News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Murphy vs. Ciattarelli: The pizza war

Thursday, June 10, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Murphy vs. Ciattarelli: The pizza war

Jun 10, 2021

Presented by Pre-K Our Way

Good Thursday morning!

Gov. Phil Murphy says it's "ridiculous" for Jack Ciattarelli to criticize his Massachusetts roots, or needle his pizza-eating technique.

But it appears that Ciattarelli, who has said his family has been in the Garden State for 100 years, is making Murphy's out-of-state persona a big issue. It was the focus of a big chunk of Ciattarelli's victory speech Tuesday night.

Will it play? I'm skeptical, in part because of New Jerseyan diversity and sophistication. Everyone is from everywhere. Sungbae Ju, who immigrated from Korea, sang the national anthem at Ciattarelli's victory party. But also because Murphy has been in office so long that the time for it may have passed. Perhaps Kim Guadagno could have had better luck with it, but she grew up in Iowa.

But I do agree that if Murphy eats pizza the way he's posed in this picture , it's an abomination.

So what's Murphy's retort to Ciattarelli? In an interview yesterday, he cited the Kennedys, a family practically synonymous with the Bay State, and dug up this deep cut from RFK.

Oh yeah, and there are some policy issues in the race as well.

WHERE'S MURPHY — No public schedule

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Please, from now on, no committee meetings full of resolutions urging other people to do other things. Let's hear real bills that do real work." — Assemblymember Brian Bergen to the Assembly Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee, which was considering eight resolutions urging Congress to pass bills. (Several committee members, including Republican DiAnne Gove, took exception to Bergen's comment.)

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

555.5 MASTROS — Republicans incensed after Murphy administration boosts revenue estimates by $5B, by POLITICO's Katherine Landergan: The state Treasury reported Wednesday that revenues will exceed expectations by more than $5 billion over the next two years and that New Jersey will likely end the current fiscal year with a $10 billion surplus. Wednesday's surprise announcement from Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio drew immediate outrage from Republican lawmakers who have argued for the past year that the Murphy administration's original projections of fiscal disaster due to the pandemic were grossly overblown. "Thanks to a remarkable two-month revenue collection surge — an April and May 'surprise' like no other — state tax collections in Fiscal Year 2021 are hitting historic highs," Muoio said in written testimony to lawmakers.

— Weinberg: Time to pay for NJ Transit construction projects, by POLITICO's Ry Rivard and Katherine Landergan: Governors and lawmakers have raided NJ Transit's construction budget for years to pay for the agency's annual operations. Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg wants to end that practice this year, citing an influx of federal aid and the transit agency's major infrastructure needs. Weinberg, who is retiring this year, is backing a pair of budget resolutions that would require money for NJ Transit's annual operations to come from the state's general fund, rather than its capital budget or an unrelated Clean Energy Fund."

GOP FUNDRAISER TICKETS TO INCREASE 400% IN PRICE OVERNIGHT — "Hugin Is Front Runner To Be GOP State Chairman," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "Newly-minted Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli has two immediate tasks: to pick a Republican State Chairman and to select a candidate for Lt. Governor. The filing deadline to enter the race for GOP State Chairman is tomorrow and the leading candidate for the post is Bob Hugin, his party's candidate for U.S. Senate in 2018. The New Jersey Globe has learned that Hugin has agreed to seek the post. It will be his second bid for Republican State Chairman in seven months … Lavery has set a reorganization meeting for June 15, although the winners of 42 State Committee seats won't be certified until June 22."

— Stile: "It's certain: Jack Ciattarelli will challenge Murphy — and dodge Trump's shadow"

— "Murphy runs on record, Ciattarelli asks are you better off?"

— "Do Republicans have a chance in New Jersey or Virginia in November?"

TURN OUT FOR WHAT? — "NJ primary election 2021 and the atmosphere of apathy," by InsiderNJ's Fred Snowflack : "For months now, we have heard — and seen — Republicans and conservatives lambaste Phil Murphy for "closing down" the state. He's been called a tyrant, a king and a dictator just to start. With that backdrop, you might expect that Republicans would show up in fairly significant numbers to pick the candidate to challenge Murphy this fall. Not even close. There are about 1.46 million registered Republicans in New Jersey and less than 320,000 bothered to vote. So more than 1 million didn't. Are they just apathetic, or are there other reasons?"

