News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: They can take our money, but they'll never take our full-serve gas!

Thursday, March 10, 2022

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: They can take our money, but they'll never take our full-serve gas!

Mar 10, 2022

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By Katherine Landergan and Matt Friedman

Presented by American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation

Good Thursday morning!

Jersey girls (and boys, for that matter) STILL don't want to pump their own gas.

That was the central takeaway of a new Rutgers-Eagleton poll released this morning: Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they prefer having their gas pumped for them. Only 22 percent said the opposite.

Could this give lawmakers pause on the latest bill that would repeal the law that requires fuel station employees to operate the pumps?

"There is apparently one thing all New Jerseyans can agree on nowadays and that's the time-honored Jersey tradition of having your gas pumped for you," said Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers. But Koning added: "Context plays a crucial role in public opinion. A large majority wants full service in the Garden State, but this preference does not mean automatic opposition to a self-serve option."

Support for having gas pumped is widespread, but there are some notable demographic differences. Partisans of all stripes prefer full service, though to varying degrees: Democrats are most likely to prefer having their gas pumped for them (82 percent), followed by Independents (70 percent) and Republicans (64 percent). Women like full-service more than men, but majorities of both prefer it. Eighty-seven percent of women prefer to have their gas pumped for them, compared to 55 percent of men.

Unfortunately, the survey didn't ask if New Jersesyans would accept allowing self-serve if full-serve is still an option. Find the poll here.

DAYS SINCE MURPHY REFUSED TO SAY WHETHER HIS WIFE'S NONPROFIT SHOULD DISCLOSE ITS DONORS: 24

WHERE'S MURPHY? In Edison for an 11 a.m. budget education aid promotion event

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I'm a very litigious person. I have several lawyers on staff." — 4th District GOP House candidate Mike Blasi threatening to sue the person who leaked a "weird" video of him that he says is him acting as John Belushi playing Joe Cocker impersonating Prince.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Assemblymember Angela McKnight, Camden Councilmember COS Nohemi Soria-Pérez

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

A message from American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation:

No worker should have to choose between their health and a paycheck, but that's exactly what a loophole in state law forces Atlantic City casino employees to do every day. It's past time to eliminate the casino smoking loophole by passing S264/A2151, bipartisan bills supported by legislators across the state and which Gov. Murphy says he'll sign. Learn why thousands of casino employees are speaking out on this life and death matter.

WHAT TRENTON MADE

NYET JERSEY — Murphy signs bill banning public investments with Russia, Belarus, by POLITICO's Carly Sitrin: New Jersey is the latest state government to sanction Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, after Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday signed a bipartisan bill, NJ S1889 (22R), prohibiting public investments with Russia or Belarus. The measure had progressed quickly through the Legislature with no opposition and landed on Murphy's desk just before he delivered his budget address on Tuesday. "New Jersey cannot and will not stand idly by as a tin-pot dictator invades the free and independent nation of Ukraine," Murphy said in a statement. "We are sending a strong message today to Vladimir Putin and his cronies in Belarus that their actions will not be tolerated."

IT'S A GOOD THING CLIMATE CHANGE IS TOTALLY UNDER CONTROL — "As world warms, Murphy budget offers little comfort, by NJ Spotlight News' Tom Johnson and John Reitmeyer: "As scientists warn climate change is accelerating, Gov. Phil Murphy's $48.9 billion proposed state budget offers few new initiatives to reduce the emissions contributing to global warming or more money to help shift to 100% clean energy. Murphy as governor has been publicly aggressive in promoting green-energy programs and in the past been willing to fund them. Now with a surging economy, Murphy wants to spend $48.9 billion in the fiscal year that begins July 1, which would be the largest budget in state history. But that plan is mostly a status-quo budget as far as climate is concerned."

ALSO SLIGHTED IN MURPHY'S ADDRESS — "Murphy ignores N.J. cannabis industry in budget address," by NJ Advance Media's Suzette Parmley: "Cannabis revenue is expected to generate $19 million for New Jersey's general fund in the new fiscal year state budget laid out by Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday. But the industry surprisingly got the silent treatment from Murphy during his budget address. The lack of any mention of cannabis was more than a little noticeable given Murphy gave the industry a shoutout in both his State of the State address and second inaugural speech in January. Despite a reference to 'growing businesses' contributing to New Jersey's economy, Murphy's budget address never cited cannabis specifically as being among them."

