| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Months after the Murphy administration contacted its commissioners to urge them to fire Executive Director Jeff Brindle over an allegedly anti-gay email, the commission will hold a hearing on Brindle’s conduct next week. The hearing, announced by ELEC Commissioner Stephen Holden at a meeting yesterday, will take place just two days before the next Assembly session on March 30. We’ll see whether they take up the "Elections Transparency Act" then. Unless ELEC’s commissioners opt to fire Brindle — I can see them disciplining him but a firing just seems unlikely — they could be ousted before Brindle is. If the Assembly passes this bill and the governor signs it, their seats will be vacated and the governor will get 90 days to unilaterally replace them. And then there’s the matter of all of ELEC’s pending cases. Yesterday, Commissioners Eric Jaso and Stephen Holden approved two complaints regarding as-yet unidentified candidates. Jaso pointed out that the complaints involved the 2019 election, and so if the bill becomes law, the new complaints — like much fo ELEC's work — will be invalidated. TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com. QUOTE OF THE DAY #1: “Resign or we’re going to recall your ass.” — Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small to Councilmember George Tibbitt after he suggested on a radio program that Atlantic County help oversee the city QUOTE OF THE DAY #2: “....” — Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small after being asked whether Councilmember Hossain Morshed, charged with voter and unemployment fraud, should resign and not seek reelection. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: John Mooney, Charles Burton, Awilda Pomales-Diaz, Dominick Pandolfo, Rob Tornoe, Shannon Warner — all of whom I listed yesterday because I forgot what day it was. WHERE’S MURPHY? At the Harrison PATH station at 10 a.m. for an announcement with Port Authority officials.
Media: “Ask Governor Murphy” on your local NPR affiliate at 7 p.m. |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | |
CRAVEN POINT — “Open house on plans for Liberty State Park is postponed,” by The Jersey Journal’s Mark Koosau and Joshua Rosario: “An open house on plans to revitalize Liberty State Park was abruptly postponed by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), just two days before the public meeting was set to take place. It also came after an ally of a billionaire who’s been behind efforts to commercialize the park sent a letter to the DEP criticizing the department’s general vision for the state park, while also touting proposals for the park that environmental activists have pushed back against. In an announcement Tuesday, the DEP said that due to ‘significant public interest,” he open house scheduled for Thursday was postponed ‘to a date later this spring to provide more advanced notice and ensure maximum public participation.’ … [Paul] Fireman made both overt and covert bids to acquire land on the environmentally sensitive Caven Point Peninsula to add three holes to his ultra-exclusive Liberty National Golf Course.”
ELECTION NON-ENFORCEMENT COMMISSION — “Move to weaken election commission is New Jersey politics at their worst,” by The Record’s Charles Stile: “Large increases in contribution limits, the creation of a soft-money ‘housekeeping’ slush fund for administrative expenses, and curbing ELEC investigations into campaign finance violations to just two years, down from a 10-year window. ‘Pay-to-play’ laws, designed to minimize campaign donations from government contractors, would be made uniform but dismantle stronger provisions in some municipalities. The provisions would also apply retroactively, putting an end to a slew of active investigations, including several targeting each party’s major campaign war chests. In short: less scrutiny as more campaign cash gushes into the system. … But the days of compromise are over. This measure is heading to the Assembly for a final vote. It will likely pass. There’s little risk of voter backlash. … And for Democrats — who control both houses of the Legislature — the ability to stuff campaign accounts with a major infusion of special interest cash is something that few will find hard to resist.” DOLPHIN DEATHS — “8 dolphins stranded on Sea Isle City beach have died,” by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Nick Vadala: “Eight dolphins are dead after they became stranded on a Sea Isle City beach Tuesday morning. Two of the dolphins had died by early Tuesday afternoon in what the Brigantine-based Marine Mammal Stranding Center called a ‘mass stranding event’ in a social media post. The organization later euthanized the remaining six dolphins, after a veterinarian assessed that “their conditions were rapidly deteriorating. … This incident comes amid heightened concern over the deaths of nearly two dozen whales found along beaches in New Jersey and New York since December. While some environmental groups have pointed to wind turbine farm projects off the New Jersey coast as a contributing factor in the deaths, scientists and government agencies have dismissed any connections between the two, with necropsies finding evidence of ship strikes in nearly half of the whales.”
