News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Murphy controversies overshadowed by Cuomo scandals

Monday, March 1, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Murphy controversies overshadowed by Cuomo scandals

Mar 01, 2021

Presented by Anbaric Development Partners

Good Monday morning!

Early in the pandemic, Gov. Murphy got a lot less attention than New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, even as the states went through the same crisis. While Murphy's approval rating shot up at home, he didn't get the kind of national attention that Cuomo has.

Murphy's seen some controversies, from Katie Brennan to Christopher Neuwirth to the many nursing home deaths. But when it comes to scandals, Cuomo is once again dominating. And with the bulk of New Jersey's population in the New York City media market, New Jerseyans are hearing about it.

On Saturday, a second Cuomo aide came forward with allegations of sexual harassment. That came less than a week after a former aide made allegations against him, and as Cuomo is already facing a scandal over obfuscating how nursing home deaths were reported.

It's gotten to the point where likely GOP gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli has sought to have Cuomo's scandals rub off on Murphy. Last week, Ciattarelli filed an OPRA request for various communications between Murphy and Cuomo's offices on the pandemic response, especially as it related to nursing home policy. The requests will almost certainly be denied . (If Ciattarelli wins maybe he and the Legislature can work on opening up our public records laws by curtailing some of the blanket exemptions). But just by making the request, Ciattarelli gets a headline comparing Murphy and Cuomo's nursing home politics, highlighting that they both mandated nursing homes not turn away COVID-19-positive patients.

WHERE'S MURPHY — In Trenton for a for a 1 p.m. coronavirus press conference. Media: MSNBC at 7:30 a.m.

CORONAVIRUS TRACKER — 2,171 newly-reported positive PCR tests for a total of 701,725. 15 more deaths for a total of 20,921 (and 2,331 probable deaths). 1,849 hospitazlied, 393 in intensive care. 663,855 fully vaccinated, about 7.5 percent of the population.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I'm Ronald. I'm from New Jersey and I looove cigarettes." — A contestant competing to get vaccinated on a game show Saturday Night Live skit

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — No birthday: Assemblymember Jay Webber, whose birthday is Feb. 29.

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WHAT TRENTON MADE

MURPHY ADMIN WORKING TO INSTALL POSITIVE PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTROL — "Is a new customer advocate on the way to NJ Transit? Sen. Weinberg would like to know," by The Record's Colleen Wilson: "Five months after NJ Transit's inaugural customer advocate vacated the position after facing criticism, state Sen. Loretta Weinberg wants an update on whether the agency's board has made any progress in finding a replacement. 'I would like to know if any applicants are under consideration by the NJT board, if the NJT board plans on interviewing candidates, and how the position is to be advertised,' Weinberg wrote in a letter to Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, who chairs the board and oversees the state Department of Transportation. Stephen Schapiro, a DOT spokesman, responded in an email: 'NJ TRANSIT is continuing to examine the position in its entirety, including the responsibilities, qualifications of a replacement candidate as well as where that position ultimately resides.' Schapiro said the position has not yet been advertised."

ZWINNER — "Zwicker will get Somerset backing for senate, Jaffer will be Assembly candidate," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "Andrew Zwicker has secured the organization line for State Senate in Somerset County, ending a stalemate with Democratic County Chair Peg Schaffer over residency issues and making him the front runner to become the first Democrat since 1902 to win the Somerset-based 16th district Senate seat. Schaffer agreed to back Zwicker, and in return, his old Assembly seat will go to a Somerset County Democrat, according to two individuals briefed on the details who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Zwicker's Assembly seat will go to Sadaf Jaffer, a former Montgomery mayor who would become the first Asian American woman and first Muslim to serve in the New Jersey legislature."

OFFICIALLY AUTH-ORIZED — "Auth will run for Cardinale Senate seat with widow's endorsement," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "Assemblyman Bob Auth (R-Old Tappan) will run for State Senate in the 39th district to replace Gerald Cardinale, who died last Saturday at age 86. His candidacy was immediately endorsed by Carole Cardinale, the late senator's widow. 'In this incredibly difficult time as we mourn Gerry's passing, you might wonder why I would take the time to make a political statement,' she said in a letter to Republicans. 'The answer is simple: because that is what Gerry would have wanted me to do.' The four-term assemblyman will run in a March 9 special election convention next month to fill the remaining ten months of Cardinale's Senate term, and in the June Republican primary for a full two-year term — if he wins the convention."

