News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: No bear hunt

Thursday, July 22, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: No bear hunt

Jul 22, 2021

Good Thursday morning!

It took almost his entire four years, but Gov. Murphy has fulfilled his campaign promise to end the bear hunt.

It just took purposeful bureaucratic delay tactics at the hands of the state's newly-confirmed Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner, Shawn LaTourette, who simply didn't sign off on the management plan needed to get the hunt started.

Naturally, hunting advocates and lawmakers in the rural corners of the state are really upset about this. And bear hunt opponents are thrilled.

The political risk for Murphy is that there a bigger spike in new bear-human interactions or, worse, a human injury or death because of one. But other than that, Murphy's critics are just going to have to grin and… deal with it.

QUOTE OF THE DAY : "Left-wing special interest groups are intentionally mischaracterizing Jack Ciattarelli's recent comments against extremist indoctrination in schools to falsely smear him as anti-LGBT." — Log Cabin Republicans of New Jersey president Reed Tighe.

WHERE'S MURPHY? — In Bloomfield for an 11 a.m. bill signing on lead poisoning, then in Newark for a 2 p.m. campaign "announcement" with Garden State Equality. Media: "Ask Govenror Murphy" at 7 p.m. on your local NPR affiliate.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — New Jersey Supreme Court nominee Rachel Wainer Apter, former Rep. Mike Ferguson, Kivvit's Adam Steinberger.

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.

WHAT TRENTON MADE

REDISTRICTING — Little optimism seen for agreement on redistricting tiebreaker, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: State Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner doesn't want it to fall to him and his colleagues to choose who will be the deciding vote on New Jersey's congressional district commission. But two people with deep experience in the last redistricting process, as well as sources involved in the current one, say they're not optimistic the court will get to stay out of politics in this case. In a Tuesday letter to lawyers for the six Democrat and six Republican redistricting commissioners, Rabner asked them to try again after they deadlocked on who the 13th, tiebreaking member of the commission should be. Democrats chose former state Supreme Court Justice John Wallace, Jr., a Democrat, while Republicans picked retired state Superior Court Judge Marina Corodemus, a Republican. That left it up to the state Supreme Court to choose between Wallace and Corodemus.

KING GEORGE III — "As NJ GOP flounders, Norcross ups the ante in state Senate races," by The Record's Charles Stile: "The Camden County-based insurance executive is pledging to raise and spend $10 million on behalf of state Sen. Dawn M. Addiego, who is facing a challenge from Republican Jean Stanfield in the 8th Legislative District spanning parts of Burlington, Camden and Atlantic counties, and Democratic Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo's bid to succeed outgoing Republican state Sen. Chris Brown in the 2nd Legislative District, which includes Atlantic City … 'As Bruce Springsteen says, we take care of our own and that holds true for Democratic leaders,' said Bob Sommer, a Norcross spokesman, in a statement. 'Senator Addiego stayed true to her commitment to support her Burlington County constituents rather than joining in the Republican Party's slide into Trumpism. At the same time, Assemblyman Mazzeo has long supported the initiatives that are important to South Jersey residents.'"

2.7 MASTROS OVER SEVERAL YEARS — Comptroller: Drug testing company cost New Jersey's Medicaid program $24M, by POLITICO's Sam Sutton: The drug testing company Truetox overcharged New Jersey's Medicaid program by more than $24 million between 2015 and 2018, occasionally charging as much $1,500 for tests that had cost other payers just $3, according to a report from the state comptroller's office. "Laboratories are prohibited from charging Medicaid one price and others a cheaper price in order to keep taxpayers from getting fleeced when others are getting a more favorable rate," acting State Comptroller Kevin D. Walsh said in a statement. "By allowing non-Medicaid payers to pay significantly less than what Medicaid paid for the same drug tests, Truetox violated Medicaid's rules and state law." The comptroller's report also found that Truetox entered "blanket" testing agreements with drug treatment providers, which means certain patients may have been tested for multiple drugs unnecessarily, contributing to waste.

HE DOESN'T WANNA TEACH SODOMY BUT HE'S GIVING A LESSON IN POLITICAL MASOCHISM — "When it comes to talking about LGBT curriculum, Ciattarelli hasn't had enough ," by InsiderNJ's Fred Snowflack: "The Republican gubernatorial candidate said on a radio program today that he wants Murphy to publicly answer some questions. Should kindergarten students be taught gender identity? Should 'the most explicit sex acts' be taught in middle school? Ciattarelli first waded into a version of the 'culture wars' last month when he expressed unease with how gender identity and 'sodomy' is taught in school. He vowed to 'roll back' LGBT curriculum requirements … And now he's gotten around to ice cream. Following news reports that Ben & Jerry's plans to stop selling ice cream in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Ciattarelli said that his family will no longer buy the company's products."

