News : POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Two out of three legislative leadership contests settled

Friday, October 29, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Two out of three legislative leadership contests settled

Oct 29, 2021

Presented by the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association

Good Friday morning!

The state Senate and Assembly leadership contests are shaking out before members even know exactly what their caucuses will look like. Well, most of them are, anyway.

Senate Democrats on Thursday announced state Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), currently the third-ranked member after Senate President Pro Tem, will be the new majority leader, replacing the retiring Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen). Our report about Ruiz's elevation came shortly after David Wildstein reported that Steve Oroho had sewn up the votes to become minority leader.

The only unresolved contest is in the Assembly, where the deal to make Assemblymember Nancy Munoz (R-Union) the minority leader has been in some jeopardy as conservative groups and members grow uneasy with her record of moderation — especially on vaccines. Brian Bergen (R-Morris) is the only candidate formally still running against her, but he's a freshman and that's a tough sell to lead the caucus. If Munoz falls through, most I've talked to expect one of her erstwhile rivals — John DiMaio (R-Warren) or Ned Thomson (R-Monmouth) — to get the position.

What's kind of funny about this is that nobody's even paying lip service to the idea that control of either house will flip to Republican control. But I'm not one to complain about people being honest.

WHERE'S MURPHY? In Paterson for two early voting rallies at 11:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "We have zero — I have zero expectation that's going to happen. At the moment, we just don't need to." — Gov. Murphy after being asked whether he'd institute a school Covid vaccine mandate

POLL OF THE DAY — Stockton: Murphy up 50-41 over Ciattarelli. More here.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — State Sen. Robert Singer, Paterson Councilmember Abdel Aziz. Sunday for Assemblymember Ralph Caputo, Assemblymember Joann Downey, Woodbridge Democratic Chair Tish Coughlin, former Bergen freeholder John Driscoll, HCPO's Jennifer Morrill, Stanley COS Rob Zuckerman

TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com

A message from the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association:

The New Jersey Alternative Treatment Centers (ATC) – the majority of which comprise the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association -- have been working non-stop to prepare for adult-use cannabis sales in NJ. The ATCs have invested substantial time, money and resources into expanding their operations: hiring more staff, securing supply chains, and expanding cultivation sites. Our ATCs have ample supply to service adult-use consumers now without harming access for medical cannabis patients, who always come first.

WHAT TRENTON MADE

MURPHY HOPES TO FEEL THE 1977 BYRNE — Sanders rallies young voters to turn out for Murphy, by POLITICO's Carly Sitrin : Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders made an appeal to young voters to turn out for Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday evening as Election Day draws near. "This is a wonderful turnout, and it tells me that Gov. Murphy is going to get reelected," Sanders told an estimated 600-person crowd made up mostly of backpacking college students at Rutgers University. Only New Jersey and Virginia are holding gubernatorial elections this year. Sanders said that makes getting people to the polls a challenge. "The turnout will not be high, and that means it is absolutely imperative that every person in this room comes out to vote," Sanders said. He praised New Jersey's efforts to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, secure paid family leave, pursue environmental justice legislation, invest more money in higher education and expand access to voting, among other issues. Sanders made a special appeal to young people in the audience, emphasizing the long-term impact of the positions he and Murphy favor.

NEW JERSEY DINE — "Murphy foe Ciattarelli vows 'We're gonna beat them' as he hits diners in N.J. gov race stretch run," by NJ Advance Media's Matt Arco: "Many in the packed New Jersey diner that seats more than 200 people laid down their forks and put their hashbrowns and eggs over easy on hold to cheer on Republican gubernatorial hopeful Jack Ciattarelli as he entered the joint Thursday morning … For Ciattarelli, it was just the start of his day hitting the road in the usually frantic final-week pitch for voters. The underdog former Assemblyman has been barnstorming the state in the lead-up to Tuesday's election. After the diner, he attended an early voting party in Edison, then he stopped at another diner in Hackensack before capping the day off with a town hall in Fair Lawn … The enthusiasm of his audience there — some who were regulars and others who were clearly there to see Ciattarelli — would have others believe he'll actually pull it off. 'All the internal polls amongst likely voters show this as a dead heat,' Ciattarelli said at his second public event on Thursday. 'We can win.'"

