News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Phil Rizzo's parsonage comes under new scrutiny

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Phil Rizzo's parsonage comes under new scrutiny

Feb 09, 2022

Good Wednesday morning!

It's been almost a year since I wrote about how then-gubernatorial candidate Phil Rizzo sold his $1.65 million home to his tiny church, turning it into a tax-free parsonage he and his family continued to live in.

Since then, Rizzo has announced a potentially permanent leave of absence as a pastor. His church has closed. And he and his campaign have refused to answer questions about how he continues to live in a parsonage if he's no longer a pastor.

Apparently Harding Township has had similar questions, because they're challenging the tax-exempt status of Rizzo's parsonage with the Morris County Board of Taxation. Read more about it here.

There are a lot of unanswered questions about this arrangement. For instance, Rizzo defended his sale of his own home to his church after I published the initial article about it by saying his church took out the biggest mortgage it could — $750,000 — and that he donated the other $900,000 of the sale price. But why not just sell the house to the church for $750,000?

Similarly, how is this tiny church that's no longer operating continuing to pay a large mortgage like that?

Rizzo has run a Trump-style far-right campaign that treats the media as an enemy, so he hasn't answered these questions. But when you're running for public office, your personal financial arrangements are relevant and fair game.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "There can be no justifying the horrific attack that day, and we condemn the Committee for excusing the actions of men and women who battered police officers, ransacked our nation's capital, called for hanging the Vice President of the United States, and sought to overturn a free and fair election." — A letter signed by almost 150 Republicans, including former Gov . Christie Whitman and former U.S. Reps. Leonard Lance and Rodney Frelinghuysen

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Assemblymember James Kennedy, former Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittel, US DVA's Raphael Chavez-Fernandez, former Menendez staffer Steve Lieberman, McKinsey's John Baldino

WHERE'S MURPHY? No public schedule

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

WHAT TRENTON MADE

THE HOTTEST TICKET IN TOWN — Murphy's budget address likely to be pushed back until March 8, by POLITICO's Katherine Landergan: "Gov. Phil Murphy's budget address to the Legislature is expected to be pushed back two weeks to March 8 so he can deliver it in person from the Assembly chamber, according to two people with knowledge of the process. Alyana Alfaro Post, a Murphy spokesperson, said the governor is petitioning the Legislature to approve the delay. "By requesting a two-week extension, we are hoping that [Covid] case numbers will allow the address to be delivered in the Chamber for the first time in two years," Alfaro Post said in a statement. If the March 8 date is approved, Murphy would deliver his budget proposal one day after the school mask mandate is to be lifted.

COVID — Democratic governors long cautious on Covid signal new phase in pandemic response, by POLITICO's Megan Messerly : Governors and state health officials who most vigorously embraced pandemic restrictions are now pivoting toward a new era, using Omicron's decline to dial back precautions emblematic of the last two years. Health departments from Oregon to Maine have over the last few weeks ended almost all of their government-run Covid-19 contact tracing operations and shifted the responsibility to the public. At the same time, Democratic governors in the Northeast and West, where case counts are dropping dramatically, are loosening mask policies and preparing residents for the reality that Covid-19 will be around long term. "We're not going to manage Covid to zero," said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who has taken a strict approach to pandemic protocols, but who on Monday said he would lift the state's school mask mandate. "We have to learn how to live with Covid as we move from a pandemic to the endemic phase of this virus."

R.I.P. — " Former Rutgers athletics director Bob Mulcahy dead at 85 ," by NJ Advance Media's Keith Sargeant: "Robert 'Bob' Mulcahy, a former New Jersey mayor and executive of the state's commission that oversees the Meadowlands before leading the Rutgers athletics program for more than a decade, died late Monday night. He was 85. 'The entire Rutgers community is saddened to hear the news of Bob Mulcahy's passing,' Rutgers athletics director Pat Hobbs said in a statement. 'Bob was an extraordinary man who led an extraordinary life' … As the head of the Rutgers athletics director [sic] from 1998 through 2008, Mulcahy was credited with helping transform a downtrodden football program into a perennial bowl contender. Mulcahy helped build the infrastructure around the state university's marquee sports teams by overhauling the academic-support program and improving the facilities, but his shrewdest move was hiring Greg Schiano as his head football coach following the 2000 season."

—Golden: " Robert E. Mulcahy was here"

MORE LIKE BILL DE BLASIO 2.0 — " Chris Christie 2.0? Why Murphy seems to be charting a path to the White House," by The Record's Charles Stile : "Gov. Phil Murphy repeatedly insists that his pandemic positions are made in a politics-free laboratory where data and science are the only factors guiding his actions. And so he insisted again on Monday, when reporters pressed him on whether political considerations helped drive his decision to lift the school mask mandate by March 7. 'Given all the unpopular decisions I made when politics was really on the front burner ... I will disavow the premise of the question,' Murphy said, referring to last fall's campaign, when he took heat for reinstituting mask mandates as the delta variant surged. But Monday's School Mask Liberation announcement seemed very much part of a carefully orchestrated campaign rollout. This wasn't just simply about stripping away masks. This was about generating national buzz. First, the news is leaked Sunday to The New York Times, the nation's largest and most influential newspaper. New Jersey outlets had to wait their turn. New Jersey was in a headline for something other than a scandal. It was a scrolling headline on CNN. The news went viral. For a fleeting second, Phil Murphy was the face of the Democratic Party rather than the exhausted, polls-tanking Joe Biden."

