News : POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: More New Jersey connections to Jan. 6

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: More New Jersey connections to Jan. 6

Mar 16, 2021

View in browser

By Matt Friedman

Presented by Pre-K Our Way

Good Tuesday morning!

They say there's always a Jersey connection. But it's not always a good one.

You're likely aware that Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died after the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, was a New Jersey native.

Yesterday, authorities announced the arrest of two suspects they said were caught on video assaulting Sicknick with bear spray. One lives in Pennsylvania and one lives in Morgantown. But they grew up together in New Jersey, The Washington Post reports . Important note: They're not charged with killing Sicknick. His cause of death is still not publicly known.

A USA Today list of suspects arrested in the Capitol Riot includes 10 from New Jersey, and others with connections to the state. That includes a contractor at Naval Weapons Station Earle who was not only allegedly an avowed white supremacist but also sported a toothbrush mustache that was inspired by a notorious historical figure (and I don't mean Charlie Chaplin).

WHERE'S MURPHY — In Newark for an 11 a.m. vaccine site visit and then in cyberspace for a "signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding on a New Joint Institute Between the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and Ben Gurion University."

CORONAVIRUS TRACKER: 2,468 newly-reported positive PCR tests for a total of 744,499. 23 more deaths for a total of 21,451 (and 2,474 probable deaths). 1,870 hospitalized, 402 in intensive care. 1,003,444 second vaccine doses administered, about 11.3 percent of the population.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Police have used cannabis prohibition aggressively against consumers and people of color for decades. In order to make this shift from criminal prohibition to legalization, and have decriminalization happen in between, police departments and individual officers need absolutely clear direction to swing the needle the other way." — NORML's Chris Goldstein on the controversial law that penalizes police if they unlawfully search kids for weed.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Democratic fundraiser Koren Frankfort, Orsted's Madeline Urbish, CCSNJ's Christina Renna

A messsage from Pre-K Our Way:

Thanks, Governor and Legislature! Pre-k expansion funding's been in every recent state budget! Working families in 150+ school districts have pre-k expansion – but families in 110+ districts still wait. They're waiting in rural, suburban and suburban communities – from east to west, north to south. Continue substantial pre-k expansion THIS YEAR! Visit prekourway.org

WHAT TRENTON MADE

THE NOTORIOUS RWA — Murphy to nominate Rachel Wainer Apter, former Ginsburg clerk, to state Supreme Court, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman : New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that he plans to nominate Rachel Wainer Apter, a former clerk to the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to the state Supreme Court. The nomination of the 40-year-old Wainer Apter is the second new pick Murphy has made to the state's highest court since taking office in 2018, after nominating Justice Fabiana Pierre-Louis last year. Both women — Pierre-Louis is also 40 — will be able to serve for decades before reaching the constitutionally mandated retirement age of 70. Murphy announced Wainer Apter's nomination during an event at Rutgers-Newark's Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall — a building that in December was named after the late justice and liberal icon who once taught at the school and who would have turned 88 Monday. It was not a coincidence. "I know today would be a particular point of pride for Justice Ginsburg as well, to see one of her clerks asked to serve on New Jersey's highest court," Murphy said.

STATE OF RACE — "Race becomes explosive issue in the Democratic battle to replace Loretta Weinberg," by The Record's Charles Stile: "The issue bubbled to the surface this month when Johnson's campaign accused Huttle of trafficking in racist stereotypes by suggesting that Johnson was simply a pawn of the Bergen County party machinery, led by Paul Juliano, its chairman. Johnson's spokesman took aim at the Huttle campaign's anti-establishment rallying cry — that Juliano and intra-party allies locked up the invaluable support of the county party, leaving Huttle no choice but to run as a buck-the-machine maverick determined to 'break the glass ceiling' of the 'old boys network.' But Kabir Moss, the spokesman, said Huttle's messaging was infused with racial biases that 'people of color, especially Black people, face in politics.' The implication was that Johnson is a pawn of the powerful … Huttle expressed surprise at Johnson's broadside, calling it "absurd" and saying it diverts from her core focus on the "process" of giving candidates a fairer shot at competing for elected office … [Bergen County NAACP President Junius] Carter … expressed disappointment that neither Johnson nor Huttle has used the campaign to outline steps to improve the distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations, particularly in communities of color. 'While both of them are slinging mud, I've got seniors who can't get vaccinations,'' he said.

