News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Jeff Van Veep?

Friday, August 12, 2022

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: Jeff Van Veep?

Aug 12, 2022

Presented by NextEra Energy Transmission

Good Friday morning!

At a fundraiser for GOP Rep. Jeff Van Drew Wednesday night, former President Donald Trump floated him as his potential vice presidential pick in 2024, assuming Trump runs again.

Should we take it seriously? To some extent you've got to. But Trump says a lot of things off the cuff, and he just as easily could've been telling attendees something he knew would get a big reaction.

It show Trump still appreciates Van Drew's willingness to leave the Democratic Party he built his career under when they threatened to abandon him for refusing to vote to impeach the then-president. And it shows that an attempt to undermine democracy by the former president hasn't chilled Republicans' enthusiasm for him. But you don't need me to tell you that. The examples are everywhere.

How would Van Drew advantage Trump as a vice presidential nominee? He's taken some votes that cut against the majority of Republicans, like bills on infrastructure and gay marriage (after repeatedly voting against gay marriage as a Democrat in the state Legislature). But people have such strong feelings about Trump one way or the other, I doubt it will really matter who he picks as his running mate. Except maybe among Van Drew's fellow dentists.

DAYS SINCE MURPHY REFUSED TO SAY WHETHER HIS WIFE'S NON-PROFIT SHOULD DISCLOSE DONORS: 177

WHERE'S MURPHY? No public schedule

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "If it had to do with 'Blue Waffle Disease,' we would clear the deck to do prep." — Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora taking a shot at Council President Kathy McBride, who once fell for the internet hoax , after she needled him for missing a meeting last week

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — DOT's Justin Braz, CRC's Jesus Alcazar, former blogger Art Gallagher, New Brunswick Assistant Administrator Brandon Goldberg , insurance broker Ryan Graham, Mercer GOP activist Kim Taylor. Saturday for Kennedy COS Kristin Yeager, Benson COS Sharon Shinkle Gardner, Jamestown's Larry Weitzner. Sunday for Murphy Chief Counsel Parimal Garg, Hawk's Anthony Attanasio, New Brunswick Today's Charlie Kratovil, my brother Nick

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WHAT TRENTON MADE

DEVELOPERS COUNTER THAT THEY'RE NOT FLOODS, BUT RATHER SEASONAL INDOOR SWIMMING OPPORTUNITIES — New Jersey's top environmental official blasts developers for opposing flood rules , by POLITICO's Ry Rivard: New Jersey's top environmental regulator blasted the state's developers for opposing rules meant to keep people and property from being swept away by floods. New Jersey developers are "wrong" or "lying" about the affect flood rules would have on the building industry, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette told state lawmakers on Thursday. "We cannot accept developers telling falsehoods and running around with their hair on fire because DEP wants to change a rule," LaTourette said during testimony to a special joint meeting of the Senate and Assembly environment committees in Toms River. Developers have warned that DEP's plans to release an emergency flood rule could have "dire economic consequences on potentially thousands of projects."

VETERANS HOMES — " COVID outbreaks have lingered for months inside N.J. state veterans homes ," by NJ Advance Media's Susan K. Livio: "The Menlo Park Veterans Memorial Home in Edison has been living with a COVID-19 outbreak since Thanksgiving week that has infected 45% of the workforce and one-third of the residents, including 19 veterans who died, according to the most recent state data this week. An outbreak inside the Vineland Veterans Memorial Home began on April 27, but it has surged in recent weeks, said Major Agneta E. Murnan, spokeswoman for the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. So far there have been 71 Vineland residents — about 30% of the population — and 91 employees infected, and one death of a resident, according to the state Department of Health's website.The third veterans home, in Paramus, has been the least affected by the outbreak that began on April 11.

HE CAME, HE SAUCKIED, HE CONQUERED — " Alex Sauckie wins Ron Dancer's State Assembly seat ," by New Jersey Globe's Joey Fox: "Jackson Councilman Alex Sauickie has won a special election convention for State Assembly in the 12th legislative district. He'll replace Ronald Dancer, who died last month. Sauickie defeated Domenick Cuozzo, a Plumsted township committeeman and pastor, by a vote of 106 to 44 (69%-29%), with 3 votes going to former Jackson Councilman Scott Martin.

