News : POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Ciattarelli's jump into the culture wars

Thursday, July 15, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Ciattarelli's jump into the culture wars

Jul 15, 2021

Did anyone tell Jack Ciattarelli the primary ended on June 8?

It had been over for more than two weeks when Ciattarelli, at a gun range, ripped into New Jersey's new LGBTQ curriculum requirements . The biggest issue isn't that Ciattarelli has a problem with the law, which mandates teaching about the societal contributions of LGBTQ and disabled people. It's this quote: "We're not teaching sodomy in sixth grade."

Ciattarelli told WNYC's Matt Katz that he didn't mean that statement as a knock against gay people, but at "mature content" being taught to kids. But in the context of the statement, that's far from clear. There's nothing in those curriculum requirements for teaching about sex acts, though there are requirements unrelated to the LGBTQ education law that students be taught about oral, vaginal and anal sex by eighth grade. The more obvious interpretation of Ciattarelli's comment is that he's equating teaching about gay people with sodomy, and anti-sodomy laws were for decades used to persecute them.

"Everyone is, and should be, free to love whom they love, and resources should be made available to students who want to understand themselves as they grow into adults," Ciattarelli said in a statement addressing the controversy. "We should not, however, encourage the abdication of parenting or expect teachers to replace parents. Let me be clear, as Governor, nothing we do or teach in our public schools will ever supplant the role and responsibility of parents."

Of course, there was a Democratic tracker at the event who caught Ciattarelli's remarks , which eventually made its way to a reporter. It's hard to imagine Ciattarelli didn't expect that. And it's puzzling why he engaged on this issue in the general election. Look what happened to Scott Garrett in 2016, a year after POLITICO reported that he refused to contribute to his party's leadership committee because it backed gay candidates. And there wasn't even video or audio of Garrett's statement.

If it doesn't play well in the 5th District, it's hard to imagine it playing well statewide. Ciattarelli, who had cultivated a reputation as a moderate, may have been speaking to conservative voters at that event, but Democrats made sure a lot of other people heard it.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "We want the same robust attack on the economic crisis that we've seen in his attack on the health crisis. But we haven't gotten it yet." — New Jersey Chamber of Commerce President Tom Bracken on Gov. Phil Murphy.

WHERE'S MURPHY? In Washington for "meetings" as well as a dinner with President Joe Biden and German Chancellor/likely Murphy language tutor Angela Merkel.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Assemblymember Raj Mukherji, TAPinto Founder Michael Shapiro, Pollster Tom Bonier

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WHAT TRENTON MADE

WILLING CANDIDATES DISQUALIFIED ON MENTAL HEALTH GROUNDS FOR BEING WILLING TO DO THIS JOB — Congressional redistricting: Party picks for tie-breaker due Thursday, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: The six Republican and six Democratic members of the commission charged with redrawing New Jersey's congressional districts will meet virtually Thursday in an attempt to agree on a 13th tie-breaking member. The meeting comes on the constitutionally mandated deadline to try to agree on the tie-breaker for the redistricting process, which won't be able to kick off in earnest until the federal government delivers long delayed Census data to the state. But the political strategizing has begun, as the tie-breaker will likely be the deciding vote on whether New Jersey's next congressional map will be drawn by Democrats or Republicans — something that will influence not only the political makeup of New Jersey's 12-member delegation, but control of the U.S. House.

POLITICO was able to identify several names on Democrats' list for the tie-breaker post from numerous interviews. The leading contenders appear to be retired state Supreme Court justices, either women or men from a minority background (All previous tie breakers have been white men.). Some academics are also being considered. All the sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the politically sensitive nature of the project. The names floated by Democrats include retired state Supreme Court Justices James Coleman Jr., John Wallace Jr., Deborah Poritz, Virginia Long, Helen Hoens and Roberto Rivera-Soto. Some academics have also been considered: Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers Univerity, Rutgers University Professor Ross K. Baker, Rutgers Law Dean Ronald Chen and Villanova University Law Professor Mark Alexander.