— "NJ primary election 2021: 5 takeaways from the results, and what it means for November"

— "Report suggests reforms for fixing Edna Mahan, N.J.'s women's prison. Here's why some could be tricky"

— "With NJ awash in cash, immigrant groups intensify push for aid"

— "N.J. taxpayers have been billed $1M to investigate women's prison, records show"

— " Murphy: Schools Development Authority's future 'an open question'"

— "NJ police departments must name disciplined officers within 60 days, attorney general says"

— " Weedman running for governor, will challenge Murphy from left on marijuana legalization"

— "N.J. school mask rules now up to local districts. 'Use your responsibility wisely,' Murphy says"

— " New bills would close dangerous loopholes in the school bus contract industry"

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BIDEN TIME

BOY WAS SO PROUD HE COULDN'T WAIT TO TELL HIS MOMMY — "N.J. man charged in Capitol riot told mom, 'I led the storm,' FBI says," by NJ Advance Media's Anthony G. Attrino : "A Morris County man arrested Tuesday and charged in the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol allegedly messaged his mother on Facebook afterward to tell her, 'I led the storm.' Shawn Price, 26, of Rockaway, allegedly helped start a New Jersey chapter of the 'Proud Boys' and bragged about his leadership role on social media, according to federal charging documents … Price was arrested Tuesday and released on a $100,000 unsecured bond to the custody of a New Jersey woman, court records show … On Jan. 5, he allegedly messaged his mother: 'Going to D.C. to have fun.' After the riot, his mother continued the conversation, asking her son if he entered the Capitol, according to court documents. 'Did you get inside? I saw some did,' she wrote. 'I led the storm!' Price allegedly wrote. 'After getting tear-gassed, pepper-sprayed and shot with rubber bullets (I got in).'"

— "College sports face 'a real threat' without federal law letting athletes profit from likenesses, Booker says"

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LOCAL

TODAY, IN TOTAL COINCIDENCES — "Elite N.J. golf club that finally opened to women was focus of discrimination investigation," by NJ Advnce Media's Ted Sherman: "Weeks ago, Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey, rated among the top courses in the world, said it would allow women to join for the first time in its more than 100-year history. But what the highly selective and secretive club apparently did not disclose was that the borough of Pine Valley — a town that serves no other purpose than as gatekeeper for the golf club — has been the focus of a behind-the-scenes, years-long investigation by the state Attorney General's office involving the exclusion of women. At issue was not the game of golf. It has been over who gets to call Pine Valley home. According to documents obtained by NJ Advance Media through public records requests, the state Division on Civil Rights has been examining policies that essentially excluded women from home ownership in the tiny municipality, where all the land is owned by the golf club."

COP OUT — "Sources: Coley out as Trenton Police director," by The Trentonian's Isaac Avilucea: "Sheilah Coley, the city's first Black woman confirmed to serve as police director, was dismissed from her post Wednesday, ending a steady drumbeat of demands for her ouster that began last year while the city struggled with a record surge in homicides. In a statement confirming her firing, Mayor Reed Gusciora credited the police director for serving 'dutifully' over the last two years. But he said the time had come for the department to move in a 'different direction' following a near-constant barrage of criticism of Coley's leadership from all factions of the city — from sniping legislators to current and former rank-and-file who blasted the mayor's pick from jump street."

TO DEGISE, YMCA IS NOW PTSD — "Hudson County Executive DeGise testifies in restraining order case — he felt 'under siege,'" by The Jersey Journal's Peter D'Auria: "Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise testified Wednesday in a lawsuit against protestors outside his home, revealing new details of a conflict between the county's Democratic leadership and its progressive wing. The case stems from a series of protests outside DeGise's home in December over the county's renewal of its contract with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement … DeGise is seeking to make the order permanent … DeGise testified that he felt 'under siege' during the experience, saying the protests felt like 'the village people coming up the hill with torches.'"

