News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: R.I.P. Ron Dancer

Monday, July 25, 2022

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: R.I.P. Ron Dancer

Jul 25, 2022

Presented by NextEra Energy Transmission

Good Monday morning!

Sad news hit on Saturday: Ron Dancer, a 20-year Republican assemblyman from Ocean County, died after a long illness.

Dancer was a relatively quiet presence on the Assembly floor, but don't confuse that for ineffectiveness. The job is typically referred to as "lawmaker," after all, and he definitely made laws.

Over the years, I've seen a lot of Dancer press releases in my inbox about legislation inspired by some event he read about in the news. Dancer sponsored a lot of bills, and a lot of them were signed by the governor. In fact, during the last legislative session, he was a prime sponsor on 37 bills that were signed into law — the second most of any Republican lawmaker, behind only state Sen. Steve Oroho (R-Sussex). It was more, even, than the majority of Assembly Democrats.

Dancer, an Army vet who came from a famous horse racing family, and for decade was a standardbred jockey and trainer himself, focused a lot of his legislating on helping the struggling horse racing industry and veterans. Just this month, Gov. Murphy signed a Dancer-sponsored bill, A1455, that expands who's eligible for Gold Star Family identification cards, as well as a resolution designating April "Military Child Appreciation Month."

DAYS SINCE MURPHY REFUSED TO SAY WHETHER HIS WIFE'S NON-PROFIT SHOULD DISCLOSE DONORS: 157

WHERE'S MURPHY? In Asbury Park at 11 a.m. for an announcement.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Hundreds of Grateful Dead fans once wanted to strangle me with Jerry Garcia's G-string — from his guitar — when I dared to describe the band as 'second rate' and its Dead Head followers as more interested in drugs than music." — Mike Kelly , columnist for The Record, apparently referring to a 1989 column he wrote about the death of a Dead fan . ( More on that incident here ).

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — I've got no one on my list. Blame your family and friends for not telling me.

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WHAT TRENTON MADE

PERHAPS SOMEONE NEEDS THEIR PALM GREASED— Bill to clarify New Jersey's bribery law remains stalled in Senate , by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: The bill seemed like a no-brainer. After a judge dismissed a bribery charge against former Bayonne mayoral candidate Jason O'Donnell because he wasn't in office when he allegedly accepted the $10,000 — it was at least the second time a New Jersey politician got off on that technicality — the Legislature passed a decade-old bill to clarify that the state's bribery law applies to candidates for office as well, even if they don't win. But while the bill, NJ A2472 (22R) , flew through the legislative process, a conditional veto by Gov. Phil Murphy in May to make its anti-bribery provisions more expansive caused it to stall in the Senate, even though the Assembly had voted 78-0 with one abstention to approve the governor's recommendations.

JACKASSASSINATION — " The story of an assassination hoax during the 1981 N.J. governor's race ," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: " An attempt to stab New York gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin during a campaign stop in Rochester Thursday evening brings back memories of an assassination attempt against a candidate for governor of New Jersey. In April 1981, an alleged gunman dressed as a doctor threatened to kill State Sen. James Wallwork (R-Short Hills), who was running in the Republican primary that year. Wallwork was speaking at the Veterans Administration hospital in East Orange about five weeks before the primary election when a patent observed a man wearing surgical garb and a mask holding a gun. The patient yelled, 'There's a man with a gun and he's going to shoot the senator.' … The hospital's chief of police, Joseph Lancellotti, claimed he wrestled the would-be assailant to the ground, but that he got away. But an FBI investigation found that the incident was just a hoax perpetrated by Lancellotti to gain attention. He had apparently perpetrated similar incidents in during his career in law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney said he had a history of mental health issues."

—" New Jersey's economy continues recovering from pandemic lows "

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CARTOON BREAK — " Leave Liberty State Park to the birds "

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 .

BIDEN TIME

JUST 499 MORE $5,000 DONATIONS AND THE NRCC WILL CATCH UP TO HEALEY'S MOM — " Here's the latest on who's hot and who's not in N.J. congressional races at Biden midterm ," by NJ Advance Media's Jonathan D. Salant: "House Republicans have dropped Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-11th Dist., from their 2022 target list while boosting their efforts to oust Rep. Andy Kim, D-3rd Dist … The National Republican Congressional Committee said it is no longer going after Sherrill this fall. 'New Jersey Democrats gerrymandered the state's congressional districts to artificially protect the Democrats responsible for destroying New Jerseyans' quality of life,' said Samantha Bullock, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, decrying the new lines as 'shady, partisan backroom deals.' … The National Republican Congressional Committee, meanwhile, named Healey to its top tier of challengers and contributed $5,000 to his campaign."