THE ISSUES — "Black leaders say social justice issues not getting attention they deserve in N.J. governor's race,' by NJ Advance Media's Susan K. Livio and Matt Arco: "Judging from the polls and the barrage of campaign ads, controlling the spread of the coronavirus and curbing the rise in the state's notoriously high property taxes are the dominant issues in the campaign to elect New Jersey's next governor. This doesn't surprise Monika Williams Shealey, Rowan University's senior vice president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. But it does frustrate her. Black leaders say they are disappointed the issues that concern them the most — from school segregation and the widening wage gap to health disparities and police accountability — have not gotten more attention in the campaign between incumbent Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli. But these influential Black New Jerseyans said they are not deterred."

—"NJ Election 2021: The powerful Asian American vote is far from a monolith," by The Record's Mary Chao: "Asian Americans mirrors much of America, divided by a generational ideology. The first generation of immigrants tends to lean conservative, with a penchant for self-reliance. The younger, second generation tends to be more progressive, growing up in a diverse America. 'It's our parents versus us,' said Dan Park, 37, a Democratic councilman in Tenafly. 'It's two cultures.' … Both the Murphy and the Ciattarelli camps are rolling out the red carpet to court Asian American voters. Ciattarelli's campaign advertised in Korean language newspapers with photos of Korean American leaders. Murphy's campaign staffs an Asian American Pacific Islander and faith groups team, dedicated to outreach. Both candidates are making the round in the North Jersey Asian communities. Murphy and Ciattarelli attended the Korean Festival in Ridgefield Park Oct. 9, speaking on stage."

—"68,000 in NJ have already cast ballots in person. Here's a look at who is voting early"

WET KEVIN COSTNER FOR GOVERNOR — " When the rains came," by NJ Advance Media's Ted Sherman: "The number of fatalities marked the highest direct death toll of any state from a storm that had first made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Louisiana. And it may have been a harbinger, experts warn, as a changing climate serves to exacerbate storms like Ida. Indeed, just this week another big nor'easter hit the state with more than 5 inches of rain, again raising concerns for river and coastal flooding. Some towns were swamped with a full month's worth of rain in just one day. The story of what happened in the suburban towns below South Mountain Reservation during Ida — and of the massive, widespread flooding across the state that led to deaths in nine of the 21 counties — raises troubling questions about how a highly developed place like New Jersey will weather the weather in years to come. In a part of the country already threatened by rising sea levels, and in the perpetual crosshairs of coastal storms that have caused billions of damage in recent years, Tropical Storm Ida showed just how vulnerable large swaths of New Jersey have become, a new and frightening reality in a densely packed state of more than 9 million people."

—" After father's drowning during Ida storms, N.J. approves grates on town's flood-prone drainage pipes"

—"Ciattarelli would ratchet back pace of climate response"

NJ WOMEN BREATHE ANOTHER SIGH OF RELIEF — New Jersey Chamber of Commerce postpones 'Walk to Washington' until 2023, by POLITICO's Katherine Landergan : The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce said Thursday that it is canceling its annual "Walk to Washington" again for 2022 because of the pandemic and will instead replace it with a two-day conference in Atlantic City. The "Walk to Washington" is an annual trip for New Jersey lobbyists and lawmakers who mingle aboard a chartered and crowded Amtrak train that travels from New Jersey to Washington. It was canceled last year due to the pandemic. The chamber said in a release that it intends to resume the event in 2023.

1-877-SHOT4KIDS — " NJ plans large rollout of COVID vaccine for children, but will the demand be there?" by Gannett's Scott Fallon and Michael L. Diamond: "New Jersey is planning a robust rollout of COVID vaccines for 760,000 children aged 5 to 11 who would become eligible for the two-dose shot as early as next week when federal regulators are expected to give final approval, the state's top health official said Wednesday. The state has pre-ordered 205,000 doses of Pfizer's vaccine and has plans to set up school clinics and possibly reopen mega-sites, state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said. But will the demand be there? Even though New Jersey has one of the highest vaccination rates in the U.S., younger adolescents are not getting vaccinated as much as health officials had expected — or hoped."

