News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Murphy gets mad and goes viral

Thursday, August 5, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Murphy gets mad and goes viral

Aug 05, 2021

Good Thursday morning!

I'm used to seeing Gov. Phil Murphy smile through heckling, or just ignore it. Yesterday, he engaged — with an angry look on his face.

"These folks back there have lost their minds. You've lost your minds. Because of what you're saying and standing for, people are losing their life. People are losing their life and you have to know that," he said to a few anti-vaccine protesters who had reportedly interrupted his press conference on signing an eviction protection bill.

I got some flack on Twitter for this comparison, but the interaction and its subsequent virality — no pun intended, of course — reminded me of Chris Christie. Through his term, Murphy's non-confrontational demeanor has made him the anti-Christie, at least style-wise. Arguing with protesters? Come on. There's nothing more Christie than that, even if the content wasn't the same and the language a lot cleaner.

Was it a calculated move or genuine frustration? I don't know. But the governor's people clearly saw it as a plus by the way they pushed it on social media.

WHERE'S MURPHY? — No public schedule.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — NJ Sustainable Business Council's Richard Lawton, Sussex County Surrogate Gary Chiusano, NJ Advance Media's Amy Kuperinsky

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "We have the best pizza. We have the best bagels … You guys just have stinky towns and slow cars and traffic." — Trenton native gold medalist Athing Mu on New Jersey vs. New York

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WHAT TRENTON MADE

THE CITY SO NICE WE CONSIDERED COPYING ITS VACCINE PASSPORT POLICY — Murphy weighing Covid-19 restrictions similar to New York City's, by POLITICO's Sam Sutton: Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday he's weighing more Covid-19 restrictions or requirements amid an acceleration of new cases and hospitalizations brought on by the fast-moving Delta variant. While he stopped short of endorsing any specific policy, the administration is considering "things in the general neighborhood of what New York City's doing," Murphy told reporters after an unrelated bill signing. "I say this a lot, you're sick of hearing me say it, but all options are on the table." New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday announced that the city's restaurants, nightclubs, gyms and other venues will soon require patrons and staff to show proof of vaccination upon entry beginning Aug. 16. That initiative followed a program requiring all city employees to get vaccinated or submit to regular Covid-19 tests. Murphy announced a similar requirement for public and private health care and correctional workers earlier this week.

MORATORIUM EMPORIUM — "NJ foreclosure and eviction moratoriums are ending early. Your income will decide when," by The Record's Ashley Balcerzak: "Lower-income renters in New Jersey will be protected from eviction through the end of this year under a bill Gov. Phil Murphy signed Wednesday, a day after the Biden administration imposed a federal eviction moratorium that protects most families through October. Under the New Jersey law, renters who missed payments will be protected from eviction and have eviction court cases dismissed through Dec. 31, 2021, if their annual household income is below 80% of their county's median income, according to the governor's office."

—" NJ foreclosure and eviction moratoriums are ending early. Your income will decide when"

JACK AND DIANE — New lieutenant governor candidate Allen goes after Murphy on treatment of women, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: In her first speech since being named Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli's running mate, former state Sen. Diane Allen on Wednesday denounced Gov. Phil Murphy over an alleged pattern of mistreatment of women in his political campaigns and administration and in other ventures. "He does nothing until he's going to get some of the blowback on his own personal face and then maybe he'll make a move," Allen said. "But he waits and waits and waits. We can't have that. When we see something that's wrong, we need to fix it."

Murphy's record in the #MeToo era was not the only topic covered at Allen's formal introduction at the Burlington County Agricultural Center in the town where she grew up. Supporters held "Jack & Diane" signs as she and Ciattarelli took the stage to the eponymous John Cougar Mellencamp song. The remarks by Allen, a 73-year-old former Philadelphia news anchor whose sex and age discrimination complaints against her TV station made headlines in the 1990s, shows the Ciattarelli campaign plans to focus heavily on the governor's track record in the #MeToo era.

— Ciattarelli and Allen, at Edna Mahan, lambaste Murphy on treatment of inmates and women

IMMIGRATION — "NJ State Bar Association attorneys want Murphy to veto anti-ICE bill. ACLU disagrees," by The Record's Mary Ann Koruth: "New Jersey State Bar Association attorneys have asked Gov. Phil Murphy to veto a bill that would prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement from expanding immigration detention in the state. A week after the bill was approved by both houses, bar members said their clients were increasingly being transferred to remote out-of-state ICE facilities in the South, some with records of abuse, and away from their attorneys and families. 'We're asking the governor to veto the bill or consider imposing standards that would improve immigration detention and protect due process rights of the detainees,' said Lisa Chapman, a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association"

TAXES — "Temporary work-from-home tax rules to end, NJ says," by NJ Spotlight News' John Reitmeyer: "The temporary rules have applied to employer income-tax withholdings, as well as New Jersey's corporate business and sales taxes. They will be lifted at the start of the next quarter on Oct. 1, according to updated guidance on tax rules from the New Jersey Division of Taxation … It remains to be seen how lifting the temporary rules may affect thousands of New Jersey residents whose companies are based in New York if they continue to work from home in New Jersey during an extended health crisis."