—"Flynn launches bid to unseat DiMaso"

—"Sen. Chris Brown endorses Polistina as his successor"

HIGH TIMES — "Medical cannabis is expanding in N.J., and that could speed up the start date for legal weed sales," by NJ Advance Media's Amanda Hoover: "Despite delays in getting the legalization law signed, the medical operators say they did not stop preparing. 'We were moving forward, full steam ahead no matter what,' said Patrik Jonsson, regional president for northeast operations of Curaleaf, the state's largest medical cannabis provider based in Bellmawr. Curaleaf recently got approval for its second cultivation site in Winslow Township and put plants in the building. A harvest is expected mid-year along with two other dispensaries. The new cultivation site will increase their capacity by 200%, Jonsson said. 'We will easily be able to serve the medical community and continue to be a wholesale provider to other operators,' he said, noting the increase also sets Curaleaf up to sell adult use."

TRENTON'S FAVORITE WAY OF DEALING WITH A DIFFICULT ISSUE — "N.J. legislators, civil rights leaders call for task force on reparations over slavery," by NJ Advance Media's Tennyson Donyéa: "New Jersey legislators, including several members of the state's Legislative Black Caucus, are once again calling for the passage of a bill (S322/A711) that would create a task force to explore reparations over slavery. In a Zoom meeting, attended Thursday by several prominent religious leaders and heads of statewide civil rights groups, including the NAACP and the New Jersey Institute For Social Justice, legislators called for the formation of a reparations task force, which they said is necessary and long overdue to address systemic racism."

MENAWHILE HUDSON-BERGEN LIGHT RAIL STILL DOESN'T GO TO BERGEN — "Glassboro-Camden light rail line proposal may pick up speed," by The Courier-Post's Carol Comegno: "The plan for a light rail extension between Camden and Glassboro has chugged along for two decades but may accelerate with $200 million in funding from the South Jersey Transportation Authority. The SJTA can finance the next development phase of the proposed line now that the project's environmental impact statement has been completed. The authority has committed $200 million towards preliminary engineering design and project management through bonding, though no financing has been implemented."

—" Black Men, disproportionately arrested for marijuana, Are Left Off NJ's Cannabis Commission"

—New Jersey expecting to receive 70K doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine [this] week

—O'Malley: " Why rejoining RGGI mattered and why electric trucks are benefiting"

DON'T MISS "THE RECAST": 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 and 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

MURPHY TO HIRE RANDY MASTRO'S FIRM FOR 722 REPORTS — "Here comes a flood of federal money. Will Jersey squander it?," by The Star Ledger's Tom Moran: "New Jersey is flush these days, with Gov. Phil Murphy proposing the biggest budget ever, a 9 percent bump, with no increase in taxes or fees. For this split second, happy days are here again in Trenton. And now, here comes a tidal wave of fresh federal cash. The House is drafting its version of the $1.9 trillion federal relief package, and it includes $6.5 billion for Trenton, with another $3 billion for local governments. So, the pressing question now is this: Will we invest the money in ways that will do lasting good? Or will we look back in 5 years and wonder where it all went?"

ATTENTION CHRIS SMITH — "Atlantic City man charged in Capitol attack boasted of urinating in Pelosi's office, feds say," by The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeremy Roebuck: "Until the FBI began its nationwide dragnet of suspects involved in the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, James Douglas Rahm, prosecutors say, counted his presence among the mobs that stormed the building that day as a point of pride. On Facebook, he posted videos, narrating the incursion. 'We're here,' he said in one filmed inside the Capitol Rotunda. 'Time to find some brass and kick some frickin' ass.' He boasted in the comments: 'Do not believe the media. There were no anarchists. No antifa. Just patriots trying to take our country back.' And when a friend urged him to give House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a kiss, Rahm replied: 'Pissed in her office.'"

—"South Jersey man admits organizing neo-Nazi group's 'Operation Kristallnacht' synagogue vandalism campaign"

R.I.P. — "Joel A. Pisano, retired federal judge who presided over high-profile cases, dies"

—"'Next time it could be worse': NJ teen recalls verbal assault as attacks on Asian Americans spike"

—"Booker: Baby Bonds can help close a gap created by 400 years of inequality"

LOCAL

'P.A.L.' MEANING CHANGED FROM 'POLICE ATHLETIC LEAGUE' TO 'PAID ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE' — "The FBI's Paterson police corruption case remains at a COVID standstill. What comes next?" by The Paterson Press' Joe Malinconico: " One by one, in a series of court confessions that stretched out over 10 months, five rogue Paterson cops admitted they were part of a conspiracy involving illegal traffic stops, shakedown robberies and assaults on civilians. The last of those guilty pleas came on Oct. 1, 2019. But none of the five convicted and fired police officers has gone to prison. That's because federal authorities are counting on their testimony in the pending criminal charges against their supervisor, Sgt. Michael Cheff, said the private lawyers involved in the case. This week marks the one-year anniversary of Cheff's indictment on charges that he conspired with the convicted cops to violate people's civil rights and filed a false police report. The COVID-19 pandemic hit New Jersey right after Cheff's indictment, shutting down the federal court system and bringing the FBI's Paterson police corruption case to a standstill. Cheff's lawyer, John D. Lynch of Union City, has said his client is innocent and plans to take the case to trial to try to prove that. Cheff has been on paid administrative leave since the indictment and has continued to collect city paychecks on his $136,960 annual salary."