ARE YOU EATING BREAKFAST RIGHT NOW? — "Sphincters tighten as N.J. awaits next shoe to drop in Matt O'Donnell sting," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "Morristown tax appeal attorney Matthew O'Donnell allegedly committed additional crimes after he entered into a plea agreement with the New Jersey attorney general's office on July 30, 2018, and while he was the state's cooperating witness in five small fish political corruption sting operations, court records show … While O'Donnell had initially agreed to seven-year state prison term, a revised plea agreement he signed on October 25, 2021, appears to have acknowledged more criminal acts beginning about five weeks after he signed his first plea — and eight months after he began cooperating with prosecutors. Despite that, it appears prosecutors offered O'Donnell a better deal that the one he got three years ago: three years in prison instead of seven. That could mean O'Donnell, caught continuing to violate laws while serving as the government's key witness in the upcoming prosecutions of at least three former elected officials, might have stepped up his level cooperation — something that could lead to charges against additional current or former public officials or former candidates."

—" NJ schools await state's guidance on how to implement diversity, anti-bias law"

—NJEA, Norcross-linked super PAC spending big in two South Jersey legislative races

—" Commuters desperately want new customer advocate. Could NJ Transit have answers soon?"

—"Former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton joins NJ leaders in gun violence discussion"

—" In Hoboken, Ciattarelli implores Republicans not to stay home: 'This is a dead heat' for likely voters"

—Steinberg: "Post-final Monmouth poll: The bell tolls for Jack Ciattarelli — and for the New Jersey GOP"

—" New Jersey has one of the best paid family leave programs in America. Why don't more people use it? | Opinion"

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BIDEN TIME

WITH SALT, GOTTHEIMER VOWS TO PUSH IT REAL GOOD —"Biden's proposal doesn't address property tax breaks, but the final bill will, N.J. lawmakers say," by NJ Advance Media's Jonathan D. Salant: "While the $1.75 trillion proposal outlined by President Joe Biden Thursday is silent on the $10,000 cap on deducting state and local taxes, N.J. lawmakers said they expect the final bill will address the issue that is a major concern of Garden State taxpayers. Two House Democrats told NJ Advance Media that the provision, known as SALT, is expected to be part of the legislation when it reaches the floor for final passage. 'I believe, based on every single conversation that I've had with leadership, my Senate colleagues, and the White House, that SALT will be in the bill,' Gottheimer said. 'They know they don't have the votes without it.'"

BIG PHARMA — Democrats' drug pricing dreams crash into reality in social spending tumult, by POLITICO's Alice Miranda Ollstein, Megan Wilson, Hailey Fuchs: "Democrats' recent push to allow Medicare to negotiate the price of certain high-cost drugs represented the gravest threat to the industry's profits in decades. In response, drug lobbyists spent millions on ads and flooded lawmakers with campaign cash — focusing in particular on centrist Democrats most likely to buck the party line, like Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.). Democrats' narrow margins in each chamber meant the powerful pharmaceutical players only needed to peel off a few members to stop the reforms in its tracks."

— "'He lost everything.' Muslims whose lives were upended by 9/11 detainment want justice"

A message from the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association:

LOCAL

RADIO SILENCED — "Judge will decide fate of Trenton radio-room shutdown," by The Trentonian's Isaac Avilucea: "Attorneys for the city of Trenton on Thursday filed suit against MPS Communications, asking a judge to halt the shutoff of the capital city's emergency radio system. Mercer County Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy will decide whether to temporarily block the impending shutdown of the emergency radio system. The hearing is scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m., according to the office of Eric Bernstein, an attorney representing the city of Trenton. Bernstein wrote in a complaint, filed earlier Thursday in Mercer County Superior Court, that Trenton first responders faced 'irreparable harm' if the outage went forward."

HOW IS THIS HAPPENING? — "School bus involved in crash in Lakewood again: Reports," by Patch's Karen Wall: "Another crash involving a school bus caused serious damage to the bus on Thursday evening, but reports say there were no serious injuries. Lakewood News Network tweeted photos of the damaged bus and a car, and said the bus had students on board at the time of the crash, which happened at Chestnut Street and Vermont Avenue."