LOL — NJEA endorses Sweeney, Murphy, other lawmakers, by POLITICO's Carly Sitrin: Four years after launching a bitter and expensive campaign against Senate President Steve Sweeney, the New Jersey Education Association teachers union has endorsed him for election in November. The 125-member political action arm of the NJEA announced Wednesday that it is supporting Sweeney along with Gov. Phil Murphy and 59 other legislative candidates, including 19 Senate candidates and 40 Assembly candidates. Conspicuously absent from the endorsement list are Education Chair Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex) and the two budget committee chairs, Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) and Assemblymember Eliana Pintor Marin (D-Essex).

NO WEED ADS FEATURING 'THE VERY, VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR' — "How do you market N.J. legal weed without enticing kids? It's a top concern for regulators," by NJ Advance Media's Amanda Hoover: "Cannabis falling into the hands of kids has was repeated as a counter argument to legalization — whether it's young children stumbling into enticing edibles that look like candy or teens who seek it out. Those in favor of legal weed have agreed it must be addressed. Consistent and clear labeling also sets products apart from those sold on the illegal market, and shows a customer how much THC, the active ingredient in marijuana that produces a high feeling, they will be consuming. The cannabis legalization law gave the commission guidelines for establishing packaging regulations. Labels and ads should not promote overconsumption, depict children, toys or cartoon characters. They are banned from using false, deceptive or misleading information."

MOODY SWINGS — "N.J.'s $6.9B pension contribution, debt moves spur improved credit outlook from Wall Street," by NJ Advance Media's Samantha Marcus: "Moody's Investors Service on Tuesday upgraded New Jersey's credit outlook to 'positive,' following the adoption of a massive $46.4 billion budget that makes the largest pension contribution in state history and sets aside billions of dollars to reduce the Garden State's debt load. The move comes three months after booming tax collections and a growing surplus pushed the outlook to "stable." A year prior, the rating agency lowered New Jersey's outlook to negative amid the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic and fears of economic collapse."

— " Parents sue governor to block any renewal of school mask mandate"

— "$500 N.J. rebate checks in the mail. 200K have been sent, hundreds of thousands more on the way"

BIDEN TIME

2022 — Kean formally launches 2022 congressional run, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: State Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr., who barely lost his race for Congress in 2020, is running again in 2022. Kean, 52, made his widely expected re-match bid against U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski in the 7th District official on Wednesday in a statement and with a diner event and fundraiser featuring House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, both of which were closed to the press. "I have been overwhelmed by the support of my family, neighbors and supporters encouraging me to run for Congress. New Jersey and the businesses and families in NJ-07 deserve a Congressional Representative that will serve with honesty and integrity," Kean said in the statement. "Tom Malinowski continues to let down his constituents and it is time for a change."

SALT PORK — "Property tax breaks would be restored under Senate budget bill, Menendez says," by NJ Advance Media's Jonathan D. Salant: "A $3.5 trillion spending bill for health care, child care, education and climate change also will address the $10,000 cap on deducting state and local income and property taxes, a key senator said Wednesday. U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, a member of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee that will help draft the spending bill, said the measure will deal with the deduction, known as SALT. 'My understanding is there is a SALT provision in there that would provide relief,' Menendez told NJ Advance Media. It's unlikely that the deduction would be fully restored immediately because that would cost $673 billion over ten years, according to the Tax Foundation, a conservative research group."