FIRMLY ANCHORED IN THE PAST — "NJ property tax rebates are Trenton gimmicks. Why you shouldn't expect them to last," by The Record's Charles Stile: "Murphy's rollout last week — and showcasing of it in his budget address Tuesday — more closely mirrors Gov. Christie Whitman in April 1998, who narrowly escaped an embarrassing election loss months before. During her campaign, Whitman gave lip service to property taxes and pledged to tackle other affordability issues like high auto insurance premiums while her rival, upstart Democrat Jim McGreevey, pounced on those themes with robotic intensity. So she responded with the NJ SAVER rebate, a generous — in 1990s dollars — giveaway to demonstrate that, in the Clintonian parlance of the time, she felt burdened taxpayers' pain. Whitman introduced the plan with great fanfare in Ridgewood — less than 4 miles from the site of Murphy's rollout in Fair Lawn. … At best, rebates provide a temporary sugar rush of relief, but they don't halt the steady, inexorable rise of property taxes. Nothing can stop them. They get larger, year after year, like the 'The Blob,' the amoeba-like alien of the 1958 sci-fi horror film that devours everything in its path. And another thing: Despite all of Murphy's calls to make the ANCHOR rebates a permanent feature, rebate programs never last."

THEY PROMISED NOT TO DO IT AGAIN — "Bus company accused of defrauding NJ Transit can still do business. What's protecting riders?" by NJ Advance Media's Larry Higgs: "A bus company accused of defrauding NJ Transit out of $15 million is about to do business with the state agency again — so long as it meets the terms of a settlement agreed on last month. But, what's protecting the passengers and state agency from the same thing happening again? It's complicated — and the clock is running, as Academy Bus company only has until this weekend to meet those terms if it wants to run buses for the transit agency again. NJ Transit is set to vote Monday on two multi-million contracts for the company — one for $32.2 million and one for $19.6 million."

UNEMPLOYMENT — "Have issues with NJ unemployment? Commissioner will testify on the system Thursday," by The Record's Katie Sobko : "The state Senate Labor Committee hearing on Thursday could get heated, with lawmakers expected to ask Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo for a status update on the unemployment system and backlogged claims. Dissatisfaction with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development reached a fever pitch last week when the Senate unanimously approved a bipartisan resolution urging Gov. Phil Murphy to immediately address the unemployment claim backlog and reopen state offices to the public. The Department of Labor staff has not returned to in-person work, and the filing process has stayed completely virtual."

DEFAME! I'M GONNA SUE FOREVER — Lesniak sues Patch over post he says suggested he was involved in wife's death, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman : Former state Sen. Raymond Lesniak is suing the local news website Patch after a post appeared on one of its New Jersey sites that he says suggested he was responsible for his wife's death. Lesniak, a Democrat from Union County, is accusing the publication of libel, defamation, invasion of privacy, infliction of emotional distress and putting someone in a bad light over the Jan. 29 post, which no longer appears online. "The article in question contains false and defamatory implications that Mr. Lesniak was responsible for the murder of his late wife, Salena Carroll," according to Lesniak's complaint, which was filed Wednesday in Superior Court in Elizabeth. "The article is replete with falsehoods and gross inaccurate statements of fact that constitute defamation."

— "'Your petulant attitude will not be tolerated,' N.J. leaders tell waterfront watchdog agency"

— Steinhardt: "NJ's new legislative map is a huge opportunity for Republicans. Here's why"

— " Murphy vows to make N.J. more affordable with cash-filled budget. Republicans say he's doing it wrong"

— "N.J.'s cannabis industry must not squeeze the Black community out of profits | Opinion "

SUBSCRIBE TO NATIONAL SECURITY DAILY : Keep up with the latest critical developments from Ukraine and across Europe in our daily newsletter, National Security Daily. The Russian invasion of Ukraine could disrupt the established world order and result in a refugee crisis, increased cyberattacks, rising energy costs and additional disruption to global supply chains. Go inside the top national security and foreign-policymaking shops for insight on the global threats faced by the U.S. and its allies and what actions world leaders are taking to address them. Subscribe today.