PLEASE CONSIDER MATT FRIEDMAN'S WEED DISPOSAL SERVICE — " Why is Medical Marijuana Still So Expensive in NJ? What about Homegrow? " by InsiderNJ's Jay Lassiter: "Verano, who run [sic] two medical marijuana dispensaries in NJ, have aggressively pushed to be first in line for recreational sales. Their Deptford location, where medical cannabis goes for $472/oz, devoted half its retail space to recreational sales that haven't started yet. 'I hate to say this,' Mr. Leventis recently warned, 'but we may have to start destroying product (destined for the recreational market) and we may have to start potentially letting people go because part of the anticipation is you ramp up your staffing, as well' if regulators don't green light recreational sales soon. Verano is so committed to higher prices, they're willing to blowtorch a warehouse full of weed to prove it."

SACCO TO REDISTRICTING COMMISSIONERS: 'THIS IS OFFICIAL MISCONDUCT!' — " Sacco: Legislative redistricting proposals would 'create unnecessary disruption within Hudson County," by Hudson County VIew's John Heinis: "'The proposed legislative maps would both create unnecessary disruption within Hudson County and are not acceptable in their current forms,' [State Sen. Nick Sacco] said in a statement in response to an inquiry from HCV. 'While the population growth in the area makes a certain amount of change inevitable, the apportionment commission should take continuity of representation into account and do what it can to prevent these kinds of disruptions which can have negative consequences for residents.' … While Jersey City currently runs through the 31st and 33rd Legislative Districts, the Democratic plan would have the state's second largest city also be included in the 32nd. Mayor Steven Fulop panned this idea on Twitter yesterday, asserting it would hurt immigrant communities."

—" Both state legislative redistricting maps have Hudson County mayors grumbling"

—" Initial legislative map proposals leave some incumbents behind"

STILL SMOKIN' — " Atlantic City casino smoking ban effort adds key ally ," by NJ Online Gambling's John Brennan: "While he hasn't been New Jersey's governor since 2006 or its state Senate's president since 2010, no one in the legislature has more statewide name recognition than Sen. Richard Codey. So this week's announcement that Codey had joined the growing wave of lawmakers backing a ban on smoking in Atlantic City's casinos is a significant boost for that cause … 'When I was governor, we passed smoke-free legislation that covered almost all of our state,' Codey said in a statement Monday. 'Restaurants complained their businesses would suffer, but in fact, the opposite happened — customers loved the smoke-free environment. The same will happen with the casinos. It's past time that casino workers have the same protections as every other worker in New Jersey. We need to get this done.'"

—" NJ mayors, lawmakers call for tightening of bail rules "

— Charter school advocates call on Murphy to reverse expansion denials

—" Is Murphy's decision to lift N.J. school mask mandate based on politics? No way, he says"

—" Four NJ smoke shops raided, five busted for selling pot, THC edibles"

—" Commuter advocates warn of lingering disparities, with hurdles on horizon"

—"Ex-NJ Transit driver accuses boss of sex assault. It's 10th suit by workers in 6 months"

—" Opinion: New Jersey needs same day voter registration "

—"Rail advocate retires, but is still sticking up for N.J. commuters"

—POLITICO special: Violent crime to labor shortages: Mayors say Covid's toll on cities is far-reaching

HAPPENING THURSDAY – A LONG GAME CONVERSATION ON THE CLIMATE CRISIS : Join POLITICO for back-to-back conversations on climate and sustainability action, starting with a panel led by Global Insider author Ryan Heath focused on insights gleaned from our POLITICO/Morning Consult Global Sustainability Poll of citizens from 13 countries on five continents about how their governments should respond to climate change. Following the panel, join a discussion with POLITICO White House Correspondent Laura Barrón-López and Gina McCarthy, White House national climate advisor, about the Biden administration's climate and sustainability agenda. REGISTER HERE.

BIDEN TIME

250,000 NEW JERSEYANS DEPRIVED OF OPPORTUNITY TO NOT PICK UP PHONE FOR DEPARTMENT OF LABOR — " N.J. will no longer attempt to recover some overpaid unemployment payments," by New Jersey Monitor's Sophie Nieto-Munoz: "The state Labor Department will no longer attempt to recover some overpaid unemployment payments after the federal government updated its guidance on pandemic-related unemployment benefits. The change could affect more than 250,000 New Jerseyans who received extra unemployment benefits through no fault of their own, Labor spokeswoman Angela Delli-Santi said. The department is working through the details and will soon notify eligible claimants of the next steps, Delli-Santi said."