HUNGER — " Hunger, food insecurity plague N.J. and nation. Booker, Assembly speaker seek solutions .," by NJ Advance Media's Brent Johnson : "Next month, the White House will hold its second-ever conference focused on combatting hunger and improving nutrition in the U.S. — more than 50 years after the initial one was held. On Thursday, two of New Jersey's top lawmakers — U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and state Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin — examined how it has affected their own state. 'It is shameful that in the state of New Jersey, in every single county, thousands of New Jerseyans to to bed food insecure,' Booker, D-N.J., said during a listening session at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. 'This is a shame. We should do something about it.'"

A STEAKHOUSE TO GO WITH THE STATEHOUSE? — " Could the key to revitalizing Trenton, NJ be reconfiguring a highway? " by NJ 101.5's David Matthau : "Municipal officials are trying to rally support for a plan to reconfigure Route 29 in one downtown section of the city. According to Mayor Reed Gusciora, the area between the Route 29 tunnel and the Statehouse, which is currently a multi-lane highway running in both directions, cuts the city off from the Delaware Riverfront. He said the Biden administration's Reconnecting Communities program could provide federal funding 'to move the highway inward so that Trenton could indeed recapture its waterfront.' He said what the city wants to do with Route 29 is 'change it to a boulevard in front of the Statehouse and behind the Hughes Justice complex and loop it back to where the tunnel is.' He said doing this would create 'a new swath of land where you could do mixed-use housing, bring commercial activity and really create an entertainment district that would attract visitors and bring economic opportunities to Trenton.'"

—" New leader takes helm at Atlantic City casino trade group "

—" Ex-Teaneck schools superintendent named to NJ Department of Education post "

—" Jury selection in New Jersey is about to change "

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

HOUSING — " Half of federal COVID aid to prevent homelessness remains unused in NJ. Here's why ," by The Record's Ashley Balcerzak: " Congress set aside unprecedented amounts of money in federal stimulus packages to quickly house low-income families at risk of homelessness … But less than half of New Jersey families who secured two types of coveted COVID-19 assistance have been able to actually use them. Landlord discrimination or misunderstanding, unbending bureaucracy and skyrocketing rent prices are among the reasons these vital programs aren't working as well as intended, housing administrators say. It's illegal in New Jersey for a landlord to deny renters housing because they have government aid, but state enforcement can drag out for months or even years, and landlords can point to other reasons to shoot down an application … If families face discrimination, DCA said it reports the cases to the attorney general's Division on Civil Rights, which renters may also do through an online portal. Landlords who violate the law against discrimination face up to $10,000 in penalties as well as a damage payment to the victim. But an investigation can take months or even years to complete, and families at risk of homelessness or under a deadline to use public assistance don't have time to wait."

—" Kean up by eight in new NJ-7 poll "

—" Poll gives kim six-point lead in NJ-3 "

—" Cruz wants to challenge Menendez "

—" In Pennsylvania, a scrappy interloper — New Jersey — dominates U.S. Senate race "

—" Pallone hails the inflation reduction act "

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LOCAL

AMY DE…. YEESH — " Rocky road: Hit-and-run councilwoman's driving record reveals tickets, suspensions, court no-shows and 4 accidents ," by The Jersey Journal's Jake Maher: "Four accidents. Dozens of parking tickets. Two license suspensions and numerous threats by the MVC to suspend it again. A review of the driving record of Amy DeGise, the Jersey City councilwoman at the center of a hit-and-run controversy, shows a troubling pattern: suspect driving, bad parking habits and a general lack of accountability by her reluctance to pay her tickets. The crash in July, in which DeGise's SUV struck a cyclist who had run a red light, has drawn an outcry for her to step down from her at-large city council seat. At the time, court documents showed she had nine outstanding tickets for various parking violations around Hudson County, in addition to the two more she got as a result of the crash. But records from the Motor Vehicle Commission obtained by The Jersey Journal through an Open Public Record Act request show those tickets are not outliers. Instead, they're part of a history of carelessness with regard to traffic law documented by a near-constant stream of traffic violations going back to her earliest days as a driver."

PASSAIC COUNTY — " Court tosses complaint by worker who claimed N.J. prosecutor retaliated against him ," by NJ Advance Media's Richard Cowen: "A civil court judge has cleared Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes of any wrongdoing in the lawsuit filed by Henry Hernandez, the media specialist who claimed to be the victim of retaliation in part for refusing to process what he said were "inappropriate" photos of Valdes and her husband. Bergen County Judge Robert Vinci issued an order on Aug. 5 dismissing four of the five counts in the lawsuit, gutting the case, and removing Valdes as a defendant. Hernandez alleged the he was the victim of a hostile workplace—and claimed on two occasions that Valdes asked him to process CDs with racy photos. The judge found no grounds for Hernandez to proceed with his main claim that he was "frozen out" of the prosecutor's office after refusing to process the allegedly risqué photos."