—" 2 former EPA officials: The Supreme Court has dealt a blow to our planet | Opinion "

—" Sherrill returns from Ukraine after meeting with Zelensky, slams Putin 'atrocities' "

—Snowflack: " Biden a Malinowski albatross in CD-7 "

—Mulshine: " New York gets the best of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy once again "

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LOCAL

EDUCATION — How one New Jersey district could be the new national model for school integration , by POLITICO's Carly Sitrin: Two New Jersey towns, progressive bastions in a state grappling with entrenched school segregation, have embarked on an ambitious and "intentional" program education experts say could change the way the country thinks about integration. But a change involving school busing threatens to hamstring the initiative, alienate parents and potentially impact the program's success. Beginning this fall, the South Orange-Maplewood School District will eliminate bus transportation for students who live less than two miles from their assigned elementary school. The change, which district leaders attribute to budget constraints, will impact only about 126 of the nearly 7,000 students enrolled in the suburban Essex County district. But it has ignited distrust between some parents and school leaders who say they support integration but feel that denying children reliable and safe transportation will likely increase the burden on low-income families that lack access to a car or other ways to get their kids to school.

I CAN THINK OF AT LEAST ONE FLORIDA RESIDENT — Camden activists file lawsuit after bid to force companies to disclose employment info is denied, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: The Camden city clerk has rejected an attempt by a group of activists to force the city to hold a referendum on whether companies located in Camden should be required to disclose where their employees live and their salary ranges. In a July 11 notice to the petitioners, Clerk Luis Pastoriza rejected the petition because it didn't have enough valid signatures. Pastoriza also denied the petitioners the chance to submit additional signatures because the Office of the City Attorney "has determined that the City does not have the authority to enact an ordinance that falls outside of the scope of its legal authority." The activists on Friday filed suit in Superior Court in Camden County, declaring that they've submitted more than 1,400 signatures to cure the petition, which is allowed under the law.

MCBRIDE BEFORE THE FALL — " Mayor forcing vote on Trenton school district funding, district contemplates suit against McBride ," by The Trentonian's Isaac Avilucea: "So it's coming to this. Mayor Reed Gusciora said Friday his administration will put forward a resolution at the Aug. 4 meeting to force council to vote on approval of the school district's $24.2 million tax levy – funds required to keep the school district running. It's a last-ditch effort to get Council President Kathy McBride to come to her senses on the issue, which has lingered since the Board of School Estimate approved the tax levy months ago, as part of the district's $419 million spending plan. Separately, the school district is said to be contemplating legal action if the issue isn't settled soon … [B]oard member Gene Bouie has sounded the alarm for weeks about the implications of the impasse. He previously told The Trentonian that district risked employee layoffs if McBride refused to put the levy up for a vote. The council president's siganature on the tax levy is merely a "ministerial" formality required by state law, Gusciora said. 'The law does not leave Council any discretion to the appropriation of the tax levy and you and Ms. Vaughn, jointly or individually, do not comprise the governing body,' Gusciora wrote this week in a letter to McBride."

SO BASICALLY PATEL'S STEPPING DOWN MADE NO DIFFERENCE — " Passaic City Council unlikely to fill vacant seat until next May's election ," by The Record's Matt Fagan: "The Passaic's City Council said it is unlikely it will fill a seat left vacant when Councilman Salim Patel was forced to step down last month for excessive absenteeism after he missed eight consecutive meetings. 'My understanding of the law provides that the City Council may replace the vacant position or alternatively it may not wish to,' Council President Gary Schaer said. 'As of this moment, no member of the Council has proposed filling the vacant position.' The position, which pays $26,000 annually, will likely be left vacant until the public can elect a new member. City Council elections will be held in May 2023 and the elected individual will be sworn in on July 1, 2023, said Schaer, who is celebrating his 25th year as Council president."

BERGEN — " Did Bergen County fail to pay up? Contractor firm sues in courthouse it renovated ," by The Record's Kaitlyn Kanzler: "The $80 million Bergen courthouse restoration has hit yet another snag as the Wayne-based contractor that did the work for the first phase of the project is accusing the county of not paying for it. In a lawsuit filed by Dobco Inc., the contractor said Bergen County did not fulfill its contractual obligations by failing to finish paying for work done to the county courthouse and not covering $2 million in additional costs brought on by delays. Dobco also accused the county of making an effort to mask "mismanagement and design errors by engaging in a policy of deliberate indifference" and said it broke contractual and common law obligations. Dobco said it had not been paid the remaining balance of $840,892 or the additional $2 million in costs from extra work and delays caused by Bergen. The suit says the company has been met with "bureaucratic unresponsiveness or unsubstantiated denials," which led to the lawsuit."

