News : POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Billionaire’s park

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Billionaire’s park

Jul 20, 2022

Presented by Rise Light & Power

Good Wednesday morning!

Paul Fireman, the billionaire owner of Liberty National Golf Club , said in 2020 he would "halt" his efforts to acquire the spit of public park land known as Caven Point to build a few new holes for the exclusive club. And when a new bill to create a Liberty State Park task force emerged this summer and was quickly fast-tracked for passage, Fireman's allies insisted that the suggestion it had anything to do with a renewal of his golf course expansion efforts was a conspiracy theory.

It's worth noting, then, that Fireman's golf club lobbied for the new bill, according to the latest lobbying reports — using Eric Shuffler to male the push. That's the same lobbyist the club used in 2020, when language was quietly inserted into the state budget that was widely read as a way for the club to get its clubs on Caven Point, a migratory bird habitat and uniquely wild 22 acres in the middle of the nation's most urbanized area.

We don't know how much money the golf course spent on the lobbying effort yet. And the course, located right next to the park, could conceivably benefit from the type of development the bill seeks to achieve. But since Shuffler isn't answering our questions about the lobbying effort, one can only speculate on the rationale. And keep in mind that lawmakers batted down attempts to amend the bill to protect Caven Point from development.

Read more about it here .

DAYS SINCE MURPHY REFUSED TO SAY WHETHER HIS WIFE'S NON-PROFIT SHOULD DISCLOSE DONORS: 154

WHERE'S MURPHY? Headed back to New Jersey, where he'll give a speech at the at NAACP convention in Atlantic City at 7:30 p.m.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I don't know what's in there." — Ocean County GOP Chair George Gilmore, half-joking that he won't drink several bottles of bourbon left behind by political rival Frank Holman, the former chair, at party headquarters.

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — WNYC's David Giambusso, Eatontown Councilmember Danielle Jones

A message from Rise Light & Power:

The Clear Choice for NJ Clean Energy — What would advance New Jersey as a national leader in the fight against climate change and repurpose a decades-old brownfield? Transforming the site of a former coal plant into a gateway for offshore wind with strong community support. That's the Outerbridge Renewable Connector, an "extension cord" connecting clean offshore wind energy to New Jersey's power grid.

WHAT TRENTON MADE

FAMILY FEUD — Eileen O'Toole, a Cedar Grove police captain and sister of Port Authority Chair Kevin O'Toole, claims in a lawsuit that Kevin O'Toole derailed her promotion to chief over a "personal dispute," NBC New York reports . Eileen O'Toole alleges that her brother influenced Cedar Grove Township Manager Tom Tucci to pass her over for the job. "His way of punishing me was to damage my career," she said.

It gets even uglier, I'm afraid. Robert O'Toole, their father, said his son had been bringing his homebound mother meals daily but stopped after he confronted him about his fight with his sister and that he hasn't seen him since. On television, Robert O'Toole actually called his son an "evil person." Read the lawsuit here .

A STRONGER AND FAIRER NEW YORK — " How NJ lost $850M to NY: A look inside the negotiations to split federal transit funds ," by The Record's Colleen Wilson: "What can NJ Transit buy with $850 million? More than 700 electric buses. Or 95 locomotives. Or it could close more than two years of budget gaps. That's how much money Gov. Phil Murphy and his administration surrendered to New York when they changed the way nearly $14 billion in federal funding was divided. …

"The formula historically used to divide federal transit funding would have given New Jersey $3.5 billion. In the end, it got $2.66 billion. In recent months, Murphy's press office rebuked the idea that it lost out on nearly $850 million, calling the shortfall 'alleged' in one statement. 'Using the traditional federal funding formula is blatantly misleading to the public as the funding was not contemplated in that way in the federal legislation and did not apply in this situation, 'Bailey Lawrence, a Murphy spokesman, said in an email … That's a change in attitude from just four months before the agreement was reached when Murphy's then-spokesman said the allocations 'must reflect the FTA formula, as Congress intended.'"

