| | | | |  | | By Matt Friedman | Good Thursday morning! The Mercer County executive primary is over. Brian Hughes, an incumbent for 20 years who faced a challenge by Assembly member Dan Benson, dropped out Wednesday afternoon. “I’ve said throughout this campaign that I’ve never run against a fellow Democrat, and despite the fact that I’m being challenged in this race, it has become clear that the best path forward for Mercer Democrats is for me to step aside,” Hughes said in a statement “I do not make this decision lightly, after more than 20 years in public office fighting for this county and every last resident.” Hughes also endorsed Benson to succeed him. At one point, this campaign looked like it threatened to be a major conflagration for Democrats that extended beyond Mercer County, with potential competing legislative slates. But that never quite came together. And after Hughes scored about one-fifth of the county committee’s support at the party’s recent convention, the odds looked poor for him. This is also another loss for George Norcross, whose political machine has taken some hits over the last several years. As I reported previously, Norcross, a Hughes backer whose insurance brokerage does business in Mercer County, got personally involved. He unsuccessfully attempted to get local elected officials to not back Benson in the race and, along with former Senate President Steve Sweeney, tried to convince Assemblymember Wayne DeAngelo to run a state Senate primary against Linda Greenstein. Now New Jersey politicos need a new thing to gossip about. What’s next? TIPS? FEEDBACK? HATE MAIL? Email me at mfriedman@politico.com. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “F--- the mayor.” — Edison School Board member Mohin Patel to police during an afterschool event, within earshot of high school kids. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Joe Danielsen WHERE’S MURPHY? No public schedule |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | |
ATTENTION JEFF VAN DREW — “The East Coast whale die-offs: Unraveling the causes,” by Andrew S. Lewis for Yale Environment 360: “In early December of 2016, the carcasses of juvenile humpback whales began turning up in the busy waters around the mouth of Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay. By the end of February, 10 animals had been found within about a 200-mile stretch of coast between Virginia and North Carolina. Though scientists did not yet know it, the spate of deaths marked the start of an ‘unusual mortality event’ (UME) for humpback whales. … After a decline in strandings in 2021, a dramatic spike appears to once again be underway. Between December 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023, 16 humpbacks have stranded on or near shorelines from North Carolina to New York, the highest number ever recorded during that particular three-month period. … This winter’s humpback strandings in New York and New Jersey look strikingly similar to those that occurred from December 2016 through February 2017 in Virginia and North Carolina, in terms of number of animals, geographic radius, and average number of days between strandings. And yet activist groups, politicians, and the media are falsely framing the New York and New Jersey strandings as unprecedented. The claim was first made in January, after the states experienced five humpback strandings, and the allegation has since engulfed coastal towns in New Jersey, where construction of the largest offshore wind farm in the U.S. is set to begin as early as next year.”
FAMILY FEUD — Port Authority Chair O'Toole's sister adds new retaliation claims in family feud, by POLITICO’s Matt Friedman: The sister of Port Authority Chair Kevin O’Toole, who in a lawsuit filed last summer alleged her brother sabotaged her Cedar Grove police career over a family feud, now claims her sons-in-law have been punished as well. Eileen O’Toole’s amended six-count complaint, filed Wednesday afternoon, comes as the parties prepare to engage in settlement talks. She alleges that she was in line to become the Cedar Grove police chief until she had an unspecified falling out with her brother. TAYLOR SHAM — “N.J. banned TikTok on state phones. Why is the state’s TikTok account still active?” by New Jersey Monitor’s Sophie Nieto-Munoz: “One of the videos posted on the state government’s TikTok account shows a golden retriever licking a box of Taylor ham … The account, with 61 videos and over 52,000 followers, also takes part in trends like local American Girl doll, and has gone viral for roasting Delaware at least twice. The account remains active, even though Gov. Phil Murphy announced a cybersecurity directive banning the app — and other software deemed high-risk — from state devices in January … In a statement to the New Jersey Monitor, a Murphy spokeswoman said state workers who need to use TikTok for state businesses can still use the app if they’re not connected to a secure state network. Agencies that want to use the app for ‘compelling’ public interest reasons must submit a request to the state’s homeland security department for permission to use prohibited software.”
