News: N.J. will almost certainly not be the first primary state

Friday, December 2, 2022

N.J. will almost certainly not be the first primary state

Dec 02, 2022

Presented by AARP New Jersey

Good Friday morning!

Sorry, Jerz. It doesn't look like you'll be among the first-in-the nation presidential nominating states for Democrats. The state that gets the honor of bumping Iowa from the early state lineup is Michigan, POLITICO reports , with the White House pushing South Carolina to be first .

Based on the reporting from Elena Schneider and Jonathan Martin, and Gov. Murphy's quote that I included in Playbook yesterday, it looks like it's still possible for New Jersey to get an early primary spot — just probably not in the top four. But do you really want it? I've heard the arguments in favor, and many are valid. It's a diverse state that well reflects the nation. It's got a big population but it's "fun size," enabling candidates to criss-cross the state in mere hours and appear on the first and fourth biggest TV markets in the country in a single press conference.

But let Michigan have this one . I've never been there, so I can't knock it. But they don't call us "East Coast Elites" for nothing. Jersey's got arguably the best pizza in the country (Detroit style isn't bad but I wouldn't want to eat it every day), good public transit by North American standards, proximity to some of America's greatest cities (and Philadelphia), great universities and Rutt's Hut. Forget the ignorant haters. The state has enough self-built clout that it'll get by just fine without being handed massive influence on presidential campaigns. Besides, I'm not all that sure New Jersey's politicians want the rest of the country to get an up-close look at how the state's Democratic machines work.

DAYS SINCE MURPHY REFUSED TO SAY WHETHER HIS WIFE'S NON-PROFIT SHOULD DISCLOSE DONORS: 299

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WHERE'S MURPHY? — In New Jersey until the afternoon, when he'll head to Louisiana for a DGA conference. He'll be in D.C. Sunday, and back to New Jersey on Monday.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Gov. Phil Murphy drew attention to a long-discussed and important issue Tuesday: the need to reassert New Jersey's role in the Revolutionary War and to celebrate the valor of the nation's first soldiers at the battles of Trenton, Monmouth and other important historic sites … Yet the tragic fate of some 200 veterans of the Korean War and World War II who died from coronavirus-related illness inside New Jersey's three state-run veterans homes did not warrant the same press conference pageantry." — Charles Stile

HAPPY BIRTHDAY – Benjie Wimberly, Kaitlin McGuinness, Gerard Canta, Patricia DiCostanzo, Kelly Klass, Bill Murray, Brian Murray. Saturday for Kay LiCausi, Amy Goldsmith. Sunday for Parker Space, Pauline Hecht, Gordon MacInnes, Phyllis Magazzu, Richard Pilla

A message from AARP New Jersey:

Caring for a parent, spouse or other older loved one can be financially and emotionally draining. Every day, family caregivers struggle to assist older loved ones often using money out of their own pockets. The average family caregiver spends about a quarter of their income on caregiving activities. That's a huge burden. But NJ lawmakers can give family caregivers the relief they need by supporting the Caregiver's Assistance Act (A1802/S2021). Tell lawmakers: support (A1802/S2021).

WHAT TRENTON MADE

VETERANS HOMES — " Phil Murphy salutes the Revolutionary War. But what about NJ's COVID-19 dead? " by The Record's Charles Stile : " The veterans home calamity — the source of bipartisan outrage after the virus's first wave of carnage in the spring of 2020 — was given a passing reference a day earlier in a press release announcing Murphy's long-anticipated 'independent review' of New Jersey's management of the COVID-19 pandemic … The muted announcement, which came after more than two years of promising a deep dive, felt as if Murphy — and the Democratic Party — had decided to slow-walk the controversy into an old news story. It feels like the party is again circling its wagons to minimize the fallout that continues. Murphy said the final COVID-19 review will be released sometime "in late 2023" — roughly a year from now. That schedule places its arrival sometime after the November elections, when all 120 seats of the Legislature are up for grabs."

AID-IN-DYING — Bill would waive aid-in-dying time buffer in some cases , by POLITICO's Daniel Han: New Jersey law requires a minimum 15-day waiting period for terminally-ill people to get prescriptions for life-ending medications. That could soon change. Under a new proposal, the time buffer could go down to as little as 48 hours — potentially allowing substantially more people to take advantage of aid-in-dying options.