THE POLITICAL WIZARDS OF MENLO PARK — " On tape, Edison councilman fingers Democratic chair, top lawyer as masterminds of racist flyer," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "An Edison councilman identified two prominent Democrats as the masterminds behind a conspiracy to distribute a racist flyer during a school board campaign in 2017 aimed at instilling fear among Asian American voters in order to increase voter turnout. Ajay Patil, a two-term Democratic councilman, identified Democratic Municipal Chairman Mahesh Bhagia and Satish Poondi, a partner a the Wilentz law firm who had chaired the state party's South Asian American Caucus co-chairman, as architects of a 'Make Edison Great Again' mailer telling voters that the 'Chinese and Indians are taking over our town.' Bhagia was selected on Wednesday as the choice of the local Democratic organization as their candidate for mayor of Edison, New Jersey's 5th largest municipality. Patil's confession came in November 2020, when he met with two community leaders in advance of an interview with U.S. Postal Inspector David Comer. 'We need to have the same story telling,' Patil said on a tape of the meeting obtained by the New Jersey Globe."

WELL, THEY SMOKED UP THE CHICKEN MAN LAST NIGHT — "Weed tourism is heading to Atlantic City. It may not be what you expect ," by The Press of Atlantic City's Bill Barlow: " With one medical marijuana dispensary on the Boardwalk and another expected to open, not to mention a casino industry already oriented toward adults, Atlantic City is expected to see a considerable impact from legal cannabis. 'In Atlantic City, the casinos have such a big challenge. Their audience has been really down trending, and of course they're going to be struggling with, 'What do we do with this? Do we want this in the casinos? Is it going to slow down play?''said Rob Mejia, an adjunct professor at Stockton in the Cannabis Studies Department. He is also the president of Our Community Harvest, a cannabis education company… A place to start, Mejia said, would be partnerships between casinos or hotels and dispensaries, which could mean an investment of little more than some coupons and education for the guests."

WOODERWORLD — "What wintertime climate change has meant for South Jersey," by The Press of Atlantic City's Joe Marucci: "In Atlantic City, sea levels have risen an inch about every six years, according to a 2014 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report. Coastal flooding was six to eight times as frequent per year between 2010 and 2015 compared to the period from 1950 to 1969. While stronger nor'easters bring more significant coastal flooding, the nuisance flooding, minor flood stage, is also more frequent."

—"Feds give $3 million to elevate flood-prone Ocean City homes "

—"Jersey City students, parents call on board of education to reopen schools"

—"Citing COVID-19 spread among staff, Bayonne BOE's virtual learning will run through March"

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EVERYTHING ELSE

R.I.P. — "Bob Comstock, longtime New Jersey journalist and former editor of The Record, dies at 93," by The Record's Daniel Sforza: "Robert Ray Comstock, a fixture in the New Jersey press corps from the 1950s through the 1980s who served as Executive Editor of The Record for more than a decade, died Thursday. He was 93. Comstock also had stints working as the press director for Gov. Brendan Byrne, as an associate professor at Rutgers University, and after leaving journalism, working in public relations. Comstock died of complications from COVID-19."

SLAVERY — " Slavery's legacy is written all over North Jersey, if you know where to look," by The Record's Julie Martin: " New Jersey residents might like to think that, as Northerners, we don't share the South's brutal slave history. We would be wrong. 'New Jersey was known as the 'slave state of the North,' said Elaine Buck, who co-founded the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum in Hopewell with Beverly Mills in 2018. The legacy of slavery is hidden in plain sight all over the map, in family names like Berkeley, Carteret, Beverwyck, Morris, Livingston and Schuyler, whose wealth and power was founded, in part, on slave labor. In 1800, there were about 12,000 slaves in the state. By 1830, New Jersey was home to more than two-thirds of the entire slave population of the North. Bergen County was the state's slaveholding center. Scholars estimate that by the late 1700s, enslaved people made up about 20% of Bergen's population and 40% of its labor force."

—"The Lucas Brothers wrote 'Judas and the Black Messiah.' The N.J. duo is just getting started"

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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.

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