| | | | 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. | | | | | TOWNS ACCUSED OF DISPARAGING UNASSAILABLE INSTITUTE — “N.J. cites 28 towns for violating marriage license rules for LGBTQ community,” by NJ Advance Media’s Karin Price Mueller: “The state attorney general’s office has cited 28 municipalities for allegedly violating state law by excluding certain LGBTQ individuals from marriage license applications on their websites. The application forms ‘do not permit nonbinary people to apply for marriage licenses unless they misgender themselves, under oath, as either `m’ (male) or `f’ (female),’ the state said Wednesday. This does not conform with the Department of Health’s rules for marriage licence applications, “which has included a third gender option for nonbinary applicants and other people with undesignated or unspecified gender identities since 2019,” the state notice said. It is also violation of the state’s Law Against Discrimination, the attorney general’s office said. … The Division of Civil Rights issued the notices of violations to Audubon, Carney’s Point, Chester Township, Commercial, Delran, Fair Haven, Farmingdale, Hi-Nella, Lopatcong, Lumberton, Manasquan, Milltown, Morris Plains, Morristown, Ocean Gate, Oceanport, Old Bridge, Pemberton, Pennsauken, Pohatcong, Raritan Borough, Stockton, Sussex Borough, Vineland, West Cape May, Westhampton, Westville and Woodlynne.” —“Murphy set to nominate 11 New Superior Court judges, more than half women and more than half minorities” —“Watchdogs blast reinstatement of prison guard acquitted of misconduct” —“Quinn leaving EDA to join Biden administration” —"Ocean Republicans boot Gove, give Assembly line to Rumpf, Myhre" —“McCoy narrowly wins Middlesex line for Assembly seat, will run with DeAngelo” | | BIDEN TIME | |
KEAN PLEDGES TO SOLVE PROBLEM, MAY EVEN CHECK OUT HOOK WHILE DJ REVOLVES IT — “Kean follows Gottheimer’s lead,” by InsiderNJ’s Fred Snowflack: “Thomas H. Kean Jr. is in a tough district. It leans Republican, but not by much. Kean won last year in CD-7 by slightly less than 9,000 votes. Next year, of course, is a presidential year, so the voting landscape will be different … A lot can’t be controlled, but Kean seems to be taking steps to control what he can. The congressman said Wednesday that he has joined the Problem Solvers Caucus. He said in a statement that he joined “to help find solutions for families and businesses in New Jersey. Every day of gridlock in Washington is another day that issues impacting my constituents at home go unaddressed …”
—“Family of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, top Democrats lambaste Fox News and Tucker Carlson over Jan. 6 portrayal” | | LOCAL | |
PATERSON COPS — “He worked to stop violence on the streets of Paterson. Amid crisis, N.J. man was shot by police,” by NJ Advance Media’s S.P. Sullivan: “After years of surviving — and stopping — violence on the streets, Najee Seabrooks told friends he was in trouble of his own, and he feared exactly how it could end. ‘Before everyone tries to kill me,’ colleagues said he texted them Friday morning after barricading himself inside his home, begging them to ‘come to me’ as he said he was in the grips of an apparent mental health episode they’re still trying to understand … ‘We’re here in the lobby,’ one of them responded. ‘Cops won’t let us up.’ Hours later, he was shot dead in a confrontation with police. Police were at the scene for several hours attempting to negotiate with Seabrooks and his colleagues said authorities told them he had lit a small fire. The president of the union that represents Paterson’s ranking police officers told the Paterson Press that Seabrooks brandished a knife as he moved toward the officers. The state Attorney General’s Office is investigating Seabrooks’ killing and authorities have released little information about what happened. About three hundred people gathered Tuesday evening for a vigil and rally outside City Hall in Paterson to remember Seabrooks, 31, a high-risk intervention specialist with the Paterson Peace Collective, a group that works to stem the tide of violence in New Jersey’s third-largest city.”