BIDEN TIME

ELNAHOLICS — Elnahal tapped to join Biden administration, by POLITICO's Daniel Han: Shereef Elnahal, the state's former health commissioner and current president and CEO of University Hospital in Newark, has been nominated to join the Biden administration, according to a White House release. President Joe Biden is nominating Elnahal, 36, to serve as the undersecretary for health in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Elnahal previously worked at the Department of Veterans Affairs during the Obama administration as assistant deputy undersecretary for health for quality, safety and value.

— " Is Putin guilty of war crimes for invading Ukraine? N.J. congressman [Smith] wants a probe"

— "[Andrew] Yang affirms Varela in CD-8 "

— "Kean wins Union GOP convention"

A message from American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation:

LOCAL

BETTER CALL SAL — "AG's office interviewed Bayonne councilman to see if quid pro quo kept him from seeking re-election," by Hudson County View's John Heinis: "An investigator from the New Jersey Attorney General's Office interviewed Bayonne 2nd Ward Councilman Sal Gullace last month to see if a quid pro quo kept him from seeking re-election. 'They can't offer me nothing, I'm in the middle of a lawsuit, I'm still on Hudson County's payroll. My son, he offered that my son to come over as a Bayonne cop, he doesn't want to come over here as a Bayonne cop,' 2nd Ward Councilman Sal Gullace said in a recorded conversation obtained by HCV. 'Just to get you not to run?,' the person who recorded the convo asked. "'hey got to make me some kind of offers, right? So I said no, my son doesn't want to be a cop, he tried, he's a sheriff's officer and he got a better offer than the Bayonne cops got so. … They're not gonna bribe me, there's no bribe I could take,' Gullace replied.

"As the conversation continued, the person speaking with Gullace asked what 'Veloz' was doing, to which the councilman said 'he's afraid of retaliation too.' In a phone interview with HCV, Gullace said that Planning Board Commissioner Ramon Veloz approached him prior to him announcing he wouldn't seek re-election, but scoffed at the notion that he made any sort of offer in exchange for him not to run. … 'I had two agents come to my house to investigate Jimmy Davis. I said look "you're at the wrong house, I'm not Jimmy Davis,"' he recalled, also noting that Davis, who is running Jacqueline Weimmer in the 2nd Ward, never offered him a job or any other incentive not to run."

VOTERS CAN CHOOSE ANY CANDIDATE THEY WANT SO LONG AS IT IS STACK — It looks like 4 more years for Brian Stack and Union City incumbent slate, by The Jersey Journal's Ron Zeitlinger: "Longtime Union City Mayor Brian Stack and his slate of incumbent commissioners will have four more years in office come July 1. Stack and fellow commissioners Lucio P. Fernandez, Maryury A. Martinetti, Celin J. Valdivia and Wendy A. Grullon were the only people who submitted signed petitions for the May 10 non-partisan municipal elections by the Monday afternoon deadline, acting City Clerk Hilda Rosario said."

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS — " Ocean County GOP may limit public access, no reporters allowed at its convention," by The Asbury Park Press' Erik Larsen: "For the first time in its modern history, reporters will not be allowed to cover the Ocean County Republican Party's annual convention on Thursday night. Pat Lane, executive director of the county GOP, said in an email to the Asbury Park Press that the organization was 'limiting numbers allowed into the venue' at the Days Hotel on Route 37 — which included the media. No explanation was given and repeated requests for clarification went unanswered. Lane had initially welcomed news coverage on Saturday, but sent a follow-up email on Monday rescinding the invitation 'after some discussion.' The thinking had changed and reporters would not be allowed inside the convention 'until at least 7:30 p.m.'"