UNITED? IS DAVID SAMSON AVAILABLE? — "To oppose congestion pricing, Weinberg wants united front from N.J.," by the New Jersey Globe's Ashley Gallagher: "Bergen County residents could be among the hardest hit if New York gets its way and enforces congestion pricing on New Jersey commuters, a proposal that has a mighty opponent, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg. 'We need a unified front from all our federal officials, U.S. Senate, Congress, joined by all of our leaders of our state,' said Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg. 'More than once over the last several years we had to remind Governor Cuomo that this is a big workforce that goes into New York and provides an educated, and talented workforce and pays taxes to New York.' The pricing plan intends to add a surcharge for travel into or out of Manhattan's business district that is supposed to decrease traffic during peak business hours. This would add an extra toll to midtown that would charge people for driving through."

MEDIA MOVES — @NJMonitor: "We are the New Jersey Monitor, the Garden State's newest site for news about policy and politics. We're launching next week, so bookmark us and sign up for our daily newsletter" (Note: Don't sign up for the newsletter)

— "GOP Senate candidate calls for a permanant end to A.C. casino smoking"

— "N.J. reports 655 new COVID cases, 5 deaths. Hospitalizations continue to increase"

— McKeon: "Insurance companies should pay for New Jerseyans' COVID treatments"

— Murphy signs bill to provide $135M in federal relief funds to small businesses, nonprofits

BIDEN TIME

— "Scalise endorses Kean for Congress in NJ-7"

— "Progressive congressional candidate Imani Oakley: An interview"

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

LOCAL

NEEDLE EXCHANGE — Atlantic City votes to shut down needle exchange, by POLITICO's Sam Sutton: Atlantic City's city council passed an ordinance that will shut down a needle exchange on Wednesday night, setting the city's public health future on a collision course with a Gov. Phil Murphy's position of maintaining syringe access in the city. After more than two-and-a-half hours of public comment, including input from dozens of public health advocates, activists, former injection drug users but only a handful of Atlantic City residents, the council voted 5-2 in support of the ordinance. Unless the Murphy administration reverses the ordinance, a possibility given the governor's comments on the subject, a needle exchange that's operated two blocks from the boardwalk since 2007 must shut down by the end of the summer.

SUB SUBPOENA — "Atlantic City Board of Education subpoenaed in child porn case," by The Press of Atlantic City's Michelle Brunetti Post: "Board of Education member John Devlin said Wednesday the board has received a grand jury subpoena from the official corruption unit of the State Police regarding the child pornography case involving substitute teacher Kayan Frazier. In an interview following his appearance on the Harry Hurley radio show, in which he first discussed the subpoena, Devlin said board members were informed of it at the board's Tuesday night meeting. That was more than a month after the subpoena was received by the district, Devlin said … Frazier is a cousin of Mayor Marty Small Sr.'s wife, La'Quetta Small, who was the principal of the Pennsylvania Avenue School when Frazier was a substitute teacher there."

THE VAZ DEFERENCE — "Seaside Heights GOP mayor backs Democrat Gov. Murphy for re-election. Will he pay a price?" by The Asbury Park Press' Jean Mikle: "Republican Mayor Anthony E. Vaz said his reason for endorsing Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy's re-election bid is simple: the governor 'supports our community.' 'It's no secret that I am a conservative Republican and he is a progressive Democrat,' 'Vaz said. Vaz's endorsement drew the scorn of Matt Rooney, editor of the conservative news blog Save Jersey, who sent out a tweet saying he'll support any Republican who 'wants to step up and challenge' the mayor in the 2023 GOP primary … Vaz cited as examples the 'good communication' from the governor's office during the pandemic, assistance from the state when YouTube stars the Nelk Boys drew more than 2,000 people to town for an unauthorized event, and help in restoring power to the town after storms last year … Vaz said he received about 'two dozen' negative comments on social media after he became the first GOP mayor to endorse Murphy, but almost no push-back from people who live in Seaside Heights."

RIDGEFIELD PARK — "Superintendent sues all-male school board, says she was suspended by misogynistic 'all-boys club'," by NJ Advance Media's Anthony G. Attrino: "A superintendent of schools has filed suit against the all-male board of education in Ridgefield Park, claiming they suspended her because of her sex and replaced her with a man. Angela Bender, 59, is the first woman awarded a full employment contract for that position in the district and has been 'met with hostility and discrimination' by men on the board ever since, alleges the suit, filed July 6 in Superior Court of Bergen County.oard, says she was suspended by misogynistic 'all-boys club.'"