AC —" Atlantic City eyeing police in schools, stronger presence on streets ," by The Press of Atlantic City's Eric Conklin : "Officials are planning a more aggressive approach to making the city's streets and schools safer. The city has applied for a federal Class III officer grant to bring 11 officers to the city's schools. Each officer would be posted at a city school, with a long-term goal of staffing each institution with two officers, Mayor Marty Small Sr. said Thursday during a news conference at the city's Public Safety Building. Small said his administration is prioritizing public safety as the city grapples with a glut of crime. 'You're not going to stop everything, but we want to be in position,' Small said. No one from the school district was present at the news conference."

BADLY NEEDED — " Another strip mall could be coming to Wayne as 120-year-old funeral home considers selling ," by The Record's Phil DeVencentis: "The owner of a longstanding funeral home is under contract to sell the property to a commercial developer with deep pockets for the future construction of a strip mall. A local limited liability company affiliated with March Associates Construction Inc. has applied to the township to demolish Moore's Home for Funerals at 1591 Alps Road and then build a 10,482-square-foot retail plaza with up to five storefronts, including one with a drive-thru."

—" Jersey City Council poised to vote on resolution against $4.7B N.J. Turnpike widening "

—" Hoboken Council OKs measure opposing $4.7B plan to widen N.J. Turnpike in Jersey City "

—" Union Beach latest NJ town hit by 'criminal cyberattack' "

—" Pride flags stolen, vandalized in [Frenchtown], officials say "

—" Atlantic City mayor Small and Atlantic County exec Levinson break bread "

—" ELEC: Fulop-linked Fund for Quality Leadership raised 77k in Q2, has $250k cash on hand "

—" Eatontown legal weed store applications must restart after school boundary fight "

—" Wildwood seeks to preserve beach events in discussions with state "

—" Hoboken council approves resolution making them sanctuary city for abortion rights "

—" Newark's water pressure is back, but city says keep boiling it "

INTRODUCING POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don't miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY .

EVERYTHING ELSE

THE POOP WHISPERER — " When the poop hits the fan, he checks N.J.'s sewers. Now he's looking for monkeypox, polio ,'" by NJ Advance Media's Spencer Kent: "Kartik Chandran, an environmental engineering professor at Columbia University, was already testing New Jersey wastewater for the coronavirus. He wondered if it could be used to track [monkeypox and polio], too, and determine just how prevalent they are. The only way to know? Check the sewers. And in the coming weeks, Chandran is going to do just that, utilizing viral genome sequencing to also test for monkeypox and polio. After all, the answers to medical mysteries often lie within wastewater. 'We open up microbial black boxes,' Chandran said matter-of-factly. Traditional methods fail to test everyone. Hospital records and state reporting are often incomplete. And by the time that data is gathered, a new COVID variant or some other virus is already circulating, and it's too late to isolate it and halt community spread. But what if sewer water could change all of that? What if wastewater was an early warning system — a foul but efficacious beacon — alerting public health experts what's circulating in a region? Well, Chandran, 48, is at the center of that quest in New Jersey."

MURPHY ADMINISTRATION IS PRO-BEAR AND ANTI-BEER — " Most NJ 'Category 1' bear incidents occur in Sussex County. Here's what else we've learned ," by The New Jersey Herald's Bruce A. Scruton: "Serious encounters between humans and black bears continue on an upward spiral, especially in New Jersey's northwest, according to numbers given to the state Fish and Game Council. Among those incidents were at least five actual home entries and eight attempted home entries, said Carol Stanko, chief of the Bureau of Wildlife Management, which includes the unit devoted to studying black bears and answering complaints made to state conservation officials. In her in-person report, which concentrated on just those incidents considered 'serious' or Category I, she said there have already been 68 serious encounters since mid-June, a two-month period because the council did not meet in July … The Sussex County Board of Commissioners was expected to include a last-minute resolution at Tuesday night's meeting that calls on the state to take more action to reduce the black bear population, especially in areas where black bear hunting had once been allowed … Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the DEP, said the division has responded to Murphy's desire for 'nonlethal' black bear control methods. The governor's budget has an additional $1.5 million in funding aimed at the black bear/human conflicts. "

—" During bleak early days of COVID, here's how 30K out-of-state doctors, nurses helped NJ "

—" LBI man risks all to save mom, daughter in capsized boat: 'Dumbest thing I've ever done' "

A message from NextEra Energy Transmission:

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.