—" VP Kamala Harris returns to N.J. Friday to highlight federal push to remove lead water pipes"

— Amtrak needs better protocols to organize massive Gateway project, watchdog finds

LOCAL

THE THICK-HEADED BLUE LINE — " Toms River, NJ blue line painter put suspicious device in road, cops say," by NJ 101.5's Patrick Lavery: "A name familiar to Ocean County law enforcement is in trouble again, this time for allegedly causing false public alarm by placing a makeshift device in the middle of a township intersection, prompting a response from local, county, and state authorities. Along with false public alarm, David Giordano, 36, of Toms River was charged with possession of alprazolam, methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia following his arrest Monday, according to a release from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. Giordano's latest arrest followed a motor vehicle accident on the Garden State Parkway near Bloomfield earlier Monday for which Giordano had to be briefly hospitalized, the OCPO said. And it came two days after the Toms River Police Department was alerted to a suspicious item left in the area of Hooper Avenue and Washington Street, according to the release, a car battery with a power inverter attached, with a strand of blue LED Christmas lights attached to the inverter at one end and a bottle of Clorox bleach containing liquid at the other. The portion of Hooper Avenue where the device was found is between the Ocean County Courthouse and the county Administration Building, which is in the vicinity of where county authorities said Giordano illegally painted a blue line in support of law enforcement last March."

HE HAD NO IDEA! — " Hudson County commissioners to vote on nearly $19K raise for Sheriff Frank Schillari," by The Jersey Journal's Jake Maher: "Hudson County Frank Schillari will receive a nearly 12% raise under a resolution being considered by the Hudson County Board of Commissioners. The sheriff, who first won election in 2011, would be earning $161,767 annually, an increase of more than $18,000 from his current salary of $143,000. The resolution is expected to voted on at the next regular meeting of the commissioners, Feb. 15. The salary increase would take effect immediately. Schillari told The Jersey Journal he didn't know the board was planning to vote on the substantial raise and claimed he was taken by surprise. The raise would put Schillari in the middle range of sheriffs' salaries in New Jersey."

BETTER COMPROMISE: KEEP THE NAME BUT MAKE THE MASCOT A CHARACTER FROM THE CLASSIC 1979 MOVIE — " Wildwood to keep Warriors name," by The Press of Atlantic City's Bill Barlow: "Wildwood schools are keeping the Warrior name, as well as the image of a man in a ceremonial war bonnet in the style used by Plains Indian nations. Wildwood school officials announced the decision on Monday, along with an agreement with the Native American Guardian's Association to work with the district. The national non-profit organization describes itself as advocating for education about Native Americans, and has campaigned to preserve Native images in school athletics and professional sports."

RETIREMENT — " Basantis to retire as Burlington County sheriff ,' by New Jersey Globe's Joey Fox: "Burlington County Sheriff Anthony Basantis, a Democrat, has announced that he will not seek re-election this year, creating an open seat in the Democratic-trending but still politically competitive county. Basantis was first elected in 2019, winning the race to succeed Republican Sheriff Jean Stanfield (R-Westampton) by a 52-46% margin against Republican Michael Ditzel; Stanfield had held the office for 18 years before deciding to run for the state legislature. On the same ballot, Democrats flipped the final GOP-held county commissioner seat, completely solidifying their control over the county."

R.I.P. — " 'New Brunswick is a better place because Dave Harris was here': Public advocate remembered"

R.I.P. — " Requiem for a Parsippany diehard"

—" Life & death at University: This N.J. hospital was nearly overrun by COVID patients. A military medical team came to its rescue"

—" East Orange residents help their own with expunging marijuana records"

—" Judge hears casino PILOT injunction request, will rule in weeks"

—" Murphy lifting NJ COVID mask mandate forces Jersey Shore parents, schools to choose"

—" Now, the [Randolph] Dispute over Rosh Hashanah"

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

EVERYTHING ELSE

IT WAS ED DURR'S OVERLOADED FURNITURE TRUCK PASSING BY — "Mysterious shaking reported in N.J. Tuesday afternoon. No evidence of earthquake," by NJ Advance Media's Len Melisurgo: "If you happened to feel the ground shake in southern New Jersey Tuesday afternoon, it appears you are not alone. Social media users have been reporting that they felt some shaking in their homes, and some reported hearing a loud boom in the afternoon, but so far there have been no confirmed reports of any earthquakes or sonic booms in the Garden State region … Twitter user Dave Leek said more than 40 people have reported feeling some sort of shaking in New Jersey Tuesday afternoon and posted their reports on volcanodiscovery.com. The website described the incident as an 'unconfirmed earthquake or seismic-like event,' saying it occurred 17 miles east of Vineland, Cumberland County at 1:22 p.m."

—" Feds: Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore hospital broke rules in failed unionization drive"

—"Catholic Church paid $40M to settle NJ abuse cases. But hundreds more remain in limbo"

—" J.&J. pauses production of its Covid vaccine despite persistent need"

—" Spielberg, 'West Side Story,' Dunst represent New Jersey in Oscar nominations"

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