OLIVER WANTS SOME MORE… AFFORDABLE HOUSING — " Companies buying up more homes, reducing affordable housing in these North Jersey towns ," by The Record's Ashley Balcerzak: "Institutional buyers are targeting property across New Jersey in lower-income, distressed communities that have big renter populations and buying large numbers of residential homes, leaving neighborhoods with even less affordable housing stock and pushing up home prices faster than in other areas of the state, according to a government report released Thursday. These entities — homebuyers who aren't individuals or families — owned nearly 6% of residential homes across the Garden State in 2020, or more than 154,000 residential properties, according to the report, 'Buying New Jersey: The Rise in Institutional Ownership of Residential Properties.' That's nearly double the 87,000 properties these entities owned in 2012. 'This report shows the challenges that exist for homebuyers, particularly those with lower incomes, to purchase a home in their communities when they're competing against corporations and business entities,' said Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, who heads the Department of Community Affairs, which issued the report

UNDER SCUTARI ADMINISTRATION, NJ ALREADY CATCHING MORE FLIES — " As acting governor, Scutari signs raw honey law, resolution aimed at expanding affordable housing ," by New Jersey Globe's David Wildstein: "Acting Gov. Nicholas Scutari has signed a resolution asking Congress to include funding for expanded rental assistance and affordable housing programs in the 'Build Back Better' plan and signed a new law that exempts raw honey from cottage food product regulations … The raw honey law … clarifies that a law written for foods that need temperature controls so that beekeepers won't need a cottage food permit to sell surplus honey."

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: Republican lawmakers are urging the State Board of Education to reconvene in-person meetings, saying their continued use of virtual meetings is an attempt to "hide" from parents and public testimony. "While the Legislature, local boards of education, and town councils are all back to regular in-person meetings without issue, the State Board of Education continues to use the pandemic as an excuse to meet virtually and limit public access," Senate Minority Leader Steve Oroho (R-Sussex) said in a statement. "Parents want and deserve the opportunity to attend and participate in State Board of Education meetings where controversial policies that impact every student across New Jersey are considered and adopted." Oroho and Sen. Jean Stanfield (R-Burlington) have signed on to cosponsor a measure, S3299, that would require all public meetings of the State Board of Education to be "accessible to the public both in person and virtually." —Carly Sitrin

— New Jersey wants to recruit 5,000 volunteers to help students recover from Covid learning interruptions

—" NJ postpones black bear hunt 'until further notice' as it awaits court ruling "

—" N.J.'s vulnerable domestic workers should have a 'bill of rights,' lawmakers say "

—" I'm suing New Jersey because I shouldn't have to vote for a Democrat or a Republican | Opinion "

—" More warehouses are taking over NJ farms — Could laws stop them?"

—" NJ allocates millions in COVID relief funds to college students' mental health services "

—" NJ court affirms: You don't have to be driving to be busted for DWI "

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BIDEN TIME

HECK OF A JOB, WHOEVER'S IN CHARGE OF FEMA NOW — " Struggling Ida victims were entitled to 18 months of rental aid. Fewer than 300 in NY and NJ got it ," by WNYC's Karen Yi: "When the remnants of Hurricane Ida struck in September 2021, FEMA distributed short-term housing aid to 19,500 displaced residents in New Jersey and New York — enough to pay up to two months of rent. But Gothamist found fewer than 300 — about 1.5% — of those New Jersey and New York residents received the additional rental assistance FEMA offered, meant to help disaster victims for as much as 18 months after the storm. The agency said it doesn't know how many people applied for continued aid, but advocates said most homeowners they heard from were never told the extra assistance was available in the first place … 'I find it deeply troubling that many families have struggled to receive the federal assistance they need from a program that was designed for them,' U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone said"

BLOCKHEIMER —" Congressmembers tried to stop the SEC's inquiry into FTX ," by The American Prospect's David Dayen: "The Securities and Exchange Commission was seeking information from collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX earlier this year, the Prospect has confirmed, bringing a new perspective to an effort by a bipartisan group of congressmembers to slow down that investigation. The March letter from eight House members—four Democrats and four Republicans—questioned the SEC's authority to make informal inquiries to crypto and blockchain companies, and intimated that the requests violated federal law … The eight members were Reps. Emmer, Donalds, Auchincloss, Warren Davidson (R-OH), Ted Budd (R-NC), Darren Soto (D-FL), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), and Ritchie Torres (D-NY). Budd was elected this year to the U.S. Senate … Emmer and Gottheimer led the Blockchain Eight in donations from FTX with each receiving $11,600."

THE WHERE'S TOMMY — " Shy Congressman-elect Kean continues to hide ," by InsiderNJ's Fred Snowflack: "Incumbent Democratic congressman Malinowski has been defeated and Republican Kean Jr. is the congressman-elect. Yet, it is now three weeks since the election and the patterns that emerged during the campaign are continuing. Malinowski has set up a 'farewell and thank you' town hall … Nothing new about that. Malinowski held numerous 'town halls' and public sessions throughout – and even before – the campaign kicked into high gear. Kean did not. He can rest on the knowledge his strategy was successful. He won by about 9,000 votes in a district that became more Republican after the 2020 Census. As long as you win, there's no reason to explain anything. But now that he is about to enter Congress, things are different. You'd think Kean would be interested in communicating in every way he can with his new constituents throughout the district."

