| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Good Wednesday morning and…. What the hell? Sean Caddle, a Democratic political consultant, was not known for his ethics. But hiring people to murder someone? That's not an allegation. He did it . U.S. Attorney Phil Sellinge announced last night that Caddle pleaded guilty to one count murder for hire, having hired two unidentified people to kill a former associate. That associate wasn't named in the press release, but the circumstances match up with the May 2014 murder of Micahel Galdieri, a former Jersey City council candidate and son of the late state Sen. James Galdieri. Galdieri worked with Caddle, according to an old Hudson County Reporter article. Galdieri, who had done some time in prison after being arrested on drug and weapons charges on the eve of his 2005 Jersey City election, was found stabbed to death after his apartment was set on fire. The office did not lay out a motive or name the people Caddle hired to kill Galdieri. One of the many crazy things about this is that Caddle was working as recently as yesterday. Former state Sen. Ray Lesniak, whose 2017 gubernatorial campaign Caddle ran, said he talked to him yesterday about a project they were working on together (Lesniak declined to say what project). And somehow Caddle did not mention that he was about to plead guilty to an offense that took a man's life and could land him in prison for life. And this being Jersey, the payoff for the murder took place — where else? — in the parking lot of a diner in Elizabeth. I wrote a lot about a network of super PACs Caddle ran that appeared designed to hide the source of the money they were pouring into local elections. And Caddle was involved in a Texas voter fraud scandal. But I think we can all agree that this is a whole new level of bad. And while I don't know how common this is, it's pretty amazing to me that Caddle is in home detention at the moment on a $1 million bond. QUOTE OF THE DAY: "At some point in time, in the near future, I'll speak to [whether I'm supporting him]," Sen. Robert Menendez on endorsing Robert Menendez Jr. for Congress, presumably not wanting to risk stepping on the grassroots groundswell that is propelling his son to office through pure people power. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — IGA office's Rob Field, BPU's Christine Guhl, Dow Jones News Fund's Heather Taylor TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com
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RACIAL PROFILING — " N.J.'s top court upholds state ban on racial profiling in new ruling," by New Jersey Monitor's Dana DeFilippo: "Police officers investigating crimes can't stop a car merely because its occupants match the race and gender of a suspect, the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously ruled Tuesday in an opinion upholding state prohibitions on racial profiling. The state's top court tossed the conviction of one man — and upheld the vacated sentence of another — in a Mercer County case stemming from the 2011 armed robbery of a 7-Eleven. In the minutes after the crime was reported, police dispatchers described the suspects as 'two Black males.' But such a vague description didn't constitute enough reasonable suspicion for a Hamilton Township police sergeant to justify pulling a car over with three Black men inside, even though they later pleaded guilty to the crime, the court ruled."
PATRONAGE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT — Addiego, Bateman on the path to landing paid positions, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman : Two former state lawmakers who left office last week are on the glide path to paid positions, pending Senate confirmation. The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a meeting for Thursday to take up Gov. Phil Murphy's nominations of former Republican Sen. Christopher "Kip" Bateman to the board of directors of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and former Democratic Sen. Dawn Addiego as Burlington County superintendent of elections. Bateman and Addiego, who were nominated Jan. 11, are expected to be confirmed at a voting session Monday, the Senate's first under its new president, Nicholas Scutari (D-Union). I'M GOING DIZZY AT THE ALCOHOL ZONE. WHERE I CAN CUT LOOSE AND DRINK ON MY OWN — " Alcoholic beverages in public? I'll drink to that ," by The Star-Ledger's Paul Mulshine: "I was pleasantly surprised the other day when I read that Gov. Phil Murphy had signed into law a statute that allows municipalities to create zones where the drinking of alcoholic beverages is permitted outdoors. This is perhaps the only positive development stemming from the pandemic. When it began almost two years ago, the bars and restaurants were shut down. To ease the economic loss, the state permitted the bars to sell drinks to go. But where to drink them? Back in May of 2020, the town of North Wildwood came up with a simple solution. The town revoked its ban on drinking in public. When I drove down there to check it out in person, I saw a lot of people standing around on the sidewalks drinking from the to-go cups they bought at the bars. A good time was had by all." THE BRUCK DOESN'T STOP HERE — " For attorney general, let Andrew Bruck keep up the good work," by The Star-Ledger's Tom Moran: "Gov. Phil Murphy is on the verge of filling the most important job in his cabinet, the attorney general, whose sweeping powers include oversight of all police and prosecutors as well as handling civil cases for the state government, on everything from environmental protection to consumer rights. Murphy is considering giving the job to Matt Platkin, a loyalist who served as his