— "Here's how Booker and other Senate Democrats want to end the federal ban on cannabis"

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LOCAL

STRAW DONORS — "Holmdel will sue state to recover local funds paid to AG's cooperating witness," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "The Holmdel Township Committee is preparing to file a lawsuit against the state seeking a return of hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees paid to the law firm of Matthew O'Donnell, the state's cooperating witness in a public corruption sting operation, the New Jersey Globe has learned. O'Donnell began cooperating with the state attorney general in early 2018 and entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors of that year. But the state allowed O'Donnell and his firm, O'Donnell McCord, to continue billing public entities for tax appeal work — about $6.5 million since his first meeting with prosecutors — as he assisted the attorney general's office in an operating that has so far netted just a handful of small fish. Holmdel is the first of O'Donnell's nearly two-dozen public entity clients to argue that they lost revenue as a result of the attorney general's secret and extended investigation, a local government source confirmed."

TODAY IN TOTAL COINCIDENCES — "Garfield hires former Deputy Mayor Erin Delaney as city manager ," by The Record's Katie Sobko: "Former Deputy Mayor Erin Delaney was hired as the city's new manager on Tuesday, just a week after resigning her elected office, and only a month after the City Council repealed employment restrictions on former elected officials. Delaney is filling the role that will officially be vacated by Thomas Duch later this month as he transitions into a new role himself, as Bergen County administrator and counsel. The ordinance that the council repealed last month required elected officials to be out of office for at least 18 months before taking a job with the city. Both Delaney and Mayor Richard Rigoglioso said the repeal had nothing to do with her hiring, and that removing the ordinance was merely a matter of clearing the books and expanding the number of potential hires for city jobs."

CAGEDNEY — "Judge says Mount Laurel man in racist video poses high risk to neighbors, will remain detained until trial," by WHYY's Ximena Conde: "Edward Cagney Mathews, the white Mount Laurel man who was recorded during a racist tirade against his Black neighbor, will remain in detention pending his trial, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Terrence Cook ordered Wednesday. Mathews faces 14 outstanding charges, including fourth-degree harassment, bias crime with purpose to intimidate, harassment (disorderly persons), and one count of trespass for the now-viral incident, which started when Mathews tried to enter a neighbor's home. Mathews' attorney, Anthony Rizzo, proposed that his client be released on the condition that he stay away from the condo community where he allegedly terrorized residents."

THE CITY SO NICE THEY FLUSHED THEIR WASTE ONTO N.J. BEACHES — "Syringes on Monmouth County beaches: Source is no mystery, activists say," by The Asbury Park Press' Ken Serrano: "The question of how discarded syringes washed up on the shoreline in Monmouth Beach and Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park in Long Branch isn't a mystery to activists and others who know about water quality at the Jersey Shore. Hardly new, the problem stretches back to the 19th century, when engineers thought it was a good idea to combine sewage, storm water and industrial waste and send it to the same treatment center, said Cindy Zipf, executive director of Clean Ocean Action in Long Branch, an advocacy group. That was back when the New York City had a population of 3.5 million. Today it's more than 8 million."

MARKMANSHIP — "Ex-Bayonne City Hall worker details why she feels former assistant BA should've been fired," by Hudson County View's John Heinis : "Emails that Gail Godesky, a former part-time clerk for the business administrator's office, shared with HCV show that former Assistant Business Administrator Mark Bonamo received a verbal warning and 'was immediately disqualified from consideration' as the business administrator last year as Terrence Malloy was preparing to retire. Godesky emailed Assistant Counsel Donna Russo and city personnel on February 5th, 2020 that Bonamo screamed 'what's my name?' at least 10 times after she had used his first name to ask him to move his food in the work fridge to make room for some water bottles. … In Bonamo's own account to Russo, he said that he felt Godesky's tone to him during their tense exchange was 'both sarcastic and demeaning' and that he asked her not to engage with him as she attempted to apologize. '… I then proceeded to ask Ms. Godesky 'is my name Mark, or is my name Mr. Bonamo?' Ms. Godesky avoided eye contact with me and did not reply. I then proceeded to walk away from this conversational exchange.' While Godesky felt this was a fireable offense, she was more offended by the fact that Bonamo received a voluntary separation agreement when he left his city job, while she received nothing."

