News : POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: N.J. reporters taking bribes? McQueeny's shocking claim

Monday, October 3, 2022

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: N.J. reporters taking bribes? McQueeny's shocking claim

Oct 03, 2022

Presented by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Good Monday morning!

I began my journalism career just as newspapers were beginning their long decline. So I've heard a lot of lamenting from Boomers — often politicians and former reporters — about just how much the press has eroded.

There's no question newspapers are a shell of what they used to be. There's also no question, at least in my mind, that the trend has been detrimental to civic society, especially at the local level, where county and municipal governments usually get bare-bones coverage at best. But take a look at this passage deep in a column by PR man Jim McQueeny about his interview with disgraced former Hudson County Executive Robert Janiszewski. McQueeny described being a reporter for The Hudson Dispatch in the 1970s.

"The paper deliberately paid their reporters a pittance with the tacit understanding that they would take weekly cash envelopes from the 'public relations' agents for local pols for 'publicity.'" McQueeny wrote. "When I refused the first of many such offers to come (in West New York), the agent of the mayor (who was later indicted) roughed me up in a stairwell."

To be fair, several people on my Twitter timeline — two of whom worked at the Hudson Dispatch a— said to their knowledge this wasn't the case. And most news organizations still pay reporters a "pittance," but in my 15 years reporting on New Jersey politics, I've never even caught a hint of reporters taking bribes. And if I had, I wouldn't have shown any professional courtesy about it. I'd be a rat. I think most of my colleagues would as well.

So yes, it's a tough time for journalism. But if this type of thing was as common as McQueeny suggests — or even if it was just more common than today (See Harry Karafin as one example elsewhere) — it shows how nostalgia about the "golden age of journalism" can smooth out those rough edges of history.

DAYS SINCE MURPHY REFUSED TO SAY WHETHER HIS WIFE'S NON-PROFIT SHOULD DISCLOSE DONORS: 239

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Campbell's Jennifer Lehman, former House candidate Josh Welle

WHERE'S MURPHY? In Atlantic City for a noon speech at the Clean Energy Conference, then Camden County College in Blackwood at 2 p.m. for the Gov. Florio memorial ceremony.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "It would be nice just to be forgotten — and forgiven." — Former Hudson County Executive Robert Janiszewski in an interview with Jim McQueeny

A message from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:

WHAT TRENTON MADE

'GREAT SUCCESS!' - CRAIG COUGHLIN - BORAT SAGDIYEV — Coughlin eyes small business legislation, plans out fall legislative priorities by POLITICO's Daniel Han : Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin is doubling down on a commitment to small business legislation, as the state's second most powerful lawmaker declared "great success" on much of his chamber's legislative agenda. The speaker's small business goals are expected to be unveiled in greater detail later Monday. Coughlin said that it would include helping minority-owned businesses receive government contracts, building the state's film and manufacturing industries and boosting the state's Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit Program.

[CENSORED] [CENSORED] — "N.J.'s new sex ed standards hit the classroom as criticism rages in some districts," by NJ Advance Media's Tina Kelley: "At state Board of Education meetings and Education Committee meetings in the state Legislature, groups representing families have charged that schools are overstepping parents' rights to educate their children about sex and related topics. Lawmakers have sent out e-blasts. "Parents and local communities deserve to know if Gov. Murphy is going to send the sex police into their school districts to punish those who stand in opposition to the concerning state mandates," state Sen. Joe Pennacchio, R-Morris, said. He said he heard 'one lie after another' as part of a 'sexual indoctrination agenda.' …

Eva Goldfarb, a professor of public health at Montclair State University , has seen similar sentiment over the decades and across the country. She said the perception of parental opposition and concerns 'is so much greater than it actually is.' This is part of a national movement that is looking like a local New Jersey movement,' she said. 'If you look at the arguments being made, they match almost identically Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill, and bills in Ohio, and Tucker Carlson talking about New Jersey.' Last year, she and her colleague Lisa Lieberman outlined the benefits of comprehensive sex education in an overview of three decades of research. They concluded such education helped prevent child sex abuse and dating and intimate partner violence, helped students develop healthy relationships, and increased media literacy."

SOMEHOW I DON'T THINK ANYBODY SAID ANYTHING ABOUT IT ON THE FLOOR —"NJ senator says he 'didn't give a damn about the Constitution' during COVID," by NJ 101.5's Erin Vogt: "A comment made by a state senator bout not giving a 'damn what the Constitution said' sparked reaction largely as partisan as the Senate vote Thursday to confirm the state attorney general. Sen. Dick Codey, D-Essex, on Thursday was responding to a Republican lawmaker bringing up Gov. Phil Murphy dismissing a question about the Bill of Rights as being 'above my paygrade' back in 2020 during the height of the pandemic … To my colleague, Senator Dougherty — former Essex County young man — when the Coronavirus hit, I didn't give a damn what the Constitution said. I wanted us to be safe, I wanted to beat the virus." We needed leadership; leadership that had, worked 24-7, we all know that... and according to everybody I talked to, they did a damn good job, Codey said."

