News : POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Smith votes yes, Van Drew votes no on 1/6 commission

Thursday, May 20, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Smith votes yes, Van Drew votes no on 1/6 commission

May 20, 2021

Presented by Pre-K Our Way

Good Thursday morning!

It's looking highly unlikely that there will be a bipartisan 9/11-style commission to examine Jan. 6. Republicans in the House are backing off a deal to establish one and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has come out against it, claiming a partisan slant even though the parties would be equally represented. This comes as some GOP lawmakers downplay the severity of the riot we all saw happen.

Former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean, who chaired the 9/11 Commission, has been vocal in his support of this and yesterday released a statement with his former co-chair, Lee Hamilton. "It's time to set aside partisan politics and come together as Americans in common pursuit of truth and justice," they said.

It did pass the House yesterday. As you probably could have predicted at this point based on their previous votes, Rep. Chris Smith (R-4th Dist.) broke with most of his party and voted yes . Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-2nd Dist.), who has gone all-in with Donald Trump's election lies, voted no. Democrats voted yes. (I've given Smith crap for repeating the wild conspiracy theory that antifa was behind the attack, but his votes on the election results, Marjorie Taylor Greene and this have been grounded in reality).

Kean's statement made me wonder how Tom Kean Jr. would have voted. He would have had the opportunity but for about 5,000 votes separating him from Rep. Tom Malinowski in last year's election. So would he have voted to form the commission?

"Yes," his spokesperson, Harrison Neely emailed me. So there you have it.

WHERE'S MURPHY — In cyberspace for an 11 a.m. event with Planned Parenthood and state Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg to push for passage of the Reproductive Freedom Act.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "New Jersey's county-line system is simply not democratic and it disproportionately impacts candidates who are women and people of color. That's why I am joining advocates and many of my colleagues in standing up for meaningful change in New Jersey." — Assemblymember Valerie Vainieri Huttle

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — State Sen. Nellie Pou, NJ Advance Media's Tom Martello, attorney Thomas Segreto, LiUNA's James Sverapa

CORONAVIRUS TRACKER — 504 newly-reported positive PCR tests for a total of 884,221. 21 more deaths for a total of 26,030. 782 hospitalized, 168 in intensive care. 3,936,176 fully vaccinated, or about 42.4 percent of the population.

A message 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

PAY TO PLAY DOUGH — Assembly campaign donations to Union County official expose pay-to-play loophole, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: Several months after the Union County Improvement Authority awarded a no-bid contract to design a new $100 million county government complex in Elizabeth, top members of the architecture firm that received it opened their checkbooks and donated to the nascent Assembly campaign of a high-ranking authority official. Bibi Taylor, the UCIA's project manager who also serves as Union County's finance director, raised $15,600 from six members of the firm or their spouses for her Democratic primary campaign for Assembly, according to newly disclosed campaign finance reports. The donations account for about a fifth of everything Taylor raised before dropping her candidacy in March. The donations, which POLITICO is the first to report on, do not appear to violate New Jersey's pay-to-play law, which bars contractors who receive no-bid contracts from giving to officials and political parties that can influence them. However, they do expose one of many loopholes in the 16-year-old law.

NEW JERSEYANS BEMOAN CEREAL ABSENTEEISM AFTER RUNNING OUT OF CHEERIOS — "NJ state senator may be ineligible for pension credits after report claims 'serial absenteeism,' " by The Record's Terrence T. McDonald: "State Sen. Nicholas Scutari's alleged no-show job as Linden's municipal prosecutor likely led to him collecting years of pension credits for which he was ineligible and exposes him to potential criminal prosecution, according to a report obtained by the USA Today Network New Jersey. The 59-page report, prepared after an internal Linden investigation led by law firm Calcagni & Kanefsky, accuses Scutari, a powerful Union County Democrat of 'serial absenteeism' during his last five years as prosecutor, says he cost Linden nearly $200,000 and compares his actions to those of Wayne Bryant, the former state senator found guilty in 2008 of illegally padding his pension with a no-show job. Scutari told the Network he has not seen the report and said 'absolutely not' to the claim that his work with Linden left him vulnerable to criminal charges. The report is another attempt, Scutari said, by his political foes in Linden to smear him … Many of the allegations made by Calcagni & Kanefsky are not new. An auditor hired by Linden reported in October 2019 that the city paid Scutari for hundreds of days he did not appear in court, but the newest report comes with the weight of prosecutorial imprimatur."