ONLY IN NEW JERSEY — "Barred from holding public office, Joey Torres files lawsuit to run for Paterson mayor," by The Paterson Press' Joe Malinconico: "Should Jose Torres be allowed to run for mayor even though his criminal conviction says he is barred from holding public office in New Jersey? That's the question the courts will have to decide in the next several days now that Torres — who previously served as Paterson's mayor for 15 years — has filed the lawsuit he promised last Friday when the City Clerk refused to accept his candidacy petitions. Torres also filed papers asking the courts for an expedited decision, saying he would be 'irreparably harmed' if prevented from running. City Clerk Sonia Gordon has scheduled a City Hall drawing for next Monday to determine ballot positions in the May 10 election. 'Previously, the City of Paterson has not rejected petitions from individuals who had a criminal record, but left that issue to be addressed if the candidate is elected,' Torres said in his lawsuit filed Monday in state superior court. The former mayor did not cite examples in his lawsuit , but at least two people with felony convictions have run in Paterson school board elections during the past seven years. One of them, the late Kevin Michael Henry, won the election but was turned away by education officials when he attempted to take the oath of office in January 2016."

FIG LEAF NEWTON — "What will happen to massive Nabisco letters? Fair Lawn's determined to save them," by The Record's Shaylah Brown: "The Nabisco factory may be gone next year, but the giant red letters at the top of the iconic building — and some of the artifacts — are staying. '100% we are going to be preserving all those letters,' Mayor Kurt Peluso said. Peluso has spoken with the building's owner, and 'he wants to work with us to preserve as much as he can from that facility. He is definitely going be sharing a lot of stuff,' Peluso said."

— " Ridgewood won't give students extra sleep-in time next fall. Here's their reasoning"

— "Conflict sends investigation of police shooting to another N.J. county, prosecutor says "

— NYC real estate firm wants to open 'Amazon-like' warehouse in Paterson

DON'T MISS POLITICO'S INAUGURAL HEALTH CARE SUMMIT ON 3/31: Join POLITICO for a discussion with health care providers, policymakers, federal regulators, patient representatives, and industry leaders to better understand the latest policy and industry solutions in place as we enter year three of the pandemic. Panelists will discuss the latest proposals to overcome long-standing health care challenges in the U.S., such as expanding access to care, affordability, and prescription drug prices. REGISTER HERE.

EVERYTHING ELSE

YOU COULD NOT ACCELERATE TOWARDS RED LIGHTS IN YOUR GIANT SUV — "Gas prices are so high and keep climbing. Here are 9 tips to save money.," by NJ Advance Media's Larry Higgs: "The bad old days of high gas prices not seen since 2008, are back for drivers who are seeing the cost to fill up their vehicle inflicting severe pain on the family budget. The average price for a gallon of gas hit $4.26 Tuesday and experts said the worst is coming. More price increases are anticipated for the annual spring switch to summer blend gas and then, the traditional summer increase when more drivers take vacations and road trips. Add to that the uncertainty of how the war in the Ukraine will affect gas prices and a move to ban importing Russian oil. But there are steps you can do right now to help reduce that outrageous gas bill."

IF HE GOES TO MEDICAL SCHOOL HE CAN BE 'DR. CLAW' — "N.J. mobster accused of leading union takeover attempt to be released on $1.6M bond," by NJ Advance Media's Joe Atomonavage : "A federal judge in New York has approved the release of an ailing 84-year-old New Jersey mob underboss accused of leading the Colombo crime family's attempted takeover of a Queens-based labor union on a $1.6 million bond. On Wednesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge James R. Cho granted Benjamin 'The Claw'Castellazzo's release on bond and home detention with electronic monitoring and restrictions on travel and contact with victims and witnesses in the case following a closed hearing in Brooklyn Federal Court.

— " Norcross group files lawsuit against Republic First, Vernon Hill"

— "Rutgers basketball: As suitors swirl, coach Steve Pikiell getting contract extension "

A message from American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation:

No worker in New Jersey should have to choose between their health and a paycheck, but that's exactly what a loophole in state law forces Atlantic City casino employees to do every day. It's past time to eliminate the casino smoking loophole by passing S264/A2151, bipartisan bills supported by legislators across the state and which Gov. Murphy says he'll sign. New Jersey should not allow any worker to be subjected to known carcinogens. Atlantic City casinos have been setting revenue records and operating with the fewest employees in years. Now is the time to protect casino employees. Just like restaurants adapted and thrived 16 years ago, casinos will do the same—and going smokefree can be a win-win, as several Pennsylvania casinos have voluntarily gotten rid of smoking and are setting revenue records. Learn why thousands of casino employees are speaking out on this life and death matter.