chief counsel for three years with a mixed record. By all accounts, Platkin is a smart lawyer whose fingerprints are all over Murphy's progressive achievements, from the minimum wage to environmental justice to marijuana legalization. But his experience is limited, with no significant work on criminal justice. And his credibility took a beating during the scandal over Katie Brennan's charge that a senior official in the 2017 Murphy campaign raped her. Platkin protected the governor by claiming that he never told Murphy about Brennan's accusation … As it happens, Murphy has a stellar alternative to Platkin under his nose — Acting Attorney General Andrew Bruck, who has held the job for six months, after serving as the first assistant to the former attorney general, Gurbir Grewal. Bruck is inarguably more qualified, especially when it comes to criminal justice." TURNPIKE — "Just fix N.J. Turnpike extension to Holland Tunnel, don't spend $4.7B to widen it, opponents say," by NJ Advance Media's Larry Higgs: "Opponents of a $4.7 billion plan to replace the aging bridge over Newark Bay and add lanes to the Hudson County New Jersey Turnpike extension told officials that repairing and rehabilitating the roadway would be a better option than adding lanes. New Jersey Turnpike Authority commissioners heard from 17 people who opposed the widening plan and urged them to 'pause' the project during an hour-long public session on Tuesday during the commissioners regular meeting. One person spoke in favor of the project. Even some who drive the 8.1-mile highway through Bayonne and Jersey City said they support repairing the extension and replacing the bridge, but oppose widening because of the additional traffic it would encourage and the air pollution it would generate." —" Durr, armed with senatorial courtesy, set to interview Murphy cabinet nominee" — Court allows PBA to submit briefs against Murphy's vaccine and booster mandate —" Long delayed, racial desegregation lawsuit gets start date" —"Here's the updated NJ school guidance for non-boosted students, staff exposed to COVID" —" Murphy says cannabis industry will fuel N.J.'s economy as he begins 2nd term" —" Senator Steven Oroho: 'time to get to work' on affordability issues" — Senate committee plans to take up 4 'affordability' bills
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UNEMPLOYMENT — " NJ urging Congress to forgive overpaid unemployment benefits to more than 250k workers," by The Record's Ashley Balcerzak: "More than 130,000 workers in New Jersey who collected unemployment benefits under COVID pandemic federal assistance programs later received a letter from the state labor department saying they weren't actually eligible for jobless benefits — and must give the money back. And that's just the number of overpayment letters have gone out so far. New Jersey estimates it paid 250,000 workers who aren't eligible for unemployment after federal rules changed. New Jersey's labor commissioner is urging Congress to waive these overpayments as long as they weren't fraudulent. Commissioner Rob Asaro-Angelo signed on to a Jan. 7 letter to congressional leadership written by the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, a nonprofit representing 50 state agencies that administer unemployment insurance … as time passed, certain federal rules about administering the programs changed, said New Jersey Department of Labor spokesperson Angela Delli Santi. For instance, federal guidance first allowed self-employed workers to self-certify their earnings and unemployment history, but later required documentation. 'Workers later had to provide documents of an earnings history or tax returns, and quite frankly, many could not pass muster,' Delli Santi said. 'They received benefits for what was legal at the time, but these new rules made them ineligible. They didn't lie, but the rules changed.'"
THE RON BURGUNDY MEMORIAL BRIDGE — " N.J. leaders say bridge funding is a 'big deal' for both the state and the country," by NJ Advance Media's Brent Johnson: "Some of New Jersey's highest-ranking leaders gathered along the Hackensack River on Tuesday to announce the first infusion of federal funding to repair or replace hundreds of bridges across the state under the new national infrastructure law. Gov. Phil Murphy, U.S. Sens. Robert Menendez and Cory Booker, and U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. heralded plans to upgrade the eastbound span of the Route 3 bridge over the river from East Rutherford to Secaucus — a heavily traveled bridge that carries commuters to the Lincoln Tunnel. The plans also include space for a light rail — or monorail — that officials said could help alleviate traffic to and from the American Dream mall and entertainment complex and MetLife Stadium." THEY'RE SCOUTING IT FOR JOE D'S NEXT SUPER BOWL PARTY LOCATION — " Meeks leading bipartisan trip to Ukraine amid Russia tensions," by The Hill's Laura Kelly: "House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) is leading a bipartisan congressional delegation to Belgium and Ukraine [Tuesday], according to a congressional source … The congressional delegation includes Reps. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Ami Bera (D-Calif.), Colin Allred (D-Texas), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), Mark Green (R-Tenn.), August Pfluger (R-Texas), Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) and Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.)." — "More property-tax bills are now over deduction limit" —"The Gateway project got a new rating. Now what? Here's what's happening behind the scenes" —" Biden names former NYC councilwoman Ampry-Samuel HUD regional administrator for NY/NJ"