TWO WOMEN ON THE BOARD FOR THE FIRST TIME — "Ocean County commissioner race will result in a big change — no matter who wins," by The Asbury Park Press' Erik Larsen: "Gerry P. Little's retirement from the Ocean County Board of Commissioners at the end of the year has resulted in a field of seven candidates competing for two seats on the five-member governing body this fall. While Republicans have not lost a countywide race in Ocean since 1989, Little's departure will most certainly result in a subtle shift in the balance of power on the commission come 2022 … Little Egg Harbor Township Committeewoman Barbara 'Bobbi' Jo Crea is paired on the GOP ticket for commissioner with incumbent Gary Quinn, who is director of the board this year and is seeking a second, three-year term … Crea would join Commissioner Virginia E. Haines, the county's second female commissioner on the dais, marking the first time that two women have served together on the board … Quinn, Haines and Crea — all who have found themselves as candidates for the board within the past five years — would represent a shift in the personality of the commission. While vowing to continue to govern as conservative Republicans, they have communicated their intentions to be open to fresh ideas and new approaches in administering the county, which until next year will have been dominated by the influence of Commissioners Joseph H. Vicari and Jack Kelly — whose long tenures stretch back into the 20th century, and Little, who has served since 2003."

IN TWENTY HUNDRED AND TWENTY ONE SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS WERE NO FUN — "Columbus Day is back on the Rockaway Township school calendar," by The Daily Record's Jessie Gomez: "School board officials voted to reinstate Columbus Day on the school calendar after Italian-American activists protested its removal. Dozens of residents, activists and parents attended Wednesday night's school board meeting to urge the board to replace Indigenous Peoples' Day with Columbus Day. Columbus Day was returned to the calendar following a 5-2 vote. 'As an American. I'm telling you, we have to preserve [Columbus Day]. We shouldn't let the revisionists change our history because changing the history is a way to attack our country,' said Andre' DiMino, communications director for the Italian American One Voice Coalition at Wednesday's meeting. A motion to discuss Columbus Day was not on the agenda, but board member Aaron Tomasini asked school officials to consider a vote to change the day. School officials Rachel Brookes and Tanya Sheilds voted against the action."

A BRIDGET TOO FAR — Bridget Kelly not running from her Bridgegate past in race for Bergen County clerk, by POLITICO's Daniel Han: Bridget Kelly has a complicated past. The Republican Party doesn't seem to mind. After authoring the infamous "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee" email which ensnared her in the Bridgegate scandal in 2013, Kelly is in the home stretch of a long-shot campaign for Bergen County clerk. And while political observers were taken aback when she announced her candidacy in January, Republicans in the state's most populous county have largely looked past the lane closure scandal that has taken over her life in recent years. "Bergen County remembers Bridget Kelly before Bridgegate," Kelly said in an interview. "And Bridget Kelly is back." Kelly views her candidacy as an opportunity to reenter government life. A former top aide to then-Gov. Chris Christie and a longtime Trenton staffer, Kelly was convicted in the Bridgegate scandal, when access lanes to the George Washington Bridge were shut down in retaliation against the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee for not endorsing Christie in his reelection bid.

—"Report: Trenton first responders 'negatively impacted' by 345 incidents with radio system"

—"Martin angry over Trenton Water Works double billing Hamiltonians"

—"'Mayor Mohamed' documentary examines Islamophobia, small-town politics"

—Video: "Politics driving more candidates to run for school boards"

—"Federal judge demands Cumberland jail communications, captain claims 5th Amendment rights"

—" Newark PD wouldn't let me take weekends off for church, ex-cop says in lawsuit"

—"Glimmer Glass Bridge project rolls toward replacement as preservationists fight on"

—" Protest in Newark against police brutality focuses on Civilian Complaint Review Board issue"

—"Morris County Park Police to be folded into Sheriff's Office following commissioner vote"

—" Hoboken 'Monarch' land swap to be finalized next week, culminating saga to save waterfront from condos"

—"In Weehawken, a familiar face returns as Robert Sosa is again sworn in as 3rd Ward councilman"

—" Advocates call for releases of migrants detained in Bergen County Jail"

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EVERYTHING ELSE

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A message from the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association:

Last November, 67% of New Jerseyans voted in favor of a constitutional amendment to legalize cannabis, paving the way for adult-use sales. Current medical cannabis dispensaries would be the first to offer cannabis for adult use, with new licensees to follow.

The August passing of CRC regulations for adult-use cannabis sales signaled progress; however, as of today, New Jersey citizens still do not have a safe and lawful place to purchase cannabis.

The Alternative Treatment Centers (ATC) – the majority of which comprise the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association -- have been working non-stop to prepare for adult-use cannabis sales. The ATCs have invested substantial time, money and resources into expanding their operations: hiring more staff, securing supply chains, and expanding cultivation sites.

It cannot be emphasized enough that New Jersey's ATCs have ample supply now to service adult-use consumers without harming access for medical cannabis patients, who always come first.