote to overturn the results of a free election — even after Capitol riot. Van Drew's deletion also came on the eve of a House vote to strip Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-The Moon) of her committee assignments. That's a matter that poses a problem for Republicans who don't want to be seen endorsing QAnon or the killing of lawmakers but don't want to risk alienating a base enamored with those things. WHERE'S MURPHY? In cyberspace at noon for a "New Jersey adverse childhood experiences" event. Media: CNN at 11 a.m. CORONAVIRUS TRACKER : 2,021 newly-reported positive PCR tests for a total of 631,309. 52 more deaths for a total of 19,506 (and 2,187 probable deaths). 2,986 hospitalized, 525 in intensive care. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Cumberland County Clerk Celeste Riley, Hospital Alliance's Brian Shott, Rep. Donald Norcross aide Nicole Nestopoulos QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I like Andrew. I just don't like his ZIP code." — Somerset County Democratic Chair Peg Schaffer on Assemblymember Andrew Zwicker's campaign for state Senate. | | | | 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 | | NEVER LOOK A GIFT CLAUSE IN THE MOUTH — N.J. Supreme Court: Teachers can work full time for union and still collect salary, benefits, by POLITICO's Carly Sitrin: The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Jersey City school officials were within their rights to allow two employees to work full-time for the local teachers union while still collecting their full salary and benefits. The state's highest court reversed an earlier appellate court ruling that held Jersey City's so-called release time policy violates the gift clause of the New Jersey Constitution. "We concur with the trial court that the Board did not violate the Gift Clause of the New Jersey Constitution," Justice Anne Patterson wrote in the court's opinion. "We conclude that the release time provisions serve a public purpose." … Two New Jersey residents working with the conservative Goldwater Institute, sued the Jersey City school district in 2017, alleging the district's "release time" policy allowing teachers union officials to work full time for the union while still being paid by the district and taxpayers, violates the gift clause of the New Jersey Constitution. INDOOR DINING — Murphy [signs] order expanding indoor dining capacity, by POLITICO's Sam Sutton : New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday he will sign an executive order to increase indoor gathering limits to 35 percent of capacity. "I feel confident in signing this order because of the recent trends in our hospitals and rate of transmission," Murphy said during his regular Covid-19 briefing in Trenton. While new variants pose a risk, "we believe that we can make this expansion without leading to undue stress on our health care system." What's in the order: The executive order, which will take effect at 6 a.m. Friday, will also allow restaurants to stay open past 10 p.m., pushing back the last call to a point where patrons should be able stick around for the fourth quarter and post-game coverage of the Super Bowl on Sunday. Municipal governments will still be able to set their own hour restrictions, however, and indoor bars will remain closed to sit-down service. PANDELECTION — Murphy's reelection likely to be a referendum on his pandemic response, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman and Sam Sutton: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy started 2020 with middling poll numbers, weak name recognition and fraught relationships with members of his own party. A year later, the Democrat has consolidated his power, won approval for his biggest policy proposal and sustained a pandemic-era approval rating above 60 percent. But Murphy's success in securing a second term in November could hinge on whether his greatest political strength — his response to the coronavirus — becomes his biggest weakness. The result will serve as barometer to three dozen other governors facing their own reelection battles in the 2022 midterms. New Jersey has the highest per-capita death toll from Covid-19 in the U.S., and state GOP leaders have spent months sharpening messaging that blames Murphy for the massive death toll inside the state's nursing homes and long-term care facilities, where 7,700 people have died since the virus arrived in the state in March. AND MONTCLAIR, WHICH IS NOT NEW JERSEY — School reopening plans causing rifts in New York and New Jersey, by POLITICO's Michelle Bocanegra and Carly Sitrin : School districts in both New York and New Jersey are in pitched battles over reopening classrooms for in-person instruction halfway through the academic year, with several districts in both states either headed to court or already there over the issue. Unions are citing several concerns, including inadequate building ventilation and a lack of personal protective equipment as the deadly pandemic rages on, but many weary families and students are begging school districts to forge ahead. THE ZWICKER MAN — Zwicker running for state Senate seat being vacated by Bateman, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: Democratic Assemblymember Andrew Zwicker on Wednesday launched a campaign for the state Senate seat of retiring Republican Christopher "Kip" Bateman with substantial but not universal party support. "Now, more than ever, we need to make decisions that are based on evidence and continue to create sensible, practical policies to improve the lives of all New Jerseyans," Zwicker (D-Middlesex) said in an announcement. "During my time in the General Assembly, I have focused on protecting our environment, growing our economy, and guaranteeing every voter's ability to participate in safe and fair elections." Zwicker, a 56-year-old physicist who's head of public outreach at Princeton's Plasma Physics Laboratory, has long been considered a likely candidate for the seat in the 16th Legislative District, whether or not Bateman was running. | | | | 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. | | | | | GERRYATRIC — "'Just wants to stir the pot': Fight brewing as two Bergen Republicans vie for NJ Senate seat," by The Record's Terrence T. McDonald: "Bergen Republicans will meet for a convention in March to decide whether they support Cardinale or Schepisi in June's primary, and whoever they don't choose may decide not to run this spring. But even the whiff of a challenge has brought out the irritable side in Cardinale, who said Schepisi 'just wants to stir the pot so that she can jump a couple of steps.' 