News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: McCarthy comes to N.J.

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: McCarthy comes to N.J.

Jul 14, 2021

Good Wednesday morning!

State Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. kicks off his new campaign for Congress today, which he hopes will lead to a re-match with Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-7th Dist.). And joining Kean — whose loss to Malinowski was extremely close last cycle — is House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

Not joining Kean: The press. I inquired and it turns out the free event at the Bridgewater Diner is closed to the media. (This is in addition to a fundraiser with McCarthy, also held that day, but those are usually closed to the press). I'd try to go but it's 90-minute each way, which is a lot driving time just to complain that I can't get in.

McCarthy is the GOP leader, so his appearance reinforces what we already knew: That Malinowski is one of the very top targets of the GOP and that Kean is the choice to take him on. But McCarthy also led his caucus as most of them voted to overturn the election results even after the attempted violent overthrow of the election on Jan. 6. Kean said he supported establishing a bi-partisan Jan. 6 commission like the one his dad ran for 9/11. McCarthy made sure that didn't happen. Democrats, of course, are all over the Jan. 6 angle.

The one thing we've learned about Trump support is that there's no middle way — both because of the stakes to democracy and demands of the former president himself. I can't say what the campaign's reasoning is, but not allowing the press into the event looks like a way for Kean to raise the big money with McCarthy while limiting the exposure of pictures of Kean and McCarthy together to the people in his congressional district who detest Trump and those who enable him.

Now, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — McCarthy's counterpart — is also polarizing figure, and Malinowski may or may not welcome her into the district given the chance. But that's absent the Trump and Jan. 6 associations.

You could accuse me of reading too much into it. But when it comes to attempting to lessen exposure of controversial guests at political events, Kean has a record.

WHERE'S MURPHY?: In Washington for a 3 p.m. infrastructure roundtable with President Biden and other governors

QUOTE OF THE DAY : "As New Jersey embarks upon its own experiment with marijuana legalization, I feel an urgent need to remind the world that AIDS set the table for marijuana reform in America. The earliest activism to get us here was done by people with AIDS and their caretakers. The suffering caused by AIDS changed enough hearts and minds that within a generation, America was ready to embrace marijuana reform. And that's how this all started." — Activist Jay Lassiter

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, Homefront COO Sarah Steward.

WHAT TRENTON MADE

ASK SCOTT GARRETT HOW THIS WORKED OUT FOR HIM — "'We're not teaching sodomy in 6th grade': GOP nominee for N.J. governor wants to end LGBTQ curriculum," by WNYC's Matt Katz: "The Republican nominee for governor in New Jersey, Jack Ciattarelli, is vowing to roll back school curricula that centers LGTBQ inclusivity, falsely claiming that 'sexual orientation' is being taught to kindergarteners and sixth graders are learning 'sodomy.' The comments, made during a campaign stop at a gun range last month according to a video obtained by Gothamist/WNYC, were criticized by the state's gay-rights group, Garden State Equality … 'I feel lucky [our kids] are in their 20s and I don't have to be dealing with what you're dealing with right now. You won't have to deal with it when I'm governor, but we're not teaching gender ID and sexual orientation to kindergarteners. We're not teaching sodomy in sixth grade. And we're going to roll back the LGBTQ curriculum. It goes too far.' … Asked about the comment about sodomy, Ciattarelli said in a statement that it had 'absolutely nothing to do with someone's sexual orientation and the inference that it does is purposefully misleading.' … The campaign did not provide specific instances of mature content being taught to young children in New Jersey."

—" Hudson Democrats charge Ciattarelli attempting to politicize Cuba protests"

STATUS CUOMO — Gateway faces its next big challenge: securing funding, by POLITICO's Danielle Muoio and Ry Rivard: Now that transit leaders have the regulatory green light to move forward with their plan to repair and expand the Hudson River passenger rail connection, they must contend with a new challenge: funding the $11.6 billion project. The Gateway Program Development Corporation, the nonprofit tasked with overseeing the massive effort, is putting together a financial plan that will lay out how much money New York and New Jersey are willing to commit toward construction. Formalizing that agreement and submitting it to the Biden administration will ultimately determine whether the project is eligible for capital grant funding, a major step after years of delay under the Trump administration.