A BRIDGET TOO FAR — " Former 'Bridgegate' villain seeks political resurrection," by The AP's David Porter: "For Kelly, a return to New Jersey politics seemed a pipe dream in 2019, when she was weeks from reporting to federal prison before the Supreme Court opted to hear her appeal of her 2016 fraud and conspiracy conviction. When the court held last year that prosecutors had misapplied the law and ruled unanimously to overturn the convictions of Kelly and former bridge authority executive Bill Baroni, the single mother of four set out to restart a career that had been in limbo for more than five years. The reception from former colleagues was frosty, Kelly said. 'I went to friends on both side of the aisle, and I use the term friends loosely, and asked them to bury me somewhere, let me just get back in somewhere,' she said... 'I have forgiven her and hope she moves on with her life,' [Fort Lee Mayor Mark] Sokolich said. 'But you don't close down the busiest bridge in the world, jeopardize the safety of tens of thousands of people and, as a result, get some recognition and use that name recognition to run for a constitutional, county-wide position.'"

THANK GOD SOMEONE IS LOOKING OUT FOR THE CORRUPT OFFICIALS — " Paterson must pay Joey Torres' legal tab in benefits dispute, judge says," by The Paterson Press' Joe Malinconico: "The city must pay former mayor Jose 'Joey' Torres' legal bills in an ongoing lawsuit over Paterson's decision to stop providing him with retiree health benefits, a judge ruled this week. The judge, Randall Chiocca, determined on Monday that Paterson has failed to comply with an order he issued eight months ago mandating that Paterson resume providing Torres and his family with medical insurance. Chiocca also said the city must reimburse Torres for payments that his wife made to her employer, Passaic County Technical Institute, so the family would continue to have health coverage during the time that the city stopped Torres' benefits. The city had been providing Torres with health insurance as a retiree since 2014. The city stopped providing the coverage in 2019 when it switched to the state health benefits plans and state officials decided Torres did not meet criteria to qualify as a retiree."

— "Loud music is keeping South Jersey and Philly's riverfront neighborhoods up late. They blame each other"

— " Butler unanimously approves retail cannabis sales"

— "Bayonne art gallery shut down after city orders provocative art installation removed, owner says"

— " Monmouth County businesses turn to convicted felons to fill labor shortage"

— "'We are in danger': Ex-Olympian Michael Barisone says police ignored fears before shooting"

— " Ex-Hudson County Sheriff's officer charged with lying in connection to fraudulent short sale"

EVERYTHING ELSE

JAMEL HOLLEY STILL WRONG — "Which U.S. states are causing COVID cases to surge? The unvaccinated. See where N.J. stands," by NJ Advance Media's Nick Devlin: "Vermont, for example, has both the highest percentage of vaccinated people over the age of 18 — 77.3% — and the lowest number of new COVID-19 cases in July — 1.7 per 10,000 residents. States such as Arkansas and Louisiana, however, sit at the other end of the spectrum, ranking in the bottom five in both categories … New Jersey is well into the upper half of U.S. states in both categories, faring especially strong in vaccination rate at 69.2% of adults, good for 7th in the country … The vaccine appears to have helped mightily to quell the pandemic's worst effects in New Jersey, with just 31 deaths from COVID-19 among the 4.4 million vaccinated.

LUCKILY NOT A PROPELLER — "Here's what was going through the teen pilot's head as he landed his banner plane on the Ocean City bridge," by The Philadephia Inquirer's Amy S. Rosenberg: "Landon Lucas, 18, stood next to the 1946 airplane that had failed him two days earlier, leading to his unlikely and eye-popping landing on the Ocean City-Somers Point Bridge. He took a sip of water and shrugged. 'Being scared does nothing,' Lucas said, with the nonchalance of a teenager, or maybe that of a pilot trained for the unexpected, or of a Jackson Hole, Wyo., native used to flying in mountains. 'It was either water or bridge. There was a gap in traffic, and I went in. I just did a 90-degree turn, and put it on.' 'It was my only option,' he said Wednesday. 'You look left, you look right. There was really only one spot to put it in. One good spot.'"

SATAN IS OFTEN DEPICTED AS A GOAT FOR A REASON. JUST SAYIN' — "Mountain Creek's 'goatscaping' crew eats and sleeps all day," by The New Jersey Herald's Kyle Morel: "Mountain Creek Waterpark has hired some nonconventional landscapers that spend their days just eating and sleeping. The newest 'four-legged team members' at the resort were hired as part of the 'goatscaping' effort for the summer. A herd of goats and sheep walk around fenced-in areas from sunrise to sunset snacking on all kinds of grass and weeds."

— " After Florida condo collapse, how safe are NJ high rises? Depends on the condo board"

— "N.J.'s 40 best hot dog joints, ranked, for National Hot Dog Day"

— " N.J. community college erases $400K in student debt after distributing $665K in emergency grants"

Follow us on Twitter