MICROCOSM OF THE COUNTRY — " From public art to police oversight, N.J. looks to right its racist past," by New Jersey Monitor's Dana DeFilippo: "New Jersey may not be the first state that springs to mind when considering the history of slavery and systemic racism. But the ugliness emerges after even a cursory probe into the past. The Garden State was the last of the Northern states to abolish slavery, initially rejecting the Thirteenth Amendment. Perth Amboy was one of the busiest slave ports on the East Coast. And the Great Emancipator? Abe Lincoln lost the popular vote here – twice. Today, largely due to protests over police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement, lawmakers here, like everywhere else, are navigating a racial reckoning, and proposing remedies to right the state's racial wrongs."

— "S&P Global Ratings raises outlook on New Jersey," by Pensions & Investments' Robert Steyer: "S&P Global Ratings raised its outlook to positive from stable for New Jersey, while maintaining its BBB+ on the state's general obligation bonds and BBB rating for other bonds secured by annual state appropriations. 'The outlook revision reflects our view that the decisions made by the state on how to spend surplus revenues in fiscal years 2021 and 2022 could position New Jersey to materially improve its long-term liability profile,' S&P Global Ratings credit analyst Tiffany Tribbitt said Tuesday in a news release."

— " At eviction protection bill signing, Stack tells Murphy he'd 'knock down a wall' for him"

— "Insider NJ's 2021 Insider 100: Policymakers Publication"

— Egea: " We need to know the price tag on renewable energy before we begin to rely on it"

— Steinberg: "AOC setback in Ohio, Cuomo meltdown, inure to Murphy national brand advantage"

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BIDEN TIME

STOCKHOLM SYNDROME — "N.J. gym owner charged with storming Capitol, punching cop set to plead guilty," by NJ Advance Media's Joe Atmonavage: "The New Jersey gym owner, who can be seen on video punching a law enforcement officer during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, will plead guilty for his role in the attempted insurrection, according to online court documents. Scott Fairlamb, of Stockholm in Hardyston Township, Sussex County, will enter a guilty plea in federal court Friday, becoming the first person from New Jersey to admit their part in the violent attack at the Capitol .. Fairlamb had been indicted on 12 charges earlier this year, including assaulting a federal officer, entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds with a deadly weapon, and acts of physical violence on the Capitol grounds, among other charges. 'He wishes to assume responsibility for the things that he did,' Harley Breite, Fairlamb's attorney, told the Huffington Post. 'He wants to make amends for them and move on with his life.'"

LOCAL

BETTER DIABETES TOMORROW THAN COVID TODAY — Big Macs and concert tickets: 2 New Jersey cities offering incentives to get students vaccinated, by POLITICO's Carly Sitrin: Two North Jersey cities are looking to increase their student vaccination rates by targeting things kids love most: fast food and hip-hop radio. Paterson is offering students between the ages of 12 and 17 $10 vouchers to McDonald's, asking kids in a statement 'would you like a Big Mac for a little jab? How about some fries when you immunize?" Nearby Jersey City is challenging all public high schools to a race to vaccinate the most students — the fully inoculated winners get tickets to the HOT 97 Summer Jam concert at MetLife Stadium.

JERSEY CITY — "Jersey City standing pat with vaccination policies, mayor says," by The Jersey Journal's Joshua Rosario: "Mayor Steve Fulop isn't ready to make any changes to Jersey City's COVID-19 policies just yet. Fulop, during an interview on HOT97-FM Wednesday, said, 'You're not going to see us pushing mandates.' He told radio host Ebro Darden, 'I think positive peer pressure and positive encouragement is really the way to go to get people access to the right information, so they can make informed decisions, and ultimately that is how you are going to change the course of action.' 'When you force people to do anything, you post mandates there, pushback is pretty fierce and doesn't necessarily bring the outcome you are looking for.'"