—“Paterson mayor calling for release of body cam footage from fatal shooting of anti-violence advocate” —“NJ Attorney General releases names of officers who fatally shot Najee Seabrooks” COVERING UP THE MURDER OF JACKIE APRILE JR. — “Morris County cop charged with stealing computers, IA records from his own department,” by The Daily Record’s William Westhoven: “Suspended Boonton police Capt. Stephen Jones, who last year filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the town, has been charged by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office with stealing computer towers from his department and tampering with public records. Jones, 42, also stole his own personnel and internal affairs files, Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement Wednesday … The investigation concluded three of the stolen computers contained police information, including internal affairs files. Jones stashed the towers in his Toms River home and the files at his in-laws’ home in Edison, the AG's office said.” MAKING A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MO HILL — “Ocean GOP votes to keep current Toms River club, boosting McGuckin,” by New Jersey Globe’s Joey Fox: “At their county convention [Wednesdsay] evening, Ocean County Republicans narrowly voted to keep the current Toms River GOP club and reject attempts by a rival club to take its place, boosting Assemblyman Greg McGuckin (R-Toms River)’s chances of getting the county organizational line for re-election. The current club, Republicans for Toms River, is aligned with McGuckin and Toms River Mayor Mo Hill, while the defeated Toms River Regular Republican Club is allied with Ocean GOP Chairman George Gilmore. The vote was 116 votes in favor of Republicans for Toms River versus 109 votes for the Regular Republican Club … Until two years ago, the Regular Republican Club was Toms River’s official Republican organization, a role it had held for decades, including under Gilmore’s first reign as party chairman. But after Frank Holman took over the party in 2019 following Gilmore’s resignation, the Holman-aligned Republicans for Toms River won a competitive 2021 fight to become the new official club.”
| | | | 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. | | | | | THE MORRILL OF THE STORY — “Non-profit arm of Jersey City EDC paid for 8 officials to travel to Paris, mayor says,” by Hudson County View’s John Heinis: “The non-profit arm of the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation paid for eight officials to travel to Paris as part of the Centre Pompidou project in Journal Square, Mayor Steven Fulop said [Wednesday] .’ … Who paid for it? That’s an important question. As I said earlier, not a single dollar of taxpayer dollars went towards this,’ the mayor said in an interview … He identified the non-profit as Grow Jersey City, which is modeled after Choose New Jersey, according to their website. GJC did not have any public filings available online as of this afternoon … The mayor insisted that ‘misinformation’ around the trip came from the Jersey City Times, who first published a story about the trip citing anonymous sources, who he repeatedly referred to as a blog run by ‘a trust fund baby that’s kind of been lost for a long time trying to find his way’ … JCT Published and Editor-in-Chief Aaron Morrill said that they stand by their reporting and plan on continuing to cover stories of public interest like this one.’“For a failed blogger, I certainly seem to have succeeded in getting under the mayor’s skin. Similar to bullies like Trump, the mayor prefers to call journalists names rather than address the issues,’ he stated. SILENCING THE LAMB — “McGuckin, Kanitra win Ocean GOP line for 10th District Assembly seats,” by New Jersey Globe’s Joey Fox: “In a four-way convention fight for two 10th legislative district Assembly seats, Ocean County Republicans gave their county line to Assemblyman Greg McGuckin (R-Toms River) and Point Pleasant Beach Mayor Paul Kanitra, rejecting the picks of the Ocean GOP screening committee and dealing something of a blow to county GOP chairman George Gilmore. McGuckin came in first with 63 votes, while Kanitra finished second with 50, just barely over the threshold to avoid a runoff. Former Brick Councilwoman Ruthanne Scaturro got 35 votes, and Toms River school board member Ashley Lamb got 25; Scutarro and Lamb both had the backing of the county screening committee. Lamb said after the results were announced that she may still continue with an off-the-line campaign, but Scaturro said definitively that she was done.” —“Racist slurs, parent pleas: Emails reveal long battle to address harassment at Newark’s Global Studies” —“[Vineland] wonders: How much should mobile home parks pay for city services?” —“Following environmentalist outcry, Hamilton Township introduces anti-ATV ordinance” —“Donohue to step back in favor of Chris Leusner for Middle Township Committee” —“Bad landlords create outsize problems for Atlantic City, officials say” —“Company proposing [Middlesex County’s] 7th power plant is cited for air quality violations” | | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
LET’S NOT GET PHYSICAL — “Some schools ignoring laws regarding the restraint of students,” by News 12’s Walt Kane: “Students with special needs are sometimes physically restrained by school personnel, in some cases kept unable to move for an hour or more. It’s a controversial practice some educators insist is sometimes necessary for student and staff protection. But a Kane In Your Corner investigation finds some school districts are failing to obey a state law that requires them to notify parents when restraint happens, and some are also using a potentially dangerous technique that the law forbids.”
— “From Oradell garage sale to Arlington National Cemetery: USS Maine artifact rescued” —“NJ whale deaths: See the full list to learn how each of them died”
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