JUST SEND AN EMPTY PLANE ANYWAY —"NJ National Guard scraps plan to go to Florida. Murphy says services 'not needed,'" by The Record's Katie Sobko: "In a reversal of the announcement made just 24 hours ago, New Jersey will not be sending members of the National Guard to assist Florida residents. Gov. Phil Murphy initially announced that 135 National Guardsmen as well as 40 military and support vehicles would be sent to Florida to help in the wake of Hurricane Ian. This is part of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a mutual aid agreement that allows for resources to be shared in the wake of disasters around the country. On Friday, Murphy's office released a statement that said 'Florida officials were grateful for the support from New Jersey; however, given the change in the track of the storm and analysis of relief missions, there is not a need for our assistance at this time. New Jersey stands ready to answer the call and support Florida in its time of need.'"

—Stile: "DeSantis once voted 'no' on hurricane relief — he hopes NJ, NY forgot. We didn't"

—"$50 to drive to Manhattan. $100 to come into N.J. How a fight over traffic cameras could prove costly"

—" Know those cloudy windows on NJ Transit trains? A fix is coming"

—"Advocates eye NJ-wide program to flag students needing mental health help "

—"National Black Political Convention in [Newark] postponed by water crisis in Mississippi"

— "Housing advocates urge lawmakers to make more landlord-tenant actions confidential"

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BIDEN TIME

PHILLING UP THE COFFERS — "Biden to make a big fundraising swing through the Tri-State area," by POLITICO's Sam Stein and Carly Sitrin: President Joe Biden is continuing his prodigious fundraising swing next week, with a new stop scheduled in New Jersey. Biden is set to appear at the home of Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO. The Red Bank stop was described by a person familiar with it as a "million dollar fundraiser" for the Democratic National Committee's grassroots victory fund … Biden has been ramping up his fundraising activities as the midterms approach, hoping that an infusion of cash will help his party retain control of Congress. Murphy, meanwhile, has emerged among Democratic governors as an increasingly major player on the national scene. The New Jersey Democrat and Biden have forged a close relationship during the president's tenure in office with members from the Biden administration making frequent appearances in the state in recent months including U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine.

NOT SO KEAN ON MORAN — " Former Gov. Kean, an icon to me, sucker punches me with a low blow. Wow," by The Star-Ledger's Tom Moran: "He appeared on NJ Spotlight News this weekend and was asked by the host, David Cruz, why his son is refusing to appear at a Star-Ledger editorial board. Here's a transcript of his answer: 'He's got good reason for that. Tom Moran has put things in the paper that are inaccurate, unfair, and he's never been given a chance to answer any those things. So, eventually, if it happens again and again and again and again, eventually you just give up.' … I don't pretend that I'd be a picture of calm and rational if someone criticized my daughter, and I still think the world of the former governor. I wrote him a note today about this, and it was polite and respectful. But I have to defend myself, given how personal this was. First, a fact check: I reach out to Kean Jr. every time I write about him. It's a rule. So it's flatly untrue that Kean Jr. has had no chance to offer his side of every story. I checked this morning, and counted 33 e-mails I sent to the campaign during this campaign and the 2020 run. Kean never accepted a single invitation to speak with me. Second, where are the factual inaccuracies? I don't pretend to be infallible, and I will be happy to print a correction of any factual error. That's another rule. But Gov. Kean didn't cite a single one, and Cruz didn't ask him to back that up."

—You can watch his portion of the Kean Sr. interview right here and see our Reporters Roundtable discussion of Kean's Moran snub here.

WHICH EXIT OFF THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD? — " The Lands of Oz: Dr. Mehmet Oz's opponents have harped on him being a New Jersey guy running for Senate in Pennsylvania. But is it true? And does it matter?" by NJ Advance Media's Brent Johnson, Rudy Miller and Jonathan D. Salant: "The Garden State has become a critical character in the race between Oz, a Republican backed by former President Donald Trump, and Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman for retiring Republican Pat Toomey's Senate seat representing Pennsylvania … Berwood Yost, director of the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College and head of the school's poll, said residence is especially a focus because Pennsylvania hasn't elected many candidates without a "long history" there, let alone ones who are celebrities. 'If you talk to Pennsylvanians and you ask them where they're from, they tell you their hometown,' Yost said. 'There's a strong sense of place here.' Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said that when he was running for re-election as Philadelphia mayor in 1995, Republican challenger Joe Rocks ran ads calling him a New Yorker. That was more than three decades after Rendell moved to Pennsylvania for college and never left. Unlike New York, Rendell said, Pennsylvania isn't as open to out-of-towners. "New York is the most transitory city in the country. In Pennsylvania, it's exactly the opposite," Rendell, a Democrat, told NJ Advance Media."