— " New billboards in states that restrict abortion urge businesses to come to N.J. ,"

— New Jersey expands eligibility for monkeypox vaccine

—" Where do New Jersey's prisoners come from? A new study found disparities in some counties "

—" 2021 was an expensive year for New Jersey in lawsuit settlements "

—" NJ curriculum furor: Will state impose penalties over sex education? "

—" Court reinstates suit by public defender who says he was ousted from job due to his age "

—" Hudson corrections officer beaten unconscious by inmate who then freed other inmates "

—" [Paterson] sergeant convicted of leading cops who robbed residents denied new trial "

— "FEC: PAC linked to potential gubernatorial run for Fulop has $5.4M cash on hand "

HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT ROE BEING OVERTURNED? JOIN WOMEN RULE ON 7/21: Now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade , abortion policy is in the hands of the states and, ultimately, voters. Join POLITICO national political correspondent Elena Schneider for a Women Rule "ask me anything" conversation featuring a panel of reporters from our politics and health care teams who will answer your questions about how the court's decision could play out in different states, its impact on the midterms and what it means for reproductive rights in the U.S. going forward. SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS AND REGISTER HERE .

BIDEN TIME

MENENDEZ TO BUY MUZZY WITH HIS CAMPAIGN ACCOUNT — " This political neophyte is a lock for Congress. His name helps ," by The New York Times' Tracey Tully: "Mr. Menendez said that he had taken nothing for granted during the campaign and had worked hard to win endorsements from an array of individuals, labor groups and advocacy organizations. 'All I can do is work as hard as I possibly can,' he said … Anna J. Brown, the chairwoman of the political science department at St. Peter's University in Jersey City, said the bald display of nepotism carried insidious risk: eroding residents' already fragile confidence in government. 'It contributes to that feeling of powerlessness,' Professor Brown said. 'People just give up because they don't really think that their voice is heard. …

"The Eighth Congressional District … is filled with residents who, like Mr. Sires, fled Cuba, as well as more recent arrivals from Mexico and South America. Roughly 54 percent of residents speak Spanish at home, census figures show. It is a language that Mr. Menendez does not know but said he was trying to learn. 'That's something that's on me, that I am working on, because it is important,' he said in an interview at a campaign event where most people did not speak English."

HARD TIME — " Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman arrested for protesting outside U.S. Supreme Court ," bny The Trentonian's Isaac Avilucea: "The office for the New Jersey 12th district lawmaker released a statement confirming that she was taken into custody by Capitol Police for 'peacefully protesting' the high court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade. Watson Coleman was among at least 34 people taken into custody, including more than a dozen members of Congress. She was locked up for about an hour before being processed and released, her office said."

MUY MALINOWSKI — " Malinowski bid to appear on ballot as Moderate Party candidate rejected again ," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "'Having reviewed the papers submitted in support of the request for reconsideration of the June 8, 2022 decision, and the arguments set forth therein, the request for reconsideration of the June 8, 2022 decision is denied,' Way said in a letter to the attorney representing the Moderate Party. The Moderate Party had pledged to go to court to contest the constitutionality of New Jersey's ban on fusion voting after Way determined on June 8 that state law prohibited the Democratic congressman from appearing on the ballot twice for the same office. But instead of filing a lawsuit, the fledgling Moderate Party waited five weeks and then sent a letter to Way on July 8 asking that she reconsider. There is little likelihood now that that Malinowski and the Moderates could get their challenge to fusion voting decided by the courts in time for the November 2022 general election."

—Moran: " The sexual scolds in the anti-abortion movement "

A message from Rise Light & Power:

LOCAL

GILMORE'S MARCH TO THE OCEAN — " Is Ocean County GOP on the brink of civil war? " by The Asbury Park Press' Erik Larsen: "The fracture in the Ocean County Republican Party is poised to split wide open into a political game of thrones, after paper and electronic records went missing in what its new chairman says was a late-night cleanout of the organization's headquarters that left nothing of substance but bottles of booze. George R. Gilmore ― who made a remarkable political comeback earlier this month ― has had his lawyer serve cease-and-desist letters and orders to preserve all paper and electronic communications, to various current and former senior members of the organization aligned with its leadership under former chairman Frank B. Holman III. Gilmore claims that Holman's allies are attempting to keep certain emails and files from him; either because the content of those files may be embarrassing or even possibly incriminating. Ridgewood-based attorney John M. Carbone, who has advised governors and investigated allegations of election fraud throughout the country over a career that spans nearly 50 years, has been retained by Gilmore to litigate the matter."