'I think you're seeing, believe it or not, a kind of a nationwide trend of younger people saying: I'm not getting my share of what's going on and I want more,' he said. 'And I think that's what's happening here.' Cardinale said he doesn't believe there's any ideological difference between himself and Schepisi, a 49-year-old attorney. One area where the two differ, Schepisi said, is term limits. First elected to the state Assembly in 2011, Schepisi said she won't run again for her current seat because she thinks she should step aside so other Bergen Republicans can have a chance to govern. Cardinale should do the same for his seat, she said." RUSSO REPLY BRIEF: 'YOU SAID STIFF' — "Disgraced ex-judge Russo stiffed his lawyer, lawsuit claims," by The Asbury Park Press' Kathleen Hopkins: "Former state Superior Court Judge John F. Russo Jr., removed last year for asking an alleged rape victim if she kept her legs closed, is now accused of welching on more than $60,000 in legal fees owed to an attorney who defended him. Keyport attorney David F. Corrigan filed a lawsuit in Superior Court in Ocean County last week alleging the disgraced former judge — who lives in a riverfront home in Toms River assessed at almost $1.5 million — still owes him $60,480. The bill is for representation in a misconduct case that resulted in Russo's removal from the bench and for representation in a lawsuit, thrown out last year, in which Russo accused two top judges of discriminating against him. MORE STATEHOUSE DRAMA — @ActualAlexZ: "Pilot for political TV show 'Ways and Means' starring @PatrickDempsey to film in NJ Statehouse starting tomorrow. State Capitol Joint Management Commission just approved $125,000 contract with @CBS . Filming also planned for Trenton War Memorial, contract w @NJSP" NJ TRANSIT — @HeinisHardNews: "Scoop: Family of woman killed by @NJTRANSIT train in #JerseyCity on Christmas Eve in 2019 is suing the agency, @NJTRANSIT_HBLR , and other related entities for $10M, according to an offer of judgement filed as part of a wrongful death lawsuit" — Lassiter: "Don Guardian, former Atlantic City Mayor, running for NJ Assembly" — "Hudson senator's granddaughter seeking 39th District Assembly seat as a Republican" — "Testa: New leadership needed at New Jersey Department of Corrections" — Tittel: "Logging legislation in Trenton amounts to tree-son: NJ lawmakers, vote no" — " N.J. was going to get legal weed just after Murphy took office, right? How the effort has sputtered for 3 years now" — "Earned Wage Access bill must include direct-to-consumer providers | Opinion" — " Lawmakers running short on time to introduce marijuana measures" — "Atlantic City GOP council member announces Assembly bid" — "' I have $0 in my bank account.' 75K people in N.J. still waiting for unemployment extension" — "Murphy welcomes back N.J. National Guard members sent to D.C. after Capitol riot" | | | |   | | | | | BIDEN TIME | | MATT FRIEDMAN TO REWATCH PEN15 — U.S. Supreme Court to review PennEast case, by POLITICO's Samantha Maldonado: The U.S. Supreme Court announced Wednesday that it will review a case involving the proposed PennEast pipeline's route in New Jersey … At stake is whether a company exercising federal eminent domain power takes precedence over a state's sovereign immunity from lawsuits filed by private parties in federal court under the 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. If the Supreme Court decides in favor of PennEast, the decision would potentially make it easier for companies to build pipelines by allowing them to seize state land using federal eminent domain powers. If the Supreme Court reaffirms the 3rd Circuit ruling, states such as New Jersey would retain their discretion over planning construction projects, in alignment with policy goals and residents' needs — and the PennEast route would almost certainly need to change in order to avoid state-owned land in New Jersey … The case will be argued in April. R.I.P. — "Members of Congress say final goodbye to Capitol Police officer from N.J. killed during pro-Trump riot," by NJ Advance Media's Jonathan D. Salant: "Members of Congress paid their final respects Wednesday to slain Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, the South River native who lost his life when supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol Jan. 6 in a failed attempt to block the certification of President Joe Biden's victory. In a solemn ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, where Sicknick lay in honor since Tuesday evening, members of Sicknick's family, Capitol Police and Washington, D.C. Police, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, and federal lawmakers all looked on as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called Sicknick a 'good, kind decent man' while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., promised that 'we will never forget his sacrifice.'" GET THE HELL OFF THE IMPEACH — "Chris Christie, meet Liz Cheney," by Alan Steinberg for InsiderNJ: "Forget about the fact that Christie left the governorship in 2018 with historically low levels of unpopularity. He does maintain a cult like following, who sustain his belief that ultimately, nothing will stand as an obstacle to Chris Christie's occupancy of the Oval Office … Unfortunately for Christie, a