—" Cory Booker is standing in the way of outlawing fentanyl derivatives. Here's why,"

CARTOON BREAK — "Where in the world is Tom Kean Jr.? " by Drew Sheneman

—"Friendly Fire: Handicapping Malinowski-Kean II and Gov. Florio's legacy"

—"Fight of the Week: Murphy versus DeSantis"

A message from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:

LOCAL

NEW JERSEY'S MOST DYSFUNCTIONAL CITY — "Lots at stake in Trenton local races after years of rancor ," by New Jersey Globe's Joey Fox: "Ever since Mayor Reed Gusciora took office in 2018, relations between the mayor's office, the city council, and various arms of the city bureaucracy have steadily deteriorated. Trenton, already one of the state's more economically challenged cities, has become known in statewide political circles for dysfunction and offensive statements, mostly coming from its rancorous city council. But 2022 offers the chance for a major reset, since all eight of the city's elected offices are on the ballot. In the mayor's race, Gusciora faces a challenge from the two councilmembers who have contributed the most to government dysfunction, while six of the city's seven council seats are hosting open races – meaning that no matter what, Trenton city government will look hugely different come 2023. Four candidates are running for mayor and 22 are running for seven city council seats"

DENTE'S FIREBALL — "Saddle Brook officer charged with drunk driving says he didn't flee after car hit pole ," by The Record's Steve Janoski: "A Saddle Brook police officer has been suspended with pay after county authorities arrested him on Labor Day weekend for allegedly hitting a telephone pole while driving drunk, then fleeing the scene of the accident, according to documents and body camera footage obtained by The Record and NorthJersey.com. But the officer, Attilio Dente, 39, of Saddle Brook, disputed the official account Thursday and said he simply fell asleep at the wheel. He didn't flee the scene, he said. And he plans to fight the charges in court. 'It's my town — why would I flee? Why would I run away? I didn't know I got into an accident, believe it or not,' Dente said … Bergen County Sheriff's officers arrested Dente at about 10:46 p.m. on Sept. 2 after Dente told police he fell asleep on Market Street while driving home from a friend's house after a day of drinking on Lake Hopatcong, according to videos and arrest documents"

R.I.P. — "[Keyport] mourns death of 32-year-old N.J. fire chief"

—"Monmouth County beach revenues up, but businesses struggle for staff"

—" Republican seeking Passaic Sheriff post is coming off personal bankruptcy"

—L.A. Parker: "Water troubles shouldn't be city versus suburbs"

—"Health concerns emerge as officials get ready to clean up Camden's pile of dirt"

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

MORE WEED — "N.J. legal weed was a success this summer, but report warns there still aren't enough stores," by NJ Advance Media's Suzette Parmley: " National cannabis companies who set up shop in New Jersey for the launch of legalized adult weed did just fine meeting the new demand this summer. But an industry report published earlier this month warned that the state's restricted number of stores could hurt its growth and ability to move consumers from the illicit weed market to the legalized one in the long run … [A] Sept. 22 report by Leafly, a cannabis use and education website, warned that New Jersey — with 9.2 million residents — was still far below 13 other states that have legalized adult recreational marijuana in the number of stores based on population. Nationally, New Jersey had the least stores per capita — and it wasn't even close,' said Bruce Barcott, senior editor at Leafly Reports, who co-wrote the report. 'We counted both adult-use and medical-only stores operating as of July 1, 2022, and New Jersey offered 0.3 stores per 100,000 people. The state is capturing only 20 percent, at most, of all cannabis sales in its legal stores.' … Barcott said states like Montana and New Mexico, which also launched recreational adult weed sales this year, had significantly more stores.'"

—" The slave trade thrived in the Meadowlands. A N.J. woman wanted the story told"

—" East Rutherford Superfund site cleanup to end, EPA will continue to monitor"

—Mulshine: "After Hurricane Ian, we should be taking a hard look at flood protection"

—"New traffic fatality numbers reveal a crisis in New Jersey | Opinion"

—" Remnants of Hurricane Ian bring flooding, scattered power outages to New Jersey"

A message from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:

Efforts to make New Jersey a healthier, more equitable state took a major step forward with Acenda Integrated Health receiving funding from RWJF to serve as the "incubator" organization to launch the state's first public health institute.

The institute will promote collaboration and build capacity in New Jersey, where public health infrastructure and systems are stretched thin. It will play a key role in a reimagined public health system in the state. Today, 33 states are served by a public health institute; New Jersey's would be the first to have health equity as a founding priority.

"Dedicated advocates, community members, and partners in state government have worked hard for this moment to arrive," said RWJF's Maisha Simmons. "Everyone in New Jersey should be able to live the healthiest life possible – and a establishing a public health institute is a critical step on that path."