NEW JERSEY'S MOST DYSFUNCTIONAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT — " Trenton is caught in a city budget fight. The state of N.J. just stepped in ," by NJ Advance Media's Brent Johnson and Kevin Shea: "For weeks, local leaders in Trenton have been embroiled in a bitter battle over the city government budget. Local finances have been running on an emergency basis since the council failed to vote on a new $227 million budget that was due on April 29. It's gotten so tense that New Jersey's state government recently stepped in to make sure the Garden State's capital city made key debt payments — and help avoid a financial disaster that could affect cities and towns across the state. 'You can't make it up,' Mayor Reed Gusciora told NJ Advance Media, adding that he wants the state to step in even further, taking over the city's budget process to end the stalemate."

LEGAL TENDERSON — " NJCU president's going-away package is nearly $650K. It could balloon to $1 million with other perks ," by The Jersey Journal's Joshua Rosario: "New Jersey City University President Sue Henderson is going away, but she's not leaving empty-handed. The departing school leader will receive a golden parachute of nearly $650,000 in severance and sabbatical pay after resigning on the same day school officials announced a 'financial emergency' that has led to layoffs, furloughs and other cost-cutting measures. The parting payment ranks at or near the top of all Hudson County 'boat' checks. But there's more. Other perks in her contract and exit agreement, which were obtained through an Open Public Records Act request by The Jersey Journal, could push the total payout to Henderson to nearly $1 million."

AN ELEPHANT NEVER FORGETS — " Lucy the Elephant embroiled in controversy over 'Never forget, never again' fund-raising language ," by The Philadelphia Inquirer's Amy S. Rosenberg : "Lucy the Elephant needs $800,000 in donations to pay for her extensive restoration, but a recent fund-raising mailer has surrounded the Margate icon in controversy. The mailer, sent to 10,000 people, used the phrase 'Never forget, never again' — words long associated with the Holocaust — next to a photo of Lucy the Elephant in 1973, when the roadside attraction was threatened with the wrecking ball. Susan Klyman, a resident of Margate and Newtown, Bucks County, and a member of the Philadelphia-based Sons & Daughters of Holocaust Survivors, said she was outraged.

"'I consider this to be an egregious problem,' Klyman said in an interview Tuesday … Richard Helfant, the executive director of the Save Lucy Committee, said he did not mean to evoke the Holocaust or show any disrespect by using the words in the campaign. He noted the words have been used in connection with 9/11 and other fund-raising efforts. 'The words are not trademarked,' Helfant said. 'My grandparents are Holocaust survivors. It was a picture of Lucy minutes before the wrecking ball when she was falling apart. The caption under the picture was those four words. Because we can't let that happen again.'"

—" Fanwood lets the dogs in; Council votes to allow pooches in the parks "

—" Legal battle heats up over Monroe's push to fire veteran police officer "

— "Groping incident gets judge censured, permanently banned"

—" What may come to vacant Rowan campus in Burlco? "

—" Camp Osborn prepares to rebuild nearly 10 years after Sandy destroyed community "

—" Ex-[Glassboro] police chief pleads not guilty to charges he choked, threatened woman "

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EVERYTHING ELSE

DOBBS — " Medical students and grads from states with abortion bans could seek out NJ. Here's why ," by The Record's Lindy Washburn: "In the wake of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, patients who want abortions won't be the only ones affected by new state restrictions. Medical students who want to learn about abortion may also be hampered by the abortion bans adopted in many states. And for medical-school graduates who want to specialize in OB-GYN, the decision could make medical-residency slots in states such as New Jersey — where abortion rights are protected — more competitive. Even now, fewer than 70 positions are available each year in New Jersey's four-year OB-GYN residency programs. With 45% of such programs nationally in states that are certain or likely to ban abortions in light of the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, competition for those slots is likely to intensify."

