News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: The Jersey connections in the Penn. statewide races

Thursday, May 19, 2022

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: The Jersey connections in the Penn. statewide races

May 19, 2022

Presented by Anbaric Development Partners

Good Thursday morning!

They say there's always a Jersey connection. In the case of Pennsylvania's gubernatorial and Senate primaries, there are actually at least three of them.

It's well known that potential Republican Senate nominee Mehmet Oz is, err, I mean, was, a North Jersey resident. We'll eventually see if Oz is the nominee, but it probably won't be for a while, as votes are still being counted and his margin against rival Dave McCormick is ultra-thin.

And while nobody has accused Pennsylvania's GOP gubernatorial nominee, Doug Mastriano, of living in New Jersey, he grew up primarily in New Jersey. Wikipedia says he was born in New Brunswick and graduated from Hightstown High in 1982, but I didn't find much about his Jersey background. (Mastriano's 2020 election denialism is troubling, considering that if he wins the governorship he'll be in a position to deny the true winner of Pennsylvania in the 2024 presidential election if he doesn't like the result).

Another Jersey connection: The Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Josh Shapiro, worked as an aide to former Sen. Bob Torricelli.

DAYS SINCE MURPHY REFUSED TO SAY WHETHER HIS WIFE'S NONPROFIT SHOULD DISCLOSE ITS DONORS: 93

WHERE'S MURPHY? — In Massachusetts for the National Governors Association

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I'm of a mind that says let other towns open first and see how it plays out." — Princeton Mayor Mark Freda on the council's decision to not allow a cannabis dispensary in the town, where 75 percent voted to legalize it

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — O'Toole Scrivo's Tom Scrivo, PANYNJ's Jenny Davis, NJ Spotlight News' Julie Daurio, former Old Tappan Mayor Victor Polce

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

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A message from Anbaric Development Partners:

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WHAT TRENTON MADE

VETERANS HOMES — "More families allege 'gross negligence' led to COVID deaths at N.J. veterans' homes," by NJ Advance Media's Ted Sherman: "Nearly six months after New Jersey agreed to pay $52.9 million to the loved ones of 119 residents who died in two of the state-operated veterans' homes during the pandemic, an additional 69 families say they will be filing similar charges of gross negligence and incompetence by administrators. The numbers suggest that the death toll at the facilities in Menlo Park and Paramus could be far higher than the state has ever acknowledged. Attorney Paul M. da Costa of Roseland, who represented many of those involved in the initial settlement, confirmed that tort claims notices have been filed on behalf of dozens more. Of the 69 new cases, he represents 53 of those families, all of whom lost relatives to COVID-19 in the veterans' homes."

HEY COLLIGAN MAN! — Murphy proposes licensing program for law enforcement officers, by POLITICO's Daniel O'Connor: Gov. Phil Murphy proposed legislation Wednesday that would create a licensing program for New Jersey's law enforcement officers. The proposal would require all police officers to be certified with a professional license in order to practice, giving departments an additional method of disciplining cops for infractions ranging from domestic abuse to membership in hate groups. "Policing is perhaps the only skilled profession left in New Jersey that does not provide individuals with a license that shows beyond any doubt that they have been through rigorous training and are not just expected to, but required to live up to the highest professional standards," Murphy said at a press conference at the Essex County Police Academy. Members of the Legislature, faith leaders and — crucially — Patrick Colligan, president of the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association, spoke in support of the idea during Wednesday's event."

POLITICO URGES ZOO-OWNING ASSEMBLYMEMBER TO JOIN MILITARY ACADEMY SO HE CAN BE CALLED 'SPACE CADET' — " Being an elected official doesn't always pay the bills. Here are NJ legislators' day jobs," by The Record's Katie Sobko: "Parker Space is a third-generation small-business owner. Most days he wakes up before dawn to plow fields and care for 500 animals — from jaguars to kangaroos — at Space Farms, the Sussex County zoo his grandfather opened in 1927. After that, he puts on a suit and tie and heads to Trenton, where he has served as a legislator for nearly a decade. 'With a business like this, if I have to be in Trenton at 10 a.m., I'm at the zoo at 3 in the morning doing what I have to do to make sure things are set for the day,' Space said. 'Then oftentimes you come back after. A lot of legislators leave Trenton and go home. I come back to work.' While Space may be the only legislator running a zoo when he's not voting on legislation and working for his constituents, he's not the only one with a day job. The 120 elected officials in the Legislature receive $49,000 per year and no health benefits for their part-time work. Most work a second job."