PENSIONS — "Murphy's promise of full public-worker pension payment breaks 25 years of underfunding," by NJ Spotlight's John Reitmeyer: "For Gov. Phil Murphy — and the governors who will serve after him — the task only begins with that first full payment, which Murphy has promised the state will make during the fiscal year that begins July 1. From there, the challenge becomes figuring out how to continue funding full payments for years to come, or risk falling behind again, and looking like a homeowner who did a victory lap after making the first mortgage payment instead of the last."

EXCHANGES —" N.J. now in lose-lose position with stock exchanges," by Regina Egea for ROI-NJ: "Usually keeping New Jersey company toward the bottom of the business lists has been Connecticut. But recent events show that Connecticut has finally gotten the message, while New Jersey's leaders are persisting in a trajectory towards our further decline. Last week, Connecticut's Gov. Ned Lamont signed into law a bill squarely aimed at easing the financial industry's anxiety about doing business in New Jersey. The Nutmeg State authorized 20- and 30-year tax credits, along with property and sales tax exemptions, to data processors relocating into the state. Of note, the state committed not to implement a transaction tax of the type under consideration in New Jersey and New York … In order to convince the exchanges to not relocate, Mahwah and Carteret will attempt to negotiate a reduction in taxes."

—"Risley bows out of the race for Assembly"

— "NJ marijuana laws handcuff police in interactions with teens, cops say "

—"New parental notification bill would bar police from taking underage users into custody"

—New Jersey saw modest job growth in January as unemployment rate ticked up

—"Anonymous antagonist continues to target DeCroce in LD26"

—"Two N.J. criminal defense lawyer associations ask Murphy to sign mandatory minimums bill"

JOIN THE CONVERSATION, SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST": Power dynamics are shifting in Washington, and more people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. "The Recast" is a new twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy and power in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country, and hear from new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out on this new newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW. Thank you to our sponsor, Intel.

BIDEN TIME

THE BAD NEWS IS IT'S A TRAIN — "First Lady Jill Biden tells N.J. teachers there's 'light at the end of the tunnel'," by NJ Advance Media's Matt Arco : "The first lady toured Samuel Smith Elementary School in Burlington to learn about the COVID-19 mitigation plans used in the school and to promote the massive $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus law the president signed into law last week. 'Today I'm here to tell you, with the American Rescue Plan, help is here,' she said to applause."

—"First Lady Jill Biden tours South Jersey school, talks American Rescue Plan"

NEW FIRST LADY CAUSE: A MAHWAH WAWA — "First Lady Jill Biden is a South Jersey native — but she also has roots in Mahwah," by The Record's Marsha A. Stoltz: "Her early days in South Jersey are well-known. But less noted are her childhood roots in Mahwah in Bergen County. You won't find it mentioned in her Wikipedia biography, but 8-year-old Jill Jacobs' arrival at Betsy Ross Elementary School is carefully preserved in its 1959 attendance records, which show her moving from Hatboro, in teacher Harriett Cook's perfect handwriting. The Jacobs family moved to Miller Road in Mahwah, which they called home from approximately 1959 to 1961."