WHALES STILL AVOIDING ATLANTIC CITY — " Humpback whales continue surprising resurgence off NJ shores," by The Record's Scott Fallon: " The waters of North Jersey and New York City have become such a large feeding ground for humpback whales that many are staying longer than they used to and returning year after year, a study released Monday by Rutgers University shows. The number of humpbacks sighted from the Manasquan Inlet north to the lower Hudson River and east to Fire Island has grown significantly in recent years. There were sightings of 101 individual whales from 2012 to 2018. As of Monday, that number had risen to 257 distinct individuals, said Danielle Brown, the study's lead scientist. 'There is still a lot of ongoing research to determine why they're here, but certainly we're seeing the long-term benefits of action taken in the 1970s like the Clean Water Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act,' said Brown, a Rutgers doctoral candidate and head researcher for the advocacy group Gotham Whale."

NJ TO RESPOND TO PASSING NEW, BIGGER TAX INCENTIVE PACKAGE FOR AMAZON — " Amazon worker dies at New Jersey warehouse during Prime Day rush ," by The New York Post's Theo Wayt: "An Amazon worker died at a New Jersey warehouse during the Prime Day rush last week, according to the Department of Labor. The unnamed male worker's death occurred at Amazon's EWR9 facility in Carteret, New Jersey, during Amazon's Prime Day sale, which is traditionally one of the online retailer's busiest weeks of the year. Labor Department spokesperson Leni Forston told The Post that the agency's worker safety division, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is 'aware of this tragic incident' and is 'currently investigating.'"

A GIANT STEP — " Plotting the future of the most storied studio in jazz ," by The New York Times' Ben Sisario : "Hidden along a commercial strip north of the George Washington Bridge, surrounded by car dealerships and characterless corporate offices, is hallowed ground for jazz. There, tucked in a one-acre wooded lot, sits a squat concrete-block structure built in 1959 by Rudy Van Gelder, the polymathic former optometrist who became the genre's most influential recording engineer. On thousands of albums made at his studio there by the likes of John Coltrane, Horace Silver, Dexter Gordon and Bill Evans, Van Gelder developed ways to capture sound with renowned clarity and depth, earning the respect of musicians and the envy of other engineers. ' … Yet after Van Gelder died in 2016, at age 91, the future of his studio … was left in doubt. Van Gelder willed the property to his longtime assistant, Maureen Sickler, but gave her no instructions about what to do with it. After about five years of work to restore Van Gelder's equipment and obtain historic-property status for the building, Sickler and her small team … are now midway through a plan to make Van Gelder's haven a full-service recording studio once again, and create a nonprofit organization that would assume ownership of the space and ensure its longevity."

—" New Jersey rabbi, convicted in sex abuse case, won't receive Israeli citizenship "

—" N.J. youth baseball umpire violently attacked, left with broken jaw, files lawsuit against coach "

—" ATVs continue wild illegal joyrides through the NJ Pine Barrens "

—" N.J. youth baseball umpire violently attacked, left with broken jaw, files lawsuit against coach "

A message from Rise Light & Power:

The Outerbridge Renewable Connector (Outerbridge) – a proposal before the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities – would enable the state to harness offshore wind energy by repurposing an abandoned brownfield, revitalizing an industrial-zoned waterfront, and supporting the local and state economy without impacting our beaches.

Outerbridge, proposed by Rise Light & Power, would be an underground electrical transmission project functioning as an "extension cord" and connecting energy generated by offshore wind farms to New Jersey's power grid. Outerbridge would support New Jersey's economic growth and resilience strategy. It is projected to deliver clean energy to 1.4 million homes and generate more than $1 billion in economic activity.

The project would minimize community disruption, protect environmentally sensitive areas and repurpose the past to power the future. Outerbridge would play a key role addressing the health and economic dangers of climate change while protecting the Jersey Shore we know and love.