EXPUNGEWORTHY — "Nearly 88,000 low-level NJ marijuana offenses dismissed in first wave with more to come," by The Record's Dustin Racioppi: "Nearly 88,000 low-level marijuana offenses have been dismissed over the past two weeks, the state Supreme Court said, as New Jersey transitions to legalizing and decriminalizing the drug. The dismissed cases announced late Monday afternoon are the first in a wave of about 360,000 that are eligible to be automatically vacated, dismissed and expunged under the decriminalization law Gov. Phil Murphy signed earlier this year. Although the first batch of cases have been dismissed, they still have to go through the expungement process, which is automatic under the law."

'HOW DO YOU DO, FELLOW KIDS?' — "Murphy to crowds of teens in shore towns: 'Please behave responsibly'," by The Press of Atlantic City's Ahmad Austin: "Murphy to crowds of teens in shore towns: The state has no plans to change its laws regarding juvenile discipline as shore towns have expressed frustration over large crowds of teenagers acting recklessly. Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday was asked during his COVID-19 briefing if the state's juvenile justice directive may be the reason for the increase in bad behavior. He said there are many factors at play, including people's eagerness to leave their homes, but the vast majority of people are behaving outside … 'I would just ask everybody, we understand you've been cooped up 16 months. We get it. We know it's hot as heck outside. Please behave responsibly.' … Last week, officials in Beach Haven and Avalon joined a growing list of towns dealing with larger-than-normal teen crowds leaving litter and destroying property. In April, Ocean City officials complained of groups of teens riding bikes dangerously on the boardwalk."

THE URBAN JUROR — "In 'historic' ruling, N.J.'s top court orders new murder trial saying 'implicit bias' tainted jury selection," by NJ Advance Media's Blake Nelson: "New Jersey's Supreme Court unanimously ordered a new trial Tuesday for a man convicted of murder after concluding there was evidence of 'implicit bias' during the jury selection process. In 2017, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office singled out one prospective juror for a background check after their request to have him removed was denied, according to court records. They found the candidate, a Black man identified only by initials in court papers, had a warrant and arrested him soon after … The ruling, the top court's first on a whether prosecutors may run background checks on prospective jurors, did not ban the practice entirely. Going forward, the justices said any request for a check must be approved by the judge and the results shared with all sides. The potential juror should also have a chance to respond, the justices said … One potential juror from Newark said he was familiar with the criminal justice system because he knew cousins in law enforcement, friends who'd been accused of crimes and others who'd been victims. That experience meant the potential juror couldn't be fair, prosecutors argued … The prosecutor's office then ran a background check. They found the man had twice been arrested, although not convicted, and he had a current municipal court warrant for simple assault, according to court records. None of that disqualified him as a juror, [Judge Stuart] Rabner wrote. Yet prosecutors still moved to put him in handcuffs."

WELCOME TO THE PARTY LINE — Election commission director: 'The line' promotes good government, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: The leader of New Jersey's campaign finance watchdog agency came out this month against efforts to eliminate the "county line" on New Jersey primary ballots, saying it contributes to good government by strengthening political parties. Jeff Brindle, executive director of the Election Law Enforcement Commission, made the remark as he interviewed former Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts (D-Camden) for the "ELEC Oral History" series the agency is producing. Brindle said eliminating the county line would take "another area of authority away from the parties, which I feel would further erode the parties and in turn further erode good government." Brindle has long called for bolstering New Jersey's county political parties, which have seen some of their influence wane with the advent of super PACs and nonprofit political organizations that, unlike the parties, face virtually no restrictions on who can contribute and how much.

NJ A MIDDLING PLACE TO DO BUSINESS, SAYS COMPANY HEADQUARTERED IN NJ FOR DECADES — "Best states to do business? CNBC ranks New Jersey at No. 26," by ROI-NJ: "New Jersey prides itself on having the best pizza, the best schools — and being the best place to live. But if the state is going to celebrate its successes in national rankings, it needs to own up to its shortcomings, too. New Jersey is not the best state for business. CNBC's annual study of the best states to do business ranked New Jersey No. 26 — or just out of the top half."

—Scutari plans to move bill to overhaul campaign finance law in the fall

—"Jay Lassiter's 2021 Insider 100: Cannabis Power List"

—"New NJ law boosts consequences for strangling assault"

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

BIDEN TIME

1,333 MASTROS — "New infrastructure bill could give NJ $12 billion," by NJ Spotlight News' Brianna Vannozzi: "A recently passed House infrastructure bill includes about $2 million for Great Falls National Historical Park in Paterson. The money can be used to install new sidewalks, lighting, bike paths and better access for visitors. On the whole, New Jersey stands to get about $12 billion for highways and public transit from the INVEST in America Transportation and Water Infrastructure bill."

