| | | | | |  | | By Katherine Landergan | Good Friday morning! Katie Brennan's rape allegation against Al Alvarez and the way it was handled by the Murphy administration prompted hours of hearings, policy changes and a broader discussion about how women are treated in Trenton. It also became a major scandal for the governor's office. Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli is now using the scandal as part of a website and digital ad campaign that was launched Wednesday. Brennan's testimony in those hearings narrates the ad. And Brennan is not okay with it. "Survivors are not your props. We are not your political pawns. To use me as such, without my consent, is disrespecting survivors. It is disrespecting women. Take note @Jack4NJ and Diane Allen," Brennan said on Twitter, with a screenshot of the website. The Ciattarelli campaign has not yet responded to Brennan's statement. WHERE'S MURPHY? — Back in New Jersey, no public schedule. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Missed yesterday: former Sen. Robert Torricelli. A REMINDER — New Jersey Playbook will be on a brief hiatus next week. But we will still be reporting! Keep following our work here. |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | | CLEAN IT UP — EPA takes over cleanup of Raritan Bay Superfund site, by POLITICO's Ry Rivard: Federal environmental regulators are taking charge of a toxic beach cleanup project along the Raritan Bay after years of fighting with the company responsible for the Superfund site. The site, contaminated by the company once known as National Lead, is a half-mile stretch of beach in the Laurence Harbor section of Old Bridge poisoned by lead, a toxic metal that was used instead of rocks to build a seawall along the shore. The lead has since leeched into the sand on the beach and in the water. The beach has been closed off with a chain link for more than a decade, cutting off bay access and hurting economic development, according to local officials. National Lead Co., now known as NL Industries, has been fighting with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over how to clean up the site, causing several years of delay. After a recent round of design work top EPA officials said was totally lacking, federal officials decided to take over the planning for the $50 million project. HOUSING — "Renters stop paying amid pandemic, forcing small landlords into bind," by The Record's Ashley Balcerzak: "Since March 2020, New Jersey banned evictions in order to keep families safe and housed even if they weren't able to make rent payments, especially as Garden State businesses experienced mass layoffs in the wake of government-mandated business closures. [Elena] Walczyk's renter said she lost her retail job after the pandemic started. But these protections left many small landlords without income and struggling to cover costs due. Towns didn't give landlords a property tax holiday: If they didn't make their scheduled payments, homeowners risked penalties or liens on their properties. In March 2020, Gov. Phil Murphy announced that more than 150 financial institutions signed on to offer 90-day mortgage forbearance to borrowers, urging banks to push missed payments to the end of the loan, but that wasn't a requirement, and the agreements varied by bank." — "New anti-eviction program launching in three cities," by the New Jersey Monitor's Sophie Nieto-Muñoz: "A new anti-eviction initiative is launching in three cities as the state prepares to roll back pandemic-era eviction protections for some families beginning next week. The program — to be launched in Atlantic City, East Orange, and Trenton — has been in the works since before the coronavirus pandemic caused housing advocates to sound the alarm about an impending 'tsunami of evictions.' 'The importance of this is greater now more than ever,' said Sharon Barker, vice president of the Housing & Community Development Network of New Jersey. 'More people need help now, so it's important to have a place like this that's a one-stop shop.' And it's a critical time for New Jersey residents who will see some protections that have been keeping them in their homes since April 2020 expire. Millions of New Jerseyans fell behind on rent during the pandemic, and more than 70,000 tenants have had evictions filed against them for nonpayment of rent or habitually late payments." CHECK YOUR MAILBOXES — "Most $500 N.J. rebate checks have been sent. See if you qualify, and what to do if you haven't gotten one." by NJ Advance Media's Amanda Hoover: "New Jersey has mailed out more than 600,000 income tax rebates as of last week, sending money to everyone who filed their taxes by early July, according to the state Department of Treasury. Jen Sciortino, a spokeswoman for the Treasury Department, said 630,760 checks totaling over $267 million had been sent by Aug. 20. They average $423.40 a payment. There will be more checks on the way, issued on a rolling basis as eligible taxpayers file their returns. More than 760,000 New Jersey households are eligible for a rebate check of up to $500. They include couples with less than $150,000 in income and at least one dependent child and individuals with income below $75,000 and at least one dependent child." JOB MOVES — Deputy State Treasurer Cathy Brennan is leaving the treasurer's office after 27 years of working for the state. She will be senior vice president and chief financial officer for New Jersey Institute of Technology. "I have greatly appreciated her partnership here in Treasury over the past several years, especially as we confronted the unprecedented challenges brought on by the pandemic," State Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio said in a statement. "She has played an integral role in the development and implementation of our state budget, and her commitment and work ethic are second to none." BACK TO WORK — "N.J. state workers going back to the office full time Oct. 18, Murphy administration says," by NJ Advance Media's Matt Arco: "All New Jersey state workers will return to their offices full-time for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit beginning Oct. 18, officials in Gov. Phil Murphy's administration told NJ Advance Media. Workers were originally slated to return after Labor Day weekend on Sept. 7. But after Murphy announced all state workers need to be vaccinated or face weekly testing by Oct. 18, the administration pushed back the return date to align with the new mandate." IT'S MY PARTY AND I'LL FUNDRAISE IF I WANT TO — Norcross-linked group to host fundraiser honoring Norcross, by POLITICO's Sam Sutton: A freshly-minted independent expenditure group linked to South