ADDICTION — " Armato: Understanding addiction as disease will help fight stigma, save lives," by The Press of Atlantic City's Michelle Brunetti Post: "Assemblyman John Armato recently welcomed a new great-grandchild into the world — a 7-pound, 11-ounce boy named Nvon. The baby's birth was bittersweet. He is the third grandchild of Armato's only son, Derek, a musician and songwriter who died last year of a drug overdose at age 50 in his home in South Carolina. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Armato would like people to know that substance abusers and their families will only seek care quickly enough if they understand addiction is a treatable mental health disease, allowing the stigma associated with it to lessen. 'The stigma is extremely damaging,' he said as he stood in his living room, surrounded by photos of Derek as a baby, child and young man."

WOMAN WHO SCREAMED AT MURPHY WHILE HE ATE OUTSIDE TO ENTER CONTEST — New Jersey offering free wine, state park passes to recently vaccinated residents, by POLITICO's Sam Sutton: Beer before wine, feeling fine. Two weeks after rolling out a program that offers free beer to recently vaccinated New Jerseyans, Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday announced that nine participating Garden State wineries will be offering a free glass of the good stuff to anyone aged 21 and over who received their first dose in May … The governor also announced New Jersey will be rolling out a "State Parks Vax Pass" program for vaccinated residents that waives entrance and parking fees at state parks. Anyone who's received at least one dose in New Jersey can also enter a lottery to win dinner with the governor and first lady Tammy Murphy at Drumthwacket, the governor's mansion in Princeton.

IT'S ONLY A BRIBE IF IT'S CASH DELIVERED IN A BROWN PAPER BAG, MANILLA ENVELOPE OR COFFEE CUP — "So what exactly is a bribe in N.J.? That's the big question at the center of a major corruption case," by NJ Advance Media's Ted Sherman: "Can a candidate for mayor be charged with bribery if he or she doesn't have the power to grant favors? That is the legal argument at the heart of a fight by Jason O'Donnell, a former Democratic legislator and mayoral candidate in Bayonne, whose attorneys are seeking dismissal of bribery charges against him in connection with a high-profile pay-to-play undercover sting involving allegations of illegal campaign donations and cash payoffs. They claim the state's bribery statute only applies to public officials and that O'Donnell, who lost his bid for election, was not in any position of authority when he was ensnared in the investigation."

LAWSUIT SEES FIVE HUNDRED TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS IN DAMAGES — "NJ landlords sue Gov. Murphy to end 'unconstitutional' rent protections for tenants," by The Record's Tom Nobile: "Gov. Phil Murphy is facing pressure from landlords to roll back protections for tenants struggling to pay rent during the COVID-19 pandemic, even as the number of eviction notices filed since last year climbs above 70,000. A small group of landlords is suing the governor and his administration over what they call an unconstitutional executive order that allows renters to help cover missed monthly payments with their security deposit. The order was one of several enacted by Murphy last spring to stave off a potential wave of evictions that loomed with the economy reeling from the pandemic. One of the orders placed a statewide moratorium on evictions and foreclosures until the pandemic's end. But landlords in Gloucester and Cumberland counties claim the state mandates, notably the security deposit exception, are an 'unconstitutional' and "bald power grab" that threatens the livelihoods of small property owners who are also struggling financially during the pandemic."

— A bill that would bar state and local governments from entering into ICE detention contracts, S3361, has been added to the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee's agenda for today.

— "Webber and Barranco stampede LD-26 into Never Never Land"

— "NJ allows non-violent drug offenders to apply for new sentences"

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BIDEN TIME

UNEMPLOYMENT — America's unemployment system failed when it was needed most. Can it be fixed? by POLITICO's Katheirne Landergan: Even as employers are now complaining that generous unemployment benefits are making it difficult for them to hire as businesses reopen, millions more Americans never managed to navigate the system — many slipping into poverty. The pandemic and its resulting financial turmoil have revealed a hard truth about the nation's unemployment apparatus: It's broken and failed to function when needed most. Politicians and labor experts warn the country isn't heeding the lessons of the past year and worry if Washington and all 50 states don't act, the next Big One could be just as bad. The solution isn't simple and will require a coordinated, multibillion-dollar undertaking, with governors, Congress and the president working together on the biggest overhaul since the social safety net was created more than 85 years ago …

The country could have fixed these issues after the Great Recession, said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the chair of the Senate Finance Committee. It didn't. "There was a window when you could have done reform," Wyden said in an interview. "I am not going to let that window go by here." The not-so-sexy topic of unemployment insurance system reform — the economic equivalent of replacing aging water pipes — has been quietly dominating policy conversations at every level of government and is about to break into the mainstream.