| | LOCAL | | NOBOKEN — " $241 million Hoboken school referendum voted down 2-1 at the polls in special election," by Hudson County View's John Heinis : "The $241 million Hoboken school referendum was voted down at the polls during today's special election, getting defeated decisively by a margin of about 2-1, preliminary tallies from the Hoboken Clerk's Office show. The larger than expected voter turnout clearly aided those opposing the bond effort, who had a fully loaded get out the vote effort on the streets before the polls opened at 6 a.m. this morning The anti-referendum group, which ranged from community members to officials from the local Republican party, opposed the measure since they said the process was rushed — about nine weeks notice — and actively sought to keep public input to a minimum. The BOE scoffed at that notion, arguing their infrastructure hadn't been upgraded in decades and that their projected enrollment numbers showed large increases for the next five years." —" Hudson County Board of Elections expecting about 20% voter turnout for Hoboken school referendum" THE ART OF PR — " Toms River hires GOP strategist Art Gallagher for public relations job," by The Asbury Park Press' Jean Mikle: "GOP strategist Art Gallagher is back working in Toms River, after being hired as an confidential employee for an annual salary of $89,000. Mayor Maurice B. 'Mo' Hill Jr. said Gallagher 'is going to work with the administration on media,' particularly amplifying the township's reach on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. 'We felt we needed to get more hits on social media, and get more information out that way,' Hill said. 'We're trying to get more of a foothold into the social media. We find we need people that have an expertise for that.' Gallagher, who is also working on Monmouth County Commissioner Sue Kiley's campaign for U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone's 6th District congressional seat, ran Hill's successful 2019 campaign for Toms River mayor." H2WHOA! — DEP: 500,000 New Jerseyans drinking water contaminated with 'forever chemicals,' by POLITICO's Ry Rivard: More than 500,000 New Jersey residents are drinking water contaminated with "forever chemicals," the state's environmental regulators said Tuesday. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection released a list of dozens of water districts that have found their water contaminated by a series of widely used industrial chemicals — perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid and perfluorononanoicacid. The chemicals, also known by the acronym PFAS, pose long-term risks to human health. ENGLEWOOD WHIFFS — " A $100M lawsuit and $900K in legal fees: Here's how it ended for Englewood Cliffs," by The Record's Katie Sobko: "A Superior Court judge has tossed out a $100 million lawsuit filed by Englewood Cliffs against four attorneys. The order by Judge Christine Farrington in Superior Court in Bergen County said the borough had failed to state a claim in the suit it filed against Thomas Trautner, Albert Wunsch, Jeffrey Surenian and Joseph Marinello and their law firms. The suit alleged that the borough's former attorneys were working in 'deliberate cooperation; with developers and breached their duties by not communicating more extensively with the mayor and some members of the Borough Council." BAD LIEUTENANT — " Ex-cop who says supervisor beat him with chopsticks settles discrimination lawsuit for $120K," by NJ Advance Media's Anthony G. Attrino: "A former police officer in a Bergen County borough, who claimed he was bullied by an allegedly bad lieutenant, has settled his lawsuit for $120,000, according to court documents. Samuel Kim, who worked for the Palisades Park Police Department, claimed in a July 2021 lawsuit that his supervisor made his life a nightmare by shouting at him in public, bullying him in the locker room and assaulting him with chopsticks." —" Some N.J. schools cancel midterms or say failing grades won't count due to COVID" —" NJ's biggest, smallest 2021 property tax hikes by town: One lucky place [Millstone] saw bill drop 12%" —" When temperatures plummet, Clifton has no place to shelter its homeless residents" —" Chris Brown now DCA point man in Atlantic City" —" Plainfield's new police director James Abney plans to tackle two key issues" —"Cooper filing discloses plans for Moorestown Mall medical center" —"Wounded police officer returns to post in N.J. town two years after near-fatal accident" —" More than half of Paterson's cops have expired body armor" —" Large fire engulfs scrapyard in Newark"
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NJ TO LEGALIZE BETTING ON PAW PATROL — " A New Jersey toddler spent nearly $1,800 using his mom's phone. She didn't know until packages started arriving," by The Washington Post's Jonathan Edwards: "Madhu Kumar had shopped for — but not actually ordered — the furniture that last week started arriving in waves at her New Jersey home. Each day brought more surprise deliveries: flower stands, household items and armchair after armchair … Although she'd loaded the items into her online Walmart shopping cart while browsing for the family's new home in Monmouth Junction, Kumar knew she hadn't purchased any of them. She checked with her husband, Pramod, who told her he hadn't, either. And neither had their two older children. That left toddler Ayaansh. While playing on his mom's phone, the 22-month-old had gone rogue, buying nearly $1,800 of furniture that was in the cart. When the Kumars realized what had happened, they tried to cancel the remaining orders but were too late."
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