AFTER WHAT WAS SURELY AN EXHAUSTIVE SEARCH — "Paterson City Council president gets new job, six-figure salary at Passaic County board," by The Paterson Press' Joe Malinconico: "City Council President Flavio Rivera and Paterson's Health and Human Services Director Oshin Castillo have landed new, six-figure jobs at the Passaic County Board of Social Services. Rivera, who has been embroiled in a budget battle with Mayor Andre Sayegh, started work Monday as the social service board's fiscal officer, with a $152,436 salary. Rivera previously had served as Passaic County treasurer, for which he was paid $112,000. Meanwhile, Castillo starts work June 21 at the social service board as a $103,000 management specialist. The city position she resigned from paid her $92,000. Castillo also is a member of the Paterson Board of Education, a non-paid position."

— "After emergency vote, Paterson city employees will be paid as temporary budget is approved"

MASKNESS — "Monmouth County superintendent who would not make masks optional placed on administrative leave," by News 12 NJ: "A retiring superintendent of a school district in Monmouth County is now on administrative leave because he would not go against state mask mandates in his district. Discussions took place Tuesday night at the Manalapan Englishtown Regional School districts board meeting. With less than 30 days left in his career, outgoing Superintendent John Marciante asked to be suspended rather than put kids and staff in the middle of what he says are the majority of parents wanting to defy state mask mandates … Last week, more than 2,000 parents responded to a survey. Two-thirds of all respondents said they want masks optional for the remainder of the year."

PROFITPOINT — Bayonne officials hit with competing hospital proposals as city weighs eminent domain, by POLITICO's Sam Sutton: With Bayonne's council scheduled to consider a proposal to borrow $95 million for an eminent domain takeover of Bayonne Medical Center, would-be operators of the city's beleaguered hospital are making a last-ditch effort to convince local officials to back their pitch to run the facility. The future of Bayonne's lone acute care hospital has been an open question for more than two years as its operator, the for-profit health system CarePoint Health, struggled to coordinate a sale. While CarePoint controls the hospital, its decade-old decision to sell the land beneath the medical facility has transformed the sales process into a spaghetti bowl of real estate disputes, litigation and Hudson County political maneuvering

IN LIKE A LAMB — "Toms River Councilwoman Maria Maruca upset in GOP primary; Councilman Rodrick wins," by The Asbury Park Press' Jean Mikle: "Four-term GOP Councilwoman Maria Maruca was upset by challenger Justin Lamb in Tuesday's Republican primary for a Ward 1 seat, while Councilman Daniel Rodrick easily turned back rival Jason Crispin and will seek his second term representing Ward 2 in November. The primary results reflect the continued split between two warring factions within Toms River's GOP: while Rodrick and Lamb won two of the four available seats in Tuesday's primary, their running mates were defeated in Wards 3 and 4 by candidates who ran on a slate with Maruca and Crispin … Maruca's slate was endorsed by the township's official GOP organization, Republicans for Toms River … Her slate received the coveted party line, or line A, on the primary ballot, while Rodrick and his slate were on line D, long considered a disadvantage."

LOWER ABOUT TO GET HIGHER — "Lower Township opens door to cannabis businesses," by The Press of Atlantic City's Bill Barlow: "Township Council on Monday became the first governing body in Cape May County to move to welcome cannabis businesses, introducing an ordinance that would allow two retail sites and delivery services. A public hearing and final vote are set for 5 p.m. July 6 at Township Hall, 2600 Bayshore Road in the Villas section of the township. 'The bottom line is that cannabis is here and we cannot stop it. It's the state law,' said Mayor Frank Sippel"

JERSEY CITY — " Jersey City student who made teacher's racist rants public alleges BOE ignored help requests," by Hudson County View's John Heinis: "A Dickinson High School student in Jersey City who made now former teacher Howard Zlotkin's racist tirades public last month has filed a federal lawsuit against him, her school, and the Jersey City Board of Education, alleges that the BOE ignored requests for help. … The 17-year-old plaintiff, identified by her initials T.W., reiterates what Zlotkin said during a April 28th class conducted via Zoom in the 20-page complaint. 'I hear people whining and crying about Black Lives Matter, but George Floyd was a f***ing criminal and he got arrested and he got killed because he wouldn't comply and the bottom line is we make him a f***ing hero,' Zlotkin said in video first published by NBC New York."