— " Toms River OKs house of worship zoning change after threat of $10M federal fine"

— "Jersey City gave up $1.6 million in HUD funds after failing to build affordable housing — and may be on hook for more"

— " Best counties with the bang for your property tax buck in NJ? Answer may surprise you"

— "So long cigarettes (and weed)! Asbury Park moves to ban all smoking on boardwalk"

— " Tedesco collapses at his own fundraiser"

— "'Officer Friendly' Wilson stresses community ties, morale as he takes helm of Trenton Police"

— " Cranbury joins long list of NJ towns to ban weed businesses"

EVERYTHING ELSE

OFFICE SPACE — "The future of work has arrived, and it's messy," by POLITICO's Ben White and Eleanor Mueller: When in the office, Sarah says, bosses typically disdain anyone who says they will be "working from home." Pre-Covid, they considered that code for, "I won't actually be doing anything." As a result, people stuck around late just to be seen by their managers. Covid changed all that. And Sarah doesn't want to revert to the way things were... Sarah's experience is playing out across the white-collar working world as the biggest, fastest and most head-spinning disruption in American working life in generations rambles toward some kind of return to normality. The trouble is that almost no one — workers or bosses — has any real idea what normal means now. The pandemic almost instantly transformed working life in the U.S. and across the world, driving companies in industries from finance to technology and media to upend the way they operate, vacating centralized workplaces and turning employees' homes into offices.

13,000 MASTROS — "$117B plan to upgrade Northeast Corridor could shorten your commute, but it needs money," by The Record's Colleen Wilson: "Agency officials along the Northeast Corridor announced a 15-year plan to update the nation's busiest section of railroad to improve travel times, make overdue repairs and prepare for future high-speed travel. The $117 billion plan, known as Connect 35, is a collection of more than 150 projects on the corridor that snakes down the East Coast from Boston to Washington, D.C., with the busiest sections in New York and New Jersey. There's just one problem: money. About 85%, or $100 billion, is not yet funded."

THIS WHOLE BOARD IS OUT OF ORDER! — " Rutgers Senate member calls for improvements to Board of Governors operations following latest meeting," by The Daily Targum's Victory Yaesky: "Troy Shinbrot, a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and former Senate Faculty Representative to the Board of Governors, is calling for increased transparency from the Board following an incident that occurred at the June 22 meeting. After asking questions during the public comment section of the meeting, Shinbrot said both he and Charlie Kratovil, editor of New Brunswick Today, were declared "out of order" and could no longer speak. Additionally, Shinbrot said he was removed from the meeting by the chair of the Board, Mark Angelson. Shinbrot said that Kratovil was declared out of order upon asking for the text of motions to be voted on, which included changes to bylaws of two Rutgers health group organizations and a $2 million retroactive waiver of bid to a Rutgers vendor. When Shinbrot questioned why Kratovil was declared out of order, he faced the same declaration and was removed from the meeting, he said. After the meeting, Shinbrot submitted his letter of resignation."

SHUFFLING THE ON DECK — "Group that includes former Murphy adviser preparing to bring baseball back to Staten Island," by NJ Advance Media's Ted Sherman: "Eric Shuffler, a longtime New Jersey political player, is preparing to take the field for a new team. He's pitching baseball. A high-power lobbyist who has advised governors and senators, sources say Shuffler is a member of an investment group that plans to bring professional baseball back to Staten Island — which was home to a New York Yankees farm team until Major League Baseball last year dramatically cut the number of minor league teams nationwide"

— " 31 in NJ charged in child-sex bust: Retired cop, mailman, retail workers"

— "Without offshore wind, NJ faces billions in shoreline damage, officials argue"

— " Ready for the Olympics? Here's a complete list of Olympians with New Jersey ties"

— "Michael Jordan spotted leaving Steve & Cookies in Margate"

— " As more women play college baseball in US, this Lyndhurst teen is making history at home"

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