— "Vigil tries to keep needle exchange issue in front of Atlantic City Council"

— "New VA clinic will be located in Toms River. A 'big win' for Ocean County, area vets"

— "Bands play and goats graze as Goatchella returns to Jersey City"

— "Mayor names new civilian director for Trenton fire department"

R.I.P. — " Pleasantville Council pays tribute to Tereasa Callaway, who died in a tragic accident"

EVERYTHING ELSE

R.I.P. — "Onetime N.J. GOP leader dies of covid after being exposed to someone who refused vaccination," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein : "Clark R. Allen, the founder of the Clinton First Aid and Rescue Squad and a major player in New Jersey Republican politics in the 1960s, died of complications related to COVID-19 after exposure to someone who declined to be vaccinated. He was 84. 'He was infected by someone who chose to not get vaccinated, and his death was preventable,' his family said in an obituary announcing Allen's July 22 death. 'It is the wish of his family that everyone gets vaccinated in order to prevent further death, sickness and heartbreak.""

GRADUATES OF THE FACEBOOK SCHOOL OF LAW DISAGREE — "Can your employer make you get a COVID vaccine? NJ legal experts weigh in," by The Record's Tom Nobile: "As millions of New Jerseyans migrate from home offices to their pre-pandemic workplaces, one hot button question that might seem controversial actually has a simple answer. Yes, your employer can require proof of vaccination, legal and public health experts agree. Not only is such a mandate legal, it could be the key to overcoming the lapse in COVID-19 vaccination rates seen across the state and nation. 'Mandates are significant and will increase vaccine uptake. The higher the vaccination rate the less likely the Delta variant will continue to surge,' said Corey Basch, who chairs the public health department at William Paterson University. 'An increase in vaccination rates will decrease the likelihood that new variants emerge, which tend to be very highly transmissible.'"

THE VACCINES ARE FREE — "Most N.J. community colleges aren't requiring the COVID vaccine," by NJ Advance Media's Rob Jennings: "Of the 18 community colleges in the state, only Essex County College as of Tuesday is mandating student vaccinations, according to New Jersey Council of County Colleges president Aaron R. Fichtner. That's in contrast to some of the state's best-known universities, including at least four who set last Sunday as the deadline for students to submit documentation of being fully vaccinated against the coronavirus unless granted a medical or religious exemption. Fichtner told NJ Advance Media that community colleges serve a different population segment than universities such as Rutgers, which was among the first in the nation to require student COVID-19 vaccinations for the Fall 20221 semester. 'Community colleges are commuter colleges. There's a balance between trying to open the doors of economic opportunity to people and being restrictive,' said Fichtner, explaining that community colleges are promoting vaccinations and also encouraging students who are unwilling to consider enrolling in online courses."

THEY WENT AFTER JARRETT — Holy Name's chief medical officer on paid leave amid investigation into emails, by POLITICO's Sam Sutton: Adam Jarrett, the chief medical officer at Holy Name Medical Center, is on a paid leave of absence after sending emails to the hospital's board regarding "managerial priorities." Why it matters: Jarrett, whose stewardship of the hospital's medical staff during the early days of the pandemic made him a go-to for local elected officials, is among the highest ranking administrators at the Teaneck hospital. Holy Name's tax filings indicate he was paid more than $1 million in salary and other compensation in 2019 by the hospital or related organizations.

"The departure of Jarrett, whom Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) has referred to as "our local Fauci" caught multiple sources off-guard. Holy Name was among the hospitals hardest hit by Covid-19 in spring 2020 when testing, staff and personal protective equipment were in short supply, an experience Jarrett documented in an independently published book. Holy Name CEO Michael Maron said in a statement that a subcommittee of the hospital's board and an independent investigator are "in the process of expeditiously investigating the matters communicated in Dr. Jarrett's email." Jarrett did not respond to requests for comment. The hospital did not specify the contents of the emails.

ECCLESIASTICAL MISCONDUCT — "Priest who stole money from N.J. Catholic church sentenced to 7 years in prison," by NJ Advance Media's Kelly Heyboer: "By Kelly Heyboer | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com A Catholic priest who admitted to transferring nearly $517,000 of parish funds into his personal bank account had been sentenced to seven years in state prison, church officials said Tuesday. The Rev. Douglas J. Haefner, the longtime pastor of St. Matthias Parish in Somerset, admitted to taking the money due to 'compulsive behavior' during an audit of the church in 2018, Diocese of Metuchen officials said."

— Politi: " Sydney McLaughlin and Athing Mu give N.J. an unforgettable day at the Tokyo Olympics"

— "Commuter abuses NJ train conductor with racial, sexual epithets"

— " Viral internet star 'Kai the Hitchhiker' loses appeal of his N.J. murder conviction"

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