| | | | 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. | | | | | A PERMA-NENT SOLUTION? — Local government groups mull own health insurance programs, by POLITICO’s Daniel Han: Local government groups, caught off guard by double-digit rate hikes for employee health benefits on the state-run health plan, are in the early phases of setting up their own alternative health insurance programs for public employees. The New Jersey Association of Counties — a non-partisan group representing the interests of the state’s 21 counties — is working with Perma Risk Management, an affiliate of Conner Strong & Buckelew, to set up a joint health insurance fund run by the association, according to the organization’s executive director. Setting up a new health insurance program is in response to the unexpected roughly 20-percent premium increases for public sector employees on the state-run public workers health insurance program; the increased rates took effect earlier this year. The increases caught public sector unions and local governments by surprise. … Conner Strong & Buckelew, an insurance brokerage company, is led by South Jersey Democratic power broker George Norcross —Murphy backs more nursing home reporting, talks family caregiver tax credit —“Caddle has found a new co-signer for his $1 million bond, prosecutor says” —Snowflack: “Where the GOP primary reigns supreme” —“NJ Transit engineer awarded $11M after passing out in 114-degree locomotive cab” | | BIDEN TIME | |
—Moran: “As the climate fight reaches a turning point, Republicans stick to tired excuses”
—“Public officials scramble to fill gaps in bus service left by DeCamp's impending departure” —“The pride of Delaware? Springsteen receives National Medal of Arts from President Biden” | | LOCAL | |
NOTHING TO SEE HERE — “Bayonne sued by state agency after refusing to comply with subpoena for documents in probe,” by The Jersey Journal’s Ron Zeitlinger: “The city of Bayonne has refused to comply with a subpoena seeking city documents related to a probe by the Office of the State Comptroller, the state agency tasked with investigating fraud, waste and abuse of public funds, said a lawsuit. The lawsuit does not mention what documents were requested, but sources told The Jersey Journal the investigation stemmed from a complaint made by former Business Administrator Melissa Mathews to the state comptroller’s office related to the city’s involvement in the sale of the Marist High School property. The six-acre property was sold to a developer, even after the city knew the New Jersey Turnpike Authority was interested in the site as part of the $4 billion Newark Bay-Hudson County Turnpike Extension project. Two months later, the city passed a redevelopment plan that enhanced the property’s value. … the Alessi Organization, a developer which has donated to Mayor Jimmy Davis’ election campaigns, bought the property for $11.4 million in December 2021.”
PATERSON COPS — “Paterson Mayor Sayegh 'vehemently opposed' to federal intervention in Police Department,” by The Paterson Press’ Joe Malinconico: “Mayor Andre Sayegh has said he is “vehemently opposed” to having the United States Justice Department intervene in the Paterson Police Department in the aftermath of the fatal police shooting of Najee Seabrooks. Sayegh said his administration already has implemented ‘significant police reform measures,’ such as equipping cops with body cameras and conducting a performance audit. The mayor also asserted that the Police Department has been “policing themselves,” crediting Paterson’s former police chief, Troy Oswald, for contacting the FBI in a previous case that eventually resulted in criminal convictions of eight city cops from 2018 through 2022. ‘While I understand that the recent tragic events have led to calls for federal intervention, the foregoing demonstrates that such intervention is not needed,’ Sayegh said Monday” HIGH SCHOOL WAS APPARENTLY FUN FOR AT LEAST ONE PERSON — “29-year-old woman who enrolled in New Brunswick High School says she knows she 'made a mistake',” by ABC 7: “Hyejeong Shin, 29, lasted just a week, faking it as a new student at New Brunswick High School before the school discovered her birth certificate was fake. Shin's attorney, Darren Gelber says the Rutgers University graduate knows she made a mistake and that it was her longing for the kinds of friendships she had in high school that made her decide to do it. Gelber says Shin is a South Korean citizen who came to this country alone when she was 16 to attend a private boarding school and that she missed that kind of atmosphere, seeking it again at New Brunswick High. ‘At no time was anyone or any student in danger and this entire case is more about my client wanting to return to a place of safety and welcoming and an environment that she looks back on fondly and nothing more,’ said Gelber.” SCAMMED — “City of Clifton scammed out of almost $600,000. Here's how it was done,” by The Record’s Matt Fagan: “Council members expressed surprise and disappointment that it took five months for them to find out the city had been scammed out of almost $600,000 in October by identity thieves posing as a longtime vendor. The council members said they learned last week of the fraudulent transfer of funds through an automated clearing house, which is a computer-based electronic network for processing transactions. The payment was made to a fake bank account set up in the name of longtime paving vendor Smith-Sondy Asphalt Construction Co. of Wallington. During last week's budget meeting, council members Mary Sadrakula and Tony Latona asked the city's administration why it took so long for them to be informed of the scam. … Of the $592,000 lost to the scam, the city has recovered $346,000. It expects to get the difference back through its insurance coverage.”