RAILROAD NORCROSSING — " N.J. congressman was one of only 8 Democrats to oppose bill to avoid railroad strike ," by NJ Advance Media's Jonathan D. Salant: "Rep. Donald Norcross, a former union business agent, broke with his party Wednesday and voted against legislation that would prevent a nationwide freight railroad strike by forcing the industry and its workers to accept a new contract. Norcross, D-1st Dist., was one of only eight Democrats who voted no on the resolution, which passed, 290-137. He objected to a contract that did not include paid sick leave … In response to concerns voiced by Norcross and other Democrats, the House also passed a separate measure that gave railroad workers seven paid sick days, going beyond the original agreement"

—" Congressional report that includes Rutgers shows colleges' justification for coaches' pay "

—" Cotton, Menendez clash over 9/11 families bill, inclusion of Beirut bombing victims "

A message from AARP New Jersey:

LOCAL

TRENTON MAKES, NEW JERSEY GROANS — " Undervotes in Trenton at-large council race may force runoff after all ," by New Jersey Globe's Joey Fox: "New data released today by Mercer County Clerk Paula Sollami Covello may mean that there will indeed have to be a runoff for three at-large seats on the Trenton City Council, potentially undoing a decision by Trenton City Clerk Brandon Garcia that no runoff was necessary. A court case on the matter is scheduled for this afternoon. Garcia determined last week that first-place finisher Yazminelly Gonzalez, who got 21.9% of the vote overall in a field of nine candidates, had received enough votes to avoid a runoff. Because Gonzalez had purportedly cleared the threshold of 50% +1 vote of all ballots cast, two other candidates who finished in second and third place, Crystal Feliciano and Jasi Edwards, were also declared the winners. But the three candidates in fourth through sixth places – Alex Bethea, Taiwanda Terry-Wilson, and Kadja Manuel, all of whom would make it to the runoff if Gonzalez fell below the threshold – filed a lawsuit alleging that Garcia had made inaccurate calculations. And the Dominion voting machine numbers released today by Sollami Covello show they may be right."

—" Judge to rule Friday on Trenton Council At-Large run-off question "

—" [Trenton] paying $30K to settle lawsuit with cop who claimed retaliatory discrimination "

THE SPORT ONLY MURPHY CARES ABOUT — " Red Bulls score approval for 81-acre HQ in Morris County. Here's a look at revised plans ," by The Daily Record's William Westhoven: "As the United States cheers on its World Cup soccer team in Qatar, the New York Red Bulls have scored a big goal of their own, winning approval for a proposed 81-acre training complex and headquarters in Morris County. After more than a year of public meetings and revisions, the Morris Township Planning Board voted unanimously last week to advance the team's proposal, which will be built on the former Honeywell Corp. campus, the site of significant redevelopment in recent years."

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THE CITY SO NICE THEY NAMED IT AFTER THE CITY ALREADY NAMED TWICE — " West New York Commissioner Cirillo announces mayoral bid, setting up showdown with Sires ," by Hudson County View's John Heinis: "West New York Public Affairs Commissioner Cosmo Cirillo has announced a run for mayor [Thursday] evening, setting up a showdown with outgoing U.S. Rep. Albio Sires (D-8) – a former three-term mayor. I believe actions speak louder than words, West New York needs and deserves a Mayor that is willing to put in the hard work, effort and time, that will be available and accessible to listen to and address the concerns of our community and understand the issues our residents face on a daily basis and also work day and night to be a true servant for our community,' Cirillo, 35, said in a pre-recorded video."

—" For the third day in a row, this South Jersey district [Monroe Township] is closed due to internet issue by 'unauthorized third party' "

—" Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum to close in Atlantic City "

—" State audit finds Brigantine lacked adequate polices on nepotism and use of vacation time "

—" Passaic wants to fill former industrial sites with produce farms — the vertical kind "

—" Muslims on edge after truck with anti-Islamic imagery spotted at 2 NJ mosques "

—" Buena fire centralization plans halted by mass-resignation threat "

—" Krickus set to lead Morris County commission "

—" In Keyport, Republicans are taking over. Now what? "

—" Allendale sells its water system for $18M. Here's what residents can expect "

—" Newark reveals post-COVID standardized test scores while many others wait "

EVERYTHING ELSE

—" North Jersey reservoirs will need 2 feet of rain by next spring to be at normal levels "

—" N.J.'s legendary punk rock hall City Gardens in 'imminent' danger of collapse "

A message from AARP New Jersey:

Caring for a parent, spouse or other older loved one can be financially and emotionally draining. Every day, family caregivers struggle to assist loved ones often using money out of their own pockets. The average family caregiver spends about a quarter of their income on caregiving activities. Many take on debt or tap into savings to make sure their loved ones get the care they need. That's a huge burden. And their sacrifices save the state and taxpayers money by keeping their loved ones out of costly nursing home facilities. New Jersey family caregivers provide more than $13 billion a year in unpaid care. It's past time to give them some financial relief. NJ lawmakers can take action by supporting the Caregiver's Assistance Act (A1802/S2021). This bill would provide a modest tax credit for family caregivers who pay for expensive care out of their own pockets. Tell lawmakers: support (A1802/S2021).