CAN'TABIS — Lawmakers propose carveouts to bar some workers from using recreational cannabis, by POLITICO's Daniel Han: Democrat and Republican lawmakers have introduced several bills in recent weeks that seek to bar certain workers from using recreational cannabis while off duty. The bills, which come about a month after New Jersey launched legal recreational sales, don't entirely come as a surprise. For weeks, lawmakers from both parties have insisted on tweaking the state's cannabis laws, which currently bar employers from taking punitive actions toward workers who use cannabis on their own time. The conversation has largely revolved around prohibiting law enforcement from cannabis use, although other professions have entered the conversation. At least four different proposals have been introduced.

BUT THEN HOW ARE PEOPLE SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT N.J. IS CALLED 'THE GARDEN STATE'? — "N.J. cops write 100K license plate frame tickets a year. Knock it off, legislators say," by NJ Advance Media's Larry Higgs: "New Jersey drivers who bolt a frame around their vehicle's license plate — to profess their allegiance to a sports team, pets or provide some free advertising for a car dealer — could get a break from annoying traffic tickets if bills proposed by two state lawmakers are passed. According to the state judiciary, 501,699 summonses were issued in the five years between 2017 and 2021 for license plate violations. If there is an indication of how annoying this infraction is, two legislators from two different parties proposed bills in both houses of the state legislature to relax the current law."

NJ STATE BOARD OF ED: 'SEX! NOW THAT WE'VE GOTTEN YOUR ATTENTION…' — "Sex ed only one of the curriculum changes for NJ schools," by NJ Spotlight News' John Mooney: "New Jersey has been astir lately over some of its new learning standards for sex education and for diversity and inclusion, but they are hardly the only new standards that public schools are weaving into their classrooms going into next fall. After an unprecedented year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, districts are required by this coming fall to have accommodated the state's latest standards in their curricula for seven of nine content areas — more than double the usual number of content-area revisions for any given year. These new areas are social studies, science, world languages, health and physical education, career readiness and visual and performing arts."

— "Tax relief suddenly at top of agenda in N.J. as money pours in like never before"

— " Another COVID surge in New Jersey? Transmission level is now high in much of the state"

— " GOP senator [Durr] introduces bills to loosen gun restrictions in New Jersey"

— Opinion: "NJ Sen. Ed Durr is a gay kid's worst nightmare"

— "NJ 'immigrant trust' directive affecting number of deportations"

— Moran: " Supreme Court shows courage on cop-killer's parole"

— "Senate set to approve nearly all of Murphy's diverse march slate of Superior Court nominees"

— "Measure would use swelling cash surplus to offset unemployment tax hike"

DON'T MISS THE 2022 GREAT LAKES ECONOMIC FORUM: POLITICO is excited to be the exclusive media partner again at the Council of the Great Lakes Region's bi-national Great Lakes Economic Forum with co-hosts Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot. This premier, intimate networking event, taking place June 26-28 in Chicago, brings together international, national and regional leaders from business, government, academia and the nonprofit sector each year. "Powering Forward" is this year's theme, setting the stage to connect key decision-makers with thought leaders and agents of change to identify and advance solutions that will strengthen the region's competitiveness and sustainability in today's competitive climate of trade, innovation, investment, labor mobility and environmental performance. Register today.

BIDEN TIME

IT'S CLEAR WHO GOTTHEIMER WOULD PREFER TO RUN AGAINST, AND IT'S NOT DEGREGORIO — "The CD-5 GOP primary and the Trump factor," by InsiderNJ's Fred Snowflack : "It looks like Josh Gottheimer wishes he had a vote in the upcoming Republican primary. Gottheimer just sent out a mailer criticizing (sort of) Frank Pallotta, one of two candidates seeking the GOP's nod to run against him in CD-5. 'Frank Pallotta rallies for Trump, Not New Jersey' is the headline. The piece shows a photo of a rally and includes a quote from the former president that Pallotta will be a 'great congressman.' The quote apparently is from 2020 when Pallotta ran and lost to Gottheimer by about 32,000 votes. … Pallotta wants another shot at Gottheimer this year, but before that happens, he has to get by Nick DeGregorio, who has the backing of the Bergen County Republican Organization. Which brings us back to Gottheimer's mailer."