—Video: "More than 2 million people in NJ live in poverty with no federal support "

LOCAL

PATERSON — "As record shootings mount, Paterson hopes new patrols and recruits can stem a grisly tide," by The Paterson Press' Joe Malinconico: "In an effort to halt the spike in shootings, city police last weekend tried a tactic they hadn't used since 2019: a so-called special operations detail that increased the number of cops patrolling city streets on weekend nights. The special detail resulted in 10 arrests, the seizure of two guns and 986 packets of heroin and 349 traffic tickets. Meanwhile, city officials gathered on Monday to give the oath of office to Paterson's latest group of police officers, which the mayor touted as the largest training class in more than a decade. Those 27 recruits — if they make it through about five months of training at the police academy — could bring Paterson's force up to its maximum number of 419 officers for the first time in several years."

BASFTARDS — "Toms River must borrow $13M after losing $17.3M BASF Ciba-Geigy tax case," by The Asbury Park Press' Jean Mikle: "The township must borrow $13 million to refund taxes paid by BASF, which owns the former Ciba-Geigy Corp. Superfund site. That amount represents the majority of the $17,391,578 Toms River owes to BASF, which successfully challenged the property tax assessment of its nearly 1,400 acres of land. The property, where Ciba manufactured industrial dyes and resins from 1952 to 1990."

THE NEW DEAL — "Beach access issue returns in Cape May County beach community ," by The Press of Atlantic City's Bill Barlow: "A new fight is brewing this summer over a line in the sand in the township's Diamond Beach section, a blink-and-you-miss-it few blocks adjacent to Wildwood Crest. The core question goes back decades. At issue is what area on the wide beach is accessible to the public, and where the private beach clubs in the area have the right to keep the public out. The latest volley came over July 4 weekend, when police were called to the beach in front of the Icona beach resort on Rochester Avenue. Diamond Beach resident James Sanford described the event to Township Committee last Tuesday. A member of the private beach club got into an argument with a woman who tried to set up a blanket on the beach club's section of the sand."

0.05 MASTROS — "Hudson County, not the state, will give Bayonne $500k to go towards Waterfront Walkway," by Hudson County View's John Heinis: "The county funding will replace walkway money that was part of the proposed state budget last month, but then disappeared before the final budget was adopted. Sources indicated that leadership in the state legislature pulled the funding in response to Mayor Jimmy Davis replacing Assemblyman Nick Chiaravalloti (D-31), the assembly majority whip, in favor of first time candidate William Sampson IV."

BURLINGTON CATASTROPHE FACTORY — " Burlington County starts damage assessments after Monday's storm," by The Burlington County Times' Kaity Assaf: "Following Monday night's extreme rain and flooding, the Burlington County Office of Emergency Management has started preliminary damage assessments. The storm moved in to Burlington County around 4 p.m. Monday and flooded some areas of the county with more than 6 inches over several hours, county officials said. During the storm, Burlington County Central Communications fielded more than 400 emergency calls and over 1,400 non-emergency calls, many involving service calls for flooded basements and residences."

EDWARD RACISTMOUTH — " More charges filed against N.J. man accused of racially harassing neighbors," by NJ Advance Media's Kevin Shea: "Edward Mathews, the Mount Laurel man charged with a host of harassment and bias crime accusations following a number of confrontations with neighbors in his condo community, has been hit with yet another slew of criminal charges. Mathews, 45, remains jailed awaiting a detention hearing in Superior Court of Burlington County in Mount Holly, which is scheduled for Wednesday. The new charges stem from an alleged October 2020 incident. A Mount Laurel detective filed them this past Friday, records show."

—" Mount Laurel police chief says racial slurs weren't enough for an arrest"

— "Principal returns, teacher resigns in Tenafly after Hitler assignment"

—" Judge orders Atlantic commissioner special election for November"

—"Perth Amboy ready to say no to all marijuana businesses"

—" Newark unveils plan for museum, anti-violence office at notorious police station"

—"Judge won't kill ethics complaint against Marlboro superintendent, rejects other charges"

" Teaneck group says it has support for ballot question on changing election date"

—Video: "Camden's grand experiment in community policing continues"

—" City Council member[s] agree on even split of Jersey City cannabis tax revenue between schools, social programs"

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