DON'T WORRY THE PROBLEM SOLVERS CAUCUS IS ON IT — "As violence erupts, support for Israel no longer unequivocal among some NJ politicians," by The Record's Hannan Adely: "Over the weekend, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat considered one of the most pro-Israel lawmakers, criticized an attack on a Gaza building that housed media outlets, including the Associated Press … State and federal elected officials in New Jersey have been vocal in defending Israel during times of conflict. On the House floor Thursday, Josh Gottheimer, D-Wyckoff, said blame fell squarely on the militant group Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist group in Gaza. 'No one here should make excuses for a terrorist organization. Who is the next target of their sympathy? ISIS, al-Qaeda, Hezbollah?' he said. 'Even though we may not always agree about Israel's policies, we should be very clear that nothing, nothing justifies a terrorist organization firing rockets at our ally.' Sen. Cory Booker said in a statement that 'Israel has the right to defend itself from these terrorist attacks and we urge Israeli leadership to strive to minimize harm to civilians to the maximum extent possible.' But more Democrats have been willing to criticize Israel as pressure mounts from the party's progressive wing."

JUST THE FACTS… AND PRIVATE JETS — " Christie headlining fundraiser for PAC tied to him," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will headline a high dollar fundraiser to raise money for Just the Facts, an independent expenditure PAC formed by a group of his former allies in 2019. The organization was built to allow Christie to influence New Jersey elections, but could be repurposed to pick up travel and other expenses incurred by the former governor as he mulls a second bid for the presidency in 2024. The event is set for June 2 at The Bernards Inn in Bernardsville. Tickets are $2,500 and $5,000."

— " U.S. Supreme Court won't take up forced password disclosure appeal"

A message from Pre-K Our Way:

LOCAL

RED TERROR — "Young Red Bank Democrats battle against own party. Where did it go wrong?" by The Asbury Park Press' Michale L. Diamond: "[Hazim] Yassin and council member Kate Triggiano face a primary election June 8 from Democratic challengers Bruce Maida and Jacqueline Sturdivant, giving voters a chance to decide on the direction of the borough. The primary, however, is attracting attention for another reason. Yassin and Triggiano were part of a wave of young Democrats who jumped into political life in 2018 hoping to push back on the Donald Trump presidency … The borough's council includes members of different races, ages, genders, religions and sexual orientation, ideally bringing a range of experience and ideas to the table to tackle the pressing issues of the day: development, gentrification, affordability, parking. In practice, not so much. Instead, Yassin and Triggiano, 33, often have managed to carve out a majority on the six-member council, with Ed Zipprich, 61, a long-time councilman and chairman of the Red Bank Democratic Organization, on the outside looking in."

SALTY SWIBINSKI SPEARS SPEARS — "Jersey City author, youth mentor Spears files paperwork to challenge Fulop in mayor's race," by Hudson County View's John Heinis: "Jersey City author and youth mentor Lewis Spears has filed paperwork with the state indicating he will challenge Mayor Steven Fulop this fall. Spears filed an A-1 form with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission on Monday, which says that the total amount of money spent on his candidacy won't exceed $5,800, though he still has the ability to file an amendment. Fulop and his city council running mates reported over $1.7 million cash on hand at the end of the first quarter of 2021, according to campaign finance records … While Spears declined to comment on his filing, Fulop's campaign fired the first shot over his two public jobs: an aide to Assemblyman Nick Chiaravalloti (D-31) and a youth grant coordinator for Hudson County … Fulop campaign spokesman Phil Swibinski… 'Anyone is entitled to run for office, but the residents of Jersey City will not want to go backwards in time with a professional double dipper like Lewis Spears who has focused so much of his time on getting onto multiple taxpayer funded public payrolls.'"

— "Ocean Township hiring Monmouth Democratic chief David G. Brown II as administrator"

— "[Ocean County Central Regional] superintendent asks Murphy to stop requiring masks in schools"

— "NJ councilman pushes LGBTQ issues in Montclair with plans for Pride Festival, new laws"

— "Hoboken Fire Chief Crimmins placed on administrative leave, Peskens named acting chief"

— "Female Union City cop files federal lawsuit alleging male superior sexually harassed her"

— "Parsippany council tables $5 million loan as large tax hike looms"

— "The former Bordentown Township police chief convicted of lying to the FBI wants probation in his hate-crime case"

— "3rd suspect admits interfering with police during riot in N.J. state capital"

— "Ocean City Beach Patrol investigation labor attorney under contract for a year"

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EVERYTHING ELSE

— "A 'normal' summer at the Shore"

— "Stranded in India: These NJ families are not able to come home due to COVID restrictions"

— "Former St. Matthias Church pastor pleads guilty to stealing $516K from parish"

A message 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