new heroine, a Republican Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc) has arisen as the acclaimed leader of the Republican Resistance, Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming. The daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney is a woman of total anti-Trump credibility, unlike Christie, who to paraphrase him with his own words, spent five years as a favored figure in Trumpland squeezing all the juice out of the Trump orange." SALT IN THE WOUND — "Who really cares about the federal property tax deduction? Well-off suburbanites-consumer providers," by Peter J. Woolley for The Record: "But they may find that championing a bigger federal tax deduction for big home owners is another example for those critics who say Democratic leadership has forsaken its traditional working and lower-class base to mirror the Republican ethos of you-get-what-you-deserve-in-life-and-you-deserve-what-you-got. Face it, the issue of property-tax deduction is rooted in the state's political environment, not in the federal government's. And it is an issue for prosperous, high-earning and well-endowed suburbanites being wooed, flattered and possibly pacified by political posturing in competitive electoral districts. Not that it isn't smart, or expedient. But it is a curious assignation." R.I.P. — "Officer Brian Sicknick remembered as hero who died defending the U.S. Capitol" — "N.J. among states with most number of suspects in attack on U.S. Capitol" — "Figures In Schmid's year-end campaign finance disclosure don't add up" | | | | JOIN TODAY - 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. | | | | |
| | LOCAL | | DON'T HAVE A COWAN — "Former Jersey City police chief slams expansion of civilian police director's powers," by The Jersey journal's Peter D'Auria: "Tuesday morning Steve Fulop announced that Tawana Moody would take over the operational duties of departing Police Chief Michael Kelly … But former Jersey City Police Chief Bob Cowan, who held the role for less than a year between 2013 and 2014, said in a Facebook post that the promotion was simply a political move. 'Too funny, just what Steve Fulop and Jim Shea need, more increased access to Police Internal Affairs Records in order to coverup for their cronies in the JCPD or go after their enemies in the department,' Cowan wrote. 'However, it is still illegal for a civilian to be provided (internal affairs) Files.'" MENDEZ II SOCIETY — "City Council election drama drags on as Mendez calls McKoy 'the Donald Trump of Paterson,'" by The Paterson Press' Joe Malinconico: "Mendez, who is facing criminal election fraud charges, said rival William McKoy should accept 'the will of the voters' after Mendez prevailed in ballot battles for the council seat last May and again in November, as well in the subsequent recounts in those races. 'Bill McKoy is the Donald Trump of Paterson,' Mendez said, referring to McKoy's legal challenges to the election results. But McKoy, whose initial lawsuit last June resulted in the invalidation of Mendez's May victory, said his rival has more in common with Trump, 'based on his track record of lies, deceit and fraud.'" FROM THE MEMBER WHO DEFENDED HER COLLEAGUE'S 'JEW HER DOWN' COMMENT — "Trenton's Vaughn blasts Gusciora administration for excluding BLM from anti-hate resolution," by The Trentonian's Isaac Avilucea: "They hate getting along. City officials on Tuesday night yanked a non-binding resolution denouncing hate and extremism following last month's insurrection in Washington, D.C. The measure focused on right-wingers, white supremacists and rioters who invaded the Capitol on Jan. 6 in what many lawmakers denounced as an act of domestic terrorism incited by then-POTUS Donald Trump who claimed the election was stolen … West Ward Robin Vaughn blasted the administration for leaving out the Black Lives Matter movement of the resolution. 'You don't even mention one of the most progressive movements of our time,' Vaughn said." MISSY ELLIOT MAY NOT WANT THEM BUT NEWARK DOES — "Newark is paying residents with plows to help city clear snow," by NJ Advance Media's Rebeca Panico: "Newark officials called in for reinforcements Tuesday morning in its battle to clear streets of at least 16 inches of snow dumped this week by a massive winter storm that struck most of the state. 'To help with snow removal on secondary and tertiary streets, we need the MINUTEMEN' the city announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday. These weren't Revolutionary War minutemen. These were men or women who had trucks already equipped with plows and could help clear the streets — in a minute's notice, nonetheless. They weren't volunteers either. A city spokeswoman said each person would be paid $100-$300 for their help, depending on the size of the truck." 0.0018 MASTROS FOR CHARITY — "Auction of Trump Plaza implosion packages raises more than $16,000 for charity," by The Press of Atlantic City's Michelle Brunetti Post: "An auction house sold 10 packages that included 2 VIP tickets to view the Feb. 17 implosion of the former Trump Plaza casino, along with overnight stays and dinners, for a total of $6,375 in a live auction Wednesday afternoon. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City also donated $10,000 to the total, Mayor Marty Small Sr. said. Proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City." — "Edison mayor defends controversial appointments in reelection bid " — "Long Branch suit: Rule change gives unfair advantage to beachfront builder" — "Jersey City Planning Board approves new design to replace historic Casino in the Park" | | EVERYTHING ELSE | | — "Dog adopted from N.J. shelter helps save owner's life after he suffers stroke" — " N.J. man got rare face, hand transplant. Six months later, he has a 'new chance at life" | | | | 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 | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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