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | BENCHED — “Judge who accused N.J. municipal court of anti-Latino bias says he’s been removed from bench,” by NJ Advance Media’s Jackie Roman: “A New Jersey municipal court judge who raised concerns about discrimination against Latino defendants in his courtroom says he has been removed from the bench pending a fitness evaluation. Millville Municipal Court Judge Jason Witcher said he was notified at the start of the month he would be barred from presiding over court proceedings until he received a fitness-for-duty clearance from a medical provider proving his ability to perform his job. Witcher — who is also a presiding municipal court judge for the Bridgeton/ Fairfield joint court and the combined Pennsville/ Carneys Point court — has been out of the courtroom for two weeks, said Eric G. Kahn, his attorney. However, state officials denied Witcher has been suspended or removed from the bench. ‘Judge Witcher has not been removed from the bench. He has not been penalized in any way,’ said Pete McAleer, a spokesman for the state Judiciary.” Kahn …, disagreed, saying the state’s information ‘does not appear to be accurate.’” FAKE CITY DETECTION SYSTEM, WITH SHOELACES AND PINE SAP — “Newark bolsters vetting of Sister Cities after ‘United States of Kailasa’ debacle,” by NJ Advance Media’s Steve Strunsky: “Newark officials admit they were bamboozled when entering into a Sister Cities relationship with the ‘United States of Kailasa,’ a nonexistent sovereign nation created by a fugitive wanted in India on criminal charges. But city officials insist that signing a Sister Cities agreement with the bogus South Asian nation in January did not cost the city or taxpayers a cent and that steps have been taken to guard against the same kind of diplomatic faux pas in the future. ‘We’re putting some measures in place to ensure that this never happens again,’ said City Council President LaMonica McIver, who attended the Jan. 11 ceremony but did not sign the agreement. ‘One would be that we’re properly researching every Sister City that we enter an agreement with.’” ‘MISINFORMATION’ = NOT REPORTING EXACTLY WHAT I WANT THEM TO —“Camden must rise above 'poverty porn', misinformation,” by Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen for TAPIntoCamden: “That, last week another piece of misinformation was used to try to tear our city down by attacking several corporations that call our city home. The whole concept to employment in our city has several layers and is comprehensive, although one of the largest indicators to measure the health of any city or municipality is the current unemployment rate. … At this time, the latest statistic from the state of New Jersey has Camden at a 6.5% rate, which is the lowest the city has had since statistics have been kept. … Then let’s talk about other tough issues that have plagued the city for generations, namely the decomposition of the public school system. Well, we have a native of the city leading the district now, and the graduation rates have been on the rise.” — “Police records show increase in violence, threats at Central Regional High School” —“[Flemington] politician facing charges he sold drugs can’t be removed by borough council, mayor says” —“Tax hike coming for Paterson residents as school board approves budget” —“Three Edison incumbents lose party support for re-election” —“Lakewood schools budget comes with a tax decrease, and a $93M loan request” —“Highlands region taxpayers forced to pick up the slack as state aid to schools dries up” —“Jersey City BOE approves prelim $1B budget with slight tax decrease at caucus meeting” —“Please move this N.J. Turnpike exit [3], locals implore, as tractor-trailers flood local highway” —“Unpaid, overworked and understaffed, 911 workers complain of ‘hostile work environment’ | | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
—“Rutgers building $567 million new medical school, research facility in New Brunswick”
—“Court hearing for key figure in alleged stock fraud at Your Hometown Deli in Paulsboro”
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