— "In these 10 N.J. towns, fewer than half of the residents are vaccinated, state says"

— "Monmouth's acting prosecutor: Fighting bias, like LGBTQ bigotry, is in her blood"

— "Contract awarded to build facility on University Hospital grounds will be challenged"

— "Montvale wants residents to get more hoops time on busy courts. Is it 'classism'?"

— "Bergen County replaces outgoing administrator Julien Neals with Garfield official"

— "Sussex County voters choose challengers over incumbents in four municipal primaries"

— "Dover Democratic Committee reports voting machine issues"

— "Here's how Woodbridge plans to handle recreational marijuana businesses"

— " Jersey City Planning Board discusses retail cannabis for first time, will vote at next meeting"

— "[Phillipsburg] cop charged with criminal sexual contact while on duty in patrol car"

— " Barberio bucks county line trend for primary lead in Parsippany mayoral race"

DON'T MISS THE MILKEN INSTITUTE FUTURE OF HEALTH SUMMIT: POLITICO will feature a special edition of our Future Pulse newsletter at the 2021 Milken Institute Future of Health Summit. The newsletter takes readers inside one of the most influential gatherings of global health industry leaders and innovators who are turning lessons learned from the past year into a healthier, more resilient and more equitable future. Covid-19 threatened our health and well-being, while simultaneously leading to extraordinary coordination to improve pandemic preparedness, disease prevention, diversity in clinical trials, mental health resources, food access and more. SUBSCRIBE TODAY to receive exclusive coverage from June 22-23.

EVERYTHING ELSE

REPORTER LEARNS HOW TO TYPE THE LETTER Ø — "One oil company's rocky path to renewable energy," by The Wall Street Journal's Sarah McFarlane: "For years, Danish Oil and Natural Gas Co. did what many other big oil companies do: pumped hydrocarbons out of the North Sea. Today, it's the world's largest developer of offshore wind energy, and exceeds the market value of oil giants Occidental Petroleum Corp. and Eni SpA. Renamed Ørsted AS , it's one of a handful of once-small energy companies that have grown after pivoting from fossil fuels to renewables … As many oil companies now seek to follow suit, Ørsted is a case study on how hard the shift is. It took government intervention, years of subsidies and a wide-open competitive landscape for Ørsted to succeed …

"The U.S. currently has just two offshore wind farms — off the coasts of Rhode Island and Virginia — with fewer than 10 turbines in operation. One of those, the Rhode Island project, is operated by Ørsted. Another in the planning stages, which could move more quickly under the administration's new goals, is a wind farm being co-developed by Ørsted off the coast of New Jersey — even bigger than the Martha's Vineyard project, generating enough to power 500,000 homes"

JAMEL HOLLEY WILL FIND THAT 0.1% — "Fewer than 0.1% of vaccinated New Jerseyans have been infected with COVID, study shows," by The Record's Scott Fallon: "Jerseyans were all extremely rare over the first four months of the vaccination campaign, according to a study released Wednesday. Only 0.06% of fully vaccinated New Jerseyans became infected with COVID-19, the Health Department study shows. That represents 1,319 'breakthrough cases' among more than 2.2 million fully vaccinated people between Dec. 15 and April 23. 'The vaccines we have are not perfect, but they're pretty close,' Dr. Ed Lifshitz, the state health department's medical director, said at a briefing. 'They're literally lifesavers.'"

— "N.J. man admits he bribed postal worker to steal checks, credit cards from mail"

— "Brick woman hospitalized after COVID-19 vaccine. Who pays the bill?"

— " Harmful algal blooms are back in N.J. Here's where"

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