HIS ENDORSEMENT IS HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER BY SOME CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES — "Former congressional candidate threatened to kill NJ cops, judges," by NJ 101.5's Michael Symons: "A former Monmouth County resident and two-time candidate for Congress admitted in federal court to making threatening phone calls and sending threatening emails to elected officials, judges, police and lawyers. Eric Hafner, 31, also admitted to phoning in false bomb threats to state and local government offices, a police department, two law firms and a Monmouth County horseracing track. He attempted to extort $350,000 from some of his victims. The threats were made repeatedly between July and September 2016. … The threats began when Hafner was a candidate in the Republican primary for Hawaii's 2nd District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives."

— "U.S. House passes [Malinowski's] bill on bomb threats against schools and places of worship"

— " Mehmet Oz is still a registered N.J. voter. Could he return in time for June primary?"

— " 'We've normalized this kind of carnage,' Booker says of Buffalo mass shooting"

A message from Anbaric Development Partners:

LOCAL

KILLEN IT — "Ex-municipal court judge publicly censured," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "The New Jersey Supreme Court has publicly censured Guy W. Killen, a former municipal court judge in West Deptford and Vineland, for breaching the judicial code of conduct by failing to recuse from a matter involving the son of the former mayor who backed his appointment. Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct had filed a complaint in 2021 alleging that Killen acted improperly by failing to step back from an August 2020 case involving David Shields Jr., the son of former West Deptford Mayor David Shields Sr. Killen had issued a temporary restraining order and search warrant against the younger Shields after he allegedly got into a domestic dispute with his ex-wife and attempted to stop her and her children from leaving their home by blocking them in with his car. … An officer dispatched to Shields' home to execute the warrant in search of weapons was told it belonged to the elder Shields. After being advised of the search, the former mayor called Killen and told him about the only weapons in the home were in a large safe inaccessible to his son. Following that conversation, the judge called the officer and told him he was verbally modifying the warrant, rescinding an order to seize all weapons, because the safe was inaccessible."

CONNER STRONG NAMED NEW INSURANCE BROKER FOR DARLINGTON, ENGLAND GOVERNMENT — "Political journey: British mayor started as Camden 'corner-store girl'," by The Courier-Post's Jim Walsh: "Cyndi Hughes has lived through dramatic changes, going from a tragic childhood in Camden to thriving as a teen in West Deptford — and ultimately becoming mayor of a town of more than 90,000 people. But South Jersey residents might be excused for not knowing her political journey: Hughes is the 'first citizen' of Darlington, an English borough some 3,400 miles from her local roots. 'Growing up in South Jersey, I never really thought I'd end up where I have,' said Hughes. 'People here … point to my optimism and positive attitude and say that these are really 'American' traits,"' said Hughes, who emigrated to Darlington for love in 1986."

— "Jersey City at 'crossroads' on how, or whether, to redevelop historic Powerhouse"

— " Opening statements pose questions about Paterson sergeant's role in corruption case"

— " 'Rogue letter' to DEP could cost [Saddle River] $17 million in tax credits, lawyer says"

— "Second member quits Englewood school board, and he wrote a five-page resignation letter"

— "Hudson County Planning Board unanimously approves Story Dispensary in Hoboken"

— " Here's why you can't buy legal weed at Garden State Dispensary, Zen Leaf Neptune"

— " Lawsuit over how [Gloucester County] retains 911 calls reinstated by appeals court"

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

NO. NEW JERSEY DESERVES MUCH HIGHER — "New Jersey ranked as 14th rudest state. Is it deserved?" by News 12's Brian Donohue: "You can argue whether it's deserved or not, but New Jerseyans are often stereotyped as loud, brash and, maybe a bit rude. A very, very informal study by the website moneywise.com last week ranked the states by rudeness and placed New Jersey in 14th place. Fourteenth! I'm almost offended by such a milquetoast middle-of-the-road ranking! … I decided to speak to people who know most about the character of our 50 states: truckers"

— " Federal judge gives squabbling Republic board a week to settle its power struggle"

— "NJ parents seeking scarce baby formula endure long rides, share tips on social media "

A message from Anbaric Development Partners:

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A planned transmission approach will scale New Jersey's offshore wind goals, protect ratepayers, minimize environmental impacts by requiring fewer lines to bring power to shore, and maximize points of interconnection for generators. This approach will help to scale the industry and bring economic growth to New Jersey.

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Transmission is the key to building a successful, long-term offshore wind industry for New Jersey.

Learn more.