RESERVWAR — " Security concerns prompt possible road closure around Round Valley Reservoir ," by MyCentralJersey's Mike Deak: "The New Jersey Water Supply Authority, which operates Round Valley Reservoir, intends to ask the Hunterdon County Board of Commissioners to permanently close a road around the reservoir because of security concerns. But the issue has unleashed a torrent of opposition by neighbors, who not only say the closure would be an inconvenience but also doubt the authority's concerns about security … For more than an hour on July 13, neighborhood residents told the council that they oppose the plan to close County Road 629 south of the intersection with Old Mountain Road. 'Something fishy is going on,' said Stanton Mountain Road resident Robert McInernery. 'This homeland security BS is not going to fly.' … The road has been closed since April 2020 during the refurbishment of the reservoir's dam system … The authority, in a statement provided to the township, said though specific details cannot be shared, "a very serious threat to earthen dams by bad actors would be facilitated by vehicular access to the structure." If the dam fails, the authority said, it 'would have catastrophic impacts on downstream residents and water supply to over one million people in central New Jersey.'"

DO MORE AC — " Atlantic City's homeless seek more than advocates say they're providing ," by The Press of Atlantic City's Selena Vazque z: "The poverty rate in Atlantic City is 35.2%, more than triple the national poverty rate of 11.4%, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey in 2020. Another factor contributing to homelessness in the resort is the lack of affordable housing — and housing availability in general. Rental rates have increased since last year, as the median rent in Atlantic City is now $2,000 a month, with a more than $400 month-to-month increase from June to July, and an overall year-to-year increase of $760, according to rental data from Zillow. 'We really just need a place to stay. Just give us a roof over our head, and we'll worry about the water and electric later,' [Richard] Fertig said … For Volunteers of America and their clients, the single biggest issue is the absence of services, transitional housing and affordable housing"

—" Group targets state NAACP head over Cumberland jail leadership "

—" Two new 69-story Urby towers planned for Downtown Jersey City "

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EVERYTHING ELSE

THERE GO MY PLANS TO OPEN A CAVIAR FISHERY IN SOUTH JERSEY — New Jersey wind port faces new construction challenge — sturgeon , by POLITICO's Ry Rivard : New Jersey's hopes to quickly grow its offshore wind industry could face a new obstacle — endangered sturgeon in the Delaware River. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network plans to sue the federal government for failing to consider how construction and operation of the New Jersey "wind port" in Lower Alloways Creek could harm fish. There are likely just 125 to 250 adult sturgeon left in the river, once home to hundreds of thousands of the fish and the center of the American caviar industry. The port to be built along the river in Salem County is key to Gov. Phil Murphy's plan to promote the growth of the offshore wind sector, and the state is investing $250 million to get it up and running by the end of 2023. The South Jersey port is expected to be a land-based hub for wind farm infrastructure, including activities needed to supply material to the state's first offshore project, Ørsted's Ocean Wind 1.

MEADOWLANDS CREEK GOES FROM SUPERFUND TO SUPER FUN — " One of worst Superfund sites no longer polluting Meadowlands creek, EPA says ," by The Record's Scott Fallon: "Pollution levels are low enough at one of North Jersey's largest and oldest Superfund sites that cleanup work on groundwater is no longer needed, federal officials announced Friday. But contamination is still enough of a threat at the Universal Oil Products site in East Rutherford that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will require any future developers to test for toxic vapors emanating from the groundwater. If levels are elevated, a barrier would have to be installed below any buildings before they are built. EPA officials determined that the site is no longer polluting nearby Ackerman's Creek, a tributary of the Hackensack River that has had high levels of lead, PCBs and other contaminants from Universal Oil."

—" At Jersey Shore, short-staffed beach patrols deal with a heat wave that's sending more people into the water "

—" How a 'tenter' in Ocean Grove, N.J., spends her sundays "

—" Correctional police officer hospitalized after he's beaten by inmate at N.J. prison, authorities say "

—" Parents scramble as Hackensack Meridian plans to close child care centers "

—" Some NJ gas prices dip below $4. In 2022, somehow, that's good news "

—" Weed is legal in New Jersey. Now lawmakers must brace for impact. Here's why | Opinion "

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NextEra Energy didn't become the world's largest generator of wind and solar power overnight. We've been building and operating large-scale energy projects across North America for decades and powering New Jersey for nearly a quarter-century. Our first solar farm in the Garden State was built in West Deptford. Yet, our contributions have gone far deeper—from counseling local businesses on how to reach clean energy goals and operating battery storage facilities to providing dozens of solar sites on buildings from Cape May to High Point and working to help New Jersey reach its offshore wind goals. We know how to get big, complex projects done on time and on budget. We power homes, neighborhoods, and entire cities, all while putting customers first, prioritizing the environment, and working with local communities to create jobs and limit disruptions. NextEra Energy Transmission is committed to empowering a greener New Jersey.