THE FIRST THING YOU DO WHEN FACED WITH DEATH THREAT IS TO CALL A PRESS CONERENCE TO AMPLIFY IT — "Van Drew says he and family are targets of death, sexual assault threats from Ocean City man," by The Press of Atlantic City's Michelle Brunetti Post: "Representative Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd, condemned a weekly newspaper Monday and demanded an apology and retraction of columns Van Drew says contain death threats against him and the threat of sexual assault against his wife. 'For too long violence has gone unchallenged, but today, right here in Cape May County, we are drawing a line in the sand,' Van Drew said at a Monday morning news conference. The editor and publisher of the Ocean City Sentinel, the target of Van Drew's ire, said Monday he was wrong to print the March 10 column as it was. 'Because you felt threatened and felt your wife was threatened, I am sorry,' the publisher David Nahan responded to Van Drew in a written statement. 'I don't have a problem with giving readers space to put their names to criticism of any elected official. However, in this instance, I have let the readers down.' Van Drew described two recent opinion columns published in the Ocean City Sentinel by John McCall, 68, of Ocean City, and said McCall also had left a voicemail message on Van Drew's home phone where McCall says he 'will do everything in my power to make sure you are deposed if not dead.'"

KEEP YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER — " Sen. Menendez moves office from Newark to Jersey City waterfront," by The Jersey Journal's Ron Zeitlinger: "U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez has returned home to Hudson County. The former Union City mayor, assemblyman, state senator and congressman has moved his North Jersey office from Newark to Jersey City's waterfront. Menendez made the announcement Monday morning in a pre-recorded video from Liberty State Park, in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. His new office is located at Harborside 3 on Hudson Street, at Exchange Place. His office had been in the Gateway Center in Newark, where the office of Cory Booker, New Jersey's other senator, is located."

—" Malinowski & Gottheimer: It's time to reopen schools"

A messsage from Pre-K Our Way:

LOCAL

BRUSH FIRE — "170 acres burn in Lakewood and Brick, firefighter critically injured," by The Asbury Park Press' Nicholas Fernandes, Thomas P. Costello and Ken Serrano: "Firefighters continue to work on putting out a forest fire that has spread to 170 acres in Lakewood and Brick and critically injured a firefighter, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said. The fire started off Airport Road in Lakewood yesterday afternoon, damaging homes in Brick Lake Park and shutting down the Garden State Parkway between exits 83 and 90 as well as several highways. The fire's origin has been identified, authorities said, although they have not revealed details except to rule out that it was part of a prescribed burn. A New Jersey Forest Fire Service firefighter was sent to a nearby hospital and is in critical but stable condition, authorities said."

MAYOR: THIS OUTRAGE IS A LEPRE-CON — "Bergenfield officials joked about St. Patrick's Day. Was it bigotry? Some residents say yes," by The Record's Ricardo Kaulessar: "That's what borough officials are trying to determine after a jovial exchange at a zoning board meeting spurred complaints from residents about stereotyping the Irish. The comments were made near the end of the March 1 public meeting … When member Sara Berger proposed March 17, an unidentified board member said, 'That's St. Patrick's Day," according to an audio recording. 'I'll be sober,' retorted Charlie Steinel, followed by chairperson Shimmy Stein, who said, 'I'll be sober too.' Steinel then cracked, 'I'm only half-Irish.' … The mood was light-hearted. But resident Jose Gonzalez didn't find any of it funny. In a letter to the Zoning Board of Adjustment and to Mayor Arvin Amatorio, Gonzalez called for Stein to resign, for the seven-member board to get diversity training, and for a 'zoning board apology to the Irish community and the public' … Amatorio … , said he believes the calls for Stein to resign are coming from residents who oppose the apartment proposal and are making him a target of their anger."

WHEN I WAS 97, IT WAS A VERY GOOD CENTURY — "N.J. mayor weighs November re-election bid — when he'll be 97 ," by NJ Advance Media's Steve Strunsky: "In the summer of 2017, when Vito Perillo was still just 92, he finally resolved to do something about Tinton Falls' steadily increasing property taxes, a rise he had documented by saving every one of his tax bills since 1980, the year he retired as a civilian defense employee at Fort Monmouth. So Perillo, who had never sought or held elected or appointed office in his life, put together a campaign team to run for mayor in the Monmouth County borough's non-partisan election that November."