Jersey Democratic power broker George Norcross will hold a fundraiser in October to honor the man himself. Billed as a "Reception to Honor George Norcross III," American Democratic Majority's Oct. 13 event at the Ramblewood Country Club in Mount Laurel will charge guests $2,500 per person. Norcross, who's widely viewed as the most powerful unelected Democrat in New Jersey, sits at the helm of the insurance brokerage Conner Strong & Buckelew and Cooper University Health Care, and serves as the de facto leader of a South Jersey party machine that's held tremendous sway over the state for decades. | | | | INTRODUCING OTTAWA PLAYBOOK : Join the growing community of Politicos — from lawmakers and leaders to pollsters, staffers, strategists and lobbyists — working to shape Canada's future. Every day, our reporting team pulls back the curtain to shed light on what's really driving the agenda on Parliament Hill, the true players who are shaping politics and policy across Canada, and the impact it all has on the world. Don't miss out on your daily look inside Canadian politics and power. Subscribe to Ottawa Playbook today. | | | | |
| | BIDEN TIME | | HOSPITALS — "N.J. hospitals getting extra $150M as Biden administration reverses Trump actions," by NJ Advance Media's Jonathan D. Salant: "President Joe Biden's administration has reversed two of former President Donald Trump's policies, which will add an estimated $150 million in federal funding for New Jersey hospitals. The funding comes at a time when the state's hospitals, like those around the country, have been slammed by the coronavirus pandemic. New Jersey was one of the states initially hardest hit by COVID-19." AFGHANISTAN — The darkest day of Joe Biden's presidency , by Natasha Korecki and Tina Sfondeles: An already perilous withdrawal of U.S. personnel and allies from Afghanistan turned into something much darker on Thursday as the kind of catastrophe President Joe Biden had been warning about took place outside Kabul's main airport. A series of terrorist attacks left at least 12 U.S. service people dead and 15 wounded — the deadliest U.S. casualty event in Afghanistan since 2011. It was the most devastating moment in Biden's young presidency. In its wake, U.S. officials remained steadfast that they would conclude the evacuation mission from the 20-year war, raising additional questions about Biden's handling of the end of America's longest war. | | LOCAL | | HACKENSACK — "Man arrested and charged with two killings in Hackensack on Wednesday night," by The Record's Nicholas Katzban: "A man was arrested and charged with two murders at a Fairmount Avenue home Wednesday night after police found him walking down the street covered in blood, prosecutors said. Police charged Clarence Stokes, 42, of Paterson, with murder and weapons possession after they responded to the scene just after 8 p.m. A resident of the house called 911 and reported a woman had been stabbed on the home's porch. When officers arrived, the caller told them the suspect was still across the street, which is when they located Stokes, according to an affidavit filed in Hackensack Municipal Court." NEWARK — "Newark split on support for charter schools, poll finds," by NJ Advance Media's Rebecca Panico: "A Farleigh Dickinson University poll found that 48% of 1,100 Newark respondents thought charter schools have been good for the city's students, while 13% said they've been bad for them. A different poll that was commissioned in 2020 by a charter-friendly organization showed more widespread support for charter schools, although that study asked a different question. That poll, commissioned by the New Jersey Children's Foundation, found 66% of 516 Newarkers viewed charter schools favorably. New Jersey Children's Foundation Executive Director Kyle Rosenkrans said he was wary of the way the FDU poll worded the question measuring charter school support, which noted there's been 'some controversy' with charter [schools'] role in the Newark school system." | | | | 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. | | | | |
| | EVERYTHING ELSE | | REST IN PEACE — Former Fair Lawn mayor, NJ assemblyman Nicholas Felice dead at 94, by Patch's Montana Samuels: "Former Fair Lawn Mayor and long term state assemblyman Nicholas Felice has died at 94, an obituary confirms. Felice served on multiple municipal boards and committees before he was elected mayor, where he served from 1972 to 1974. His run as an assemblyman began in 1982, and he eventually went on to serve for 10 terms in total, including a time as the Assembly Speaker Pro-Tempore. Though surely not his most important contribution to New Jersey politics, a lasting memory of Felice came in the winter of 1983, when his legislative office fielded calls from children [seeking] the 'Santa Hot Line', a phone number that only differed by one digit from his office. In addition to his time serving the state of New Jersey, Felice served his country in World War II." CORONAVIRUS — "Wayne can't enforce COVID vaccine policy for staff following PBA unfair labor charge," by The Record's Philip DeVencentis: "The township has been barred from enforcing a new policy requiring that its employees get the COVID-19 vaccine after the police union filed an unfair labor charge with the state and prevailed. But an attorney for the township said on Wednesday that officials are prepared to litigate the case until the policy is followed. The state Public Employment Relations Commission issued a three-page decision on Friday to temporarily restrain the township from implementing the policy. On Tuesday, officials filed a motion to undo that ruling. A hearing on the matter will likely be held no later than early next week, said Township Attorney Matthew Giacobbe." — "Bergen New Bridge hospital executive has breakthrough case of COVID after being vaccinated," by Lindy Washburn: "The president of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, the state's largest public hospital and a center of Bergen County's COVID vaccination efforts, has developed a breakthrough case of COVID. Deborah Visconi tested positive for the coronavirus last week during routine weekly testing at her hospital. Although she didn't have symptoms at the time, she subsequently developed a cough, sniffles, some chest tightness and shortness of breath, she said Wednesday. She was treated at the hospital with an infusion of monoclonal antibodies — proteins produced in a laboratory from genetic material in the cells of COVID survivors — and is working from home. 'If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone,' said Visconi. 'I was floored.'"
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