CLOSTERF**K — "Llamas, a $123 tax bill and a 30-year feud: Inside a Closter court battle that's costing taxpayers," by The Record's Terrence T. McDonald: "Jesse Rosenblum is obsessed with llamas. More specifically, Rosenblum is obsessed with the llamas that live at Block 1703, Lot 2.01 in Closter, commonly known as 639 Piermont Road. This is a 9-acre piece of wooded land bisected by Anderson Brook, down the street from the Whole Foods and Target. Because of the llamas, Closter assesses the property as farmland, allowing owners Joseph and Gloria Miele to pay an annual tax bill of $123.26. The average property tax in this Bergen County borough last year was $16,283. For 30 years, Rosenblum, who lives about two miles from the Miele llamas, has sued Closter almost annually to strip the Mieles of their tax break, court battles he loses year after year. And Closter taxpayers have footed the bill every time Rosenblum files another tax assessment challenge."

SUEZ CRISIS — "Emails reveal new details of Jersey City E. coli incident timeline and DEP concerns of how Suez and city handled it," by The Jersey Journal's Peter D'Auria : "In August, after testing revealed E. coli in Jersey City's water supply near Christ Hospital, residents were furious that they hadn't been warned sooner. Upset about the interval between the first positive E. coli tests, which occurred Aug. 12, and the release of a boil advisory two days later, Jersey City residents took to social media and city council meetings to blast Jersey City, the Municipal Utilities Authority, and the city's private water provider, Suez. Now, emails obtained by The Jersey Journal through a public records request show that the state Department of Environmental Protection shared some of their sentiments."

KILLEN IT — "Reprimand for attorney who serves as municipal court judge in Vineland," by The Courier-Post's Jim Walsh: "The state Supreme Court has disciplined a Woodbury lawyer who serves as a part-time municipal judge in Vineland. The high court ordered a public reprimand for Guy Killen, who was found to have practiced law and presided over court during a period of administrative ineligibility."

—"South Amboy school board takes stand on racism after members resign"

—"Pompton Lakes to debate ban on marijuana businesses at special council meeting"

—"'I want to go out on top.' Pompton Lakes official won't seek reelection after 12 years"

—"Sparta schools' plan to return to in-person learning derailed by COVID, staff shortage"

— "How Jersey City Middle schoolers stopped a flood"

Did you know that POLITICO Pro has coverage and tools at the state level? All the state legislative and regulatory tracking, budget documents, state agency contact information, and everything else you need to stay ahead of state policy movement integrate into our smart and customizable platform. Learn more and become a Pro today.

EVERYTHING ELSE

—"It's been dry 14 days in a row, a March record, and that's a problem for wildfires"

—" NJ priests split as Catholic church says it 'cannot bless sin' of same-sex marriage"

—"Triage tents, tears, 'Zen den': Book depicts darkest days of COVID-19 at Teaneck hospital"

—" When will N.J. reach herd immunity? It could be in time for summer, experts say"

—"The early clues to homegrown terrorism and the few who followed them"

A messsage from Pre-K Our Way:

Thanks to the Governor and Legislature, there's been pre-k expansion funding in every recent state budget! That's enabled NJ to expand pre-k for working families into 150+ school districts.

However, families in 110+ eligible districts still wait in rural, suburban and urban communities, and from east to west – and north to south.

The proposed FY2022 budget would continue to recognize pre-k expansion as a priority for now, and for our future. We agree with former Governor Tom Kean, "There are a few priority reforms we need to make to improve education in our state. One of our highest priorities should be the availability of quality pre-k programs for all of our children. These programs offer our best hope for future success in school and life."

Let's maintain pre-k expansion as a statewide priority. Continue substantial pre-k expansion in the coming year for New Jersey, and especially for its working families.

Visit prekourway.org